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Showing results for tags 'handling'.
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You know how projects can suffer scope creep. I started off simply wanting to mount an iPhone holder and ended up with my fairing split and all the sound system in a tote. We use SENA 20S bluetooth units and have never used the RSV audio (other than to verify that it worked when I bought the bike). Since I don't use the system, I decided to remove the left hand controller from the bars. One thing led to another and I ended up removing the whole system. The controller, main amp and cassette player together weighed in at just under 8 lbs. I wondered how it would affect handling. (I once had an older GW that had a big weight mounted in front of the triple clamps for front end stability.) Well, I can't believe how much lighter the bike feels. I've always felt like the bike was top heavy and a challenge to make sharp u-turns. Taking this small amount of weight off the front forks has really changed the way the bike feels. I wouldn't have believed it unless I had experienced it. On my test drive after the modification I executed three tight u-turns and felt very confident. I ran it at high speed and didn't experience any front end wobble. I'm sure others have made similar comments but I'm so pleased I just had to share. Ride safely! Roger -
Greetings All, and a Happy New Year! I was reading the post about iffy handling in curves and during the tire discussions I remembered something peculiar. I ride a 1999 RSTC which came with the Dunlop 404F's. They were the whitewall type and I didn't care for the look so when the front wore out I replaced them with Pirelli 66 Route's. WOW! What a difference in handling. Instead of the bike rolling into a turn like a bloated whale in a surf-break, she turned-in smartly (for a 700+lb cruiser) and cruises straight and true with no rain groove tracking or other such distractions. I swear the Pirelli's feel like they took 200lbs off of the bikes' handling charateristics. Now for the "peculiar" part. One day riding home from work the bike started handling squirrely in the turns so I checked the air pressure. It was low so I aired her up. A few days later the same deal. Long story short; I found a 5/8" long TOOTH had punctured the tire between the tread pattern! Thinking back I recalled that a week or so before I had hit some roadkill at 5:30 AM because I didn't see it in the dark in time. I'm pretty sure the the tooth donor was a 'possum, judging by the shape and remaining length of said tooth. So, my question is, what kind of strange debris have other riders had cause them tire punctures?
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Has anyone purchased a Premeux Fairing or Hoppe fairing and if so, How did it effect the handling of the bike? Thanks
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I have already lowered the front end on my RSMV and the handling is satisfactory. But now I am coming up on time for new tires. I have been thinking in going with either the original Dunlop replacements or Elites...... What I have doubts about is the front......Should I stick to the 150 or go with a 130?????? Looks wise, I would think it makes little difference ....but I wonder about the handling........
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I'll be taking delivery tomorrow on my '97 Royalstar tour classic with approx 28k miles on it, super clean. From all I've read, its a great bike, but the suspension needs firming up so the handling is not so 'wallowy' However, I've been unable to find anything regarding suspension adjustments/settings for this particular year (except one link that stated there were no adjustments available for '97s) this can't be true, can it? This is my 1st full size cruiser, and i will be doing a lot of two-up riding. I am about 195lbs with gear on, and my GF with gear is close to 160lbs so obviously soft suspension will be less than desireable for handling. I know its not a bike meant for aggressive riding or massive lean angle, but I don't want to be scraping floorboards on every turn either. Thanks for any tips!! -
I received my latest copy of Motorcycle Consumer News today and it had a review and comparison of the 2012 Goldwing and BMW 1600. The article rated the GW higher in most categories. I think the BMW had better brakes and better handling due to its lower mass. Interesting read if you get a chance. Dennis
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well, i have had my stratoliner a week and just turned over 700 miles. i changed oil in it saturday. a minor 3 hour job. it is a ***** to change oil on these big twins. i will make some special tools and cut the time in half. so far this bike has passed the ultimate bike test. the power is awesome. the handling is the best. i think it will out run and out handle my wing. it weighs 100 lbs. less. low speed handling on parking lots is far better than any bike i have ever owned or rode. it feels 1/3 as heavy as it is. it has a very low center of gravity. i had a vibration around 65 mph, but that is disappearing with the break in miles. the engine is so massive it will pull smoothly down to 1700 rpm. i just found out parick racing has a big bore kit for the strat along with a few other go fast goodies. think i will pass on that. ive got to stay in my limits and leave that stuff to the kids.
