RSV much worse in crosswinds than 1st Gen?

[Grisolm1]

Loving my "new to me" 03RSV. One thing that seems to be worse than my 1st Gen is the reaction to cross winds and headwinds. Old paint is relatively unfazed while the RSV seems to be much more at the whim of mother nature. It hasn't been all that windy here, maybe 30mph winds tops.

 

Granted the RSV has all the aerodynamic qualities of a barn door (BTW my profession is in airflow dynamics) compared to the 1st Gen; but the difference on the road is striking. Anyone else notice this or is there something I need to be checking on.

[RandyR]

Loving my "new to me" 03RSV. One thing that seems to be worse than my 1st Gen is the reaction to cross winds and headwinds. Old paint is relatively unfazed while the RSV seems to be much more at the whim of mother nature. It hasn't been all that windy here, maybe 30mph winds tops.

 

Granted the RSV has all the aerodynamic qualities of a barn door (BTW my profession is in airflow dynamics) compared to the 1st Gen; but the difference on the road is striking. Anyone else notice this or is there something I need to be checking on.

 

I suspect as an aero engineer, you already know the answer..

[Grisolm1]

Ya. Just curious if others had noticed the same when moving from 1st to 2nd gens.

[Squidley]

I actually find the opposite, the 1st gen has a narrower front tire and there isn't as much meat on the road. We came back last year from Thom's MD in Rockport TX and we were in some serious 30+ mph wind. Lonna and I were on an '89 and the rest were on G2's and they didn't get beat up nearly as bad as we did.

[wes0778]

I actually find the opposite, the 1st gen has a narrower front tire and there isn't as much meat on the road. We came back last year from Thom's MD in Rockport TX and we were in some serious 30+ mph wind. Lonna and I were on an '89 and the rest were on G2's and they didn't get beat up nearly as bad as we did.

 

:sign yeah that:

 

 

I was on one of the G2s, seems like it took us a week that afternoon

[buddy]

I actually find the opposite, the 1st gen has a narrower front tire and there isn't as much meat on the road. We came back last year from Thom's MD in Rockport TX and we were in some serious 30+ mph wind. Lonna and I were on an '89 and the rest were on G2's and they didn't get beat up nearly as bad as we did.

 

to that

My Midnight handles better than my old 83 beast in cross winds.

[SilvrT]

I always found that the faster I went on my gen 1, the better it "slipped" thru the wind!

[gibvel]

I think that the 2nd Gen. is way better in crosswinds. They used to blow my 89 all over the road. At least there are some gaps in the 2nd gen that let the wind go through instead of catching it all.

Edited April 18, 2011 by gibvel

[Seaking]

Loving my "new to me" 03RSV. One thing that seems to be worse than my 1st Gen is the reaction to cross winds and headwinds. Old paint is relatively unfazed while the RSV seems to be much more at the whim of mother nature. It hasn't been all that windy here, maybe 30mph winds tops.

 

Granted the RSV has all the aerodynamic qualities of a barn door (BTW my profession is in airflow dynamics) compared to the 1st Gen; but the difference on the road is striking. Anyone else notice this or is there something I need to be checking on.

 

You're OBVIOUSLY not traveling fast enough through the wind to cut through it..

 

Most people make that mistake

[elmicko]

I'm a +1. I don't feel like my RSV gets moved around nearly as much as my 1st Gen did. The 1st Gen may be more aerodynamic from the front, but it's the crosswinds that really get you. I don't think a 2nd Gen is as bothered by crosswinds due to the wider tires and being lower profile. But what do I know...my degree is in English.

[OB-1]

Loving my "new to me" 03RSV. One thing that seems to be worse than my 1st Gen is the reaction to cross winds and headwinds. Old paint is relatively unfazed while the RSV seems to be much more at the whim of mother nature. It hasn't been all that windy here, maybe 30mph winds tops.

 

Granted the RSV has all the aerodynamic qualities of a barn door (BTW my profession is in airflow dynamics) compared to the 1st Gen; but the difference on the road is striking. Anyone else notice this or is there something I need to be checking on.

