| Author | Message | ||
     Armymedic |
Looking at dumping the Vstrom for a Uly, but want to know how the Uly rides in the wind. My strom is the scariest bike ever in the wind, no matter how much riding technique is used. LMK your experience! Thanx. | ||
| Biffdotorg |
I tell you what, here in Fargo, we know what wind is!! I just picked up my '08 XB12xt this past weekend. I have just over 400 miles on it so far. The past two days we have had 35 mph winds. Yesterday was steady, today is gusty. In the steady wind, it was not an issue. I have the tall screen and full hard bags on the xt standard of course. The bags don't bother as much as I thought they would. Today with the gusty wind, it is doing OK. Really not much different than my XB12s actually. Other than I don't have to have the wind pounding my chest anymore. The little extra weight of the 12xt over the 12s is noticeable in this wind, and welcomed. The handguards are nice when driving head-on into this 35mph sandblaster. It's tough on any bike with the 90 degree heat, wind and small grains being harvested out of the fields. You won't mind it at all. Mark Lawson Fargo, ND | ||
| Edgydrifter |
I can't answer because I haven't run into serious winds on my Uly yet, but I sure hope the consensus is positive. Having literally been blown off the freeway by a crosswind in eastern WA this summer riding my cruiser, I resolved to do no more touring until I found a bike with superior handling characteristics (especially weighed down with gear). I think the Uly fits the bill, but now I'll ride with my fingers crossed when the breeze kicks up. I'm sorry to hear the Strom handles poorly in these conditions. I've always thought that was a handsome and functional bike, and I absolutely would have bought one if the Uly didn't exist. | ||
| Danger_dave |
It's fine. My experience is that the nakeder the bike the better in windy conditions. Irregular shapes are inefficient sails. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
If you are looking for absolutely calm still air behind a giant barn door of a wind screen attached to your Uly, you will have real wind issues. If you are comfortable with the constant feel of some wind with a smaller wind screen on the Uly, you won't have wind issues. I find that most of the problems with wind are owner induced. Add to that a bike that sucks in cross wind (as the VStrom does), and you are looking at something really ugly with gusty wind. | ||
| Mad_doctor |
My brother has a 1150GS, against my 08 XT. We went riding in 30MPH gusts, The Uly did Very well. The first thing he said to me after we rode 150 miles was "Kind of windy to be riding wheelies isn't it"? I think HE may have had issues with the wind. | ||
| Larryjohn |
The only other bikes I have experience with were much smaller than the Uly, so my comparo meter may be a bit off from others who have more experience on bigger bikes, but I find the Uly really stable in the wind. I get 35mph+ cross winds quite a bit on the interstate and have never really had much of a problem with them. Sure the bike moves a bit and my helmet gets shaky at times, but nothing that feels worrisome. As FT_B said, you deal with the constant headwind of the mostly nekkid bike, but the cross winds seem to be no real problem. | ||
| Ready2ride |
"Looking at dumping the Vstrom for a Uly, but want to know how the Uly rides in the wind. My strom is the scariest bike ever in the wind, no matter how much riding technique is used." I went from the V-Strom to a Uly and the difference is night and day. The Strom is an aerodynamic nightmare. I have been riding the Uly in and out of this T.S.Fay without a problem.  | ||
| Armymedic |
"I went from the V-Strom to a Uly and the difference is night and day. The Strom is an aerodynamic nightmare. I have been riding the Uly in and out of this T.S.Fay without a problem. : )" That's what I figured. Thanx for the input. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
never rode a v-strom but with the xt at 5'8", i took the wind screen off of the bike altogether because of the wind noise/turbulance. the only other thing i would do is put on an after market taller screen cause the screen that comes on xt is even worse than the shorter x screen. it also helps if you have a good helmet that's a little aerodynamic. | ||
| Curly |
at the daytona 200 this year they delayed the start because of high winds. we road from st. augustine to daytona at full left lean but the uly never got uncontrollable. | ||
| Jphish |
I like the wind at right angles...can ride on the sides of the tires instead of the worn out centers. | ||
| Cycletlh |
If you are talking handling in the wind the uly will be better. If you are talking wind noise the uly may be much worse depending on your size and shape. Ride one first! | ||
| M2nc |
When I was looking for a bike in 2005 I had the opportunity to ride a friend's new Concours. Though not the VStrom, it has a similar fairing. I really liked the utilitarian side of the original Concours and the V-Strom. The day of the ride was like every winter day. Here in Eastern North Carolina we can ride year round but the winds are part of the typical winter day. There is a reason the Wright Bros. came here from Dayton. On this day the winds were gusting 25 mph and I was shocked how much the Concours was pitching around in the wind. Now some three winters later on the Uly, I can say the Uly is rock solid in cross winds. With the short X shield, the bike is perfectly comfortable up to 70mph but I'm short for a Uly rider at 5'7". At speeds above that you are fighting head winds. That said I have traveled 600+ miles of slab at speeds over 80mph in a day. I can not say it's comfortable but doable. |
