Highway Riding tips and tricks...

[WingNut]

Hey all,

So I had the recent misfortune in being involved in a wee bit of a fender bender last week.  Bad news, cage is out of commission.  Good news, nobody got hurt.  More good news, the weather is actually really nice and has been for about a week so I've started commuting on my NH.  When I got the NH I never really intended it to be anything other than maybe an occasional commuter, but because my little incident, its been pressed into full time service for at least the next couple of weeks. 

My commute is about 80 miles round trip and its super-slab the whole way. As a fairly new rider its a bit of a new experience  .  So after a couple of days going back and forth I thought I might impress upon the wisdom of the forums and ask if anybody out there had any hints/tips/tricks that might help make things a little smoother?

My first real question to get things rolling is that I'm finding that I have to "crab" a lot.  I have to maintain fairly constant pressure on my right handlebar to keep my heading.  I'm assuming that's because the freeway is cambered a bit and I'm basically riding against the natural slope.  Would there be any other reason for that, and is there anything else I could do to help out so I don't end up with a cramped right arm when I get home?   

[LOKi]

The bike should track pretty straight on the slab. Not THAT much camber to it is there? While you should keep both hands on the bars, when there are no cars around I can take both hands off the bars and place them in my lap for long periods of time.

Make sure the bike is balanced. If you have side bags and or top box make sure there is even weight in the bags and the top box load is centered.

Next, make sure the wheels are aligned. Is there adjustment on the 86 700s?

Another place to start looking is steering head. Block the bike so the front wheel is off the ground or get someone to push down on the back. With the wheel in the air rotate the bars back and forth. There should not be any resistance. If there is a notch or it's not smooth you need to replace the steering head bearing. Also pull back and forth on them to see if there is any slop. This is another indicator of either bad head bearings or loose nut.

Next I would have a look at the front forks. How long has it been sense you changed the oil? Might be time for a change. If one side is more spent than the other it might pull to one side.

Last check the tires. Are they in good condition? If worn out then they might not track very straight. But that would most likely be because they are not worn straight meaning one of the problems above.

While sorting all this out as you ride keep even pressure on both bars. If your pushing on the right you can also pull on the left. Alternate to give each arm a break for a bit.

Slabs only seem scary they are actually safer than riding on surface streets. On the HWY everything is moving in the same direction at relative speeds to one another. On the street any number of things can enter your path at any time making the chance of contact much greater. Minimize your exposure to traffic entering and exiting the HWY that is where things are going to go bad. Get in the fast lane and go a little faster than surrounding traffic. Take charge of the situation by moving forward through traffic. That way your not relying on the cages who don't see you to avoid running you over.

[tbante]

+1 on what Loki said. In addition, a quick check to confirm/dispel your camber theory is to see which way you are having to correct while in the far left lane and compare that to which way you have to correct in the far right lane. Should be opposite as the highway should slope away from center.

[WingNut]

Thanks guys  .  I'll double check everything you mentioned just to be totally sure.  Another good thing about the timing of this all was that I'd just really finished getting the bike all repaired with new tires, cables, oil, and just about everything else.  Bags are on and evenly loaded and I think the steering head is in good shape, though again better to be safe on that one.  I'll have to double check the fork oil as well as I don't think we got around to doing that  ...

The other trick will be finding an open stretch of slab to really check the camber thing... Everything's a wee bit crooked 'round here 

[talespin]

The other trick will be finding an open stretch of slab to really check the camber thing... Everything's a wee bit crooked 'round here 

See if you can find a big, empty parking lot. They're often pretty flat and level. The problem areas listed in this thread could very well be noticeable at lower speeds too.

[skramer360]

Make sure you don't sit in a cage's blind spot. That's a bad place to be on the hwy.

[bajakirch]

I don't know how much protection the bikini fairing on the S gives you from the wind. If you feel kind of beat up after your ride, maybe you could consider an alternative fairing or windscreen.

(I know, all you S-purists are wanting to do this now  )

[ariwhiteboy]

+1 to not sitting in blind spots...I personally like to move a little quicker than the general flow of traffic. Not being an idiot and weaving in and out, but just moving right along and not hanging out near one cage or death train for too long.

[Burgi]

My bike pulled like that when it had bent forks. Once they were fixed no more pull.
Make sure you scan traffic further ahead. Of course you have to watch what is up close but don't forget to watch what is going on out front.
I zoned a little one day and forgot that. Turned out the guy in front of me didn't have working tail lights. 

[WingNut]

I don't know how much protection the bikini fairing on the S gives you from the wind. If you feel kind of beat up after your ride, maybe you could consider an alternative fairing or windscreen.

(I know, all you S-purists are wanting to do this now  )

What I've found it that it punches a nice little hole in the wind to get it off your chest... problem is your head gets the brunt of it and starts wobbling like a knuckleball.  I've been trying to perfect a nice tuck position that gets me underneath the wind and is viable for long distance blasts...

I've also been practicing being proactive and moving through traffic instead of loafing behind somebody.  It does help the feel of the ride and keeps the mind focused.

Also came to the conclusion that I think something is a little off on the front end.  The slab is cambered pretty wickedly so it only exacerbates the problem to the point of being slightly annoying, but there is still a very slight tendency to wanna drift to the left even on fairly level ground (the term is relative, like i said before everything's a little crooked... whole freeway's cambered like a go-ram race track  )

[bajakirch]

I've also been practicing being proactive and moving through traffic instead of loafing behind somebody.  It does help the feel of the ride and keeps the mind focused.

Think of it like running the rapids in a kayak or raft. If you want to maintain control, go faster than the flow around you.