Mine has an 8lb. weight bolted to the front fork. Why? I know it has to do with the fairing, but it seems like a darned clumsy solution to a stability problem. What does it do? What will happen if I take it off?
The weight on the fork of the Interstate--- why?
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[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=174117#p174117:37pyfyxz said:
So I could take it off, add bar end weights, and take 6lbs off my bike?
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I've never read of anyone doing this so I'd say try it with caution.
OP
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I was mostly curious as to why Honda stuck and extra 8lbs on the fork. I figured they must have had a darned good reason. I wouldn't take it off until I fully understood that reason and what to expect if I did.
I remember a thread about this someplace and it was a problem of front lift at highway speeds., after final design they had problems with front lift and it was an easy answer rather then redesigning...this is all for the full dressed models.
sheesh ....its a weight put there only for faring modles ....standards dont have it .....commoj sense tells you ...its not brrain surgery territory.....
Hey Joe, maybe that's what you need for your high speed troubles.[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=174134#p174134:3l6o2k0d said:
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Yep could be...common sense Joe...you know, not brain surgery right.
Seemingly waste of time discussions sometimes help to solve issues for someone else. So keep an open mind.
Seemingly waste of time discussions sometimes help to solve issues for someone else. So keep an open mind.
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I figured it was connected to stability with the massive fairing but I wanted more details. Somewhere I saw a dire warning not to remove it. I'd think since the fairing is on the frame not the fork it wouldn't affect handling much. From its shape I could see it lifting the front at high speed and reducing the front tire's contact patch. That could be bad. It would take wind tunnel testing to spot that and find a more elegant solution but that takes time and money. They usually go to great lengths to reduce a bike's weight but I guess they figured it's already 670 lbs, what's 8 more? Bolt a weight to the fork! I'm sure there was an argument between engineering and marketing on that!
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Harmonics are a strange thing. A weight in the right place can cancel it out, wrong place amplify it.
Denver
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Tires are a prime example :hihihi:
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Agree on the harmonic! Engineer's do not add something as small as that weight without reason. We have a bridge around here call the Commodore Barry Bridge. Many years ago, it was discovered that there was a minor sway in the bridge with very little wind, certainly not enough wind to move the bridge. It was discovered that the cables would vibrate as a result of a harmonic created by the wind going through the cables at less than 10 MPH (singing cables if you will, vibrating like a guitar string). After running some tests, it was further discovered that the swaying was much worse at structural joints than they realized since the harmonic was coming down the cables collectively creating a single sound wave at the structural steel. If allowed to continue, it would have destroyed the bridge or created another "Galloping Girdie" (look it up).
The fix? Small weights added in chambers attached to the cables that cancel the harmonics.
I am under the opinion that Honda had some idea why they needed that weight!
The fix? Small weights added in chambers attached to the cables that cancel the harmonics.
I am under the opinion that Honda had some idea why they needed that weight!
It's called an "inertia weight", and inertia is what keeps a mass moving in a straight direction. It has nothing to do with front end lift. If you attempted to lift the front of a Wing by pulling on the fairing, the fiberglass would pull apart. I'm thinking that wind buffeting the front wheel/tire at high speed, caused by the fairing, sets up the oscillations leading to wobble. The inertia weight, wanting to move straight ahead, dampens the oscillations. Just my humble opinion. Not quite brain surgery, but the physics can be pretty complex.
I'd leave the weight in place. Most riders have a lot more than 8 pounds of junk in the bags or trunk...
I'd leave the weight in place. Most riders have a lot more than 8 pounds of junk in the bags or trunk...
i didnt to seem i was belittling things ...just to say ...it you wwnt faring ...id say common sense says leavr on ....if your going standard like bike from a dresser ...it can come off ...is all .....that exactly how honda did it...
OP
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soooooo I got an idea. If that weight has to be there, why no replace that dead weight with something useful like, oh, a second backup battery? I bet I can find a gel cell of similar size and weight......
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Makes sense. It's definataely not there to improve aerodynamics.
Denver
Well-known member
Useful change, :yes: & a great idea :good:
wedoo2
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It's called an "inertia weight", and inertia is what keeps a mass moving in a straight direction. It has nothing to do with front end lift. If you attempted to lift the front of a Wing by pulling on the fairing, the fiberglass would pull apart. I'm thinking that wind buffeting the front wheel/tire at high speed, caused by the fairing, sets up the oscillations leading to wobble. The inertia weight, wanting to move straight ahead, dampens the oscillations. Just my humble opinion. Not quite brain surgery, but the physics can be pretty complex.
I'd leave the weight in place. Most riders have a lot more than 8 pounds of junk in the bags or trunk...
I agree with Steve. You do risk a wobble if you take it off. That being said, motorcyclists are risk takers, have the big hands necessary to force their murdercycle into any situation. Take the damn thing off you wuss. Have the missus let us know how it went.
I'd leave the weight in place. Most riders have a lot more than 8 pounds of junk in the bags or trunk...
I agree with Steve. You do risk a wobble if you take it off. That being said, motorcyclists are risk takers, have the big hands necessary to force their murdercycle into any situation. Take the damn thing off you wuss. Have the missus let us know how it went.
