riding naked on LA freeways

[nostatic]

No, not like that. I was last on a Multistrada, but was off the bike for 1.5 years and now have picked up an Aprilia Shiver. Great bike (yeah, I know...not a Duc but it is Italian), but one thing I notice is some vague feel at freeway speeds. It sometimes will feel like the rear tire is going down, and it'll drift and dance a bit. I'm fairly tall (6'1") and I'm wondering if it is just a "feature" of naked bikes or particular to my suspension setup or tires. It's been a long time since I had my Monster 620 and don't really remember the freeway feel.

I rode a Multi back to back with the Shiver yesterday over the same route and the Multi was rock solid onthe freeway while there was some drift/dance with the Shiver.

[lucazuma]

...damn, you got me....

[James.M]

that reminded me of the motorcycle awareness video's...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lvNM9lMXsVY

[johnster]

My S4 does the same thing....I always just attributed it to being a "naked bike thing" ... wind buffeting is obviously more prevalent thn on a fully-faired sportbike...

I have ridden numerous I4's and a 748, both of which cut through the wind better, but I like the open feel of my Monster better....

You'll get used to it...laying on the tank and tucking down helps a lot...Obviously the bike is gonna move around a little bit under you as it constantly corrects itself, so just let it do its thing and don't get to tense (deathgrip) on the bars...Also the Multi is much heavier than the Aprilia IIRC, so that may have something to do w/it....

Obviously if it's weaving all over the place you might have a bigger issue... But I know for me, riding a naked on the highway (80-100mph)  took some getting used to....

[lucazuma]

...one possibiolity is that your rear suspension is a little low and /or soft. (but i talked with you and you said its quite stiff so...i guess its low)

Add to that your weight and tha fact that you are a tall dude, you do pick up a lot of air at 75mph. Farings on a bike are on the verry front of the bike (instrument coul) and you,instead, are pretty far back. Wind on a faring not only deflects away/over your body, but actually pushes down on the front end making it more stable. You act like a sail (ya big moose). You (the wind, through you, actually) are in fact pushing the bike down on its rear suspension hence releaving maybe too much weitght from the front end...

Thats why the bike feels squirly in the front. There is very little weight on it at higher speeds.

I would raise the rear suspension a bit and see how it feels. MHO

[nostatic]

You act like a sail (ya big moose).

Moooooooo

oh wait, the cow goes moooo. Where is that see-and-say again?

I'm going to remove some preload from the rear shock (loosen the spring) and see how that works out.

[Rob Hilding]

Any chance it is tire related??

Does it happen on freeways with rain grooves?

Prolly more suspension or aero related - but, just a thought...............

[nostatic]

Definitely worse on grooved sections of the freeway. For instance the 10 from the west side to downtown isn't fun. The section of the 2 that I rode both the new Multi and mine back to back isn't nearly as deep with the grooves. So I think that is part of it. It might actually be that the chassis is *too* good and giving feedback and I'm just feeling a combination of slipping around on the grooves and wind buffeting. I should get one of you guys to take it for a spin and see what you think (uh oh).

[silentbob]

Check the tire pressure and the condition of the tires.  Squared off rear tire, pointy front tire, or low pressure will cause these problems.

[nostatic]

tires are new and pressures are correct. maybe i need more valium.