Wow! What a buzz!!

[vifferman]

The weather was CRAP this morning (still is, but now I'm safe in CubicleHell ).
I didn't want to ride, not because of the weather, but because of arthritis in my left wrist and neck (Oweeee!) being bad today. However, when I rang the receptioning person to arrange using her as a car passenger so we could go in the Transit Lane, she'd already left. "Wife - take the bus!" (Cue Marge Simpson growl of disapproval).

Then it absolutely bucketed down, and was blowing a gale as well. Hmmmm.... (that's like an incipient "uh-oh..")
Suited up, and waited till the shower seemed to have blow itself over, then off we go. Holy tamoly - it's VERY gusty!

So tootling down the transit lane I go. A lady in some boring silver JapCrapper changes lanes (why? there's only 2 in the car, need 3 for the transit lane ), and after a while the bus ahead of her stops. Bum.
Lesseee... three passengers to get on, good clear gap between bus and queued cars, Let'sPlay:PassTheBus. I'm just about to go past LadyInBoringSilverJapCrapper, when she starts to pull out, WTF?!?! Where the hell does she think she's going?!?!?
On with the anchors, and somehow I miraculously stop mere centimetres from plowing into the side of her (damn, that DCBS is good!)
LIBSJC winds down her window, and says in a prissy voice, "That's how you cause accidents, you know."
WTF?!?
"HOW THE HELL DID YOU EXPECT TO FIT THROUGH THAT GAP (gesturing) YOU STUPID BITCH!!"

So, off I go, past LIBSJC and the bus, heart pounding, adrenaline flowing, till I get to the next intersection, where there's a car halfway out into the road, blocking the whole lane! Of course, I could've easily swished past round the nose of it, but instead I ride carefully up to it till my wheel's just about touching the driver's door. It backs up, and I carry on, and lanesplit all the way down Onewa Road to the corner, then pass everything else.

Now The Bridge [cue sinister music "dah-nah, DA-NAH!!", indicating something REALLY BAD is about to happen].
The OverheadTrafficInformationDoodad (technical term) says:

CAUTION! HIGH WINDS. DRIVE WITH CAUTION

"Alright! I'm riding, not driving, so I'll be sweeeeet." (Well, that's what I thought, in my adrenaline-befuddled state of mind).

Phark! It was VERY VERY windy, and that was just on the approach to the bridge.
I scanned the traffic ahead, but there were no large trucks or buses to shelter beside on the way over. The Ponsonby/bus lane was almost empty, so I sped up to {over the speed limit} - may as well get this over as soon as possible. Weight forward, loose grip on the 'bars, relax...

Hmmm... the reason for no traffic in the Ponsonby/bus lane soon becomes apparent. The poor widdle car drivers are scared they might get blown off.
I hunch down, lean forward and to the right, check my grip again, relax my arms, but the bike's still weaving badly and worrisomely, so I slow down some more. Nearing the crest, I decide that the Coat-hangerIronworkArchThingo (another technical term) might break the wind up a bit, so I move to the next lane. It's still scary, but a bit better. Now there's the worst bits: the downhill side of The Bridge (da-nah! DA-NAH!!), and the offramp onto Shelley Beach Road. A Ford Exploder coming up to the left of me decides he's going to blow off The Bridge into the Sparkling Waitemata (wasn't a bad beer, that one... but I digress) and changes back into my lane. Carefully.

Downhill: Check. Scary, but I've made it.
Off-ramp: Indicator on just before the exit, across the left lane, head for the exit. The bike slips a bit going over the shiny steel expansion thingo as a gust of wind hits it. The plants next to the road look like they're about to blow across the road.
[The trouble is when there's a south-westerly, the wind funnels around the headland, and the velocity picks up. Because the offramp is elevated, it catches a real blast.]
Just at the start of the overbridge, there's another shiny steel expansion thingo, and it's right where there's a slight bend. And where the wind's the strongest.
So, over to the left a bit, straighten up quickly, hit the shiny steel expansion thingo more or less upright. A tiny wobble as the back wheel steps out momentarily, but we're over. And relax.... ahhhhhhhh.....

