[Ted White]

Aside from the list of familiar suspects (helmet noise from the badly designed windshied, diesel sound, speedo error) my biggest bitch is the Burgman's sensitivity to side winds.

Down here in the desert wasteland of southern Arizona we get some high powered winds - 25-40 mph - and especially at this time of year. I rode over to Sierra Vista yesterday in a vicious crosswind and felt very insecure. The Burgman reacted most unpleasantly and my co-riders who were following me, all guys on motorcycles (Kawasaki W650, Moto Guzzi something or other) remarked at how the Burgman got tossed about.

Of course they got moved around also, but to a lesser degree.

I really don't like being slapped around like I was yesterday afternoon.

Any thoughts? Any similar experiences?

 

[abm]

wind

I cant speak to your overall experience, but I find that a relaxed riding stance and easy hold on the bars will let the bike cant into the wind without moving over latterally.

Of course 40mph is a stiff breeze, but at 500+ lbs, the Burgie shouldnt be much worse than another bike of similar wheelbase.

Some less experienced riders tend to get a deathgrip on the bars and fight the cross wind. Longer wheelbase bikes tend to move less.

In high winds, dont slouch in the saddle, relax and let the bike cant into the windward side. Its an aquired skill. To a certain extent, tire and suspension settings affect wind reaction. Loading too; heavy loads up high on the bike have deleterious effect. The big Givi trunk is also a wind catcher.

Its all trade offs. the Burgie might move more in the wind, the Electraglide might move less, the burgie handles better in the twisties...etc.

 

[lycheed]

In my experience the diesel noise is something that you notice when you first buy the machine, and soon forget about, and the screen is the perfect height for a 5ft 8ins rider (my height) - possibly as they invisaged that the main market for this would be in the big scooter metropolis of Japan.

Over here the winds are pretty scary over here on the long bridges across Tokyo Bay the 650 moves less than any other scooter - markedly less than the Forza (Reflex) 250. The more plastic you have, the more of a sail you present to gusts of winds. Naked bikes like the W650 are well better placed to cut through those side winds as they have a much smaller surface area.

Perhaps abm is right on this one, and just adapting the riding style to suit the 650 is probably the best solution here. My naked x11 may cut throught the wind easier than the 650, but after a day riding the x11 you know exactl how far you've gone by the muscle ache. Conversely, the 650 leaves you as fresh as when you first stepped onto the machine.

We can't have everything I suppose...

 

[pauljo]

Ted,

The Burgman 650 is actually quite stable in crosswind's - much better than my V-Strom motorcycle.

Here are some things to check.

Tire pressure. Make sure your rear tire is at 41 psi (not the cushier 36 psi setting). Front tire should be at 33 psi. Rear shock preload. Jack it up a bit higher than you normally would - I set mine to the 4th (next to firmest) position when riding in windy conditions. What these things do, is bias the scooter's weight toward the front wheel a bit.

The main problem, is that the wind is jacking you (the rider) around. Its probably causing you to tense up and/or pulling at your arms and shoulders. The resultant inputs going to the handlebars are what is throwing the machine off course. Awareness of this will help - try to relax and let the handlebars track straight. (You will obviously need to compensate for a stiff side wind by counter steering the machine into the direction that the wind is coming from - but try to make this a smooth correction.) The other thing that will help you with this is a better windscreen, which will lessen the effect of the wind tugging at you. Remember - with the smaller diameter wheels, the scooter's reaction to handlebar inputs is much quicker than a motorcycle's.

I know where you are coming from - Nebraska is also a wind tunnel. You've got to get higher than 25 mph wind gusts here before folks will even acknowlege that it is a windy day. A motorcycle rider from Council Bluffs, Iowa (just across the river) got blown right off of Interstate 29 last Saturday. And getting pushed off-line by a wind gust has a very high "pucker factor", especially if there is traffic in the adjoining lane.

The Burgman 650 is heavy, has nice wide radial tires, and has a fairly low side profile. It will track quite well in a side wind as long as the wind doesn't cause the rider to throw the machine off course. Biasing weight toward the front wheel also helps quite a bit on any cycle or scooter.

 

[Randy]

We have our share of wind gust down here (15 to 35 +) and I would agree with most of the comments above, I will add that because of the smaller wheels you may feel like your getting moved around more then the bigger bikes, your not, in fact a lot of bikes offer more surface area to the wind then the Burgman (or any step through) . just to say it one more time, relax, your bike will not lift off, in fact it is far better "planted " then you think. 8)

 

[pauljo]

I went for a 60 mile ride during the windiest part of the day today. Winds were in the 20 mph range - not terribly high for this area, but enough to be annoying, especially when hitting from the side. About 1/3 of the ride was with the wind coming in from a side angle.

