Wind

[GTRMAN]

Finding the windy weather around Wellington at the moment a real pain. As a larger rider I seem to act like a sail and the large gusts throw me around something fierce. Is it just me or anyone else having the same problem?

[nico]

like everyday i ride to work cant do much about it kinda get used to after a while

[RnB Fan]

Agree the wind is a pian but you do get used to it over time. Easiest thing is to relax, slow down a bit and if you're doing a regular route learn where the worst places are for wind and be careful.

[spookytooth]

I find wind effects me more in summer when i am not wearing alot under my jacket,as its a bit big it tends to blow up and act a bit like a sail

[BM-GS]

Not a lot one can do about wind (weather, anyway). Maybe see what you can tweak on the bike to help, some bikes are worse than others - the original Kawa ZZRs had big front mudguards and a lot of nose-fairing over the wheel, which flapped you (me) around all over the place.

Other than that, sit forward, grip with your knees and relax your arms. Weight the leeward side footpeg in crosswinds. If it's gusty, you're stuffed whichever...

I had a BMW GS (imagine!) which looked like it would have been horrendous, with the beak & all, but was fine - better with a full fuel tank. I guess BMW have a wind tunnel!

Headwind-wise, fairing or screen would probably help, so mods in that direction might be a good bet?

Hope that helps.

[GTRMAN]

riding on the flat isn't such an issue, it's the sudden gusts when riding over the Wainui hill that get me the most.

[boolbag]

especially at the top of the hill, sometimes it'll blow you over to the other lane :angry2:

[GTRMAN]

That's the one, can make your navel pucker some times

[boolbag]

I love that hill.

[Pinstripe]

I try to take a more sheltered route across town, it's a bit hit n' miss. Raising the GB's idle speed makes things a little easier i've found.

Some days fitting a sidecar doesnt seem such a bad idea :p

[Lord Derosso]

I try to take a more sheltered route across town, it's a bit hit n' miss. Raising the GB's idle speed makes things a little easier i've found.

Some days fitting a sidecar doesnt seem such a bad idea :p


I have tried to cope with Wellingtons wind for many years but what will upping the engines idle speed do to help me? I do believe my current VN is pretty good in the wind due to a windscreen and its heavy and has a naked engine of course. I had the 600 full fairing Katana before this and it was bloody shocky in gusts and side winds. Could be the Bandits design then? Because the Katana is basically the same bike as the bandit in question but with full fairing.

Is it me or has the wind in Wellington been near constant since beginning of Winter this year? I just cant be bothered going for a ride most weekends, either too stressed with work and trying to finsh a graduation paper or the bloody weather isnt consistent. Unless I tour, my days of riding in all weather just to ride, are limited. Getting old and sore.

One final point though. DO watch out for those 'sheer' winds that some of Wellingtons building can create. I have actually been blown over while at a standstill at lights by a sudden wind storm created by this funneling effect, at the old Counternay Place lights, before they changed it all around years ago. You once used to turn where the corner cafe is now. It nearly happened again at the same place but I got sideways and put my stand down. When you experience one of these freak winds, you can understand why planes can crash because of similar events.

[GTRMAN]

could be the Bandit design, this morning I did the 'takas with some mates and they didn't seem to be as badly effected as I was, some really bad gusts, almost came a cropper on one corner with the wind pushing me into the bank

[Artifice]

the worst sheer wind i've experienced is on the top of killmog hill just north of dunedin. i was travelling south in the left lane of the passing lane... bloody allmost ended up in oncoming traffic when the wind hit me. that was 10/15yrs ago i guess... i managed to kill that bike not to long after.

[slimjim]

makes motorcyclying all that more enjoyable...

[dpex]

Finding the windy weather around Wellington at the moment a real pain. As a larger rider I seem to act like a sail and the large gusts throw me around something fierce. Is it just me or anyone else having the same problem?

Someone, a long time ago, posted the address for what appeared to be a Dutch Cop, motor-bike advisory site. Unlike the anal retentive attitudes prevailing in NZ, all aimed at asking us to slow down, this site provided good answers.

One of which was...and I've tried it many times and it works... is when confronted with a cross-wind, stick you windward knee out. Bugger me, it works.

[MyGSXF]

I was taught, to drop down a gear & use the engine to power you "through" the wind. :yes: Spent a week round the North Island on a BMW R1100R & riding through the Wairarapa district.. I really leaned.. that technique works! :crazy: (& I know understand why there are lots of windmills on the surrounding hills!!! :shutup:)

[AlBundy]

That's the one, can make your navel pucker some times

You must be special...

Almost everyone elses ass puckers...

[YellowDog]

Wellington is Windy. Always has been and always will be. Selecting a lower gear helps give better control in windy conditions however the sudden gusts are no fun at all.

Simple answer: Move to a less windy city....................

[Pinstripe]

I have tried to cope with Wellingtons wind for many years but what will upping the engines idle speed do to help me?
Not much on a VN I reckon, plenty of torque & such. Works with the GB though, can make low speed more manageable with a thumper in the gusty stuff i suppose. Dropping a gear is definitely the best thing one can do :yes:

The wind coming outta Willeston across Jervois Quay is the worst, almost got me at the lights a few weeks ago.

