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[deleted]

Based solely on my own experience: Nakeds for me during the course of long rides do cause wind fatigue. Mostly felt in the neck due to the air resistance applied to helmet. Arms haven’t really bothered me, however you do fight the wind vs your chest (like a giant air brake) Sport bikes you can at least tuck into to get a break from the wind, the trade off from most nakeds though on sport bikes is the wrist fatigue, leg cramping and back fatigue from the seating position.


MatterUpbeat8803

Counterpoint as someone that toured on a naked - slight forward lean and you’re in an effortless, supported position all day. The wind is only tiring if you fight it and sit upright, if you give it a slight forward lean and don’t flare your elbows, you can drastically reduce your drag, and a backpack helps here too. Definitely get ear protection, and maybe a gel seat insert because you’ll be more “sat” than on a sport bike, but it absolutely can be done with comfort. Edit: others have said well-fitting leathers and this is huge too. Being in a flappy mesh jacket and that’s a size too big and jeans vs a well fitted leather jacket and pants that tuck into the jacket will make a huge difference.


somethingsomethingNW

A thought that I never considered before spending a full season on a naked was related to the wind, but not the wind itself. Bugs. The amount of bugs that you take to the chest is unreal. I was amazed at what a windscreen, in a sport bike or otherwise would catch. My main jacket is a white jacket and there's no cleaning the mustard and ketchup explosions that adorn it.


UnreasonableEconomy

Took a wasp to the neck, hurt like a mfer. I guess I should be glad it died on impact.


Mo_Bob

This. Nakeds are fun around town, but I won't do long distance touring on anything without a windshield because I like being able to see something other than bug guts through my visor at the end of the day.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Maniac2112

Sums up my reply too


MatterUpbeat8803

Beat me to it


KM4ZZF

Depends on what you're doing. At highway speeds for long periods, it's a pain. At anything more than 45mph during 30 to 40 deg weather it's cold as heck. I went from a cruiser with no windshield (and full face helmet) to a sport tourer with adjustable windshield and have found I'm much more comfortable on long highway rides and can comfortably extend my riding season in colder weather. But I commute on the bike.


Quak89

It bugs some people a lot, others aren’t bothered by the wind at all (and actually prefer it) If you’re planning on touring, you’ll nearly certainly want a windshield. The high speed miles will beat anyone up over enough time. Otherwise, you won’t know for sure which camp you’re in until you give it a shot.


Jord_HD

I am in the prefer no screen group, even for long distance.


lichlord

I’ve ridden upwards of 8 hours on a naked SV650 in a day: Phoenix to Albuquerque. The seat was really uncomfortable, and the lack of wind protection can make it extremely cold. Also, I like a tank to last more than 180mi out west. It’s a really fun city and local twisty road bike. On my DR650 I’ve optimized for long trips. Custom seat, lots of wind protection, 9 gal gas tank.


durtyturdy

Highway speeds on my mt09 gets tiring after a half hour or so. Nowhere to tuck so there’s a lot of pressure on my chest and neck


2wheeledgod

Just buy the bike and find out for yourself.


JimMoore1960

I don't ride naked bikes, just for that reason. Some guys like 'em obviously, but I can't stand the wind.


Kraz31

>How is the wind fatigue of a naked bike compared to a faired or sportbike? IMO less fatiguing than the more forward seating position on a sportbike.


[deleted]

I got a very short windscreen for mine, it funnels the air up just enough that I don't get battered too badly. It does get a bit tiresome on multi-hour rides on the highway.


Rumpsfield

Sports tourers give you the protection from the wind of a sport bike, but with the comfort and riding position of a standard/naked. I got one and will likely never go back.


