Justification for the Use of CAE in Motorcycle Development - A Case Study

The development of a new motorcycle platform is a complex activity comprising of many engineering disciplines. The full development cycle can be as long as 40 months, depending on the complexity of the project. During the later stages of the program, there are typically four build phases, with increasing motorcycles produced at each phase.

Engineering Simulation can be used to reduce the number of prototypes produced, and in some cases eliminate a complete build phase. This has three effects; reduced cost of prototype motorcycles, reduced program duration and faster time to market. The cost saving due to these effects is significant and can be used to show that investment in engineering simulation has a high rate of return, which allows the business to be more profitable.

The case study presents findings from Royal Enfield internal study on the effectiveness of CAE.