The influence of body lean on the realism of a motorcycle riding simulator adopting counter-steering approach

Riding simulators are an important resource for motorcycle safety: they can be used to investigate human behaviour under hazardous situations, test novel assistance systems, and perform training in safe conditions. However, the level of realism of the riding simulation is crucial. In former studies, a low- cost approach to riding simulation adopting a passive steering system and implementing a counter- steering strategy was shown to be viable. As a further development, the influence of rider body lean was investigated. The baseline configuration for the mock-up motorcycle was compared with three alternative solutions for body lean implementation: tilting seat, tilting vehicle and combination of the two. A small panel of riders was involved in an experiment related to the assessment of realism of simulated rides. Results showed that both the tilting seat and the tilting frame associated with body lean while counter-steering improve the perceived realism compared to the baseline configuration.