Which Bike Steers Better

[Grumpy Goat]

The front axle on a RS is forward of the downtube centerline. This increases turning radius compared to the R which has the axle on the centerline.

I would have thought this would only increase the turning radius by an inch or so - barely noticeable.

Even small changes in steering geometry can make large differences in mechanical advantage and steering effect / handling. I suspect that the effect on the turning radius, while indeed small, is insignificant compared to the effect felt at the handlebars. Offsetting the front axle from the centre axis of the front fork as shown above is a way of increasing trail and rake while keeping the frame common between the two models, possibly for manufacturing cost reasons. Increasing the trail adds to the directional stability but makes the bike stiffer to turn. The RS is very stable at high speeds.

Here are a couple of articles that might be informative:

https://www.cycleworld.com/sport-rider/a...-geometry/
https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk/motorcyc...-geometry/