Okay, one thing that I've noticed on the Z1000 is that feels "weird" when I start to lean into a turn. I'm not saying that it feels "heavy" or that it feels unstable--it just feels weird. I read a review of the bike on the internet and the columnist said (direct quote from the article), "Initially, you notice a peculiar transitional sensation as the bike rolls over to the lean angle you’re demanding—perhaps because of an interaction between the very big (190-section) rear tire and the relatively small cross-section (120mm) front tire.". What exactly is he referring to? I totally agree with what he is saying, I just don't know how this is explained in terms of geometry/physics. From the first lean I ever made on the 500R I felt the bike and it seem to lean so easily--the Z1000, it's different. So what gives?
This ends word question 1 from Geometry 101.
A back story for my second question:
I was able to take a freeway off-ramp that I use every day to get to work on the Z1000 yesterday as fast as I wanted to because it was empty. It's a nice cambered, "gentle", 270 degree, uphill, right turn off ramp. When I could, I used to love taking the 500R on it going like 45 when it was empty (it was challenging)--just a little harmless fun before I step into the office. Well yesterday on the Z I took it easy and I was disappointed in myself because I got that "weird" feeling from question 1 and as a result I took the turn slow. The bike handled like it was rails but I just couldn't get myself to go faster and lean harder because I just don't know the bike yet. I estimated that I took the turn at about 25mph...when I was about to straighten out and take off, the speedometer read 45mph. "Huh!?" I thought..., "I must've twisted the throttle a little before I looked down". Well, I showed the bike to my co-worker/friend who rides also and he looked at the rear tire and asked, "What the hell are you doing!? Are you nuts!? You picked up the bike last night and you're already leaning it close to the edge!? Dude, you don't even have 80 miles on the bike--between not knowing the bike and the silicone that's still on the new tires, you're gonna low-side!". I said, "What are you talking about!?...Are you f-ing whacko!? The closest thing that even resembled anything that could be called 'leaning' was the dumb freeway off-ramp that I took earlier...but that was nothing special...". Then I looked at the tire, he was right...I wore off most of the nubs on the right side of the tire and the silicone was rubbed off to almost a consistent 3/8's to 1/2" from the edge. I didn't know what to say; I knew how far I was leaning on the 500R and the tire showed it. I worked that tire to the edge and I knew it because I've rubbed my boot on the ground accidentally because of it--not so with the Z, I can't tell crap. My conclusion is that I guess I did take the off-ramp going 45 mph and I was leaning over a lot more than I thought I was--I just couldn't feel it.
So here's question 2: do wider fat tires make leaning feel different than narrower tires? If you can use the 500R vs Z1000 comparison, that would be awesome.
That concludes question two and my inquiry about tire geometry. Thanks for reading and answering.
This ends word question 1 from Geometry 101.
A back story for my second question:
I was able to take a freeway off-ramp that I use every day to get to work on the Z1000 yesterday as fast as I wanted to because it was empty. It's a nice cambered, "gentle", 270 degree, uphill, right turn off ramp. When I could, I used to love taking the 500R on it going like 45 when it was empty (it was challenging)--just a little harmless fun before I step into the office. Well yesterday on the Z I took it easy and I was disappointed in myself because I got that "weird" feeling from question 1 and as a result I took the turn slow. The bike handled like it was rails but I just couldn't get myself to go faster and lean harder because I just don't know the bike yet. I estimated that I took the turn at about 25mph...when I was about to straighten out and take off, the speedometer read 45mph. "Huh!?" I thought..., "I must've twisted the throttle a little before I looked down". Well, I showed the bike to my co-worker/friend who rides also and he looked at the rear tire and asked, "What the hell are you doing!? Are you nuts!? You picked up the bike last night and you're already leaning it close to the edge!? Dude, you don't even have 80 miles on the bike--between not knowing the bike and the silicone that's still on the new tires, you're gonna low-side!". I said, "What are you talking about!?...Are you f-ing whacko!? The closest thing that even resembled anything that could be called 'leaning' was the dumb freeway off-ramp that I took earlier...but that was nothing special...". Then I looked at the tire, he was right...I wore off most of the nubs on the right side of the tire and the silicone was rubbed off to almost a consistent 3/8's to 1/2" from the edge. I didn't know what to say; I knew how far I was leaning on the 500R and the tire showed it. I worked that tire to the edge and I knew it because I've rubbed my boot on the ground accidentally because of it--not so with the Z, I can't tell crap. My conclusion is that I guess I did take the off-ramp going 45 mph and I was leaning over a lot more than I thought I was--I just couldn't feel it.
So here's question 2: do wider fat tires make leaning feel different than narrower tires? If you can use the 500R vs Z1000 comparison, that would be awesome.
That concludes question two and my inquiry about tire geometry. Thanks for reading and answering.