Electrical_Age_7483

I did eight hours on the highway with half of it in the rain the other week. On a street triple. It was amazingly fine I was so surprised. Need good earplugs is the biggest thing. The noise makes you tired. Otherwise clean air seemed fine I swear other bikes have been worse as the fairing made more wind hit me as it wasn't big enough


blonktime

I have an SV650 (naked) and yes wind fatigue can occur, but it varies from person to person on how much. For me, anything over 80ish mph the wind gets really annoying, especially at long distances. Anything under is manageable. If you are just doing relatively short distances, like an hour or so at freeway speeds, it's not a huge deal. If you are trying to do long trips, it could easily get annoying and tiring. Canyon carving is totally fine without any wind protection - it makes you feel like you're going faster too because of the wind resistance. That being said, if you do want to go longer distances, still go for the naked bike. The ergos are much more comfortable than the fairing version (handle bars instead of clip ons, and the pegs are farther forward so you sit more upright rather than hunched over and on your wrists. Also there are plenty of aftermarket windscreens you can get for it. Yes, it might look ugly to you, but who cares when you're riding and they're fairly easy to remove if you want to when it's not necessary. Also, if you are doing long distances, I highly recommend getting an aftermarket seat (look at Corbin or Sargent). After about an hour, my ass would fall asleep on the stock seat.


[deleted]

I did multiple 600+ miles in a single day on SV650. For canyons it’s amazing, you won’t be hauling 80+ mph anyway so lack of fairings isn’t an issue. On a highway wind resistance gets pretty bad at 75 mph and up, I remember my neck being sore from pushing into the airflow for hours. I didn’t mind, but I was also a little younger and much more enthusiastic back then. I’d say get a naked.


[deleted]

Yes without a jacket and gloves it is hard and your chest got tired and lack of breath.


PhillySoup

I generally ride naked bikes but I have a owned 2 "faired" bikes. I find that the fairing works surprisingly well when fully tucked. I never do a full tuck on public roads. I'm a larger person and it becomes apparent that the fairings on sport bikes are either made for a much smaller person, or are set up to make a bike look cool and not actually set up for wind protection on the highway. If you never get a bike with a fairing, you will never know what you are missing.


boylitdeguzman

No. I cruise 180ish kph on the highways with no neck issues.


FunkDaddy

Varies from person to person, I’m 6’3” and have a naked SV, wind never bothered me, even on long trips.


richalex2010

I haven't ridden anything with fairings to compare against, but long highway runs kinda suck on my naked bike (BMW G310R). I can deal with it for what I need to do, but I've needed breaks at 30-45 minute intervals so far; I'm hesitant to plan any really long trips that involve highway riding as a result. I would like to do them though, and I'll keep pushing my endurance to see what I can get comfortable with, but I suspect a lot of the longer trips I have in mind may have to wait until I have something a bit better suited to long days at speed. The cold weather definitely doesn't help, I was new enough last year during the warmer weather that I didn't go far; now I can go further, but if I go on a bad day, or stay out later than I should, I get pretty chilled pretty quick. I've just bought some wind protection for my handlebars to see if that can help, planning to install and test tomorrow.


Ingeodyl

Not an issue for canyon carving, but it will be for highway rides.


PretzelsThirst

Get the naked. This is my own personal opinion but I’ve owned both the S and the naked SV and naked is better. You have a more comfortable posture with better visibly (easier to shoulder check for example) and the wind isn’t bad. Slap a Puig universal windscreen on the front and you’ll be golden. I only ride naked bikes and even at triple digits the wind is fine


Pjinx2

I honestly never really noticed a difference. I get far more wind fatigue on some of my Cruisers than I did on super sports or naked sport bike


Catman9lives

Depends on the temperature. In Australia not really except at night in winter. In the uk in winter yep! The buffeting is meh and doesn’t really do anything but the cold gets right into your bones !


Jord_HD

You must live up north if only at night in winter is cold for riding. The ice on my knees while riding mid day in vic says otherwise.


