Multibody Model of a Motorcycle for Longitudinal Dynamics

This thesis presents the development of a motorcycle simulation model aimed at reproducing its longitudinal dynamics using the MATLAB and Simulink environments. The model is constructed by decomposing the vehicle into several subsystems, each of which has been systematically analyzed in order to capture its real-world behavior. Starting from the physical system, each subsystem has been modeled independently, initially adopting the simplest representation -namely, an ideal model- and subsequently increasing its level of fidelity according to the complexity of the specific subsystem. In this way, each submodel has been developed with an appropriate level of detail, with the objective of balancing physical accuracy and computational efficiency. This approach facilitates both the understanding of the vehicle’s dynamic behavior and the progressive refinement of the different subsystems while preserving the physical interactions within the overall system. The outcome of this work is a modular and customizable simulation platform tailored to industrial needs. The resulting model supports parallel development and scalability, enabling its evolution into a more comprehensive tool for the analysis of the overall motorcycle dynamics.