[Kenneth_Moore]

Kirk Harrington, aka: Acecycleins, made the ride down from ATL Wednesday, my Sportster friend Christine rode up Thursday, and we met up in the Cocoa Beach area. We had a pretty good time overall, but there was a lot of rain, and, at some points, extremely high winds. Kirk was lucky enough to get press passes to the track, so he kept busy interviewing the racers. I checked out the manufacturer's displays, Christine did a test ride on the new VTX 1300 RT, and decided she didn't want to buy it. I wanted to ride the Concours 14, but all the slots for rides were gone within minutes of the start of the sign ups at 8:00 am. Just as well, I guess... Here are some photos, mostly from the displays at the track.

 

[Kenneth_Moore]

And more...

 

[Kenneth_Moore]

But wait..There's MORE!!

 

[Kenneth_Moore]

Here we go!

 

[pushrod]

I think my favorite is the retro-tricycle!

Maybe the Natural Grain bike... I bet it turns like it's on a Split rail!

He missed a trick on that rear brake. Should've been a big friction band.

It looks like it'd haul Ash!

 

[sarnali2]

I like the real live biker guy with the appropriately juvenil patches...

So the long swingarm thing is big in FLA. huh?

 

[BrowningBAR]

And you know that bastard thinks he's one clever SOB!

 

[sarnali2]

I thought the "liquor in the front Poker in the rear" one was a real knee slapper when I was like 15 or so.....

 

[sachiwilson]

I thought the trike was the best part.

I guess that tells you why I never go to rallies or moto shows!

 

[The_AirHawk]

I thought the trike was the best part.

Probably the Coolest Bike there!

 

[Kenneth_Moore]

I like the real live biker guy with the appropriately juvenil patches...

So the long swingarm thing is big in FLA. huh?

You should have seen his face light up when I asked him if I could "take a snap of his cool patches." It made his day. Heh heh heh.

 

[sachiwilson]

You sweet-talker, you.

 

[The_AirHawk]

You sweet-talker, you.

You think I was being a bit facetious? ;-)

I wasn't kiddin', though - I was thinking that just-before I saw your post.

 

[sachiwilson]

Did you see Ken Moore's post?

 

[pushrod]

[A bit-off-topic alert]

So Ken,

Which Nolan, and when do we see a "Review"?

 

[The_AirHawk]

Did you see Ken Moore's post?

NOW you tell me.

Nevermind then..............

(you have to admit - sometime's it IS kinda hard to tell what post you're replying-to)

(Yeah, I know - YOU never have any problems telling..... ha. ha. ha.)

 

[Kenneth_Moore]

[A bit-off-topic alert]

So Ken,

Which Nolan, and when do we see a "Review"?

Well, it's an attractive flat gray. Does that narrow it down? Seriously, it's their latest "flip up" model. It comes with a "sunshade," which I took off cause it's just a cheesy plastic thingy. I'll use the Revos, thanks very much. It has the N-Comm mountings, but it's $300+ to get that feature. I'll have to find some new riding pals who have comm before I get it. Right now, it'd be like having the only fax machine in the world. Fits well, extremely high quality compared to the $69 Chinee junk hat (go figure). Lots of venting, removable liner for cleaning.

The big problem right now is that my nifty new MP Cycles windshield did nothing to cure the infamous VStrom buffeting. So, about 1/3 of the way home, I took the helmet off and put in my earplugs. So far, that's the only cure to the buffeting, which gives me a bad headache pretty quickly. I'm going to remove the mirrors from the Strom and see if they're causing the buffeting. If so, I'll look for an alternative to the OEM mirros. If not, I'll report the VStrom stolen and get the damn Concours 14. KIRK, I'M KIDDING!!!!

 

[pushrod]

Ken,

Dunno if your windshield has an adjustable angle, but if it does, try angling it back. If it is too upright, it can cause a heck of a "burble" as the air hits it and then curls around behind it.

A good rule of thumb is to rake it about the same or a bit more than the nose fairing.

Depending on the mount, you may be able to loosen the hardware slightly and adjust it on the fly, but make sure you're the only vehicle on the road.

HTH!

 

[sachiwilson]

Buffeting is caused by turbulent air. You find turbulence at the boundary layer between the still air pocket behind the fairing, and the clean air rushing by above the fairing. It's important to fit a fairing to the rider, because you want that boundary layer to be either above your head or well below it. A fairing that is too short or too tall can direct that boundary layer right at your helmet. What I suggest is, to figure out what's causing the buffeting, move your head up and down, and from side to side, to see if you can find out where the boundary layer is. Then you can decide whether the answer is a larger, or smaller, or more angled, or less angled, fairing.

I avoid any problems with turbulence by riding a naked bike. I've tried fairings and no matter what, that boundary layer hammered my helmet. Feh.

 

[Kenneth_Moore]

Then you can decide whether the answer is a larger, or smaller, or more angled, or less angled, fairing.

The Stromtroopers like the MadStadt bracket, which adds almost infinite adjustment to the screen. However, it looks like an apple peeler-cheese slicer kitchen gadget bolted on the front of the bike. I despise choosing function over form.