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 2-up and handling question
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 140
Adjunct
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OP
Adjunct
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 140 |
I often ride 2-up with my daughter (5'0", 105 lbs) and my wife (5'6", closer to my weight <grin>).
We have had some good winds lately and I noticed that it really pushes the bike around more with my wife on than with my daughter. Is this simply a matter of a larger sail catching more wind? How come the mass doesn't counteract the wind surface and make the bike hold steady as well?
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Gary
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Re: 2-up and handling question
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,877 |
Probably a larger sail. Also, more weight means more momentum, so if the wind is strong enough to move it, it'll take more to counteract the lean.
Benny
Black & Silver '02
Too many mods to list
Not enough miles ridden
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Re: 2-up and handling question
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1 |
Quote:
Is this simply a matter of a larger sail catching more wind? How come the mass doesn't counteract the wind surface and make the bike hold steady as well?
Simply put, Yes. The extra weight doesn't make the bike more steady because of a couple things. First of all, you are on two wheels. Think of it as an upsidedown triangle (if you are looking at the bike from the front or back) with the wheels as the point of that triangle and the load at the top. Because you are adding more weight to the top, the balance becomes less stable. It is almost like on e of the reasons our bikes are so easy to ride and handle, the weight of our motors are towards the bottom of that triangle.
Soren
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Re: 2-up and handling question
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,753
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,753 |
this may seem stupid but maybe your tirepressure with the added weight may need to be adjusted. 2 up mine feels more stable on the highway but backroads arent as fun
Frank
(Former)05 BA tbike pipes, ai removed, Freak, mikuni hsr 42's, 904, ported/polished head, 1mm oversized valves
NOW-2010 silver and black tbird
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Re: 2-up and handling question
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,518 Likes: 31
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,518 Likes: 31 |
Quote:
We have had some good winds lately and I noticed that it really pushes the bike around more with my wife on than with my daughter.
sm_wasp04,
Amongst other things already mentioned, this also has much to do with weight bias.
2-up the weight bias moves to the rear thus making the front relatively lighter (as is the case when accelerating) resulting in it being less stable.
You may find that the bars shudder sideways a little (when held very loosely) and in extreme cases (2-up plus full load of luggage) almost resemble a "tank-slapper".
This is why you find this effect moreso with your wife (more rear weight) rather than your daughter.
A simple, effective solution is to jack up your rear shocks a little before riding 2-up and you will probably dial this problem out.
Bedouin.
Blessed are those eyes that have seen more roads than any man! (Homer).
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