Mat Oxley said that a winglet is wider than it is long; a strake is longer than it is wide. By this definition, some of the new bikes out there with wings should actually be called new bikes with strakes. This is most evident in MotoGP racing where Ducati has been running strakes for a long time. The idea is that this keeps the front end down while the bike accelerates out of corners, and it also helps with a better front end feel. Ducatis in MotoGP have been plagued with terrible front end feel; but they are the fastest bikes in the straights.
This is the GP16 Ducati with strakes. The ideal way to accelerate out of a corner with a bike is to keep the front wheel about 1inch off the pavement. Any more than 1 inch and you are losing drive off the corner, and less than that and you are not trying hard enough. That’s why those racers get paid so much; it’s very hard to do.
Yamaha has been experimenting with this as well.
This is James Hillier at the 2015 Isle of Man TT, Kawasaki asked him to do a lap with the H2R, and he managed 331km/h or 206mph in a straight. The bike has wings to keep it stable at high speeds, and this way the wheel base can be kept short for maneuverability at low speeds.
This is the road going version Kawasaki H2, the mirrors serve as wings.
The Suzuki Hayabusa has a very long wheelbase for high speed, but it’s cumbersome at slow speeds (under 60mph).
This is the MotoCzysz E1PC bike at the 2012 TT Zero race. The bike has many wings to make it as aerodynamic as possible, since electric race bikes have to be a lot more efficient through the air.
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