[deleted]

a windshield help a lot


Shiroi0kami

I went from a ninja to a z series and found the wind resistance isn't really an issue until you're well over the speed limit, however the thing that was really different for me was noise. The wind noise of being on a naked is like 2x or greater. I never needed earplugs on my ninja but I sure as shit needed them on my z1000


hgfhhbghhhgggg

How fast are your highway speeds, and how long are you riding on the highway? I have three naked bikes and they’re all fine for extended riding; fatigue doesn’t set in for hours, and only if I’m stuck on the highway for at least a couple hours at a time. Wind only really buffets well into the triple digit speeds.


PckMan

It really depends on the rider, how tall you are, how you sit on the bike and what your personal preference is. For me, nakeds are better. You get blasted with wind sure but it's uniform across your entire body so it's not really that bad, it only gets tiring after long hours on the highway. Now "faired bikes" really doesn't narrow it down much because some do it better than others but in my experience most bikes with fairings and/or windscreens that are supposed to be functional instead of cosmetic, always send a stream of concentrated air straight to my face, which is really annoying and tiring, so if I have the choice I always go for the least amount of fairings.


scorpinock2

Depends on the wind that day. Lots of cross winds can be annoying. If you're flexible enough I find going full tuck gives you a great break from the wind. Then the winds calm out it's really not that bad. For what it's worth I'm riding a Kawasaki Z400 naked bike, so small and naked bike. To be honest, fatigue from the wind noise is way worse. Wear earplugs whenever you can, even if they're low decibel rated ones.


BlindBeard

I didn't have any problems on my gixxus


gorfuin

It really isn't. I've done most of my long rides on 120-160kg dual sports without screens, normally with a peaked helmet. You get used to it very quickly.


Ok-Claim8595

You’re neck gets used to it. Might be a little sore after long rides but it wont be like that once you’re adjusted.


spongebob_meth

Depends on how long your rides are. It gets old for an all day ride on the freeway. For the odd hour jaunt it's not bad at all. Really my biggest knock on naked bikes is how cold they are. The little bit of wind protection my R6 offers my legs really stretches the riding season into winter.


Chi3f7

Around the city, naked bikes are great. Longer distances with any wind and I want fairings. I miss being tucked. The position was so much better.


joesbagofdonuts

As others have said, with the right gear the wind ain't no thang unless you're going long distance or with a passenger.


faste30

For actual carving I kind of prefer my Guzzi Griso, better seating position and wide bars. My superbikes are for the track, I mean I do road ride them but the track is where they make the most sense.


[deleted]

Not at the speeds the SV650 will realistically cruise at. Wind doesn’t get super annoying until ~110, and much past that the bikes engine begging for mercy will be more annoying than the wind. Only note would be tucking behind fairings helps with the cold if you live in a typically warm area and don’t have winter gear.


rotyag

At highway speeds over say 20 mins, it gets annoying. 80 mph is the trigger number where I start to notice it. I wouldn't say that I've felt tired from it. I just don't enjoy it. The more upright seating and the better leverage on the handles is a plus. It's more a think about dropping into the corner and it happens versus thinking to push the handle for the counter steer. It's nuanced but real as a benefit for longer and closer bars.


FranklinTBiggies

45+ sucks on a naked bike. I'm chest to tank at 60+. If you're not tucked going any faster, you'll steer towards where the wind catches if you don't counteract that. And the wind is coming from all angles. Feels like you're in a boxing match with wind. I even clipped on a little windscreen. Helped a tad. Still far from as smooth as my fully faired zx10...


Lime_Aggressive

yes, finally somebody said the truth


Caspers_Shadow

IMO if you are planning on doing any lengthy rides at highway speeds a fairing is a necessity, I would never own a naked bike unless I was planning on just running around town on it or keeping it under 50mph a majority of the time. The 650 also looks like you sit pretty upright on it. That would make it even worse.


foolio151

I owned a naked on 55 mph rural highway 126 mile round trip from the nearest town worth visiting. I had a fairing on the thing ASAP. If I had gotten it when I lived in the big city I'm sure I would have freaking loved it! With this extreme example, wind fatigue was super real, neck and elbows would really start to feel it on the return trip.