I made it.
Woohoo...

Well. That was the most exciting ride I've had for a while.

[John]

Hahaha, excellent, I miss the bridge - always adds abit of fun to a ride.

Now you can look forward to heading back in somewhat worse conditions , excellent - have fun, sounds like your still on your rush at this point, great recap bought a tear to my eye, I cant wait to get back to the smoke.

[vifferman]

Now you can look forward to heading back in somewhat worse conditions.

Not necessarily.
I've found from numerous commutes in high winds that going north when there's a SW gale is not so bad, as the wind's coming from the rear a bit, thus not affecting the steering as much. The thing to watch for is the wind blowing through the railings, as evertime you go past another panel of railing there's a little extra gust, which steers the bike by blowing on the front mudguard, wheel, tyre and disks. You get this sort of regular weave going.

The worst thing about heading north is that the wind funnels through Northcote by the Stafford Rd turnoff, and speeds up there. However, it's worse if it's a stiff norwester, as it has a long fetch over the water and motorway, and is it blows over the grass hump between the motorway and turnoff, it does weird turbulent things.

I'd have to say that in 6 years of commuting, this morning was the worst I've experienced, wind-wise.

[Jonty]

Not necessarily.
I've found from numerous commutes in high winds that going north when there's a SW gale is not so bad, as the wind's coming from the rear a bit, thus not affecting the steering as much. The thing to watch for is the wind blowing through the railings, as evertime you go past another panel of railing there's a little extra gust, which steers the bike by blowing on the front mudguard, wheel, tyre and disks. You get this sort of regular weave going.

The worst thing about heading north is that the wind funnels through Northcote by the Stafford Rd turnoff, and speeds up there. However, it's worse if it's a stiff norwester, as it has a long fetch over the water and motorway, and is it blows over the grass hump between the motorway and turnoff, it does weird turbulent things.

I'd have to say that in 6 years of commuting, this morning was the worst I've experienced, wind-wise.

Have you ever been to Wellington by chance?

[Ixion]

Yes, it was indeed windy this morning. I don't nowdays have to go over the bridge, but even the Southern Motorway was "noticeable" .

I didn't get wet but.

On the bridge I prefer to ride with the steelwork immediately between me and the wind (ie going south, lane 2 if it's coming from the right, lane 3 if the wind is from the left). I think the steel work breaks up the gust a bit. It's not the wind, it's the gust, you weave when the wind STOPS blowing.

It must have been bad to blow a cakemixer about

[vifferman]

On the bridge I prefer to ride with the steelwork immediately between me and the wind (ie going south, lane 2 if it's coming from the right, lane 3 if the wind is from the left). I think the steel work breaks up the gust a bit. It's not the wind, it's the gust, you weave when the wind STOPS blowing.

I don't usually bother changing lanes. Normally all I do is avoid getting near trucks, vans or buses, as the wind blowing around them speeds up and is more turbulent.

It must have been bad to blow a cakemixer about

It wasn't so much the blowing about, it was that the front end felt skittery, even with my leaning forward. I wasn't worried so much about being blown out of the lane so much as not being in control of where the bike was going.
I look at it like this: if you're doing say 50 km/h into a 90 km/h wind, how is that any different from riding at 110 into a 30 km/h wind? That's not scary. A lot of it is just mind games - you think you're unsafe, you tense up, and the wind blows on you and steers the bike via your arms and body. If you're relaxed, you're cool. Usually.
However, this morning, the wind blowing over the crest was (I think) making the front end light. Down the south side of the bridge wasn't quite so bad.

[ManDownUnder]

Have you ever been to Wellington by chance?

Yup - it gives me wind every time

TA DA!

[vifferman]

Have you ever been to Wellington by chance?

