KAL STUDIO
Project 01 / Rider technology

Lean
Angle.

Research in progress

Exploring a compact device that could help motorcyclists understand lean angle, corner behaviour and ride data.

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Embedded system
Sensor architecture
10Primary layers
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Project 01 concept study / not final design
01 / The question

Can useful ride insight become accessible to more riders?

Many motorcycles do not provide lean-angle or detailed ride analysis. Riders interested in their cornering behaviour often lack a simple way to see what happened during a ride.

We are researching whether a compact independent device can capture relevant motion and route data without pretending that one number tells the whole story.

Force resolution in a steady 30-degree cornerGravity of 1.00 g downward and a cornering force of 0.58 g toward the inside of the turn sum to a resultant of 1.15 g that points along the motorcycle's own vertical axis, which is why an accelerometer on the machine measures no apparent lean.vertical30°g 1.00 gcornering 0.58 gresultant 1.15 gThe resultant lies along the machine.An accelerometer reads “down”and reports no lean.
Steady-state corner at 30° / drawn to scaleTextbook model, not measured device data
Motorcyclist leaning through a corner on a closed-road lean-angle research route at dawn
Ride context / representative imageClosed-road research setting
Observe the whole corner

Useful rider insight starts with motion in context. The image represents the environment we are researching—not a finished device or a completed test.

02 / Motion

Why can’t an accelerometer
measure lean angle?

Lean it yourself below and watch what each sensor would report.

A motorcycle in a steady corner does not lean against the cornering force — it leans until that force and gravity line up with its own vertical axis. At a 30° bank angle, gravity contributes 1.00 g downward and the cornering term contributes g·tan(30°) = 0.58 g toward the inside of the turn. They sum to 1.15 g pointing straight down through the machine, along the line from the rider to the contact patch. An accelerometer strapped to the bike measures that resultant and reports it as “down”, so it sees no tilt at all, no matter how far over the bike actually is. The lean angle is not buried in noise: at that moment it is genuinely absent from the signal. This is why lean angle has to be tracked as rotation over time rather than read from a single sensor, and why anything integrated over time then needs a second reference to stop it drifting.

This is standard motorcycle dynamics rather than a KAL STUDIO finding — the steady-turn force balance is covered in Vittore Cossalter, Motorcycle Dynamics (2nd edition, 2006). What remains open, and what this project is actually researching, is how well it can be recovered on a real motorcycle once vibration, mounting position, road camber and changing speed are involved.

True lean
0°
Sensor reports
0°
Error
0°

An accelerometer measures specific force, not tilt. In a steady corner the bike banks until gravity and cornering force resolve along its own vertical axis, so the sensor reads straight down through the bike and reports almost no lean. The information is genuinely absent, not merely noisy.

Idealised steady-state model — illustrative, not measured product data.
03 / Research architecture

Signals into context.

The final architecture has not been selected. We are comparing how motion sensing, location, processing, power and software might work as one system. The challenge is not simply collecting signals, but understanding what they mean while vibration, mounting position, road camber and changing speed all influence the data. Every area below is therefore a research question, not a confirmed specification.

Research architecture mapMotion, route and power feed a processor, which passes session data to a radio for transfer and to software for review after the ride. Every block is an open research area rather than a chosen component.IMUmotionGNSSroutePowerruntimeProcessorinterpretationRadiotransferSoftwareafter the rideDashed = undecided path
Research architecture / areas under comparisonNo component has been selected
01

IMU

Comparing motion signals that could help estimate orientation through a changing corner.

02

GNSS

Exploring how route, speed and position context could support interpretation after a ride.

03

Embedded

Investigating what should be processed on the device before session data is transferred.

04

Wireless

Considering practical setup and data transfer without making every ride depend on a phone connection.

05

Power

Studying runtime, charging and mounting constraints for real use on different motorcycles.

06

Software

Turning raw sessions into clear, responsible insight rather than unsupported numbers.

04 / Potential ride data

From physical movement
to something readable.

Research is focused on which signals can be captured reliably and which insights are genuinely useful to riders.

Research input
One question

What would you most want to know after a ride?

One answer, no account, nothing stored about you. This feeds the research directly.

Indicative only. This is an open web form, not a controlled sample, and it is reported as such.
05 / Development

Where the project stands.