 

I imagine that you're feeling more crosswind input to the handle bars than you experienced with your 1st Gen. This would be expected given the handle bar/fork mounted fairing on the 2nd Gen vs the frame mounted fairing on the 1st Gen. I felt the same thing when I upgraded to the 2nd Gen in 06.

 

I don't even notice the wind driven handle bar input anymore and have no trouble riding with no hands in most stout crosswinds, (except for whacks to the back of my helmeted head by my wife:no-no-no:). Last summer we spent a few hours enduring 50+mph cross winds while driving through a sand storm on the Navajo Nation heading south to Gallop, NM. It was certainly an endurance run, but the crosswinds didn't seem to add input to the handlebars.

 

My personal preference is for a frame mounted fairing. I was quite skeptical of the expected handling of the 2nd Gen's handle bar/fork mounted fairing back when I made the switch. Fortunately my bias and concern were totally unfounded.

[BuckShot]

I actually find the opposite, the 1st gen has a narrower front tire and there isn't as much meat on the road. We came back last year from Thom's MD in Rockport TX and we were in some serious 30+ mph wind. Lonna and I were on an '89 and the rest were on G2's and they didn't get beat up nearly as bad as we did.

 

 

Boy, I could open up with some with this....but I'll be nice.

[Grisolm1]

Front tire, dunlop original with 17k is getting replaced with elite3 next week to match the new e3 on the back. Ordered 1 size smaller. Well see how this behaves. Hadn't given a thought to fairing mount but this makes total sense.

[DanOh]

I've never ridden a 1st gen and therefore can't compare. However I can confidently state that my RSV handles high winds better than any bike I have ever owned before. Note that after 30 years of riding, this is the first big touring bike I have ever owned. Your mileage may vary.

 

Yesterday we did 340 miles at mostly 75mph riding two up through the following wind advisory... Although the wind was very noticeable, I felt comfortable the entire time.

 

The only downside was that I got about 39 mpg when I'm normally around 44.

 

Cheers,

Dan

 

 

WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

 

* HAZARDS... WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 50 MPH AND UP TO 55 MPH ON THE RIDGES.

* TIMING... WIND GUSTS WILL INCREASE DURING THE LATE MORNING HOURS. WIND WILL SUBSIDE WITH SUNSET.

* IMPACTS... POTENTIAL FOR DOWNED TREES... LARGE BRANCHES... AND POWER LINES. CROSS GUSTS AND FLYING DEBRIS MAY HINDER MOTORISTS.

 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

 

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WIND THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT... ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION. RESIDENTS SHOULD SECURE LOOSE OBJECTS ON THEIR PROPERTY.

[straycatt]

I've never ridden a 1st gen and therefore can't compare. However I can confidently state that my RSV handles high winds better than any bike I have ever owned before. Note that after 30 years of riding, this is the first big touring bike I have ever owned. Your mileage may vary.

 

 

Just to show how much mileage varies,

I too, have never been on a 1st gen, have been riding dozens of different bikes over better than 40 years, and my 2nd gen is also my first big touring bike. The ONLY scoot that handles the wind worse than my Venture that I can think of is an old dualsport Suzuki 400 that I used to have.

 

All of that plastic/fairing/windshield/tour pack on the RSV acts just like a big sail and any brisk wind will try to shove it around. However, just like any bike once you know how it's going to act, it's not that big of a deal. Just go with the flow.

[Pam]

I am with SilvrT and Seaking on this. More wind= more speed, and once you know how a 1st Gen is going to react you can do it all day long

 

frank

[Seaking]

WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

 

* HAZARDS... WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 50 MPH AND UP TO 55 MPH ON THE RIDGES.

* TIMING... WIND GUSTS WILL INCREASE DURING THE LATE MORNING HOURS. WIND WILL SUBSIDE WITH SUNSET.

* IMPACTS... POTENTIAL FOR DOWNED TREES... LARGE BRANCHES... AND POWER LINES. CROSS GUSTS AND FLYING DEBRIS MAY HINDER MOTORISTS.

 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

 

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WIND THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT... ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION. RESIDENTS SHOULD SECURE LOOSE OBJECTS ON THEIR PROPERTY.

 

Gees, they have to issue warnings for a typical breezy day over there? Those are our typical winds here.. its when you get the 'blowing 40 gusting 70' that the trips get interesting on winding roads...

