Dirty air and excessive highway wandering

smokein

smokein

Donating Member
Registered
Good Morning. I’ve noticed when approaching big trucks on the highway, their turbulent air is really making the busa dance around. Enough so the bike is moving around in the lane enough for me to even make a post. Last week I took the time to start dialing in my suspension and was surprised that it didn’t help settle the bike in dirty air. I’m thinking that since I’m a big wide dude, a taller shield may be in order to help cut through the wind better? Do I need a turbo to help power through these conditions?

Thanks.
 
A lot of that air pressure is sideways, pressing against the large profile of the bike. There is no way to stop that sideways force. So I wonder, is the wandering significant for a Hayabusa, or significant compared to other bikes you have ridden. Tough to know, right? Weight contributes most to this stability so one can compare this issue to heavier and lighter bikes. The heavier it is, the more planted it should be.

Is your grip relaxed, where you have no weight on the bars? We need to use a very slight pressure on the inside bar to steer slightly towards the direction of the wind and keep it steady. Make sure that you are not contributing jitteriness through the bars as this wind tosses you around a bit.
 
....if you are asking the internet people if you need a turbo to power through these conditions, the answer will always be of course you do....:lol:

Turbulent air behind some of those semi trucks not equipped with an anti-turbulence device is hard to defeat other than not riding behind a semi truck....if I get stuck behind one, sometimes it will cause my head to "wobble" from side to side depending on where I'm sitting in the turbulence stream.....a turbulence stream that swirls, that is what causes the unsettling movement.

When I was on my GSXR in the same situation it was downright scary because it was so light it would actually move in the lane regardless of what corrections I made....the Hayabusa is far more stable in this situation...
 
Hayabusa Wannabe said:
A lot of that air pressure is sideways, pressing against the large profile of the bike. There is no way to stop that sideways force. So I wonder, is the wandering significant for a Hayabusa, or significant compared to other bikes you have ridden. Tough to know, right? Weight contributes most to this stability so one can compare this issue to heavier and lighter bikes. The heavier it is, the more planted it should be.

Is your grip relaxed, where you have no weight on the bars? We need to use a very slight pressure on the inside bar to steer slightly towards the direction of the wind and keep it steady. Make sure that you are not contributing jitteriness through the bars as this wind tosses you around a bit.
Click to expand...

After many years away from sport bikes, I’m afraid my body positioning and death grip are most likely contributing to a few handing issues I have. I’m actively trying to correct these. Thank you for the reminders.
 
Bumblebee said:
....if you are asking the internet people if you need a turbo to power through these conditions, the answer will always be of course you do....:lol:

Turbulent air behind some of those semi trucks not equipped with an anti-turbulence device is hard to defeat other than not riding behind a semi truck....if I get stuck behind one, sometimes it will cause my head to "wobble" from side to side depending on where I'm sitting in the turbulence stream.....a turbulence stream that swirls, that is what causes the unsettling movement.

When I was on my GSXR in the same situation it was downright scary because it was so light it would actually move in the lane regardless of what corrections I made....the Hayabusa is far more stable in this situation...
Click to expand...

I’m confused, are you saying that adding a turbo to help me get past the rough wind will make this bike a lot safer? I wonder if State Farm offers a discount for that hmmm..

On yesterdays ride I got myself into a better tuck when approaching a semi. I thought for sure this would be the cure. While it did lessen the head/neck movement, the whole bike was still moving side to side pretty good.

I briefly owned an MT-10 SP before the busa and almost smacking a lifted F-350 during a storm was the last straw for that bikes short life in my garage. Being that the bike was naked, it had me thinking the lack of windscreen was the major issue, but your right, it may be just be the lighter weight that im fighting.
 
smokein said:
I’m confused, are you saying that adding a turbo to help me get past the rough wind will make this bike a lot safer? I wonder if State Farm offers a discount for that hmmm..

On yesterdays ride I got myself into a better tuck when approaching a semi. I thought for sure this would be the cure. While it did lessen the head/neck movement, the whole bike was still moving side to side pretty good.

I briefly owned an MT-10 SP before the busa and almost smacking a lifted F-350 during a storm was the last straw for that bikes short life in my garage. Being that the bike was naked, it had me thinking the lack of windscreen was the major issue, but your right, it may be just be the lighter weight that im fighting.
Click to expand...
Note the inclusion of the :lol: in my post which means it is a joke of course....

A turbo does nothing for aerodynamics other than push it's envelope when the bike approaches mach speed....

The Hayabusa although seemingly heavy for a sport bike is light compared to other bikes and turbulent swirling air from the back of a semi truck pushes it around as expected........The only way to avoid this is to get out from behind a semi truck and into clean air.

If you are talking cutting through the air of an on-coming semi truck on a two lane hiway, what we teach in our riding courses is to position your bike to the outside lane and veer towards the center line when you encounter the semi-in this way you cut through the "wave" of turbulent air...

I've ridden lots of naked bikes in all kinds of weather with zero issues when you are prepared as to what to expect.
 
Bumblebee said:
....if you are asking the internet people if you need a turbo to power through these conditions, the answer will always be of course you do....:lol:

Turbulent air behind some of those semi trucks not equipped with an anti-turbulence device is hard to defeat other than not riding behind a semi truck....if I get stuck behind one, sometimes it will cause my head to "wobble" from side to side depending on where I'm sitting in the turbulence stream.....a turbulence stream that swirls, that is what causes the unsettling movement.

