Photo credit The Physics of Motocross - Smarter Every Day 30
Kinetic energy transfer of a rear tire in motorcycle flight.
Control is a vital element during a motorcycle becoming airborne, whether intentional, or not. The bike can be in two possible positions when descending from a jump. First, there is the possibility the front tire is positioned high in the air, such as the photo above, the problem being within the landing, where the probability of a crash is much higher. To circumvent this possibility the rider must use the rotational kinetic energy of the back tire to bring the front of the bike down. This is accomplished by pressing the back break and stopping the back tire. Stopping the back tire takes the original high omega of the back tire, transferring it to the bike as a whole this in turn causes the bike to rotate downwards leveling the bike.
E=1/2*I* (ω^2)
The second problematic scenario in an airborne setting is if the bike’s front end is to low, or the bike is "endoing" in this case, the rider would let out the clutch and give the bike full throttle. This technique causes the opposite effect as stopping the back tire, causing the omega of the bike to increase in the direction upward causing the bike to rotate upward.
E=1/2*I* (ω^2)
The second problematic scenario in an airborne setting is if the bike’s front end is to low, or the bike is "endoing" in this case, the rider would let out the clutch and give the bike full throttle. This technique causes the opposite effect as stopping the back tire, causing the omega of the bike to increase in the direction upward causing the bike to rotate upward.