so was riding home last night on the autobahn. varying speeds between 85-105 mph.
i was getting pretty good windblast but noticed that the front end was wobbly. i think i was enducing it from my elbows hanging out a bit and holding on too tight. tried tucking elbows in and loosing my grip which helped a bit.
guess my question is, is there a technique to keep the bike from being wobbly becuase of windblast at speed.
i've never had the issue before.
could it be tire pressure? i'll check that today. any other ideas?
Time for a steering damper?
Quote from: MadDaddy on February 25, 2009, 10:12:02 PM
Time for a steering damper?
yeah what i was thinking but at 600 plus... may be next year before i can get it.
Since you were the only one riding the bike we can't know what you were experiencing. Assuming the bike is mechanically good the bike will move a little in gusts, over correcting can make the bike less stable. Yes, low tire pressure can be a cause, also loose head bearings. There is a lot that can cause instability, but since your bike is still new those would be most likely.
I used to regularly ride over a very windy bridge and had similar issues, after getting a steering damper it was far more comfortable. [thumbsup] I started a thread in Accessories & Mods on reviews of steering dampers, you can read up on them there.
Oh and having tense arms will definitely magnify any wobble that you have, so try your best to hang on with your legs and relax your arms.
Try shifting your weight forward when it happens, it'll place more weight on that light front end. I've got a damper on mine and it still gets light occasionally.
Later
yeah i've noticed that i shift my but further back on the seat when i tuck more... kinda feels awkward leaning forward while sitting closer... seems so far out there.
ok, it was low tire pressure. i thought i was, since it was acting the same way as that crappy yamaha i rode.
my front was down to 24 psi the back was at 32
i put the front up to 32 and the back to 36 since i've gonna be riding 2 up also.
anyone else have tire pressure recommendations?
People all have different tire pressure recommendations, but if you run somewhere in the neighborhood of front 32-34 and rear 33-36, you're fine in my book. I run 32/34 with some variation depending on conditions.
I wouldn't be making triple digits runs--even commuting--without checking my tire pressures first.
Sticker says 32.7 front, 36.9 rear, so I guess you can't really go wrong with that... but then again I've never ridden with pressures much different.
YMMV (literally) :P
ive ridden with 15psi rear. :-X
though at the speeds i was going at ( probably did about 100 miles) it wasnt noticeable.
Quote from: Spidey on February 28, 2009, 06:17:06 PM
People all have different tire pressure recommendations, but if you run somewhere in the neighborhood of front 32-34 and rear 33-36, you're fine in my book. I run 32/34 with some variation depending on conditions.
I wouldn't be making triple digits runs--even commuting--without checking my tire pressures first.
yeah thanks mr obvious ;)