A few words on the subject from the Motorcyclist site http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto/122_0604_motorcycle_riding_tips_wind_gusts/index.html

[GTRMAN]

You must be special...

Almost everyone elses ass puckers...


many years of training in the deepest orient

[Lord Derosso]

Not much on a VN I reckon, plenty of torque & such. Works with the GB though, can make low speed more manageable with a thumper in the gusty stuff i suppose.


Yes, I think I get the idea now as I had a SR500 Yamie many years ago and that was a great little single , real fun to ride around the city and even though she was lightweighted, I didnt seem to get affected by wind so much. I have learnt to use the windward knee trick by accident and it does seem to work. I have to admit that once out of Wellington I have rarely had any real discomfort though my flatmate and I had a nasty surprise quite a few months back going to Kapiti coast and encountering those cheesecutters for the first time. The wind that day was trying to grate us and the Katana against the barriers and it was quite freaky and took real concentration to keep getting the bike back onto the left hand side. That was by moving my weight forward and lower gear usage. Hope you enjoy your GB, I have seen one around lately, perhaps yours, and though theres several GB400's also around the city, the 500 seems quite rare nowadays.

[swbarnett]

I just did a "no destination" trip for four days from Auckland - aim south with tent and wherever I get is where I stay the night.

On day three I started in Herbertville on the coast due east from Danniverke. I needed petrol so tootled over the hill to Danniverke. I struck gale force winds on one exposed ridge that nearly had me over. I composed myself in the lee of a small hump of land and then inched along ridge at about 10kph with both feet out for stability. Thankfully this was the worst I hit but most of the trip south of Taupo I had very strong westerlies.

I learnt a lot about how to handle strong winds. Before this trip I thought we got strong winds on the Auckland Harbour Bridge but now I know better.

[Charlie41]

I dont think I'll ever get use to the wind...its been (almost) 2 months now and I still freak out, slow down and get very tense when its windy...
I'm living in the wrong city right?!?!:blink:

[coffeejunkie]

riding on the flat isn't such an issue, it's the sudden gusts when riding over the Wainui hill that get me the most.

Driving my cage over that hill does same thing in decent wind gusts man, I've lived most of my life in wgtn, Been round bikes all my life but only eva had 1 freaky experience in the wind and that was 2 maybe 3 weekends ago.
Was going for a blat with my man (balzybuell) going down the featherston side of the rimmies and we dropped down into whats normally a smooth corner and the next thing ya know mother nature blew up back over and i got a primo view of down the bank, For a split second i thought we were toast and then balzy did the most beautiful save ever, :clap::clap::clap: I'm not to keen on doing the hill again in the wind but hay the day will no doubt come when i do.

Fingers crossed for another nice save if the need be

[FJRider]

It should not take long to learn... in Wellington... all places DOWNwind are good places to go...

[Blackshear]

I really must go out purposefully on a windy day with some fellers/ladies. Just to gauge how far they move around in comparison to me :devil2:
Been over the Harbour Bridge on that 'OMG EPIC STORM OF THE CENTURY a few months back and couldn't figure out what the fuss was.

Unless my head is getting fat. In which case my bike ISN'T wind immune :Pokey:

[BMWST?]

welly is windy....nothing we can do about it...learn to recognise where you will cop the wind.....as you come out of the lee of buildings etc....the foxton straights are worse than welly!You can be in leeof shelter of shelter belts and when you come out tof their shelter the gusts can be powerful...on windy days on the open road watch out for big rigs coming the other way...they can shelerter you momentarily from the wind then you re exposed agai,so two corrections in quick succession may be required...I find keeping the speed up helps with stability

[Lord Derosso]

I dont think I'll ever get use to the wind...its been (almost) 2 months now and I still freak out, slow down and get very tense when its windy...
I'm living in the wrong city right?!?!:blink:


I was running around on that bloody heavy VN in in the weekend and for the first time in years I felt safe and F the wind. Your RR reminds me of my old Katana, full fairing and being blown all over three lanes in wind and I am over 115 kgs's! The VN is so much more fun. Get yourself a big V twin. They are actually a lot easier to ride then most ladies believe.

[racerhead]

One of which was...and I've tried it many times and it works... is when confronted with a cross-wind, stick you windward knee out. Bugger me, it works.

Have used this a few times in the wind and find it works really well even in strong gusts.

[Maki]

I reckon you should speed up. It will increase the gyroscopic stabilization from rotating wheels and such.

Also, relax you upper body. If you tense up and allow gusts that push your body to work on the handlebars you have a problem. Try using pressure from your thighs on the tank to steer the bike. The idea someone mentioned from the Dutch police about sticking your windward knee out makes sense. It works because it forces your downwind knee into the tank.

[disenfranchised]

I find wind effects me more in summer when i am not wearing alot under my jacket,as its a bit big it tends to blow up and act a bit like a sail

I find the opposite, cause my summer jacket has mesh panels which the wind passes through, and also fits me much closer compared to my big sail like winter jacket.

When I first changed to my summer jacket, it gave me a huge confidence boost, as I didn't get blown around so much. Especially true in strong winds, but also just in 100k zones etc..