Arm buffeting affecting handlebars on 12GS?

[Bensim]

I've noticed something on the 12GS -- both on the bike that I test rode and on the bike I own. The handlebars are very "light" and accept even the lightest input. Not a problem, except for the fact that at highway speeds I feel like the bar is being ever-so-slightly pushed, back and forth, by my arms because of the wind. I could be crazy, but I feel it. There's nothing wrong with the bike, and this problem does NOT make me feel like I'm losing control.

 

Question: would a wider windscreen help me here? There's no buffetting on my head or body -- that all feels right. The bike rides perfectly smoothly (lower speeds with less wind and no hands at speed attest to this). I didn't get this feeling on the 650GS.

[Ken H.]

I noticed it too. I think a lot of it is the wider bars put your hands out in the slip stream more and lend more leverage to the wind pressure.

 

One thing I did that helped some is remove the hand guards. I don't go off road and always wear armored gloves, so I had little real need for them. Not for everyone, but it did reduce the pressure effect of them a bit I believe.

 

Being very loose on the bars helps to minimize wind on the arm movement effects. No death grip or stiff elbows allowed!

 

But at the end of the day, the 12GS just has a light feeling front end and it does wiggle around a lot. Something you just have to get use to for the most part.

[Bensim]

Thanks for the advice... I got a response over on advrider.com that suggested I get a larger windscreen. So I bought one tonight. Hopefully this helps this issue!

[PaulW42]

If this doesn't solve it, try winding the rear preload up. I experienced the same "motion" and spent ages trying to find the cure and thought it had the same cause as you suggest of one's arms being out in the breeze. Someone put me onto the preload; it seems generally accepted over here that the GS as supplied is a bit too "nose up".

 

It certainly cured it for me and, with a bit of playing with the damping, transformed the handling (for the better ).

 

Paul