Jack Miller’s Battle with Chatter: A Ten-Month Struggle on the MotoGP Circuit

Jack Miller’s comments on Motegi vibrations: “I’m telling the truth!”

“This has been my reality for the past ten months”

On Saturday, video recordings from the Japanese MotoGP showcased the severe chatter vibrations that Jack Miller has been contending with throughout a significant portion of the 2024 season.

Chatter occurs when different weights, levels of stiffness, and forces on a bicycle come together to produce a resonant frequency, causing the machine to bounce up and down while navigating corners.

In the situation involving Miller, his KTM started to shake intensely as he came out of Turn 11 at the conclusion of the back straight.

Significant rear vibration issues for @jackmilleraus 😮#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/D8riLwJhz4— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 5, 2024

Every manufacturer has encountered vibrations resulting from the changed grip features of the updated 2024 Michelin rear tire.

However, whereas the majority appear to have resolved the problem, riders from KTM and Honda still report issues with vibrations.

Miller's approach, which focuses on speed through corners, appears to leave him particularly exposed to risks.

"For the past ten months, that has been my reality," remarked the Australian regarding the video footage.

"We haven't managed to figure it out yet. Watching it in slow motion was very helpful, as you can't see the swingarm and other components under stress when viewing at normal speed."

"The engineers greatly benefited from observing it with such clarity."

"I'm not fabricating this! It's been happening for the past ten months, ever since we installed this [revised rear] tire, and I haven't been able to figure out a solution, as you witnessed."

"The approach involves attempting to push forward, but it feels like constantly banging your head against a barrier."

During a Sunday morning conversation with Dorna's Jack Appleyard, Miller remarked, "At this stage, you sort of become accustomed to it. You prepare yourself by adopting a brace position, getting ready to practically stand up, and trying to handle the chatter as effectively as possible."

Miller mentioned that the 'radical' alterations to the set-up had shifted the chatter issue away from Turn 11, but it has now surfaced in the subsequent left-hand turns.

"We altered the bike's balance significantly, which toned it down somewhat, but the issue persisted in the final sector and through the double left turn. This means there's still more to be addressed," he mentioned.

"It's all about getting to know the bike and my riding technique in order to adapt to it."

Miller secured eighth place in the Sprint race. On a day marked by the non-completion of Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder, he emerged as the leading rider not on a Ducati.

Miller mentioned that the previous day's Sprint went fairly well. He expressed hope that by using the medium rear tire instead of the soft one this afternoon, they could manage another good performance.

Miller is set to join Pramac Yamaha for the 2025 racing season.

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