Wimoto is a motorcycle engineering company, owned and run by Wido Veldkamp. Wimoto has a strong focus on engineering and the related driving characteristics, compared to the more lifestyle oriented competitors.
Wimoto’s unique combination of skills and the related quality of work is outstanding but the connection between the company and its potential customers leaves room for improvement. There is an opportunity to interact with customers in a more understandable, appealing and profitable way.
A low threshold option for custom suspension upgrades for multiple motorcycle models is provided to differentiate from the ‘shallow customs’ that currently dominate the custom scene. Connected to the values of the company, the product increases awareness of the importance and possibilities of suspension design and helps customers with decision making. In this way Veldkamp’s expertise can be used fully and new customers are more likely to make an inquiry.
The physical part of the design is a cantilever swingarm that can be adapted to the different motorcycle models. This is partly done with the use of a parametric model, which is constructed in Solidworks. The parametric model also allows Wimoto to apply new geometric design to the donor motorcycle, which is essential for improving driving characteristics. The design is theoretically validated for stiffness using finite element analysis. The simulations showed an improvement in stiffness compared to original swingarms.
The complete upgrade was validated with the build of a prototype and test rides. Building the prototype showed what the upgrade exactly means for the company. Test rides proved that the driving characteristics improved substantially and the subjects were sincerely surprised with the experience.
How the design should exactly be implemented, is not yet fully defined but recommendations are given.