The 650 seemed to be surprisingly indifferent to the wind gusts. I was actually riding at 70+ mph with the wind angling in from the side - and not really being bothered by it. I think there were a couple of contributing factors.

The new XXL Clearview windscreen is several inches wider than my older Clearview screen. I would get some slapping effect from the wind on the outside of my arms with the older design - I don't get that with the new wider screen. It only takes a very small input from the rider to the handlebars to make a motorcycle alter it's course, and a scooter is even more sensitive - it reacts quicker due to the smaller diameter front wheel. Often the perception of the scooter being pushed around by the wind, is really due to the rider's arms and upper body being jerked around by the wind - it doesn't take a major amount of movement either.

The other thing that may have helped, to a lesser degree, was the replacement of the stock muffler with the much lighter Remus. That weight was far to the rear of the scooter. This modification would bias weight distribution a bit more toward the front of the machine (by lightening the rear). Anything that transfers more weight to the front wheel helps a motorcycle or scooter to track better in windy conditions.

Previously, I would certainly have been able to ride safely under the same conditions, but I would have been somewhat annoyed by the wind during parts of the ride. Today, it didn't bother me at all - I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

A stock Burgman 650 is a very nice machine, but with a couple of modifications, it just keeps getting better...

I expect to see further improvement when I get my Ikon shock absorbers installed. That should happen this week - I'm just waiting for the correct bushings to arrive from Australia.

 

[DonRich90]

Ted, lean the bike into the wind (press on the hand grip on the side the wind is coming from) to help stabilize the bike. Just be ready should the wind calm suddenly (stops blowing or you ride into a protected area) or the bike will swerve in the direction you're pressing.
We don't get too many days with really windy conditions in my area but this technique also works well when crossing long bridges like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge or the Francis Scott Key bridge over the Baltimore harbor on windy days.

 

[ajwood]

Ted,
I don't think that many from outside Arizona know of the cactus shaking
gusts that swoop over rocky cliffs then across rolling ranch land.

With me, it's not so much the cross-winds but the deafening headwinds
with a stock shield.

Lean!

 

[Ted White]

I figured it out. On a naked bike or a Ninja, say, you won't get the unexpected arm slapping. I wasn't used to it and was unconsciously tensing up because I wasn't used to the side buffeting.

Ajwood would understand about the amazing wind shifts here in these borderland canyons. You can check the flag at the Border Patrol station and it usually indicates SSW winds. However, as you ascend into the mountains on Highway 80 you can expect - and you will get - vicious hard gusts from all corners of the compass.

but I've gotten used to the Burgie. Basically I just relax and the Burgie does the rest. It's the stinky windscreen causing the problems. I'll bet if you took it off and rode without it, you'd also be without buffeting and helmet noise.

Anyway, I've got a Clearview ordered. When it comes, and, assuming it's as good as everyone says, I'm going to toss the OEM screen down my favorite (dead coyotes, dead javelina) ravine.

 

[marc giroux]

Convince me to keep the Burgman 650. this is my 3rd week with the bike and last week end went riding in country roads and opened fields. The wind was strong and sideways. I was all over the place. I rode larger heavier bikes like the bmw RT. and from my souvenir the machine was much more stable even with all 3 cases.
I read most of the comments made on the tire pressure , shocks and windsheld. tire pressure was 33 front and back, pretension to 1 and the standard windshield. (originally the pressure was 36/36 but the ride was so stiff I lowered it ) I had to slow down and many other bikes zoomed by!!!!!!!!! Very frustrating . Its the first time I read about the clearview , and probably too late because I have already ordered the GIVI replacement shield. how do they compare? should I try cancelling the GIVI order?
I also noticed that once I told my wife to really cling on to me and there was no more distance between us the ride was much more stable but not comfortable having the helmets hitting each other.
My next move was to get a GIVI top case for my wife to rest against and add luggage room for week end travel. I guess its a NO NO on the Burgman. probably a low trailer would be better. Any comments are welcome.

