side wind riding

[johnnycactus]

just a thought to share riding experiences in strong side winds with other t3 riders.

experiencing some pretty strong side winds in my area at the mo, and it just knocks the fun/confidence out of riding. i feel like a granny in an electric buggy. actually a granny in a buggy overtook me, i was riding so gingerly.

now, i've always ridden naked bikes, apart from the first six months with the daytona fully faired, so wind buffeting isn't really an issue, but i've never felt a bike get pushed around like the t3 900. it was one of the reasons i got rid of the fairing, which improved matters to a degree.

am i being overly sensitive!? had a few close calls when it was a daytona- pushed into the opposite lane/centeral reservation etc. only twice did i ever experience this on the bandit- and that was in really really bad side winds.

is it down to the top heavy nature of these beasts? when in similar weather conditions, other bikes just seem to cope much better.

its getting to the point when i wonder if i should chop it in for something else-(triumph obviously).

just wondered if other modular era riders had similar experiences/thoughts/coping ideas.

[Percanto]

I know what you mean -- I went out yesterday, but didn't stick it out for very long! But hey, at least it wasn't raining!

[pendraig]

We're having the same thing over here. I got into a thunderstorm on the way home yesterday that I probably would just have ridden through on the Bonneville, but the sidewind on the Sprint's fairing had me pulled off under a bridge to wait it out. Too bad there's no way to install reefing points and then shorten sail when it blows up.
Trying to go fast, though, is where the fairing comes in handy. To get "the ton" out of the Bonneville, I need to put my feet on the rear pegs and then lie flat down on the tank. Letting any air get between my chest and the tank starts to lift the front end so that the bike becomes unstable and starts to skitter all over the road. It's hard to see the road ahead with your chin on the handlebar clamps and your fillings being vibrated loose from your teeth. I found the same thing on the Meriden (T-150) Trident, though to a lesser extent. The Sprint does 120+ like a cruise missile. Ya gotta love that! I've never tried going fast on a Hinckley (naked) Trident. Has anybody ridden both the Sprint and the Trident fast? What's the comparison?

[johnnycactus]

On 2006-05-19 03:34, pendraig wrote:
Has anybody ridden both the Sprint and the Trident fast? What's the comparison?

well can't speak for the sprint/trident, but can compare to daytona/speed triple.
daytona was a whisker away from 150mph until i ran out of road (i mean private airstrip officer...!) then without fairing (triple style) my neck dislocated at around 130/134mph.

as my first ever faired bike i was quite surprised how much difference it makes. didn't even notice ton up, tucked in and off!!! but alas, the fairing lost out as prefered choice when a week of heavy side winds left my sphincter puckered to the point of sealing over.

a bit more noticable on the speed triple, but then not as bad as you would imagine. doubt high speeds would be sustainable for prolonged amounts of time.


percanto-

I know what you mean -- I went out yesterday, but didn't stick it out for very long! But hey, at least it wasn't raining!

i'd take the shower over a blow dry any day at the moment!!!

those winds have really got to me!!!!
took the back roads home on account of that big accident on the a14, but in retrospect weaving through all those lorries would have at least provided some wind protection!!!!

[ This message was edited by: johnnycactus on 2006-05-19 11:07 ]

Never ridden a Sprint, but I did just do the ton on a Trident. :-D I was a little tucked in, but I was surprised at how different it didn't feel from 80.

As far as sidewinds go, I've always found that going faster seems to help. A higher headwind-to-sidewind ratio makes me feel more in control, though that may just be in my head. :razz:

With or without a fairing, there's just nowhere for wind to blow through an 885 Triumph. My girlfriend's little 400, which weighs 100 pounds less, doesn't get blown around nearly as much, but it's got a lot of airspace around the engine & carbs. The G1 Hinckley triples just have a lot of motor that fills all the airspace.

Cheers,
-Kit

[tealetm]

I agree with Kit on this on- there simply is no room for air to flow though the frame/engine. So yes, while riding in strong cross winds you tend to get shoved around a bit.

Doing the Ton is just too easy on the S3! Ducked or not ducked you can hit 100 pretty easy. Its getting up to its top speed where it gets hard... (don't worry boys/girls I've only almost done it once!)

[sprinter900]

Well I've found sidewinds keep you wary!! looking for gaps in hedges lorries coming the other way etc.

When I did my CBT (compulsory basic training over here in uk) I was on a 125 yammy and a lorry doing only about 30ish nearly blew me off the road with the bow wave. So that was one of my criteria when looking for a bike - big and heavy!

With me on it (13 stone 6' tall) I haven't had too much of a problem so far. Love it.

[RacingGreen]

Gusts are the main problem rather than a steady wind that you can lean into. Getting a blast of wind from the side just as you're turning into a bend.......whoaaa!


I wonder how the big touring bikes manage? Wings, ST1300, FJR 1300 etc . Must be like wind-surfing.
Maybe they are that much heavier and so not affected too badly.

[Percanto]

When I had a Sprint fairing on my Trident I found it was certainly easier to hit the big numbers when tucked up, but when sitting up I found there was a lot of buffeting and wind noise around my head at any speed over 40, which made for pretty uncomfortable cruising (for the record, I'm just over 6').

Without the fairing I've noticed I'm not risking my license quite so frequently :wink: but sustained speeds around the 60mph mark are actually much more bearable without the added wind noise and violent turbulence around my lid that I got with the fairing!

Just to trow another idea out there, what are peoples thoughts on fly screens? Do they make any noticable difference?

On the open highways out here the side winds aren't that major of an issue. It's keeping up with traffic where the naked bikes just don't cut it. Riding with others on full-body work sport bikes I feel like a rag-doll at anything above 70mph!

Any one know of any after market fairings for the S3 that won't take away from the looks of this bike?