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Question for you Hyperstrada owners

W

weilrennwagen

Joined Jul 2013
26 Posts | 0+
California
I have a Hypermotard and notice that the bike is not very good on the highway 60 to 80 mph. As in, it's somewhat unstable and picks up all the little bumps in the road. The combination of light front end, harsh suspension, and wind make it difficult to simply go in a straight line. It carves the mountain roads nicely though.

Since the Hyperstrada is marketed as the touring version, is it any different in this regard?
 
Mine was the same, the steering damper and PR3 tyres have improved it, but stilll flighty front end on the highway, i think its more down to the steering head angle, thats why its good in the twisties and carves really good, I guess it's a bit of a trade off.
Stiffen the rear preload and see if that improves it.
 
mentalist said:
Mine was the same, the steering damper and PR3 tyres have improved it, but stilll flighty front end on the highway, i think its more down to the steering head angle, thats why its good in the twisties and carves really good, I guess it's a bit of a trade off.
Stiffen the rear preload and see if that improves it.
Click to expand...

I've seen that suggested before, and trying to understand it. Increasing rear preload will raise the rear end putting more weight on the front tire. A sport bike has a lot of weight on the front tire and this probably contributes to the stability.
But raising the rear end also makes the front at a 'steeper' angle which is in the opposite direction of stability. Usually people recommend lowering the forks in the clamps (raising front end) and/or lowering the rear end to increase stability.

thoughts?
 
Sorry my mistake, your right, increasing rear preload will not help on straight line stability, it will only help turning in, don't know what i was thinking.
But I know the steering damper and different tyres has imroved my bike.
 
I think a part of this is from having really wide handlebars, light front end, and all the wind on the chest (especially on a regular Hyperstrada), making it feel less "train-like" at speed. I have no problem to go in a straight line, in fact I find the steering incredibly precise and predictable, but it is fairly sensitive to inputs.
 
I find the Hyperstrada incredibly stable on the highway cruising between 60-90mph. I95 isnt the the best paved road in the DC area so i can attest to the stability after hitting some good bumps and ripples in the road.

I havent gotten a straight answer on this yet, but the HyperStrada has the shorter of the 3 front forks, and thus the front is lowered on the Strada compared to the SP and the regular Motard. This is tradeoff with more stability in our bikes and less ground clearance..
 
My Strada is acceptably stable at all speeds, but the forks do need upgrading. On some of our local interstates and some bumpier back roads it does dance around a bit. I keep weight forward by running with a tankbag, and avoid putting anything on the rack unless I am on a long trip. I have not felt the need for a steering damper, as they tend to slow the turn-in. And the Dunlops definitely improved stability, especially entering a corner.

The standard Strada forks have 150 mm of travel, the 'low seat' version is 30 mm shorter still. The stock setup has not nearly enough spring rate and way too much preload, plus the compression damping is harsh and 'grainy.' There are several threads on this forum that offer solutions ranging from fork oil and spring change to fully adjustable inserts.

This level of 'twitchiness' is fairly typical of any motard style bike, if you want complete stability and comfort on the interstate I recommend a Harley tourer!
 

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