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Almost time to replace the front tire on my '83 and since I am hauling a leaning sidecar around, I am considering changing width to see about improved handling. Who's done what and with what result. Pro's and con's? thanks!
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Ready to order an Elite 3 front tire. Question is since the front of my bike is lowered 1", would I get an additional improvement in handling by putting the "MT90" on, or should I stay with the "150"?
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Had a set of Dunlop E3's installed this afternoon...(selected largely on the reviews of the fine folks of this here site) initial impressions are that they are much better than the original Bridgestones it had on it. Have not really got them scuffed in, or ridden enough to talk handling but the front is SO much quieter than the Bridgestone was! That was the noisiest tire I have ever had on a bike.
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Dont shoot please. I am in a little situation and have had a possible opportunity to obtain a 2007 Electra Glide with 31,000 miles in very very good condition. It will allow me to remain in a bike but will eliminate my situation with the RSV. Keep in mind the RSV itsself is not my issue. I love this bike from what little I have rode it. BUT I can get out from under it and have a Electra Glide. Granted I will have some remaining debt obviously, but without going head deep into details it works better. What could I expect as far as handling, balance, low speed handling, etc comparing the Electra Glide to the RSV??
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NOTE: This first post in the thread has been changed by me for reasons explained below. If you have already read it, read it again - it is very different now. Positive review of the MT66 tires. First, just a little background for those who don't already know about me - I am a complete fan of Avon Venom tyres for the RSV. I have done a LOT of testing various tires, new and worn, and shorter suspension links to raise the rear of the bike; you can find a lot of this info if you search for some of my oldest posts. Now even though I love the Venom tyres, I just can't resist testing other options, especially when there is a cheaper price involved! I put a brand new set of Pirelli MT 66 ROUTE tires on QuickSilver (my 05 RSV) last summer, then proceeded to crash the bike on my way out of town that night when the slick new tires broke loose in a surprise curve! Busted me up enough that I couldn't ride for about four months, and didn't do much good for QuickSilver either. Well, she's back on the road again, and I've already learned a few things about these tires. I think I like them. The load range on the rear tire is less than with an Avon Venom - only 74H. That is the same as the stock tires, so no problem there, but I would prefer to have the higher load rating as a margin of safety. When I first mounted them last summer, I didn't notice anything specific about them - they seemed to handle fine for the one short test ride, and then for the thirty miles or so before I went down. But most of that was on the freeway, so not much of a handling test. At this point, let me note that I had Leveling Links on the 05 then to raise the rear of the bike, and as I have previously written in great detail, raising the rear greatly improves the slow speed handling, making even the horrible stock Brickstone tires feel reasonable. Well, after the crash, I bought an 07 RSV and switched the leveling links to it while the 05 just sat and waited for me to fix it up. I finally got most of the repairs done and have started riding QuickSilver again (so far WITHOUT the leveling links), and I am happy to report that these Pirelli tires make the bike with stock suspension feel light and agile. Slow speed handling my be as good as the Avons, but I still have more testing to do. I cannot yet report on speed handling on the curvy roads. I have compared the width and profile (shape of the curved surface) with my brother's Dunlop 404s, and the front tire is almost identical. MUCH narrower and more curved than a Brickstone in the same stock size of 150/80-16. I'll report on the comparison with the Avon Venom soon. I'll also be covering a couple of thousand miles on them in the next week or so, so I'll be able to give y'all a full report on them soon. In the mean time, the prices look good compared to the Avon Venoms, and they seem seem pretty good, so if you have to order tires before I can complete the testing, you might want to consider the Pirellis if you are tight on money.. Goose
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Just saw this commercial. 6 rolls $22 (included packaging and handling for 2 sets of 3 rolls). What do you think? https://www.mightyfixit.com/flare/next
