Naked bikes at speed

[daveinlim]

I'm used to the wind in my CBR mostly being blown over my head at motorway speeds. I can travel along at any speed and not feel too much airflow.

 

I've had access to a new Yamaha xsr700 for the last few weeks and it's completely different. Up to 60 mph it's fine but at 70 it's windy and anything above feels like I have to hold on for my life especially on bends. 

 

I did my DAS in a honda cb650r which at the time was a great bike. I didn't feel the wind when we did countryside roads when learning but it was good warm weather then. 

 

So my question is, are all naked bikes like the xsr700 where the wind will feel like you're being blown away at 70-80mph. Or is it just this bike at there's no protection from the elements at all.

[Pie man]

I would say yes. It was a battle on the MT07 at motorway speeds, I put a little fly screen on it and that makes a whole lotta difference. 

[Mickly]

It’s something you get used to.

I ride a Speedtriple with only a pixie hat that just protects the clocks.

I find speeds up to 80MPH for prolonged periods are perfectly fine, from that to around 120MPH causes some buffeting and neck ache, over that you feel the front going light, as you act as a sail unless you kiss the key, with your chin on the tank it gets really uncomfortable as you top out.

Obviously on a private road

[MikeHorton]

I'm not into riding bikes whilst naked! 

[Mickly]

6 minutes ago, MikeHorton said:

I'm not into riding bikes whilst naked! 

Yeah, the insect strikes really sting … apparently

[onesea]

If it’s bigger than a 125cc in British weather you want a fairing in all but the warmest days…
Other wise you will find yourself holding on through the cold and wet…

[Gerontious]

All but two of my bikes over the years have been “naked” - which usually means not covered in plastic. Most have had a screen of some description and the few that did not. I added one as soon as one became available. Nowadays there are plenty of manufacturers out there providing screens plus fittings for bikes that don’t come with one or come with one that’s little more than an afterthought. They will usually mean at the very least that motorway speeds become less exhausting. But it can come down to trial and error finding one that’s a good fit for the rider. It generally helps if you are of average height. I’m not, so it’s sometimes been quite difficult finding the right screen. I tend to favour MRA as a brand as they do wind tunnel test their products.

[daveinlim]

2 hours ago, Pie man said:

I would say yes. It was a battle on the MT07 at motorway speeds, I put a little fly screen on it and that makes a whole lotta difference. 

 

That's my next question. The Yamaha was a temp loan. Something needs to replace it. Was considering another comfortable sports or sports tourer. But a naked like an mt09 or similar would be an option if it's not going to be too windy and cold due to lack of fairing. 

[Joe85]

I always thought the reason the fuel filler cap was a different material to the tank was so that you could rest your chin on it.

[bonio]

I put a small screen on the DRZ because 70 mph in winter was to way too cold. Made it much more comfortable. Also made it easier to reach 80. As above, private road.

[bud]

It does feel very strange riding a bike without a fairing if you are not used to it.

When I first got my hornet it was very noticeable. It felt like I was going to be blown off the back. Very different to the gsxr.

It is something you get used to. So much so that I never really noticed it anymore. I could do a couple of hours at 90 before it became a problem. Your body adapts to the stress if you ride regularly.

Above 120 it felt like my head was going to come off. But that's why I brought it. It felt much more involving to ride.

 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I've always had naked bikes so I've nothing to compare with. In my experience a well designed flyscreen can make a significant difference. Another factor is the design of the mirrors. People often don't realise how much turbulence is down to them. 

 

My Triumph Bobber has small bar end mirrors and is better at speed than my CBF which more conventional mirrors.

 

[Pie man]

21 hours ago, Joe85 said:

I always thought the reason the fuel filler cap was a different material to the tank was so that you could rest your chin on it.

Or in my case, my stomach

 

[Mickly]

13 hours ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

I've always had naked bikes so I've nothing to compare with. In my experience a well designed flyscreen can make a significant difference. Another factor is the design of the mirrors. People often don't realise how much turbulence is down to them. 

 

My Triumph Bobber has small bar end mirrors and is better at speed than my CBF which more conventional mirrors.

 

I took a Bobber Black out as a courtesy bike & really enjoyed the experience, the drawback wasn’t the wind buffering around the upper body but the way I had to grip the tank with my knees so hard to stop my legs splaying from about 90MPH, although when I mentioned it to the guy at the dealership he said I wasn’t really the target market

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

8 minutes ago, Mickly said:

I took a Bobber Black out as a courtesy bike & really enjoyed the experience, the drawback wasn’t the wind buffering around the upper body but the way I had to grip the tank with my knees so hard to stop my legs splaying from about 90MPH, although when I mentioned it to the guy at the dealership he said I wasn’t really the target market

The original Bobber has a smaller tank which reduces that issue. Once you get used to the bike you get the hang on gripping with your knees at higher speeds. But to be fair it's not really designed for motorway riding. Stick it on a twisty A road and that's where it's fun.