 

[hrdillender]

On my 400, I get blown around quite a bit as well, but alot has to do with how much I tense up. Stiff arms make for an uncontrolled ride. I am learning to keep it steady even in heavy winds (we are having gusts up to 50+ mph right now. vicious.) It's much tougher with my wife riding pillion. Not only is there a higher center of gravity, and a larger surface area exposed, but I tense up because I'm so worried about losing control with her on the back, and on top of it all, she tenses up when a cross wind hits us, which makes the bike jerk in the back. Bad juju. I'm learning. It's not so bad if it's just wind, but today we got hit with strong winds (35+) and rain at the same time, and I felt like I was really going to lose it, since we had to get on the freeway to get home. I just keep repeating my riding mantras... "I trust my bike"... "I trust myself"... "the cosmic rhythm flows through me"... until I get where I'm going.

 

[Randy]

It's so easy for riders behind you to talk about how you get blown all over the road. :?
But nine out of ten times the same is happening to them only they don't know it. :lol:

This is just a fact of riding a motorcycle and all bikes are going to react to a strong side or head wind that comes up from nowere.
It's up to the rider to minimize the effects .

 

[wasions]

I have found that an added benefit to laying my Clearview XXL back (it's as far back as it can get now ) is that side wind deflection is minimal (for the scoot). There's no way to overcome side wind deflection altogether, of course. If it bothers you to the extent that your joy of riding diminishes, perhaps you'd be happier on a really heavy naked cruiser. My other bike is naked, but at only 300 lbs or so soaking wet, and tall, I get blown all over the road on it.

Steve

 

[John G]

...

I ride my bike everywhere, it's all I have. I appreciate the more experienced riders tips on handling the strong winds. I thought I had it basically figured out, until I realized just how much I was tensing up when passing or being passed by (not usually) large trucks on the freeway.
There is a lot of wind rolling around the hills of Northwest AR and when you have a truck on one side and the wind suddenly blows from the other, well you get the idea :shock:
If we all just pay attention we should be alright... and for those with the wind tips, Thank You.

 

[arizonafred]

Yes, Arizona gets strong winds. The only bike I've had that didn't care about winds was my Kawasaki Nomad - absolutely the best road bike I've had in 44 years of riding. But it weighed 750 pounds. Weight is the only thing that will protect you from these high winds. I would think carrying a passenger would help. I'm in a catch 22. I physically unable to handle foot controls and a heavy machine anymore. That's why I got the Burgman. I don't do long trips much anymore either, but if I do I'll be sure to look at the weather/wind report before I take off.

 

[dalehazelton]

It's been awhile since this thread was active, but I've found my Burgman to be very planted in the cross winds. I think it's the step-thru design that lets alot of wind just slipstream by the bike. I, on the other hand can feel the effect of the wind on my torso, but at least I feel that the bikes footing is secure. More so than when I ride my cruiser.

With gusts of 40mph, however I would probably take the car.

 

[deadweasel]

Old thread yes, but I just learned something today that may help.
I'm a tall dude (6'4"), and when I ride, I tend to have my elbows set out from my body a bit as I grip the handles.
At speed on the freeway today, I encountered the wash from a large truck ahead of me. As I tried to balance myself and relax, I also tried pulling my elbows in to my body.

PRESTO! I discovered that (at leat for us tall people), a LOT of the wiggling feeling you are getting is directly related to the wind catching at your arms, which transfer that random motion to the grips. Tucking your arms in (while keeping yourself relaxed, mind you) seems to be the ticket to help decrease that uneasy feeling of being tossed about in windy conditions.

 

[dalehazelton]

Fat headed

I recently discovered something else that helps greatly with windblast -- HAVING THE PROPER SIZE HELMET. My old helmet was an HJC XL, I lost 22 lbs and when I bought the new, snugger lid, alot of my problems of my helmet shifting and pushing against my face were eliminated. (I never thought I had a fat head before)

 

[mainemanglenn]

wind sensitivity

I get a lot of side winds being in northern maine, but I think its a matter of driver adjustment, what your weight on the bike is, etc.; as for the windscreen, I have read countless posts from people complaining about them, and it does seem they were designed for 5'8 or shorter people. I will be changing mine out with a clearview, but I wonder why Suzuki does not offer various sizes on these that you could get when you buy the bike as opposed to having to go elsewhere to address the problem?All the other Scooter manufacturers seem to offer many more options for their bikes than Suzuki does, which I guess is good for all the outside makers of add-ons, but makes Burgman owners have to work that much harder to get their bikes tailored to individual wants or needs.

 

[dalehazelton]

Suzuki should offer the motor/hardware for the electrically-adjustable windscreen from the Executive as an optional parts kit. The only bike I never had to accessorize immediately was my Honda ST1300 because of its fantastic adjustability. But at $15K, you shouldn't have to spend any more.