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buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 12:37 pm
by Brad Davis
Sorry I m not talking about Pina Coladas
What I am talking about is how my KLR buffets around
in the wind. Is this solely caused by the attributes
of the KLR you know, it being tall, lightweight with
a large cross sectional area? Or are there things I
can check that may make this situation worse? I ve
played around with the front tire pressure but that
doesn t seem to improve the behavior any. Would
changing the fork tube height in the triple clamp
effect the buffeting any? Mine are set to the maximum
height possible.
It seems to be worse cruising on the freeway (60
65mph) where there are large open spaces and unstable
wind from the traffic. I could always slow down I
guess.
Thanks,
Brad Davis
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buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 12:44 pm
by Devon Jarvis
I know what you mean. You will have to change aerodynamics to help this,
steering geometry or suspension setup won't help a lot. Mostly, it's
just the size, shape, and height of the KLR that does this. Being lower
to the ground would give the sidewinds a little less leverage, but you'd
mess up the suspension faster than you'd help the wind problem.
Removing the windshield helps a little. Wearing riding clothes that are
made from a stiff material (thick cordura, leather etc) and tight enough
not to flap around helps the comfort level if not the vulnerability to
sidewinds.
Devon
Brad Davis wrote:
>
> Sorry I m not talking about Pina Coladas
>
> What I am talking about is how my KLR buffets around
> in the wind. Is this solely caused by the attributes
> of the KLR you know, it being tall, lightweight with
> a large cross sectional area? Or are there things I
> can check that may make this situation worse? I ve
> played around with the front tire pressure but that
> doesn t seem to improve the behavior any. Would
> changing the fork tube height in the triple clamp
> effect the buffeting any? Mine are set to the maximum
> height possible.
>
> It seems to be worse cruising on the freeway (60
> 65mph) where there are large open spaces and unstable
> wind from the traffic. I could always slow down I
> guess.
>
> Thanks,
> Brad Davis
>
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 1:11 pm
by Barnaby Robson
u got a fork brace ?
-----Original Message-----
From: Brad Davis [mailto:bradcdavis@...]
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 10:37 AM
To: DSN_klr650
Subject: [DSN_klr650] Buffet time
Or are there things I
can check that may make this situation worse? I've
played around with the front tire pressure but that
doesn't seem to improve the behavior any. Would
changing the fork tube height in the triple clamp
effect the buffeting any? Mine are set to the maximum
height possible.
It seems to be worse cruising on the freeway (60 -
65mph) where there are large open spaces and unstable
wind from the traffic. I could always slow down I
guess.
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 2:01 pm
by mnron2002
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Brad Davis
wrote:
> Sorry I'm not talking about Pina Coladas
>
> What I am talking about is how my KLR buffets around
> in the wind. Is this solely caused by the attributes
> of the KLR you know, it being tall, lightweight with
> a large cross sectional area? Or are there things I
> can check that may make this situation worse? I've
> played around with the front tire pressure but that
> doesn't seem to improve the behavior any. Would
> changing the fork tube height in the triple clamp
> effect the buffeting any? Mine are set to the maximum
> height possible.
>
> It seems to be worse cruising on the freeway (60
> 65mph) where there are large open spaces and unstable
> wind from the traffic. I could always slow down I
> guess.
>
> Thanks,
Brad, this may or may not get more response from the list. I haven't
got enough time with my A16, but I can speak from my experience with
my A7. I know what you're feeling, and I tried several things to fix
the problem. (remember, we're talking all the way back to '94 - '95
timeframe) I first raised the forks (lowered the triple clamps??) so
that about 1/2 inch was showing above the triple clamps. Helped a
little. I then added the original lowering links to lower the back
about 1.5 inches, and then had about 2 inches of fork-tube sticking
up above the triple clamps. This helped a bunch on the highway. I
also added one of the original Corbin saddles, which sat me down
another inch or so. When I was done, I had a very nice road bike
which wasn't affected by the buffets as before. However, I don't
think I had a very nice off-road bike, and so the bike became even
more road biased.
