Clutch-based launch controller design for sport motorcycles

Launch control is an innovative active system for sport motorcycles, which offers an interesting automatic feature for this type of vehicles. In fact, taking a motorcycle to a smooth and safe start from still might be critical for non expert riders in some working conditions, due to the significant power of the engine and to the complexity of the torque transfer dynamics. As such, an active controller capable of safely managing the vehicle acceleration from a standing start might effectively support the rider as far as both safety and performance are concerned. To control such a manoeuvre, two possible actuators can be employed: the engine throttle and the clutch. This paper illustrates the analysis and the design of a clutch-based launch controller for sport motorcycles, demonstrating that it allows the accurate tracking of an acceleration set-point. Experimental results are presented that favourably witness the effectiveness of the proposed approach.