SuzukiSavage.com - Aerodynamic front fender?

sluggo

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #15 - 10/24/04 at 23:48:55

honestly now,

i believe there's some serious "overthinking" going on here. the whole point of riding is to RIDE RIDE RIDE. if aerodynamics played that big a part in the whole equation then the machines we ride would be a whole lot different. bottom line here is the drag your body creates is a much bigger factor than any lift that may or may not be created by a fender. Undecided

now if appearance is the issue do whatever floats your boat and post the pics.

i'm counting on you riders is the southern climate zone to get me through the cold winter here up in central washington. i will ride at every opportunity and regale you with the the details as i'm much better at telling a story than i am at technical details.

i don't care how you raised and slaughtered the cow, just let me enjoy the steak. Grin

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Savage_Greg

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #16 - 10/25/04 at 02:40:54

PRH111 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

Saying that just due to a small amount of drag at the front I should completely change the entire bike is akin to saying for those who want a K&N, higher flow muffler, and bigger jets that those people should stop playing around with "insignificant" parts and just get the motor over-bored with higher compression pistons, have the head fully ported by a reputable race shop, and have a higher lift/higher duration billet cam shaft machined.

I have done the insignificant parts and would really like to do the rest if possible Roll Eyes

but my goal is to have a stronger engine to do what the Savage is intended. Cruising at highway speeds is not what the Savage is intended to do or what I like to do. Besides highways suck and I avoid them anytime I can.

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PRH111

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #17 - 10/26/04 at 00:14:01

sluggo wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

honestly now,

i believe there's some serious "overthinking" going on here. the whole point of riding is to RIDE RIDE RIDE. if aerodynamics played that big a part in the whole equation then the machines we ride would be a whole lot different. bottom line here is the drag your body creates is a much bigger factor than any lift that may or may not be created by a fender. Undecided

I enjoy tinkering and thinking about what I can modify just as much as the ride but here in the Puget Sound area sometimes it is difficult to enjoy the ride with all the traffic around.

I cannot do much with the drag created from my body and I intend to put on more size therefore it becomes even MORE important for me to take care of what little things I can for reducing drag on the bike.

It is easier/cheaper for me to find a universal fender that fits my needs rather than to redesign many of the other non-optimized for aerodynamics components.

Remember it is the sum of the parts that must be considered. I like to take something simple, small, and normally considered "insignificant" and then make whatever modifications I can to improve upon the compromises made by the factory to suit my particular tastes. Some people prefer to have saddle bags and add highway bars. Some people use the bike as an interim/learner's bike. Me, I want to modify it such that I never outgrow or become tired of the bike. I modify my car(s), my mtn bike, my computer, my aquarium, my stereo, etc...and the things I do may be small and insignificant to some people but to me I am happy with the changes I make even if performance/efficiency is only improved by 1%.

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sluggo

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #18 - 10/27/04 at 00:02:44

yo resident nerd.

"Remember it is the sum of the parts that must be considered."

not to be harsh i speak with no malice in my heart.

do you not know of or understand the theory of gestalt.
"the whole is greater than the sum of the parts".
nothing could be truer in the case of a savage.
it' a light weight machine loaded down with plastic chromed parts, got the famous oil plug leak, speedo rattles, got an uncomfortable seat, all these things and more. there are many other better built machines yet we love our thumpers and wouldn't ride anything else. so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. tinker away on the issues i mentioned. once you solve those problems that's where you will get your 1 percent gain.

so having said that i guess being on the rainy side of the state gives ya more time to think about tinkering than riding Wink

so drag your self proclaimed nerd butt over here to central washington to go riding with max and me. oh, pick up wd from puyallup on the way. he posts on bert's site

fyi even as a stock machine you will never out grow it once you get it in your blood. consider this i got my last thumper in tacoma in 81 a gn 400 that i kept completely stock with the exception of removing the turn indicators i put 98,000 miles on it before it died, (it was my daily driver in los angeles) i then went out and found another thumper. i've put almost 5k on it since july. been down on it (i hate to admit it) twice. both me screwing around on it. Thank goodness i stripped all the plastic parts off it before i went down. still looking to fix that baseball sized dent in the tank.

darn i'm rambling again, didnt get a chance to ride this week well except for that short ride trying out jon d's chopper seat. THANKS AGAIN JON.

bottom line enjoy the thumper. if tinkering with things that don't really matter makes ya happy. GO FOR IT.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF RIDERS, THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DOWN, AND THOSE WHO WILL GO DOWN. :'(

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Savage_Rob

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #19 - 10/27/04 at 06:46:52

Heh, the only reason I'd change the fenders would be to reduce the amount of crud that gets thrown back at the bike when you get onto wet stuff. A mudflap would do just as well (maybe better) as long as it doesn't look too bad. So far as aerodynamic changes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that using a rear mounted trunk and removing my soft saddlebags noticeably reduced drag. I did not expect to be able to feel a difference. I just wanted a lockable storage option. I must note however, that I can feel strong crosswinds slightly more too - though they are less prevalent than the normal wind friction of the everyday ride.

