I ride a 1000, and this thing is a sail. If the 650 is worse. . . I will pray for all that ride one!

SG

 

I've ridden both....no real difference in "stability" discernible to me. YMMV

 

So they both suck then based on what salesguy has said?

How would they compare to, say, a Bandit 1250? Anyone know?

 

i rode into the front end of a t-storm today on the highway, doing about 85 indicated (was trying to race home before the storm hit there), shifting/gusty winds started throwing me all over the road on my V

 

+1 with SCraig. I've found my Vee to be no worse than any other bike I've owned. I can't imagine the 40lb difference would make that much difference between the 2 though.

 

I think people who have trouble with the wind fight it while people who don't have trouble dance with it. Don't expect to hold the same angle or wheel path. Stay loose and adjust. I've seen people write about being blown off the road or out of a lane. I've ridden over a quarter million miles, much of it out west where wind speed indicators are all over and when trucks and RVs pulled off the road and I've never had such an experience.

 

I think people who have trouble with the wind fight it while people who don't have trouble dance with it.

I think that's about the wisest thing I've ever heard re: wind buffeting

stay loose, relax. react to wind just like you would a passenger's movements, and it's no big deal. Any faired bike that's tall is going to wiggle a bit in wind.

 

Hi,

Don't want to hijack the thread. But just on this theme, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a 650.

In relation to wind, was wonder how the 650 goes into a headwind ? Can it sustain 75mph ? Can it overtake ok ?

 

I have had and still have several bikes, from hyperbikes to sport tourers to minirockets. Only the very light bikes are squirly IMO, and the WeeStrom is no problemo and no different than any of the other bikes at regular highway speeds (under 100mph). Very comfortable ergonomics and compliant suspension too and lots of luggage/strapping room, just needs an aftermarket shield/madstad and its gold as a tourer.

Absolutely! This may not be the most powerful bike in the world, but cmon! Its not that slow! Throw in a hill into that situation and you're still cruising and passing with ease. She has PLEEENTY of torque at highway speeds, but if you're riding w/ some FJRs or Concours14s, they'll obviously be walking on you if you're racing.

 

Yes.........

 

Understood.

Yeah, 250s usually have little torque and rev out to around 30hp. The Wee if I remember right is around 70hp with a healthy 45ftlbs available even lower in the RPM range than the SV650 thanks to a little retuning. So with over twice the power, the only winds you really worry about are gusty crosswinds that might move you in your lane, not power related.

 

My 650 is my very first bike and I will admit that she has been quite a handful in crosswinds. She is a big girl and really likes to dance. However, as I have gained riding experience I find that I am much more comfortable now in windy situations. Only the occasional pucker now compared to the panic attack I felt during my first nasty crosswind. I have also raised the forks, installed new springs, and a wider ProTaper handlebar and these have really helped with the overall control of the bike.

There appears to be no substitute for riding experience.

 

Thats how I was flying in crosswinds as a n00b in the old Luscombe 8A with its huuuuuge wings. I'd get blown about, and then respond with an overly smooth late reaction and overcompensate and so the plane was all over the place.

With experience, you just learn to "go with the flow" and do minor quick reactions to stay smooth and on course. Bikes are the same thing, to a much smaller degree.

 

I've ridden both and the Vee (for me at 280 lbs.) it definitely feels more stable on the super slab. I was never thrilled with the suspension on the 650. I tried different adjustments and nothing seemed to make it ride better on the highway.

 

One thing I just noticed today was that after adding a tail trunk it seemed to "balance" the bike in strong winds. Last weekend I was riding in some very strong winds and was being blown all over the place (and yes, I've ridden many bikes in strong winds and know how to roll with the punches). Yesterday I installed a top case on the rear rack. Today I was riding in some very strong winds. The top case actually helped keep things in balance (so it seemed).

Here's my hypothesis: In stock configuration the Strom has a large fairing up front but very little in the rear. With a strong side wind the fairing acts as a sail on one end of the bike resulting in the bike being blown around quite a bit. With the addition of a tail trunk the forces are more equalized resulting in a more even (front to back) side load. Much easier to handle.

I noticed that without the tail trunk the front felt lighter and required more steering input to correct for winds. With the trunk in place it didn't need as much steering input - only a lean into the wind.

