My thoughts also. One of the first things I had to relearn was to not hold onto the grips tightly. Spyders are very sensitive to bar input, and the F3 even more so than our RT.
Printable View
The Swaybar will help alot but your Harley experience is not helping. You are still new to your spyder and on that day the wind did not help. It take awhile sometimes to get used to a spyder and begin relaxing in the ryde. Winds like that can be challenging and there is a limit to any vehicle and rider. Stay in your comfort zone and dont get in a hurry till you get the feel of your ride. It sounds like you are doing great though. I also remember questioning my decision on if the Spyder was right for me and many of us have been there as well.
Friday drove about 60 miles to a dealer to put on my Baja swaybar that I bought a couple months back, not seventy mile an hour winds but fairly strong gusts ripping across those Iowa corn fields. On the way home I could not believe the handling difference, so so much better. Still need a swaybar for my neck though, but trike handled 100% better. I'd get the lazer alignment if squared away would be close to Iowa.
I echo the Baja Ron sway bar with links update that others have spoken about. It made my F3-T very manageable in wind and in nearly every other aspect. Since you are a former Harley rider, you must have heard the phrase "Never trust a bike you can't see through" ? If you can't see through a bike, the wind won't go through that bike either. I rode a GL1800 gold wing (Owned two, the second after the crash >SEE THE CRASH PICS<) for 15 years and about 150K miles. I had the same problem with wind on it (you can't see through it either). One poster mentioned the turbulence from a school bus and semis which it is always wise to be wary of.
I looked at several reviews of the Spyder before I bought F3 and remember one rookie stating in a video that the bike made him tired because it was hard to ride. My comment on seeing him ride it was "let go of the death grip on the bars & relax!" Good advice on any bike. If you have the sway bar upgrade your blocks on the front end and the links should look like this.
http://www.rattlebars.com/spyder/baja2.jpg
http://www.rattlebars.com/spyder/bajalink.jpg
No vehicle is unaffected by wind. If the wind is 50plus MPH, (not unusual for here), you need to know when to quit.
Or if the weather or visibility demands it, slow down, or take a break.
If you HAVE to be somewhere, no matter the weather, then I recommend your pickup or car. Ryde safe.
We went from Vegas to Laughlin yesterday, long straight stretches across a flat desert. We experienced 80 mph highway speeds with 30 mph crosswind and gusts probably up to 50. Our friend followed on a Harley and I could see him leaning into the wind, trying to keep it running straight. We could sure feel the wind pushing and buffeting us and it wasn't pleasant, but it also wasn't the least bit dangerous and I never had to slow down. And our RT is factory stock. Nevertheless, maybe the wind you experienced was still worse, or maybe your F3 doesn't handle wind as well as our RT, or maybe you aren't used to your Spyder yet, or maybe it's something else altogether. Nobody on this forum would know because we aren't you and we weren't there, so it's not fair to criticize you for what you feel. All I can say is if the wind is strong enough to blow over semis, either stay home or take a car or SUV. That's true no matter what bike or Spyder you have and no matter what modifications you've made. There are just some times that a car or SUV is better. Blasphemy, I know.
For what it's worth, I was well over 5k before I wasn't feeling twitchy staying in my own lane, by the time I put it away the first year ~ 17k I felt I sort of knew what I was doing and not feeling out of control with winds, uneven surfaces ecetra. The alignment you had will help you to stay straight easier. The stiffer sway bar will help with wind gusts, cross winds and semis. Good luck on your adjustment to your new ride.