When I was on my GSXR in the same situation it was downright scary because it was so light it would actually move in the lane regardless of what corrections I made....the Hayabusa is far more stable in this situation...
Click to expand...
two turbos are always better than one .. #justsaying
 
smokein said:
After many years away from sport bikes, I’m afraid my body positioning and death grip are most likely contributing to a few handing issues I have. I’m actively trying to correct these. Thank you for the reminders.
Click to expand...

I have days where my hands are light as a feather and everything works. I have other days where I get on the bike and feel like I am laying on the bars holding them in place, and wonder, "Why is today so bad?" LOL.

Likely on your radar, bar risers and the opposite, shaving the seat to lower the body, will naturally take weight off of the bars. Look at this awesome recent thread by @sixpack577 making seat rebuilding look easy:

www.hayabusa.org

Modify your seat | General Bike Related Topics

As the title says, modify your seat. I have done several over the years, from simple trimming, to entirely new foam. They are pretty simple to make more comfortable for You personally. The seat will look the same, but feel Much better. If you have ever tried and liked a Saddleman seat with the...
www.hayabusa.org www.hayabusa.org
 
Hayabusa Wannabe said:
I have days where my hands are light as a feather and everything works. I have other days where I get on the bike and feel like I am laying on the bars holding them in place, and wonder, "Why is today so bad?" LOL.

Likely on your radar, bar risers and the opposite, shaving the seat to lower the body, will naturally take weight off of the bars. Look at this awesome recent thread by @sixpack577 making seat rebuilding look easy:

www.hayabusa.org

Modify your seat | General Bike Related Topics

As the title says, modify your seat. I have done several over the years, from simple trimming, to entirely new foam. They are pretty simple to make more comfortable for You personally. The seat will look the same, but feel Much better. If you have ever tried and liked a Saddleman seat with the...
www.hayabusa.org www.hayabusa.org
Click to expand...

I’m going to dig into that thread you posted, just as soon as I get cranking on todays plan of 1st service and installing Helibars. Sitting a little bit more “in” the bike does sound glorious.
 
You have more than enough power to push through the turbulent air! While the Busa may be heavy relative to some sport bikes, it has a large side area and so can be impacted by crosswind blasts. The rough air behind and to the side of a truck is normal and it's why you should be making sure you don't get trapped there. There are some things to note, however. Suzuki ships Busas with a more or less 50/50 weight distribution which can make the front wander a bit. Raising the rear 1" will fix this and make the bike track better on a straight line. Of course, tipping the bike forward will tend to tilt you forward, so you need to work out the riding position so you don't have too much weight on the controls.

There are some interesting ties to this conversation. First, the riding position thing goes back to abdominal strength we were discussing in another thread. I used to ride the busa a lot with no hands (I had a cruise). I held on with the knees and even turned by shifting my weight. I don't recommend doing this, but it does show how you don't need to lean on the arms and controls to ride the bike. Second is the controversy in MotoGP about aerodynamics. Imagine the turbulence in a crowd of riders and then popping out of that. There are complaints of bikes overheating and losing traction suddenly as the airflow is interrupted.
 
fallenarch said:
You have more than enough power to push through the turbulent air! While the Busa may be heavy relative to some sport bikes, it has a large side area and so can be impacted by crosswind blasts. The rough air behind and to the side of a truck is normal and it's why you should be making sure you don't get trapped there. There are some things to note, however. Suzuki ships Busas with a more or less 50/50 weight distribution which can make the front wander a bit. Raising the rear 1" will fix this and make the bike track better on a straight line. Of course, tipping the bike forward will tend to tilt you forward, so you need to work out the riding position so you don't have too much weight on the controls.

There are some interesting ties to this conversation. First, the riding position thing goes back to abdominal strength we were discussing in another thread. I used to ride the busa a lot with no hands (I had a cruise). I held on with the knees and even turned by shifting my weight. I don't recommend doing this, but it does show how you don't need to lean on the arms and controls to ride the bike. Second is the controversy in MotoGP about aerodynamics. Imagine the turbulence in a crowd of riders and then popping out of that. There are complaints of bikes overheating and losing traction suddenly as the airflow is interrupted.
Click to expand...

Thank you for taking the time to detail all of that out. Lowering the front/raising the rear, as well as core strength have all been on my mind since picking this up. On a semi related note, I bought this bike as a reward to myself after losing 100lbs. I’ve been weight training a bunch but I’ve been spending a lot of time narrowing down what my next addiction will be and I think it will be getting back in the boxing gym. I previously found that to be an excellent way to strengthen my core and I bet it would make riding even more enjoyable.

Lastly, I have an awfully dry sense of humor. It’s often lost over text and I should have added a LOL in my original post re needing a turbo. It was tongue in cheek, but I’m still waiting on someone to tell me it will make things safer…. I did it again…
 
Dnyce said:
I vote turbo, it’ll suck up all the extra sideways wind and keep you tracking straight
Click to expand...
Ok was that one a joke? Lol! Here is an article I've posted here before:

200528 Haybusa Article.jpg
 
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