Opinions on the VStar 250

[BadJuju]

Originally Posted by Rich Cabeza

How's it feel at 60?

Feels fine at 60 and above. I'd rather not have to ride faster than that, but can't avoid it now.

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

What you're experiencing is a function of you, as the rider, not the bike. Typically it's from being stiff/clenched up (you know, a death grip on the bars, all your muscles in contraction, typical when afraid) and is easily mitigated by just relaxing and loosening up. You shouldn't be "gripping" the bars, simply resting your hands there. Similarly, if you can't "flap" your elbows up and down, your arms are too tight. Wind will move around all motorcycles, of all weights, with little difference between them (speaking as someone who has to test-ride a lot of bikes and who was born/raised/worked in Windoming... er, Wyoming). The biggest difference in is in center of gravity, cruisers tend to have them lower which leads to a feeling of stability (as a cost of maneuverability), standards and dual sports are fairly neutral and sporting vehicles have a high center of gravity which leads to their more nervous (but highly flick-able) nature.

Anyway, wind issues are better than 90% rider related with most of it falling into the "too tense" category and the remainder simply experiencing it so you stop thinking about it. It's like riding in the rain, do it enough and you simply adjust your riding to account for the loss of traction and carry on as you would on any other day.

Thanks for the tip. Sometimes especially when between trucks I can see that I may be white knuckling it however to an extend I think there's no denying that in a crosswind being on a light bike is differnet from being on a heavier bike. I will pay more attention to my form though.

[Brian_M]

There's no denying that being in a cross wind on a bike with full fairing is different than a naked bike. Same goes for a tall bike (dual sport) vs a low bike (GS500e).



Every bike feels a little different in the wind, but after the initial "Okay, that's what This one feels like" experience you shouldn't really pay much attention to it, it's background 'noise' like the whirring of a computer fan. Even if you live somewhere it's Perpetually windy (Wyoming, where I was born and raised, just as an example), you don't pick a bike based on how it feels in the wind. None of them are high side profile vehicles that need to Worry about wind like a 5th wheel/RV/Semi truck/enclosed trailer/etc... need to worry because they are at risk Regardless of operator skill.

If you do want to pick something better in the wind, then you'll have to go for a low center of gravity (typically cruisers). The higher the center of gravity, the more 'twitchy' and nervous a bike gets... Great for sports and dirt bikes where you're often trying to change direction rapidly, not so great if you don't like the bike moving around on you. Or, if you want to sort of help train yourself with your existing bike, riding gravel/dirt roads where the bike will move around on you is a fantastic learning tool/technique.

[MovingBadger]

Originally Posted by Rich Cabeza

How's it feel at 60?

I've had mine over 60 plenty without any problems (and I'm 225lb guy) and have done so with my wife on the back (Not going to give her weight but average) with no problems. If your going on the interstate at 75 may be an issue though.

I love mine - commute to work on it everyday from the time the snow melts to the time it snows again - never let me down and love having a small, agile bike in town. Twice a week I go on a two lane highway to work (60-65mph) and it works fine.