Al in Kazoo
I just wanted to add another tip to what has been mentioned already, all good advice. I once read on a forum or in a magazine riding tip section about riding in heavy wind conditions. They said to hang onto the bike tighter with your KNEES and let your upper body relax and not hold the bars so tight for support. Going over our causeways here in Florida when a front is moving through can just about blow you off the bike. This technique worked perfectly on my C14 when I was riding it and it also works with my F3T Ltd. Yes, your upper body will move around some, but like mentioned by others, you're not dragging the handlebars around with you and causing the bike to move side to side on the road. Every ride is a learning experience with the F3 and I'm continually learning. Enjoy your ride and be one with it....ummmm. :riding:
I live in sw florida, I'm new to spyder riding also, after 45 yrs. of two wheels. I've put about 2000 miles on a 2011 RT-S SE5 that had only 14'350 miles when I got it after been out on the interstate for 50 mil. ride in only 15 to 20 mph gust, and had the same effect that "spyderlady1968" has described, yes tire pressure is good and I'll be looking into the sway bar, I just signed to this forum today and already getting some good info! thanks and I'm looking for much more!:clap:
I think my RTS is the worst motorcycle I've owned for bad experiences with wind. EAST Manufacturing aluminum frameless dump trailers are the worst and most dangerous for turbulence as far as Semi trucks go.
I still like my Spyder it's just a quirk having to deal with the wind,it's a big target for catching wind gusts. I just tripped 20k this weekend.
Winds are not pleasant if your in non cage vehicle. Having said that, I feel much safer then I ever did on a 2 wheeler and I have been on several group rides with 2 wheelers that had to pull off due to high winds. As other have said a stronger sway bar will help.
Don't like them in any kind of transportation cage or otherwise. Spent lots of time riding the plains of of the west the Dakotas, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming , nothing handles as it should in high cross winds when I encounter cross winds of thirty mph or more i will take the car or truck unless there is no way around it.
I had a long talk with my mechanic yesterday and I found out the alignment was not a lazer alignment. He also explained to me how much lighter the F3SE6 is especially in the front compared to the RT and the RS models. I wish I had known this as I bought the F3 after ONE demo ride at the local Spyder dealer because I liked that the seat seemed farther back. I sure have a lot to learn!
I would like to thank everyone for your input.
I ride the Riverside area every day to and from work (2015 F3-S SE6). On the windy days I slow down to under 65 and have no issues. I agree the Baja Ron sway bar will help. On days I know it is going to be windy, I throw on a 20lb sandbag in the frunk. Helps a lot!
It's been awhile since my last post and I wanted to give an update since I have a lot more miles under my belt. I had been handling my F3 pretty well until about a month ago when a group of us rode up through Palmdale and Lancaster - VERY windy areas. We came up a hill and a huge gust came from the right and the front of Spyder lunged down and to the left (pushing me way too close to the line). The second time it happened I motioned to the sweep rider that I was turning around and going home. The winds got really bad after that so I stayed in the slow lane and when the strong cross-winds hit I either pulled off the road or just took it very carefully. I called my boyfriend (Al) who has built motorcycles and hotrods his entire life and he walked over to talk to the local Spyder mechanic (two doors down) about my wind issues. My mechanic told him since the sway bar was already installed that I buying heavier performance shocks would probably help. So after much research I was going to order Elka but I ended up getting the M2 Shocks mainly because I was impressed after watching their videos and because they could get them to me in just over a week. Al installed them last Saturday and I tried them out on Sunday, making sure the tire pressure in all tires were right. You talk about a HUGE difference!! Cornering was fantastic and we hit some winds and it seemed to hug the pavement. But I won't know for sure until I get hit with cross-winds. Now I have question. While Al looked around at all the models at my mechanic's shop he noticed that all the other models (RS and RT, etc.) you sit up higher and closer to the front. With the F3 I am in more of a cruising position and there is not as much weight in the front like the other models. He really feels the F3 is too light in the front. He has to put lead balists on some of the hotrods he builds so he thought that might help my problem. He wanted to put balist (possibly close to 50 pounds) into the bottom of the frunk but I pointed out the label in the frunk that says "WARNING, DO NOT OVERLOAD, 15 LBS." I asked him not to put it in until I could see what some of you think about this. Well????
Personally, I think that if you add that much weight to the frunk, you're becoming a test pilot. You/we do not know why BRP put that weight limit there. Could it be that the attachments that hold the frunk will not withstand a certain amount of jarring or strain over 15#? I don't know. Or, possibly, could it adversely affect vehicle handling? I am not advising you to add the weight or not add the weight. I just don't know what adding that much weight may do.