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I just read this article: http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/touring_motorcycles_comparison/index.html "finicky handling when loaded, poor braking power." Was one comment. It looks like this article was trying out the first year that the new Ventures came out, way back in 1999. In this article, they complained quite a bit about the Venture's handling when loaded down, the other two bikes in the comparo faired better in this dept. They also complained about the brakes. Did Yamaha iron out these bugs (if they did exist) after the first year of production? Maybe part of the handling problems were due to tire issues? They bragged up the Harley's storage but from what I can tell, the Venture comes in at the exact same amount of storage capacity but more of it is found in the saddlebags and less in the trunk but it carries the same total amount as the Harley. Actually, it's better to have more of the weight low anyway. -
I don't generally talk up products but I have to say something about the new ME880 Marathons. I've been running the ME880s for a couple years and though I've heard of a couple problems I've never had any. I've been averaging 20k out of the rear and I got 50k out of my first front. I was always pretty pleased with the handling and felt they were great touring tires. Last week I replaced the rear and found out they had changed the tires a little. The shop I use told me the new ME880s changed the way they size them (they were 140/90). Now they use an alphabetical system. I was also told they changed the compound some in an effort to increase both mileage and handling. Over the past week I decided to put that to the test. The max PSI on the old rear was 50psi. The new ones dropped to 40PSI so they're already a little softer in the ride but I have to admit I was surprised at the handling. I've put her through some tight high speed turns where I threw some good sparks and I have never felt so confident on a touring tire. They really felt more like sport tires. Yesterday we had some pretty good rain here and I had a chance to check the wet pavement performance. Same results. Very solid. It will be a couple months before I have any real idea about the mileage but the performance is the best I've ever experienced in a touring tire. If they wear well and the delamination issue has been corrected they have a real winner here.
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OK...don't hate on me...this will be a VAGUE comment/question/thoughts about the handling of my bike. I still have the stock tires on my bike. I have risers installed. My tires are inflated (both front and back) at 35 PSI. I know that is low for those tires (I think I have my log book stating the front should be 38 and the back 40). Anyway (and here's the vague part)...lately it "feels" like the front end of the bike is "loose" or sometimes it feels like the back is squirrely...other times the bike rides so smooth and stable. And I don't think it is the road...I am pretty sure it is either the BIKE or my IMAGINATION....but it's enough that it rattles me a little. So my question...would another 3-5lbs of air in each tire make that much difference? The bike is only 6 months old...could it be the steering bearings? Any ideas anyone?
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one of the major weak points of all 1800 wings is the front suspension. the stock 1800 wing has anti dive and piss poor front springs, that sag early in life, and are to soft to begin with. the dampening is not the best either. there are two fixes for this . both make a difference of night and day in handling and ride. the first and most expensive is traxxion suspension like eck has on his. the poor mans fix is the race tech springs, gold valve and emulator like i have installed in mine. mine was around $400.00 for parts and i did it myself. the traxxion is over $2000,00 dollars and it requires machining of the forks , so you have to have them or one of their dealers do it. i consider either of these mods a must after riding mine stock, and with the modification. both mods deactivate the antidive as part of the install. you can deactivate the antidive with a simple mod and a nickle with a hole drilled in it, but then the front springs will be noticibly inadequate on hard stops. the antidive basically locks up the front forks when stopping hard and makes for a really rough ride when decelerating and using the brakes, front or rear. since wings have interlocking front and rear brakes it does it when using both brakes. some folks may not be bothered or notice the inefficiency of the oem set up. if your wanting the ultimate handling and suspension performance out of your wing, either one of these mods will make a big difference. the big gains are, much improved rebound on rough roads, a firmer ride, slightly more ground clearance (harder to drag my highway boards now), and a more secure feel in the curves. wings are unbelievable in the handling department. i can't believe a bike this big can can handle like a sport bike.