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Savage_Greg

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #20 - 10/27/04 at 11:45:45

Savage_Rob wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

Heh, the only reason I'd change the fenders would be to reduce the amount of crud that gets thrown back at the bike when you get onto wet stuff. A mudflap would do just as well (maybe better) as long as it doesn't look too bad. So far as aerodynamic changes, I was pleasantly surpr.

Mud? Did I hear the words, mud and mudflap? Don't like crap on your engine or swingarm? Have I got news for you....

JC Whitney for $5 per pair. I made the steel strap on the front fender to clean it up...this is my spouse's front fender.

This one was trickier, and I burned up quite a few precious brain cells to figure it out. This rear mudflap is mounted on the inside to keep crap off my swingarm (I don't care what goes behind me) Shocked

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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: Aerodynamic front fender? Reply #21 - 10/27/04 at 11:49:57 BTW - if you notice in the top picture...the bike is sitting on plastic sheeting on a carpeted floor. That's right, I had my priorities straight and our 2 bikes spent that winter in a spare bedroom....
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Savage_Rob Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Mechanically Inclined Amateur Posts: 6972 Texas (Dallas area) Gender:	Re: Aerodynamic front fender? Reply #22 - 10/27/04 at 12:48:37 Muchos gracias!
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: Aerodynamic front fender? Reply #23 - 10/27/04 at 12:50:52 Si...
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PRH111

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #24 - 10/27/04 at 21:20:24

sluggo wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

do you not know of or understand the theory of gestalt.
"the whole is greater than the sum of the parts".
nothing could be truer in the case of a savage.
it' a light weight machine loaded down with plastic chromed parts, got the famous oil plug leak, speedo rattles, got an uncomfortable seat, all these things and more... so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. tinker away on the issues i mentioned. once you solve those problems that's where you will get your 1 percent gain.

What is the whole without the parts? Without a wheel the motorcycle is worthless (unless you do a wheelie all day long but turning could be tricky), without an oil pump how long would the whole engine last? But, I digress, we are not here to debate the semantics of my diatribe on why I would want an aerodynamic fender.

1. I have a 2003 Savage and as far as my inspections and research (from the other message board) indicate I should not have the oil leak problem.
2. I haven't seen my speedo rattling...but it is hard to watch anyways when you ride with a full face helmet.
3. Uncomfortable? Hell, try riding on a road bicycle for a century ride...now that is an uncomfortable seat. Hell, I had to switch to a mtn bike after a few months and even that thing has a seat which makes the savage seat seem like a lazy boy recliner.

...different folks, different strokes.

It has been a while since I stopped by WD's place down in south hill. If he gets his ride running I may have to see if he wants to head out to central WA someday.

BTW- what area of central? Tri-cities or Yakima or what? I do want to take a nice little trip on the Savage one day (mostly been using it for commuting and the occassional canyon ride).

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sluggo

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Re: Aerodynamic front fender?
Reply #25 - 10/28/04 at 00:49:45

i'm in moses lake well not in the lake, near the lake.

whats your 20?

my boss and i did a chinook pass thing on oct 7, i think a early spring ride in that vicinity would be neat
think 4 savages... could be this. whe meet at top of chinook ride to st helens, back up to highway junction then spit up. we go back over white. you guys back to tacoma the other way.

you will have the plug leak unless it's been fixed before. i think suzuki knows all about it and uses it to sell some service work. there's alot more riders on savages that dont know of the formums and could well get taken in .

the seat thing i just put on a chopper seat for short trips. overstuffed will bolt back on in moments for the longer stuff.

wheelies well one event of watching my thumper bounce on down the road was good enough for me.

speedo. i'm considering losing it all together call me crazy. just find a way to rig a trip meter.

i was well aware of all these issues before purchase. minor inconvience to get the type of machine i wanted.

i guess when i'm done i want it to be a schwin bike with a big ole motor on it. Cheesy

i want it to be steet legal. just barely.

here's a "project" for ya or anybody out there.
how do you figgure out what 60 mph is without a speedo.

look forward to hooking up with ya.

sluggo

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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: Aerodynamic front fender? Reply #26 - 10/28/04 at 03:03:10 sluggo wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10: here's a "project" for ya or anybody out there. how do you figgure out what 60 mph is without a speedo. look forward to hooking up with ya. sluggo Use a tach? GPS? Stop watch? Count the wheel revolutions? Count the engine "thumps" ?
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Tony Full Member 2004 No Login Offline Posts: 102 Saugerties, NY Gender:	Re: Aerodynamic front fender? Reply #27 - 10/28/04 at 04:27:12 How about just using a regular watch. 1 minute/mile marker
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: Aerodynamic front fender? Reply #28 - 10/28/04 at 05:41:52 How about following others doing 60?
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Savage_Rob Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Mechanically Inclined Amateur Posts: 6972 Texas (Dallas area) Gender:	Re: Aerodynamic front fender? Reply #29 - 10/28/04 at 05:48:18 There ya go, just stick with traffic.
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