I agree with you. This is probably a dumb question but I am really curious if a person (other than a mechanic) could actually call and talk to someone at BRP? I would love to find out if there have been complaints about the light front end and if there is anything that can be done. They may talk to Spyder mechanics but somehow I doubt someone like me could get through to anyone. I think I am just going to go on my road trip and keep my fingers crossed. I have done everything that I can and I think the cross-winds won't be as much of a problem with these new awesome shocks! Thank you for your reply.
I will tell those M2 shocks make a huge difference in the wind and gusts I noticed too. I can hang out next to semis without me fighting with it now. (You know how the Semi's push the air around its front end.) With the sway bar a good set of tires and the M2 shocks you should be set.. JMO. Now keep in mind I am on a RT
70 MPH winds is very close to hurricane force wind. I do not ride any motorcycle while we are having a hurricane. I only drive the truck during a hurricane in case of extreme emergency. When there are hurricane winds you hunker down and wait it out.
I have owned several Harley’s and they handle winds better the. Anything else I have owned including my spyder.
SpyderLady, I'm just becoming accustomed to my F3T (with the F3L trunk added) after a lifetime on two wheels. I live in the Carson Valley of Nevada, famous (or infamous, take your pick!) for heavy crosswinds. Initially, I felt the same way that you did on a couple of occasions - that I was going to be blown clean off Hwy 395. I noticed that several folks in this thread have spoken about some very cogent points that I'm in the process of internalizing myself:
- that unlike on a motorcycle, when on your F3 in a crosswind you're not leaning into the wind with your vehicle but being pushed to the side by the wind and sometimes buffeted from side to side
- that the F3 itself reacts differently to crosswinds than a motorcycle, moving laterally with the wind direction and requiring steering input instead of leaning towards the wind direction and requiring countersteering input
- that keeping a death grip on the bars transmutes the wind-induced motion of your upper body into unintended steering inputs (and I found that Grip Puppies help with that)
End result being that I haven't felt the need to check alignment or change the suspension setup... yet. I'd encourage you to stick with your current setup, get the feel of how it reacts under varied circumstances as well as determining when you've reached the edge of your personal operating envelope. Personally, there have been days here that I wouldn't ride either my F3 or my Victory Cross Country because riding in high crosswinds increases risk, wears you out and generally isn't fun. Generally, those are days when the news shows a truck or RV actually blown over on Hwy 395/580 in Washoe Valley.
Good advise.
What happens in the wind is that You are being blown around on the bike. If you allow your body movements to be transmitted to the handlebars, then the effect of the wind conditions are made much worse. Some attempt to stiff arm the handlebars to reduce the swerving and darting. But this really makes things worse, reducing your confidence that you can control the machine.
What you must do is counter-intuitive. You have to relax your upper body so that the handlebars do not move when your body is buffeted by the wind. It's OK to let your upper body get 'Blown Around'. It doesn't hurt anything. Just don't let your movement translate to vehicle movement through the handlebars.
No one can do this with 100% success. But you can get a huge improvement in vehicle stability. You will find that the wind isn't blowing your Spyder around nearly as much as you thought. It is very possible that you are the cause of most of the problem. And, as mentioned by Always Young, you need to squeeze the bike with your knees to help stabilize the lower portion of your body.
I've ridden in some pretty terrible, gusty cross winds on both 2 and 3 wheels. It can be a bit of a challenge. But it is manageable if the right techniques are used.
well said. I drove through a heavy storm front on Wednesday (no windshield) took Quite a beating even the cars slowed down to 25mph getting pushed around severely 4 miles from home didn't get home fast enough. Hydroplane through puddles on the right side left side held firm. I leaned forward between the handlebars just had to deal with it. Grip the gas tank with my legs. It passed through in about 3 or 4 minuets. We ordered a Madstad windshield last night that should help. My skin had many red marks from broken blood vessels. I'm not used to going without a windshield. I like the idea of 20lbs of sand in the frunk. I keep 4 or 5 lbs of tools maybe I could put a few more in there
I've been tossed around on the Bay Bridge in a car more than once. It might help, after installing some upgrades, to lean your body into the wind, like you would on two wheels. As someone commented above, use it.