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What a great weekend.. Got a little over 400 miles this weekend on my 2008.. I've got about 580 miles on the bike now in the first week and will be doing the 600 mile maint, and lots of other things... Here's my thoughts after spending all weekend riding out in the Shenandoah's.. First thing.. the ergonomics are a mess!.. who the designed this thing? I can understand a bike is meant to be modified to fit you, but man.. this thing needs a lot of work... As we all know the seat on these are tailbone KILLERS.. I can't believe they don't have a relief in the foam for your tailbone.. I'll be redoing my seat for sure VERY soon.. I'm still having a hard time sitting today.. Also, I can't believe how wide the seat is at the front. Must have been a bowlegged Japanese guy that designed the seat. The bars.. like everyone else.. they are too far forward.. You have to wonder what the hell the build of the guy was that said "Yep, this feels good.. ship it" He must had arms about a foot longer than me.. and I'm 6' I'll be doing the Flanders bar kit.. As far as handling and the ride... LOVE the ride.. nice and smooth.. as far as lots of curves.. show me more.. Handles really great in the mountains. My wife even said she likes it much better than the roadstar. Said it feels like it was meant to take curves with, and that was just sitting on the back. She said it felt more secure.. and I have to agree. It went where you pointed it.. not where it wanted to go.. The one thing I really don't like though is it needs another gear for the highway.. just way too many RPMs for me when cruising on the interstate... Even my roadie don't wrap out as hard as this bike... interesting... Have yet to really work on it , but I'm sure I'll be finding things I like, and things I don't... I just hope it's not as complicated as it looks.. Guess it could be worse and be a Goldwing and take half a day to get to anything on it... I've got very mixed emotions about this bike.. Some things I really like, especially the handling. (however, the low speed handling is a drag too, and I'll be adding the leveling links to see if that helps like others say) Other things I don't like, like the high RPM's on the interstate, and bad ergos from the factory. My wife is super happy on the back, buy I'm not camping real well on the front. Hopefully a lot of money and time will fix that. Just seems like after all the years of this bike being on the market virtually unchanged, they would address some of these issues. Seems I can't be the only one to make mention of these issues. I'm sure once I spend a lot of money, times, and make lots of changes and can call it my own I'll be happy.. but Come On Yamaha!... just like with my Roadstar, you just aren't hitting the mark as good as you could.
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I am disabled and have 29 inch inseam. I would like to hear from those who have lowered both fr and rr. How is handling and any problems setting the kickstand ? Cb
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for those of you that have, or have had, both the 1st gen and 2nd gen bikes, how do they compare? power, comfort, handling, touring 2 up with a trailer? thanks in advance
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Due for tire replacement, this is the 1st time. What tire is most recommended for the RSV? Mostly ride 2up. Handling and ride primary concern, mileage second.
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Well. we just rolled in and finished unloading! 5200 miles of smiles! Cats are happy to see us for a change. Grass has been cut by Marilyns son while we were gone. Got to see alot and ride some places I could only dream of. Duck walked the dragon while Marilyn rode little circles around me! (gotta get those levelling links off and see if thats my handling problem!) Another flat on the little trailer Marilyn towed....thats two this trip....the last she drove about five miles without realizing it was toast....she just wondered why the thing was swaying! Hope everyone is fine and safe.
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I just spent over a hour reading post back to 2005 on tires. My stock tires have 9,700 miles on them, and maybe have another 2K to go. I received a few emails for on-line stores, with 30% off tires, so I started looking into possibly ordering some now then later. I read how popular the Avon Venom's are for the RSV, and also the Dunlap E3's also seem to be well liked. In the past on my GW and other bikes, I always ran Metzler ME880's, but I seen some neg responses for that tire on the RSV. I also read some people are happy with the Commanders as well, but never heard of them. I was hoping to get 15K out of a set of tires, as well as a good highway , low speed handling tire. I do allot of riding 2-UP, so safety and handling are my to concerns My sizes are : Front : 150-80-16 Rear : 150-90-15 Are those the size's I should be ordering for either Avon's or E3's ? Or would you recommend another tire ? Any help is appreciated -
Well its time to buy tires on my 2006 rstd,I have read all the posts on what size is best .I have decided on the Avons .My question is this, I am 5 10 185 lbs , looking to improve slow speed handling , do a lot of two up . I do not have leveling links or have I altered the stance of the bike .Will the 150 stock size improve handling for me without any other changes . Iam concerened with high speed stability as well. Any sugestions for someone my size, I would love to improve slow speed handling while maintaining high speed feel . Thanks for any guidance !!!!!!
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On my 2005 RSTD If I get new grips do I have to put the weights back on the ends,or will the handling change very much if any.
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