Riding in strong winds

[bluninja]

I'm currently commuting 110Km each way daily on my bike...it's winter here and damn windy. Last night was windy with sudden gusts that moved my bike from one side of the lane to another. So what is the best way to handle windy conditions?

I tend to gauge where the wind is coming from (harder in the dark) by feel and then positon myself in the road so that a sudden gust won't put me into oncoming traffic, or the truck in the lane next to me.

I tried to plan my cornering to know where the wind direction will change to as I turn through the corner.

But the big one is speed.....if I slow down I lose stabilising force from the gyroscopic effect of the wheels and get moved around far more, if I speed up I will make a bigger mess should I get blown into the path of something.

So what opinions or advice?

BTW I'm talking wind so strong that I move across the lane even leant over as though taking a 90 degree corner......strong enough for trucks and cars to be swapping lanes suddenly in front of me.

[Karma]

Not much you can do really, just gotta go loose and roll with it eh.

Alternatively, you could get a naked bike?

[Fat Tony]

But the big one is speed.....if I slow down I lose stabilising force from the gyroscopic effect of the wheels and get moved around far more, if I speed up I will make a bigger mess should I get blown into the path of something.

That was my excuse for the speed at which I got to work in this morning mate, lol. Very windy up here too, but on a plus side, it's the first day I've got to work this week and not needed to wring my gloves out.

You're spot on though, the slower you go, the more affect the wind has on your direction and stability.

There's not a lot you can do about the wind mate. Just try to relax and do what comes naturally. I find if I think about it too much, I don't relax on the bike, end up locking the arms and making the affect of the wind worse. You could always PX the fully faired bike for a nice little step-through ride ;)

It's worse when it's like it is today, really gusty. When it's constant you can at least lean in to it a bit.

[bluninja]

Was gusty last night too! Took me 75 minutes to get to work this morning (including the daily petrol stop) but the wind wasn't as bad (no beans last night). Daylight is easy as you can see the trees and well ahead to see what's happening, but it's a bugger in the dark.

A naked stepthrough? Sounds like an old worn out prossie. Maybe I should replace the lightweight OZ wheels with standard ones to generate more gyroscopic effect for the same road speed.

I do try to relax, but when the wind whips around your helmet suddenly (oooer:shit: ) and your neck goes crack you realise you've gone a little too floppy. At least I don't need to worry about nodding to other bikes.

[Trudes]

RElax, loose grip on grips, bend in arms, lean forward closer to the tank, grip with your knees and keep at a steady constant speed,... if you can! Practice, live in Wellington for a year!

[Hawkeye]

RElax, loose grip on grips, bend in arms, lean forward closer to the tank, grip with your knees and keep at a steady constant speed,... if you can! Practice, live in Wellington for a year!

Come on Mrs Kendog. Look out the window. How can you say Wellington is windy. I'm sitting on the 8th floor of the building up on the Terrace and the harbour is spectacular (sp). Barely a ripple out there. Oh! yes. Just remembered. It's only Friday. Tomorrow, when I'm not in the office, it will be windy...:shutup:

[apteryx_haasti]

I found this thread extremely useful for windy riding:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=30616&highlight=no+one+likes+the+wind

I am such a convert to its methods that I shamelessly plug it whereever I can. I should get royalties.

[skelstar]

Ummm....usually I see posts/questions by newbies on little GN250s, not presuambly experienced riders on RSVRs. Have you ridden much at all?

[Lissa]

Ummm....usually I see posts/questions by newbies on little GN250sI feel like taking exception to that... but i wont cause its such a lovellllllly day. :sunny:

[bluninja]

Ummm....usually I see posts/questions by newbies on little GN250s, not presuambly experienced riders on RSVRs. Have you ridden much at all?

Ha ha! I still have lots to learn and relearn. I manage ok in the wind, but I'm always looking for ways to improve things. Even if I hadn't ridden much 220kms per day would soon fix that. BTW I've had the RSVR from new and it's already travelled around the world :yes: and been ridden round a fair bit of the North Island.

Need to relearn Spank's posting rules and search for existing threads before starting a new one!!!!

Not thought of hanging off the windward side of the bike, I hang off and keep the bike vertical in very wet conditions but hadn't considered that option for the wind.

[skelstar]

Don't like the idea of hanging off a bike in strong winds. You kidna loose a bit of control if things take a turn for the worst.

I did a trip recently in very strong winds and pouring rain...ya just got to accept the wind is going to knock you around a bit and 'go with the flow'. You relax your arms and let the wind move the biike around underneath you. I tend to keep my speed up a bit too. In above mentioned trip I maintained a constant $1.20 speed even though I didn't feel very secure in the conditions. Slower means less momentum/inertia I guess.

[bluninja]

I'm not sure I like the idea of hanging off in strong winds, but I'll give it a try and see how it compares with what I've been doing so far. Then I'll choose which works best for me.

