Been there, done that regarding the Fudger:
Sure it ran better, looked better but even KiPass couldn't do much about the lack of the sixth gear....
Youse guys- arguing about standing up on a motorcycle.... but the short answer is you are both right.
The physics part is where Conrad et al. are correct. Standing up moves the COG of the entire vehicle up. It also increases the moment, which would seem to make the bike harder to move but really doesn't because this is where Chet is right-
The word he used is great- uncoupled. Standing or even lifting up enough so the only thing touching the bike are your hands and feet really do uncouple the rider from the bike so the bike can 'dance' under the rider and make faster and smaller corrections when riding over rough ground. It even works on a pig as heavy as a C-14 when going over a gravel road. The observation is correct but the application of the 'it lowers the COG' or 'it lowers the effective COG' is not; it works but not because the COG moves but rather because the bike and rider are much more free to move independently and each can move faster, again allowing the bike to bump and bounce along without having to rock the rider back and forth also. It also gives the rider a better ride just because he / she does not have to jostle back and forth with each small movement of the bike.
I have seen the 'lowering the COG' idea before, even printed in a magazine with line drawings to show how it works. Some even show that when riding on an angled or banked surface, one should stand and then put all of his / her weight on the outside (where the ground is lower) peg to 'drive the tires into the bank'. Somewhere in merry old England, Newton is spinning in his grave and thinking 'buy them books, they eat the pages.' Standing up on a motorcycle moves the overall COG up.... always (it IS a rule after all). Putting all your weight on one peg, without changing the angle of the bike, does nothing. Not to worry though, such terribly mistaken ideas and even worse, much worse, have actually been patented. Sometimes it is really hard to spot the rule (read: physical laws of the universe we live in) violation right away. At least it is not 'as wrong' as thinking KiPass is not wonderful and the answer to all the world's problems....
Brian
Never argue with the retired guy, he has all the time in the world to argue I think Brian is working on incorporating KIPASS into an FJR at the moment
I'm not all that good at explaining things either, just ask my wife.
Since we don't have Bill Nye the science guy as a member perhaps Brian will be along soon with some insight as to why I'm right and you are not.