 

I noticed that without the tail trunk the front felt lighter and required more steering input to correct for winds. With the trunk in place it didn't need as much steering input - only a lean into the wind.

I'll have to test that out. While I mentioned its not that big a deal, I do have a Givi E52 on the bike 24x7.

I also have the forkbrace which everyone says makes it feel more stable on the highway. I didn't notice a huge difference, but I didn't put many miles on the bike before installing it.

 

I've had a lot of bikes in the past 45 years, and yeah, my DL1000 likes to dance around in the wind. I can't imagine that a 650 would be much different.

Everything in this old world is a compromise, and I'm willing to deal with it. As far as the Bandit 1250 goes, the nearest thing I've owned would be my 1200S, and it feels far more planted than the V-Strom. It just doesn't fit my needs as well. The DL is a good compromise bike all the way around.

Jeff

 

I've hit some awful wind on my Vee, didn't bother me. Sure, it blows you around but that's EVERY bike.

Don't fight it, just keep going straight. Big whoopie.

 

My 650 used to drag me all over a lane trying to fight wind. I installed a Superbrace and now it tracks like a champ.

The wind is definitely still there but now I don't feel like I'm on the edge of losing control in high winds. I never would have believed that a chunk of aluminum halfway down the fork would make that much difference but it did, the front end feels much more substantial.

 

If you have the Superbrace do you need the steering damper??? I know it's two different things but it'd be nice to have a fix that was cheaper than the damper. thanks -

 

Nothing but a damper will prevent a tank slapper if conditions for creating it occur.

 

I have found my Wee to be more stable in the wind than my BMW R1150R ever was. I think one of the differences is on the Wee the windshield is mounted to the faring, on the BMW it was mounted to the forks which allowed the windshield to influence the handlebars when a gust hit it. This is just an opinion totally unsuported by data.

 

my WEE is fine at high speeds, i dont seem to feel crosswinds to be a bother.... i just dont drive next to the front of trucks for too long, it gets annoying

 

i haven't had a problem with trucks and what not on the highway, but the gusting storm front winds we're throwin me around pretty good last night

so what would a fork brace and/or stabilizer do for my V?

 

I had some complaints about wind and tracking until Saturday. I took the bike out last night for a few hour ride and the wandering on rutted highways, the weird wobble it got as it met semis, the little shimmy it got in crosswinds, etc., have subsided almost all together. My new springs removed almost every idiosyncrasy the bike during travel.....

I can't say it enough: If your bike's ride and borderline unstable feeling isn't to your liking, swap out springs. I have never had such a night/day change in any vehicle's handling.

Scamming the wife for a fork brace now.

 

Today I was out on a ride with a friend and there were some areas where there was quite the cross wind going on. There were open areas and areas sheltered by trees so you could feel the difference as you moved along the road. I was going about 60 mph and I put on my throttle lock and let go of the handlebars. Interestingly the bike hardly reacted at all in the cross winds and in transitioning from gusty areas to wind-sheltered areas. I had no problem keeping the bike on track just by shifting my weight around.

I think that most of the problems in wind is what was mentioned previously... you can fight the wind or dance with it and if you learn to dance with it then you will probably find that the problems disappear.

[I have raised the forks/dropped the front of my 650 half an inch (its free and makes handling better as well.) I also have added a Fork brace.]

..Tom

 

fork raising

OK - I'm stupid.. how do you raise the forks and what does it accomplish?

thanks -

 

While I feel the wind a bit more on my Vstrom then my sportbikes it is not much worse. I have never been blown clear out of my lane on any bike I have been on. Sometimes I think people feel the bike dance over 4" and with their reaction they end up a whole lane over. One of the best ways to deal with this feeling is get out and play in the dirt. Then you will really know what loose feels like. I cannot imagine the that wee would feel any different.

 

you loosen the triple tree clamps a tiny bit, and raise the fork tubes in them..in effect you are actually lowering the front of the bike. It does a few things, but the short version is it reduces the rake a little bit and makes the bike's geometry a tiny bit more aggressive. I did this on my 03 BigVee and it really did sharpen the handling noticeably.

It's completely free and totally reversible.