There is no finished product or release date. We are openly documenting the path from research to a validated direction.

  1. 01

    Research

    Understanding the rider problem, measurement methods and product feasibility.

    In progress
    Open question

    Which parts of a ride can be measured honestly with a compact device, and which cannot?

    What would settle it
    • A written account of what a steady-state corner hides from each sensor
    • A comparison of candidate measurement methods and their failure cases
    • A decision on which claims the product will and will not make
  2. 02

    Architecture

    Defining the system, sensing approach, power and connectivity requirements.

    Planned
    Open question

    What is the smallest system that answers the research question without over-building?

    What would settle it
    • A block diagram with the sensing, processing and power budget agreed
    • Named trade-offs for each component choice

    Waits on Research

  3. 03

    Electronics

    Developing and validating the first electronic architecture.

    Planned
    Open question

    Does the chosen architecture behave as expected outside a simulation?

    What would settle it
    • A bench-tested circuit covering the core sensing path

    Waits on Architecture

  4. 04

    PCB prototype

    Building the first integrated hardware prototype.

    Planned
    Open question

    Can the architecture survive being made physical at a usable size?

    What would settle it
    • A populated board that powers up and reports sensor data

    Waits on Electronics

  5. 05

    Firmware

    Turning raw signals into reliable, structured device data.

    Planned
    Open question

    How much interpretation belongs on the device rather than after the ride?

    What would settle it
    • A recorded session that survives review without hand-cleaning
    • A documented sampling and fusion approach

    Waits on PCB prototype

  6. 06

    Enclosure

    Exploring installation, durability and physical product form.

    Planned
    Open question

    Where can this mount on real motorcycles without changing what it measures?

    What would settle it
    • Mounting studies on more than one bike
    • A vibration and weather exposure assessment

    Waits on PCB prototype

  7. 07

    Road testing

    Comparing measurements with real riding conditions.

    Planned
    Open question

    Do the numbers hold up against a known reference on a real road?

    What would settle it
    • Sessions compared against an independent reference
    • A written account of where the estimate degrades

    Waits on Firmware

  8. 08

    App

    Exploring how riders can review sessions, corners and progress.

    Planned
    Open question

    What does a rider actually want to know after a ride, rather than during one?

    What would settle it
    • Session review tested with riders who did not build it

    Waits on Road testing

  9. 09

    Production

    Production decisions follow only after the concept has been validated.

    Planned
    Open question

    Has the concept earned the cost and commitment of being manufactured?

    Waits on Road testing

06 / Prototype gallery

Physical prototypes
will appear here.

No final renders yet

Concept sketches, CAD studies and physical prototypes will be added as the design develops.

07 / FAQ

What we can
say today.

Why can’t an accelerometer measure lean angle?

Because a motorcycle in a steady corner leans until gravity and cornering force line up with its own vertical axis. At a 30° bank angle, 1.00 g of gravity and 0.58 g of cornering force sum to 1.15 g pointing straight down through the machine, so an accelerometer measures that resultant, reports it as “down” and sees no tilt at all. Lean angle has to be tracked as rotation over time instead, which then needs a second reference to stop it drifting.

Can I buy the device?

Not yet. Lean Angle is currently a research project and is not available for sale.

Which motorcycles will it support?

Installation and compatibility are part of the research. No supported-model list has been defined.

How accurate will it be?

Accuracy targets will only be shared after the sensing approach has been tested and validated.

Is the visual shown the final design?

No. Every device visual on this site is an abstract concept study, not the final industrial design.

Is this a safety or riding aid?

No. Lean Angle is research into reviewing ride data after a ride, not a safety system, a riding aid or a reason to ride closer to any limit. Nothing on this site should be read as encouragement to change how you ride.

Are the figures on this page real measurements?

No. The interactive model, the force diagram and the telemetry panel are illustrations of published physics and interface ideas. No measured data from a KAL STUDIO device has been published yet.

08 / Updates

Build notes.

01
Research

Research in motion

We are mapping the rider problem, measurement principles and the constraints of a compact device.

02
Development

System architecture

The first architecture update will follow when the research direction is sufficiently validated.

Coming later
Follow the process

See what we build next.

Occasional development notes from KAL STUDIO. Research, prototypes and the decisions behind the products.