Quote:
Originally Posted by sendler
The Delta 11 has an inherent design disadvantage in cross winds of an ultra low CG from the batteries. But he still seems to manage. The important thing to keep in mind is that the lift (side) of a fast moving vehicle in side winds is nowhere near where you think it is by looking at the static side CoP. And having it centered on the steering head may be better than having it further back, like an arrow, until you get up to salt flat speeds where the tires are barely contributing to the direction control.
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Is a big streamliner easier to blow off the stand? Yes. Is it worse in side winds on the road? Not necessarily.
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On the Delta-11, it actually doesn't have a low Center of Gravity due to low battery weight. Two of the battery packs, the external ones, are mounted high (they weigh 100 lbs total). These external packs are about the same as having an extra rider on the bike. I believe this helps stability in gusts. The bike now has 8,500 miles on it and I'm very happy with the handling under wind speeds of 25mph. When the wind gets stronger than that, it's unnerving and I worry about safety when I am crossing a local metal grated bridge - I always wonder if I'll have enough traction for the wheels to not slide sideways from under me. Here is a link showing the location of the external battery packs.
The bike self corrects for wind gusts when the wind velocity is less than 25mph. Above that, I have to admit that I'm a bit of a chicken about seeing what will happen, having the nagging memory of how I was pushed across the centerline into oncoming traffic on a 600cc Ninja in high gusting winds...a few years back.
What's tricky is not riding on straight roads during gusting, the bike does a great job of self correcting and I just sit there and let it lean itself correctly. What's tricky is leaning into a high speed corner in traffic and then getting hit with gusting winds. You need to lean to steer through a corner, and then the lean is being affected by a gust, the question of how to compensate the lean is urgent. Will the gust intensify or diminish? It doesn't happen regularly or with predictability so it's hard to study - but it does cause my heart to skip a beat or three when it happens.
http://www.schultzengineering.us/june4a.jpg