[RiderNick]

Okay I have to say this first, I absolutely love motorcycles. I'm partial to cruisers myself but I do like sports bikes too. My father owns a Honda Magna but I love Yamaha.
Anyway, I'm going to be turning 18 soon and I would love to get myself a V Star Silverado. If I do end up doing this, first I'd take a riding course and of course buy all the gear I need. I like the Silverado too because of the bags it has so I can put my books inside there. I plan on using it to go to college that's not too far but I do have to go on the highway.
What I have to know is this, will it withstand the highway winds?
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.

 

[Edge]

Well, I'm not the most experienced rider out there but, I just completed a partial cross country here in Canada this summer on an 87 wing. Notwithstanding that you, and now me, ride a silverado, I think that a fixed fairing really stablalized my ride. Heavy crosswinds accross the Canadian prairies didn't cause me one single lane change there or back. I now ride a 1600 Silverado and at 740 lbs. it is approx. 100lbs lighter than the wing but I think the physics are sound. Good luck

 

[vstar23]

i have a vstar 1100 and ride on highway without any problems, all i have is a windshield. it weighs about 650 pds with gas including the additional highway bars, bags, and luggage, runs good , not real fast but reliable and fun to ride. enjoy , ride safe

 

[1276-oldebikerfarte]

Nick, NO BIKE is going to handle crosswinds the way a Crown Victoria does. Being on just two wheels DOES diminish your stability, and bucking the gusts at highway speeds can be a bit puckery.
But YOU have some options in this equation. Make arrangements to cage with a friend on really blustery days. Or stay off the slab when the Mistral picks up, and ride on the more sheltered streets of residential and business neighborhoods.
Why not get your training, get your license, and do some riding with Dad in the gusties... better yet, talk him into letting you ride the Magna. Then you can decide for yourself if biking to school is worth the effort... and be assured, there IS more effort involved in traveling by motorcycle. The riding gear, the onboard stowage, secure parking spaces, unexpected monsoons. It's not like jumping in the Chevy and cranking up the CD player.
You'll love it, or you won't. Then you can make an informed decision.
Happy highways.

 

[DINGER]

Nick, NO BIKE is going to handle crosswinds the way a Crown Victoria does. Being on just two wheels DOES diminish your stability, and bucking the gusts at highway speeds can be a bit puckery.
But YOU have some options in this equation. Make arrangements to cage with a friend on really blustery days. Or stay off the slab when the Mistral picks up, and ride on the more sheltered streets of residential and business neighborhoods.
Why not get your training, get your license, and do some riding with Dad in the gusties... better yet, talk him into letting you ride the Magna. Then you can decide for yourself if biking to school is worth the effort... and be assured, there IS more effort involved in traveling by motorcycle. The riding gear, the onboard stowage, secure parking spaces, unexpected monsoons. It's not like jumping in the Chevy and cranking up the CD player.
You'll love it, or you won't. Then you can make an informed decision.
Happy highways.

GOOD ADVICE FOR ANYBODY JUST STARTING OUT I THINK.

 

[casilver]

Highway winds should be no problem for the 1100. I had a Kawi Vulcan 900 and took that bad boy everywhere, even a 2000 mile trip to the Grand Canyon, and among freeways in Southern California - even very, very heavy winds in Lancaster and near Death Valley, winds where I had to lean A LOT just to keep the bike going in a straight line, and that bike is probably 100 pounds lighter than the 1100. I now have a V-Star 1300 and this bike even better than the 900... and I think the 1100 and 1300 are very similar in weight. I've ridden a 750, and that felt like it would get tossed around much more at highway speeds with a good cross wind, or turbulence from a semi truck.

**Edit... ok, I just saw the post with the weight of the 1100, it's lighter than the 1300 but still very comparable to the 900, and that did fine in the highways and heavy winds.

Paul does have a point that commuting on a bike is different than in a car... much more prep work, post work and logistics to think about, I've done it for work, and for me, it is worth it, but not all the time, depending on the day's events, but everyone is different.