At the beginning of every development project, it is necessary to take an initial assessment. Whether it is a customer project or an in-house development, a qualified initial assessment together with clear objectives allows for an objective evaluation of the project status in every stage. But how do you actually determine the starting point, the baseline?

The Baseline

By baseline, we first mean the currently available status and its characteristics. This can be a model or part that you can buy in a store today, or a draft version that needs to be further developed.

In the case of Project One, the baseline is a motorcycle as you would get it from a dealer or configure it from the manufacturer.

To assess its characteristics, we first take a look at the part itself. We ask ourselves countless questions — what does the part look like, how is it constructed, how is it manufactured, what can it perform, how much does it weigh, etc.? Our thirst for knowledge goes far beyond what can be found in the data sheet, and some of the tests we perform can only be done once with the part or are better done virtually.

3D Scanning

Scanning geometries in 3D is an essential step in creating virtual models today. The technology has advanced significantly in recent years, particularly in terms of user-friendliness.

For Project One, we rely on modern laser scanners, which enable us to quickly and accurately reproduce even complex geometries, such as the fuel tank, in our virtual model.

Because we love numbers, we naturally like to put all the knowledge we have gained into tables. However, the influence of a single part on the properties of the system should not be neglected. A tank, for example, has a significant impact on the dynamic handling and controllability of a vehicle. Of course, its actual purpose of safely storing fuel must never be neglected under any circumstances!

Targets

However, what we derive from this in terms of targets is crucial. A tank that offers more volume, an attractive appearance, and a lower center of gravity while weighing the same — who could say no to that?

Stay tuned for more details from the development process and, of course, on the parts of Project One itself…