Quote:
Originally Posted by sendler
.... Adding a long tail makes the bike want to go straight through the wind like an arrow. So far, so good. .....
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Before adding the tail to my Honda Insight, I would have read your statement and agreed with you, as I had nothing more to add.
But, after adding the tail, and driving the car in some nasty 50 mph sidewinds, I have some comments to make.
1) In heavy sidewinds, the car still pushes the front. This is how the car was when I first purchased it, and it still remains this way after adding a 3.5 foot long tail.
2) The car has been driven on icy-slick roads in the winter, and yet still needs turning into the wind to compensate for high side pressure.
3) I would have thought that adding the tail would allow for more "neutral" steering, but this has not proven to be the case
4) The cross-sectional area of the tail, is I admit, much smaller than a tail on a tall motorcycle would be, so your point may be well taken for a more slab-sided air foil shape for a motorcycle.
5) Would be interesting to hear from any of the older members who have ridden in the Craig Vetter High Mileage Contest from the late 1980's.
I've got several articles scanned in from those days, and they are located here...
None of the articles make much mention about handling in high sidewinds however.
https://picasaweb.google.com/threewh...leAeroArticle3
Just adding to the discussion....
Thanks, Jim.