We have always offered superior load carrying in our products. 

However, when towing it’s not just a case of throwing everything in and hoping for the best.  Heavy items need to be secured in the correct place.  In our trial fit we make sure that the bike fits! Obvious but important.  We also check that it can be easily loaded and unloaded.  Once this basic first step is done, we deep dive into some engineering science. 

It might sound dull but if you’re transporting a heavy high value item such as this racing motorbike, there must be certain amount of consideration to how the load is to be carried.  We look at the centre of gravity of both the Atlas Tourer and the bike.  We must understand the relationship to ensure that the bike sits in such a position that the dynamics are not compromised. 

To enable us to get this right we adopt some engineering tools: computer aided design (CAD) & computer aided engineering (CAE).  For our business that’s CATIA for the CAD & MSC for the quasi static and dynamic load calculations.  Our view is that it must be done properly. 

Once the stability calculations are done and we are happy with the load distribution, we can start working on the tiedown strategy in detail.  As this is a retrofit the original design will have to be modified  – more on this in our next bulletin.

Picture shows the trial fit. 

Next time in the workshop with machined parts, welding and some traditional fitting skills.