So, what am I going to do with my new KLR? I'm not going to put on
lowering links as I hope to do more adventure touring where I'll want
the extra ground clearance. I will play with the fork height, and
add a brace. I can live with the buffeting, I think, but I know I
can improve the situation if I really want to.
Oh yeah, I also went back to the stock windshield on the A7 from the
Rifle. Not this time, I already have the longer windshield sitting
here ready to install.
Of course, this is only my .02$ worth...
GOOD LUCK!!
MNRon
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 5:34 pm
by bradcdavis
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Barnaby Robson" wrote:
> u got a fork brace ?
>
How would a fork brace help with side wind buffeting?
Brad
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 5:38 pm
by bradcdavis
> Next time, try sticking your knee out in the direction the wind is
> coming from, and you ride down the road. An old road-riding trick.
>
> - Dave Svoboda, Sandy Eggo
That's a new one to me....I'll try it tomorrow morning. At the moment
I don't see how the overall aerodynamics would be effected by
this...but I'll try it anyway.
Brad
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 6:01 pm
by Barnaby Robson
a fork brace is supposed to help with general
stability at high speeds.
but then what do I know ?
-----Original Message-----
From: bradcdavis [mailto:bradcdavis@...]
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 3:34 PM
To:
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [DSN_klr650] Re: Buffet time
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 6:03 pm
by monahanwb
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "bradcdavis"
wrote:
An old road-riding trick.
> That's a new one to me....I'll try it tomorrow morning. At the
moment
> I don't see how the overall aerodynamics would be effected by
> this...but I'll try it anyway.
Basically, it just directs wind blast up your pants and freezes your
nuts (if you have any), so you stop noticing how the wind is blowing
your ass around on the road.
It's why I prefer to ride my elitist German motorcycle when it's
really windy...it's more stable, way more stable. One of the bonii
(plural of bonus, for non-elitists)of being a bmw elitist slob, I
mean snob.
Are there any pictures of Lew's new lady friend? I haven't seen
any. Is she a candidate for Miss Argentina, really?
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 6:54 pm
by dooden
Just gave that a thought, and yes I do that into heavy winds,
basically like leaning into the winds in Chicago.
Reckon the extra force the knee is causing, compensates for the push
of the wind on that side.
Maybe one of the Rocket Inventors can explain in non-english.
Duden
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "bradcdavis"
wrote:
>
> > Next time, try sticking your knee out in the direction the wind is
> > coming from, and you ride down the road. An old road-riding
trick.
> >
> > - Dave Svoboda, Sandy Eggo
>
> That's a new one to me....I'll try it tomorrow morning. At the
moment
> I don't see how the overall aerodynamics would be effected by
> this...but I'll try it anyway.
> Brad
buffet time
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 7:06 pm
by EXT-Dave.Svoboda@nokia.com
> From: "bradcdavis"
> Subject: Re: Buffet time
>
> > Next time, try sticking your knee out in the direction the wind is
> > coming from, and you ride down the road. An old road-riding trick.
> >
> > - Dave Svoboda, Sandy Eggo
>
> That's a new one to me....I'll try it tomorrow morning. At the moment
> I don't see how the overall aerodynamics would be effected by
> this...but I'll try it anyway.
It's not so much aerodynamics, but control. When you get blown
around, I assume what you're referring to is the control issue,
where the bike gets blown off line by a gust before you can
countersteer it back into line. Well, my theory as to why the
knee trick works so well is that your knee when extended to the
limit out to one side, can torque your body around if it gets
pushed back, which it does when a gust hits you from the side.
This body torque makes the bars instantly and without conscious
volition turn toward the gust, steering in direct proportion to
the strength of the gust.
Hey, whatever, it works.
- Dave Svoboda, Sandy Eggo