My run to work in daylight rush hour takes 75 mins including fill up with fuel half way. My run home in the dark also takes about 75 minutes through rush hour. So my average speed is 88 kmh both trips.......I must admit to being more 'comfortable' in the wind at higher speeds, but I'm also aware of the consequences.

Filtering (lane splitting) in gusting wind is also kinda fun.....I tend to be sat as high as I can to get a better view of what's ahead and that acts like a bigger sail. I can duck down and let the cars take the wind, but then I can't see that far ahead...just looks like a red light lined passage.

[skelstar]

I'd hate to say it but you're painting more and more of a dodgy picture. Maybe public transport on the bad days? You can't always win on a motorbike.

[Hitcher]

Strong winds? Don't ride an ST1300.

[bluninja]

The same run in a cage takes 2.5-3 hours. The train takes 2.5 hours if they all run to time (2 changes of train)and I have to get to the station from home. It also costs about $240 for the train ticket for a week, half that for the bike fuel.

Last week it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale and I took the car for one day....feel more comfortable and relaxed riding the bike in the wind/rain than sitting in the car queueing.

[sunhuntin]

i tend to go a little insane when im struck by wind thats stronger than anticipated.
when heading home from invercargil... i went by a windsock sign that means wind gusts....was along a sort of ridgey thing, so the wind was being funneled right onto the road. i very nearly had a relationship with a ditch. felt like i was gonna be literally picked up and dropped. was thrown hard left, but dragged us back to the right.
but im of the opinion it cant happen. once i regained my footing, i laughed my way out of it, cursing and yelling at the bike. hell it was funny.
i let the bike do what it needs...she knows the road surface and how to go about safely. all i do is keep her in the same lane, and make sure we both get home in one piece.
heading south from dunedin, i had to ride at 110k, simply cos at anything slower i was all over the lane due to the wind.

if im in wind that im unsure of [ie, the direction keeps changing] i keep closer to the middle of the lane, so ive got a bit of leeway on both sides. i have tried the knee out in the wind trick, but it didnt seem to do much. so i just tuck in as close as i can and keep the speed up

[kadams]

Talking about wind, on my way home from the city tonight was going round a right hand corner on the motorway just south of the Terrace tunnel there was a real strong cross wind. Anyway leaning into the corner and the wind in the right hand land all of a sudden I got caught by a strong gust which managed to push/blow me into the middle lane halfway through the corner. Talk about crap myself just glad there was no one else beside me at the time could've been quite messy.

[bluninja]

Obviously if there's too much wind when riding there's a risk of follow through :innocent:

[XP@]

As the others say "Relax"
Also stick your upwind knee out at 90 degrees. Kinda strange but it does have a stabilising effect.
Also did we say relax?
If things are getting tricky I usualy knock down one gear to give better throttle response because it seems to be the accelleration or decelleration that helps stabilise rather than the actual speed. So don't hold one speed, keep changing it.
Finally did we mention you should relax?

[Falconer]

With my old van going accross Canterbury plains I detected a bit more stability by placing my canoe paddles verticle out the rear on the roof rack. My BMW R80 feels more stable with the top box. Try more things on the back to creat a rudder effect so when you get a side wind it faces you into the wind negating the effect.

[M1CRO]

Although the Busa tends to stampede through the wind and is extremely stable, on the odd occasion she needs correcting.. My 2c worth? The fastest and most efficient method of steering is counter-steering. So when the wind gusts and starts to unsettle the bike, relax and counter-steer into it. I dont bother with the adjustment of weight thing.. Shifting your weight around in those types of conditions is too slow :)

[bluninja]

With my old van going accross Canterbury plains I detected a bit more stability by placing my canoe paddles verticle out the rear on the roof rack. My BMW R80 feels more stable with the top box. Try more things on the back to creat a rudder effect so when you get a side wind it faces you into the wind negating the effect.

LOL....I arrived home the other night and found my waterproof cover had come off my rucksack and was flapping behind me like a drag chute. Other than wondering why the wind seemed to be 'pushing' me back really hard it made no difference to the side stability. Not sure I want the bike acting like a weather vane.

[bluninja]

As the others say "Relax"
Also stick your upwind knee out at 90 degrees. Kinda strange but it does have a stabilising effect.
Also did we say relax?
If things are getting tricky I usualy knock down one gear to give better throttle response because it seems to be the accelleration or decelleration that helps stabilise rather than the actual speed. So don't hold one speed, keep changing it.
Finally did we mention you should relax?

Breathe in....and out....iiiiiinnnnnn......and....ouuuuuut....Relaaa aaax

Knocking down a gear is sometimes good, increases engine revs and stabilising gyroscopic effect. Downside is when it's wet as well, then you want a higher gear to prevent the back wheel spinning up (slipper clutch deals with potential lock ups).

Don't agree with the speed up slow down thing. It's just another destabilising force.

Did you say relax? I'm so relaxed I'm almost horizontal on the tank.