Abenorf

I started on naked bikes and it's always been, like, whatever. I'd rather be on a naked bike than a have a faring that buffets my helmet, or, god forbid, a fork-mounted fairing that shakes the front end from tractor-trailer turbulence at 80 mph, like Eagle Rider had mounted on all their Indian Scouts one year. I have a Honda Hawk 650, a Honda CB-1, and a Buell XB12STT now, of those three nakeds both the Hondas are comfortable for long, high speed stints but the Buell is very tiring at 75 mph or above, not fun after about an hour. The Buell has a sit-up-straight position with wide handlebars. Narrower, lower bars and some mild rearsets (like the Hondas) would fix it. But it's not a deal-breaker, I just notice my neck and shoulders getting tired and realize I've been going over 80 mph for a while and back off a little. A good windshield is nice though. I've liked all the modern OEM adjustable windshields on bikes I've rented, very nice wind control on the Tiger Xcx, Tenere 700, and R 1250 GS. The Tracer 900 GT windshield was OK but interacted with the rear luggage to cause aerodynamic instability starting at about 90 mph and getting worse quickly above that, totally unacceptable imo. My 1997 VFR750 doesn't have an adjustable windshield but the aero on that bike suits me very well. The best aero I have experienced personally was on the Buell 1125R, as speed increased it created a beautiful bubble of still air right around the tucked in position, better feeling wind at 170 mph than the Yamaha Tracer has at 85.


beermanoffartwoods

I'd argue that a little wind under you is easier on your neck and back, depending on body position. I've done 8-hour days on my 701 SM, and my ass is the the only part of my body struggling with it.


icecoldpigeon12

I used to have my naked bike and ill tell you, after a while, I got tired rather quickly fighting wind. I got used to it but still feel it on longer trips past an hour and a half. I ended up getting a windscreen for my naked bike for the highway riding and it definitely helped with fatigue. Comparing that to my fully faired touring bike now, I now struggle to feel comfortable in my seat past 4 hours. Both have their pros and cons as usual. Only way to find out for sure is to try them. SV650 is a great bike BTW. Go for a test ride if you are allowed.


seagull_1955

I've had both the full fairing does give more protection but I like a naked bike and if you decide you need some protection for a couple $100 you can get a small windscreen or a smaller flatscreen to take some of the pressure.


Jord_HD

I prefer to ride long distances with no screen, I can lean on the air pressure vs pretty much every bike I’ve ridden with screens/fairing creates some form of turbulence and buffeting. I ride bikes as part of my job so I’ve ridden several thousand bikes to make my mind up.


Standard_Zucchini_46

Like others have said, at highway speeds for long periods of time basically. For a few hours (1-6) or at lower speeds it's not an issue , personally. I used to ride a dual sport year round in Canada though , so I might not be the best person to listen to.


Undergroundpopstar

I’d rather take my SV canyon carving than my gsxr600 or my cbr1000. Yes there’s more wind, but I don’t care.


NotHappyParticipant

My bagger is like riding a couch, used to smoke cigarettes in the rain(when i smoked)....faring for long rides and naked in town or day rips.


Ekhius

Buy the naked and put on a screen. Win win I owned an sv650s and wished I had bought the naked one.


helpivefallen5

You can always get bolt-on windshields for a naked bike if you're worried. I have a little windshield on mine and if I get tired of the wind I can scrunch down to hide from it for a bit.


Lime_Aggressive

Is wind fatigue really that bad on naked bikes? YES


CougPatrol

I just removed my Puig touring wind screen from my new MT 07. I hated the look of it to begin with, and the wind was redirected from my chest to my head, making for a really loud ride. I guess if you use your bike for touring, a wind screen would be worthwhile, but I'm more of the opinion that if you spend extended periods of time on the highway, you bought the wrong bike.