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windy commute this morning!

1K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  DMNordin 
#1 ·
All of the flags were straight out and waving pretty good. Doesn't that mean that the wind is going at least at 35mph? I was headed mostly straight into it. Temps stayed at about 53 f. Lots of gray, heavy clouds with rain up against the mountains : pretty dramatic. It always makes the ride interesting to have variety. Sure is nice to be on the bike again!
My bike seems to be dialed in. The last couple of days commuting have been awesome! Man, I love this bike! It behaved awesome in the wind this morning - I was going between 70 & 73 MPH.
Doug
 
#2 ·
I love this bike! It behaved awesome in the wind this morning - I was going between 70 & 73 MPH.
Doug
That's a pretty broad range.

Could you be a little more specific?
 
#3 ·
ADDS (Aviation Digital data Services) says the winds at Provo (nearest airport to your location were:

ADDS said:
KPVU (PROVO MUNI , UT, US) observed 1555 UTC 05 April 2013

0.03 inches Hg (1017.0 mb) Winds: from the NW (310 degrees) at 29 MPH (25 knots; 13.0 m/s)
gusting to 37 MPH (32 knots; 16.6 m/s)
You certainly would have been aware of the wind! I love how our bikes handle the wind.. just relax and let it move aroudn and it seems to correct itself nicely!

..Tom
 
#4 ·
That's how it was, Tom, just a little bit of change in lean angle her & there; the wind wasn't quite head on.
Stromin Nromin - you always crack me up with your very short, concise comments that are totally hilarious! Thanks for your continued sense of humor. I've pointed it out quite a few times to my wife.
Doug
 
#6 ·
A fork brace and staying loose are the big keys. Don't white knuckle the handlebars especially.
 
#7 ·
My '04 was really bad in wind, especially on a fast downhill--so vague it was scary. Correctly tightening the steering stem bearings fixed it. GW's points plus correct tire inflation pressure and lowering the windscreen if you can are good.
 
#8 ·
Yeah, those are some of the things that contribute to what my comment about my bike feeling like it's dialed in. Also, the PO had had the suspension updated with great performance parts just before I bought the bike. He also put scorpion tires on. I like them so far.
Doug
 
#9 ·
Yeah, those are some of the things that contribute to what my comment about my bike feeling like it's dialed in.
How was traffic?

My worst wind experiences are when you add a few semi's into the mix. They act as turbulence generators in addition to the gusts.

A loaded topcase doesn't help in the least, either.

I haven't had my new 2007, with the upgraded suspension. out much on the interstate in windy conditions, but I am looking forward to the opportunity.
 
#10 · (Edited)
For me the single biggest thing to make my 2006 handle winds with no effort was raising the forks/lowering the front of the bike.

Greywolf had mentioned that the flat part of the fairing above the front wheel causes lift and lowering the front of the bike seemed to change the angle enough to eliminate this. On top of the the little bit of shortening of the effective length of the forks effectively stiffens them making steering inputs work better. I found this change to make a HUGE difference and did it before I added the fork brace. The fork brace made things a little bit better in winds but didn't nearly improve as much as the height adjustment. (The fork brace DID make the suspension work better as well as improve handling and I think did add some stability.)

..Tom
 
#11 ·
Lowering the angle of attack a bit, lowering the front or raising the rear, on Vees and Wees does make a difference. There is a limit of 7-10mm on lowering ABS Wees with fork braces. Otherwise, 10-15mm works well. The longer shock on the Glee plus the lack of the ramped plastic under the headlight makes it a better wind machine in stock condition.
 
#12 ·
Traffic was somewhat heavy, but not too bad. I usually camp out in the commuter lane, so the semi 's usually don't bug me so much since it's illegal for them to be in the fast lane next to the commuter lane. If I do find myself out in the other lanes, I work real hard to stay as far away from the semi 's as possible. I also prefer to not get stuck behind pickup trucks an big vans. Still, my wee does awesome when I'm in turbulent air for some reason.
When I was farkling my wee this winter, I dropped the Forks 1cm on the triple tree per GW's posts.
I think I finally found a position for my keriyaken footpegs w/stirrups that works pretty well. That, with my backrest is a nice riding position change. Although I have to say that the normal riding position is comfortable enough that it works for a good long time in the saddle. I rebuilt my seat with some memory foam and a layer of squared out gel, also re-shaped it. Started out with a tall seat. The sheepskin pad helps, too.
Doug
 
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