 

Nothing like being in a good lean into that nice curve of a road and poof the wind gusts or stops gusting and woops, what a fun time that is!

[twigg]

I actually find the opposite, the 1st gen has a narrower front tire and there isn't as much meat on the road. We came back last year from Thom's MD in Rockport TX and we were in some serious 30+ mph wind. Lonna and I were on an '89 and the rest were on G2's and they didn't get beat up nearly as bad as we did.

 

I'm not convinced that the narrower tyres make much difference in this situation.

 

Two things I would suspect are the main contributors .... The profile the bike and bodywork present to crosswinds, and how easy it is from the riding position to compensate.

 

The steering angle would make a difference too because steep angles are much more reactive, so smaller forces can produce a bigger reaction. That helps on a track, not so much when it's windy.

[dynodon]

My '86 VR handles cross winds great. I haven't spent a lot of time on a 2nd Gen (don't own one) but I expect the handlebar mounted fairing would have to give more input from wind.

 

the '04 Gold Wing I also have though, is MUCH worse in any cross winds than the VR. Winds push it all over the place and it seems to tip from the top much worse than the VR. Both bikes have gas tanks under the seat, and the wing even has more weight down low, so it shouldn't be that way, but if it is windy, I get out the VR.

[shikano53]

Fascinating!

 

I have owned three 1st gen bikes two Goldwings a 1500 and an 1800 and two 2nd gen RSV's.

 

The absolute worst bike/s I have ever ridden in the wind bar none was and still is my 1st gen Venture Royale. ALL THREE OF THEM!!!

 

I love my 1984 Venture Royale; but to say it is better in the wind than my 01 and 04 RSV would be a bald faced lie.

 

The very first thing I noticed on my RSV immediatley was the stability and the way it did not move in the wind. No movement, nada. Not in any direction or even in a cross wind.

The second worst bike in the wind was my 1800 Goldwing.

 

Lets see; I know!!! Let's subjectively test this.

Windy day.

Check all four tires. Good to go.

Check both bikes suspension

Good to go

 

Jump on 1984 VR

Ride one hour.

Come home pull in garage jump on RSV

Ride on hour

Come home.

Comparison: 1st gen is all over the road, white knuckle riding and I know how to countersteer.

RSV - Wind??? What wind???

 

There you have it folks another subjective, consumer evokes test drive.

[BuddyRich]

Ordered 1 size smaller. Well see how this behaves. Hadn't given a thought to fairing mount but this makes total sense.

 

Your probably not gonna like that narrow front tire. Its really gonna make the bike feel like it wants to wander all over the place. And the first gen has a real problem passing semi's at 80 in a crosswind. Check with SteveD on that. He'll tell you its like hitting a brick wall.

[Grisolm1]

Put about 70 miles on new smaller size 130 Dunlop E3 in varied conditions. Seems a little less ponderous at slow speeds but could well be psychological since that's what I was expecting. No regrets so far, but haven't had enough seat time or high winds to tell for sure.

 

I'll be out of town for a few weeks. Will write back once I have a few hundred miles in all conditions to report on.

[Eddie]

Im with Squid, the first gens suck in the wind. I remember coming home from a 400 mile trip up north in a cross wind on 75 and the 86 was on a 30 degree angle most of the way home. When the wind would let go it would almost cause me to change lanes. I will never forget that ride home.

[Condor]

Rode across Wyoming with GeorgeS a few years ago in 50-60 mph crosswinds, black micro-bursts, and 18 wheelers passing on the windward side going the other direction. The old '83 held the line pretty good, but George's eyes were really big when we stopped for fuel. I think it had something to do with the weight of the rider.. And... My spin on this is... with the frame mounted fairing of the 1stGens you don't end up fighting the effect of the wind as much as you do with the fork mounted 2ndGens. This is just theory since I haven't been in that situation with Miss Piggy yet....

[friesman]

Condor might be onto something here, My 85 is solid on the road in almost any wind but it has over 300 lbs of me helping to hold it down. Ive been out in 60 mph cross winds and did some leaning but nothing like some of you guys are describing.

 

Brian