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motorcycle exhibit at a science museum?

1225 Views 8 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  aj650
a friend of mine works for a science museum in the area & asked me a sort of challenging question this morning. she said the museum is brainstorming for ideas about a motorcycle exhibit & she asked me if i had any thoughts. well, of course id love to have all different era's, styles, makes & models show up in the exhibit but its not a history museum so that wont work. i thought that maybe since the physics behind the machine itself would be a good place to start. maybe an exhibit to show kids & (non-biker) adults how interesting the gyro effect is that keeps a bike upright & lets it lean & sweep through turns. she also mentioned that it had to be interactive. so i thought (if money was no object) that if they setup a "fake" motorcycle that people could "ride" on some sort of rigging that would let it turn & lean without letting it go too far or fall over. perhaps have it on some rollers (similar to a dyno) that would spin the wheels to make the gyro effect take place & the user could feel the difference in handling as the wheels were spinning fast or slow.

this was all i could come up with. what do you guys think?

they need an interactive exhibit at the local science museum thats all about motorcycles.....
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airodynamics like the bonneville streamlineers.....or you can have a crank turn a magneto and have kids hold the other end of the wire to see how things "work" :)
cutaway engines would also be a sweet thing
Theres a lot of "scientific" things about a motorcyle. What about hydraulics as in brakes, combustion is action-reaction, the difference between torque and horsepower. Theres probably a ton im missing, but those are off the top of my head
caffeine said:
airodynamics like the bonneville streamlineers.....or you can have a crank turn a magneto and have kids hold the other end of the wire to see how things "work" :)
thanks caffeine - made me chuckle - ive done that.....:eek:
sumo said:
thanks caffeine - made me chuckle - ive done that.....:eek:
hehe, get the smart ass kid to do it first!
Desmo valve versus spring valves exhibit....

Bike running on a treadmill would be great.....kind of like giving those who never rode a little bit of feeling (use some kind bumpering system to keep the bike in place and at least somewhat upright. Maybe put the treadmill on hydraulic to give the feeling of leaning.

Definitely engine cutaways 2 stroke and 4 stroke.....

Exhibit on specific gravity, coefficient of friction and material width on tires. Show how force and material composition react to surface factors.

Superchargers and turbochargers - mechanics.......

History of racing and aspects of each in the science used in them....strreamliners with aerodynamics and all out power output, moto with spring rate and quick power changes, track racing and track adhesion and variation in power outputs, and gyroplacement....

Got more ideas, but no time right ow....
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How about early engine design to compared to now? Maybe get some race and street tires to compare the feel of the rubber compounds.

Aside from the science stuff, maybe include a brochure on motorcycle awareness? Watch for Motorcycles, share the road, check your blind-spot, stop at right turns, look twice, etc.
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