[Breezin]

I find 70 on the Interceptor is fine. 80+ concentrates the mind, though. As has been said, it's definitely a matter of getting used to it - more the noise than the wind pressure 

I put a small Puig screen on, but took it off because it directed wind right up and into my helmet. Better to take the hit on the chest.

Ear plugs do make a huge difference. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Breezin

[Richard]

23 minutes ago, Mickly said:

I took a Bobber Black out as a courtesy bike & really enjoyed the experience, the drawback wasn’t the wind buffering around the upper body but the way I had to grip the tank with my knees so hard to stop my legs splaying from about 90MPH, although when I mentioned it to the guy at the dealership he said I wasn’t really the target market

When I had a bobber, I had the same problem. I have nearly always had naked bikes, sometimes they are easier to ride at + speeds than others. I have toured quite happily on them and it’s just what you get used to.

[geofferz]

My neck muscles got pretty strong after repeatedly vmaxxing my mt10 in the 17k miles I owned it (closed private road obvs) 

[manxie49]

Yep, I agree with Geofferz on the MT10 front.  Brilliant bike but it certainly gave the neck and shoulder muscles a workout at speed! .... My physio loved me for all the extra visits I had to sort my neck out.   

[Davidtav]

Didn’t realise there were so many private roads until reading this thread

[Joe85]

Can confrim that the front wheel also acts as an excellent wind break when i tested it on the same private road as everyone else. 

 

 

[daveinlim]

Do aftermarket screens from the likes of puig make a difference.

[Ronnie]

I would say they do.   I worked in a big motorcycle dealers many years ago and one of the perks was a company car.  However I would more often than not use one of the motorcycles. This was how I became such a fan of BMW touring bikes.  This was in the nineteen eighties and screens weren't nearly as sophisticated as they are now.  I would often travel from Glasgow to Bracknell on a BMW R100RT and be quicker and more comfortable than the guys who'd decided to go by car...even in November !

When I got my Yamaha TDM 850 it had a standard flyscreen which I found caused hellish buffeting around my helmet.  It also came with a Puig extended screen which I fitted to see if it made a difference.

Well it did.  It was even worse ! It was narrower than the standard screen and at cruising speeds seemed to set up some weird vortexes with the mirrors. My head was ok but my chest and shoulders took a pummelling.  

So I bought a cheapo scooter windscreen the size of a barn door to experiment with. I mounted it directly to the bars and left the standard screen in place (  I won't show a picture as it was just so lamentably ugly...)  What a difference !   Cruising at 100 to 130 Kph  was a pleasure, no noise, no buffeting. So I ran it like that for a couple of years quite happily.  But I'd been studying aerodynamics on vehicles and started to realise that a lot of people were getting good results by small modifications to their screens. Changing the angle, introducing another airflow by means of a small add-on etc.  

Now I have a small deflector screen mounted to the top of my standard screen. It's no more than 100mm high and adjustable for angle ( which is definitely worth experimenting with ! ) and a super cheap Chinese copy of some of the more expensive brand names.  But I'm delighted with it.

So I would recommend buying even a couple of the cheap copy ones to try them before spending money on a Puig or MRA.

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Ronnie said:

I would say they do.   I worked in a big motorcycle dealers many years ago and one of the perks was a company car.  However I would more often than not use one of the motorcycles. This was how I became such a fan of BMW touring bikes.  This was in the nineteen eighties and screens weren't nearly as sophisticated as they are now.  I would often travel from Glasgow to Bracknell on a BMW R100RT and be quicker and more comfortable than the guys who'd decided to go by car...even in November !

When I got my Yamaha TDM 850 it had a standard flyscreen which I found caused hellish buffeting around my helmet.  It also came with a Puig extended screen which I fitted to see if it made a difference.

Well it did.  It was even worse ! It was narrower than the standard screen and at cruising speeds seemed to set up some weird vortexes with the mirrors. My head was ok but my chest and shoulders took a pummelling.  

So I bought a cheapo scooter windscreen the size of a barn door to experiment with. I mounted it directly to the bars and left the standard screen in place (  I won't show a picture as it was just so lamentably ugly...)  What a difference !   Cruising at 100 to 130 Kph  was a pleasure, no noise, no buffeting. So I ran it like that for a couple of years quite happily.  But I'd been studying aerodynamics on vehicles and started to realise that a lot of people were getting good results by small modifications to their screens. Changing the angle, introducing another airflow by means of a small add-on etc.  

Now I have a small deflector screen mounted to the top of my standard screen. It's no more than 100mm high and adjustable for angle ( which is definitely worth experimenting with ! ) and a super cheap Chinese copy of some of the more expensive brand names.  But I'm delighted with it.

So I would recommend buying even a couple of the cheap copy ones to try them before spending money on a Puig or MRA.

I get the same buffeting on my tdm.