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Having never ridden my CB in any truly foul weather I have been curious as to how it might be affected by high wind gusts that sometimes accompany severe thunder storms. Yesterday I learned the answer.
Coming home from running a few errands I encountered a bad storm that had been generated by the day's excessive heat and humidity. Ahead I could see tree limbs being ripped away and pines being bent as though they would break. Dropping to about 45mph I braced for the wind's impact and was surprised at how stable the bike was in these gusts which thankfully didn't last long. Perhaps the lack of a large fairing and bodywork is a factor. I did get blown about a bit of course but the CB felt safe and stable. I love this bike more every time I ride it.
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I used to fear rain and grooved pavement. Now high winds makes me pucker.
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(08-20-2014, 08:51 AM)redbirds_imp Wrote: Having never ridden my CB in any truly foul weather I have been curious as to how it might be affected by high wind gusts that sometimes accompany severe thunder storms. Yesterday I learned the answer.
Coming home from running a few errands I encountered a bad storm that had been generated by the day's excessive heat and humidity. Ahead I could see tree limbs being ripped away and pines being bent as though they would break. Dropping to about 45mph I braced for the wind's impact and was surprised at how stable the bike was in these gusts which thankfully didn't last long. Perhaps the lack of a large fairing and bodywork is a factor. I did get blown about a bit of course but the CB felt safe and stable. I love this bike more every time I ride it.
Agreed. I have been caught out in severe wind gusts, plus heavy rain and hail. Two speeds are suitable. High enough to maintain a good momentum, and I don't mean fast, or stopped. Probably not any better than any other bike of similar mass or profile but Redbirds, you are right, it has a reassuring feel. In short a beauty.
Cheers
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You should try riding across San Francisco Bay on one of the many bridges and see how you feel about wind gusts...lol. This is one of the more stable bikes I have ridden in the wind, and let me tell you there is plenty of it around here to blow you around.
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If I stand up slightly in the seat, wind is not too much of a problem.
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(08-20-2014, 10:22 AM)Cormanus_imp Wrote: If I stand up slightly in the seat, wind is not too much of a problem.
or just a slight lean to one side if you don't want to broadcast your intentions..
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I had a freak gust of wind hit me sometime back and it felt like it was almost just going to just blow the tires out from under me. Not an 1100 but wind creates havoc for motorcycles.
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(08-20-2014, 09:59 AM)Randy B_imp Wrote: You should try riding across San Francisco Bay on one of the many bridges and see how you feel about wind gusts...lol. This is one of the more stable bikes I have ridden in the wind, and let me tell you there is plenty of it around here to blow you around.
I crossed the San Mateo Bridge west to east on a gusty day in afternoon rush hour traffic a couple of weeks ago. Had to resist the urge to slow down - stayed at about 65 mph and just had to deal with the buffeting! A little counter steering here and there helped but I was using the whole lane at times! The longest 7 miles ever!
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(08-20-2014, 12:46 PM)Pauley_imp Wrote: (08-20-2014, 09:59 AM)Randy B_imp Wrote: You should try riding across San Francisco Bay on one of the many bridges and see how you feel about wind gusts...lol. This is one of the more stable bikes I have ridden in the wind, and let me tell you there is plenty of it around here to blow you around.
I crossed the San Mateo Bridge west to east on a gusty day in afternoon rush hour traffic a couple of weeks ago. Had to resist the urge to slow down - stayed at about 65 mph and just had to deal with the buffeting! A little counter steering here and there helped but I was using the whole lane at times! The longest 7 miles ever!
I crossed the San Mateo Bridge west to east on a gusty day in afternoon rush hour traffic a couple of weeks ago. Had to resist the urge to slow down - stayed at about 65 mph and just had to deal with the buffeting! A little counter steering here and there helped but I was using the whole lane at times! The longest 7 miles ever!
Yeah...you understand what I'm sayin!
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I had quite an experience going north on I-505 from Fairfield to I-5.. I don't know how fast the gusts were that day, but fast enough to cause my front wheel to do a nice big shimmy and make me think I might be going down quite a few times over that 40 mile stretch. Staying calm and loose and countersteering against when needed, I survived and maybe came out a slightly better rider. Felt much better when I got onto 5, the head wind was still pretty heavy for another hundred miles after that, but I at least felt stable. That was probably the worst fuel economy I got on the bike, too!
