Windy Wellington

[mowgli]

I set myself a task this morning to expose myself to busy inner city riding in wet and windy conditions. The task was a survey of Wellington Motorcycle Parks. (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=64416)

It didn't rain but boy was it windy. The lessons I learned/practised were as follows;

1. Always put both feet down when stopped in windy conditions. I was leant over, left foot down giving way when a gust nearly threw me over right. I was very lucky not to drop it.
2. Always come to a positive stop. Don't inch along slipping the clutch thinking you're clever for not putting a foot down :whistle:
3. Always change down into first before coming to a stop. Goes with my first point really.
4. Give yourself plenty of space on both sides not just the downwind side. It may seem like the gusts are all coming from the one side but in among the buildings you will get unexpected gusts coming the other way.

If you've got other advice for riding in windy conditions or comments on the above then please hoe in.

[sunhuntin]

i think its good fun when stopped and a gust nearly blows you over, lol. good practise. nothing i can really add... ive ridden in wind, but the "tricks" i use come naturally to suit the weather, so yeh. lol.

[Hitcher]

Windy? Today? Really?

What's out there is what I would describe as a "moderate nor-wester". Try riding when it's really windy. Your tips are still good though!

[Sully60]

Here's a wee tip I've learned when riding in the wind,

Sit up as tall as you can on the bike.

Does that sound wrong to you? Do you think that you'll be more of a "sail" than a rider and be blown about more?

That's what I thought too but it sure works for me ("grew up" riding on the Rimutakas, all weathers, fully faired, lightweight bikes). I think it's the leverage thing the wind will always blow you and the bike around but being in control of the movement and sitting up seemed to make dealing with the gusty conditions heaps easier.

[Trudes]

Here's a wee tip I've learned when riding in the wind,

Sit up as tall as you can on the bike.

Does that sound wrong to you? Do you think that you'll be more of a "sail" than a rider and be blown about more?

That's what I thought too but it sure works for me ("grew up" riding on the Rimutakas, all weathers, fully faired, lightweight bikes). I think it's the leverage thing the wind will always blow you and the bike around but being in control of the movement and sitting up seemed to make dealing with the gusty conditions heaps easier.

Interesting, would this work on a naked more upright bike you think (say, a Hornet?) May have to try it next time. I've always tried to get as low on the bike as possible, weight pegs, bend elbows and put very little weight on the bars and grip with knees.

[007XX]

Interesting, would this work on a naked more upright bike you think (say, a Hornet?) May have to try it next time. I've always tried to get as low on the bike as possible, weight pegs, bend elbows and put very little weight on the bars and grip with knees.

Seemed to work for ya the last time I was following you. :D

However, I'd tend to agree with Sully60. In the wind, I just square myself as much as possible on the bike (which ain't much really when you're built like I am :laugh:), but it definitely seems to help. Oh, and definitely do not back off the gas suddenly, as things will become wobbly immediately...

[mowgli]

Here's a wee tip I've learned when riding in the wind,

Sit up as tall as you can on the bike.

Thanks. Kinda makes sense. It would provide a longer moment arm for any weight transfer you might make to compensate for the wind. In the other extreme, if you were glued to the tank, all you'd have available was steering which involves changing your line.

On BHS we were taught to sit tall, forward and to grip the tank with our knees during slow speed (unstable) manoeuvring.

[Sully60]

Interesting, would this work on a naked more upright bike you think (say, a Hornet?) May have to try it next time. I've always tried to get as low on the bike as possible, weight pegs, bend elbows and put very little weight on the bars and grip with knees.

Hard to say really, I was riding things like RGV250's and the like so unlike your bike you actually have to make a consious effort to sit up.
The main thing was feeling more able to deal with the unpredictable gusts (sorry Hitcher I mean cool zephyrs) that we all deal with up that hill.

I was able to let the bike move around a bit underneath me and go with the wind, but was in much more control and able to keep the bike heading in the right direction than when I was in the “racer crouch”.

Sounds like you’ve got yourself a good strategy for dealing with the wind, but don’t stop trying new things like this, you never know what will improve your riding experience!

[sinned]

Seemed to work for ya the last time I was following you. :D

However, I'd tend to agree with Sully60. In the wind, I just square myself as much as possible on the bike (which ain't much really when you're built like I am :laugh:), but it definitely seems to help. Oh, and definitely do not back off the gas suddenly, as things will become wobbly immediately...

Aggressive countersteering with power on and while remaining relaxed works well on those windy taka corners. I followed a big cruiser that got pushed onto the other side of the road by the wind. The rider was fighting the bike instead of simply punching the bar to drop the bike further into the corner and winding on some power.

[Str8 Jacket]

It aint windy unless you're being blown of the road or blown over on the road!!!

[007XX]

Aggressive countersteering with power on and while remaining relaxed works well on those windy taka corners. I followed a big cruiser that got pushed onto the other side of the road by the wind. The rider was fighting the bike instead of simply punching the bar to drop the bike further into the corner and winding on some power.

Yep! Has worked for me so far, and I'm quite slender, so it's not really a question of weight, height or anything like that...

It's all about control and keeping your head cool.

[bull]

yip relaxed arms seems to help and also sometimes point your windfacing knee into the wind - theory being that the wind will hit yoour knee first and then disperse onto the bike rather than full side of bike getting hit direct. Think this may be similar to the sit up tall line of thought - if crouched down on the tank you have a fatter wind target - is fine going into a headwind but the side gusts will love this big mass target, whereas the tall upright rider will let wind pass between/below the arm areas thus creating less of a sail.

Best thing you need to do when riding in the wind is too stay relaxed and anticipate where the gusts are coming from(Jim2 i believe told me this) if heading out of Welly going North youll bee able to look at the contours of the hills and see where the wind will be channeling through so you know youll get a gust at Aotea Offramp, and again just under the Ngauranga Flyover. Then you are prepared and ready for it.

[F5 Dave]

I drag the rear brake if it is particularly bad, seems to help if the power is slightly on & rear brake dragging. Obviously I don't do this in pissy winds, just in bad gusts where the minor pad wear is the last thing on my mind.

[mstriumph]

thank you for this thread :clap: ....... i;ve just spent a good ten minutes reminiscing about the joys and perils of riding around Wellington ...... sheesh - that was a while ago - funny how time flies *sinks into reverie ........ eyelids droop closed .... all is well with the world*

[James Deuce]

I'll be sure to put your tips into practice next time it is windy.

You could always use the search function for about 9000 words of advice on riding in the wind too. A lot of it is bollocks though, because there are some people who only think they have ridden in windy conditions.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=51642&highlight=riding+Windy