Why yes - I have. Many times. Including flying in by plane when the weather's marginal.
I think The Bridge has a... character... all of its own though, due to being perched up a bit, between two headlands. It can get a little drafty up there.

And with naught but a railing between you and the sea, the comfort factor's not high.

A kewl thing is stopping on the bridge, when the other lanes are still moving, with your feet on the deck, and feeling The Bridge alive underneath you. It leaps around a fair bit...

[Ixion]

I don't usually bother changing lanes. Normally all I do is avoid getting near trucks, vans or buses, as the wind blowing around them speeds up and is more turbulent.

I don't change lanes, try to avoid that. I just pick the lane that will put the steel between me and the wind, and stick in it. The steel doesn't shelter you from the wind but I think it does break the gustiness

It wasn't so much the blowing about, it was that the front end felt skittery, even with my leaning forward. I wasn't worried so much about being blown out of the lane so much as not being in control of where the bike was going.
I look at it like this: if you're doing say 50 km/h into a 90 km/h wind, how is that any different from riding at 110 into a 30 km/h wind? That's not scary. A lot of it is just mind games - you think you're unsafe, you tense up, and the wind blows on you and steers the bike via your arms and body. If you're relaxed, you're cool. Usually.
However, this morning, the wind blowing over the crest was (I think) making the front end light. Down the south side of the bridge wasn't quite so bad.

It's not how strong the wind is it's how gusty it is. Constant high wind is easy, just adjust to it.

It's when you have a 90kph wind , which suddenly STOPS (far more quickly than you could brake). And it was coming from the side, so you were leaning into it to compensate. And now almost instantly, it's not there. So you swerve INTO the wind.

Take note some time, I think you'll find you swerve INTO the wind direction. It's not the wind blowing you, it's the wind stopping.

The wind actualy blows on your body more than the bike, and as you say tensing up means that the wind gusts blow your body around a bit, and that goes straight down your arms and legs and moves the bike.

The south side is always better cos it's more sheltered behind those cliffs.

Must admit though I'm not comfortable on the bridge in real high winds if its raining heavily at night. Just too many things to factor in.

When I went out just now it had pretty much stopped.

[vifferman]

It's not how strong the wind is it's how gusty it is. Constant high wind is easy, just adjust to it.

Indeed, and the traffic on the bridge makes it worse, as it accentuates the gusts, especially as the wind blows past boxy vehicles like trucks, buses, vans. If you're on the leeward side of a bus/truck, and just behind it, then you get very turbulent gusts.
I think I've got it fairly well sussed now, but I've had to modify my riding depending on which bike I was on. I've had 4 different bikes while commuting here, and they all had markedly different characteristics.
The VF500 had a small front wheel and a front mudguard with vents, so the wind blowing through the railings didn't affect it at all. The fairing was also the smallest of the bikes, so while it didn't afford as much protection, neither did it catch the wind. Once I took the beading off the screen, there was less turbulence behind it.
The VTR was best for 'slipping through the wind', courtesy of a low and narrow fairing, and a side profile that allows more wind to pass through.
The current VFR has the most protective and aerodynamic fairing, but it's slightly broader than the VTR. The 'new, improved' front mudguard catches the wind a little though.

[placidfemme]

Good on you for riding!

*was too chicken shit when I saw the wind this morning*

Glad to hear you made it safely

[2_SL0]

Ride carefully Vifferman, that sounds very dodgy.

[vifferman]

Good on you for riding!

Well, not really. I've ridden before, when 'they' (Transit? The HP?) have advised people with bikes not to cross the bridge, nad it was OK, so I knew I'd probably be OK. The slight doubt made it more interesting.

*was too chicken shit when I saw the wind this morning*

Sometime you need to try it on a windy day, so you can cope with windy conditions if you are 'out and about' in it. The key is to relax, especially your grip, keep your weight forward a bit, and minimise your profile to the wind if you can, by crouching down. Be aware of how the wind behaves around structures, other vehicles, etc. Change lanes if you need to.
The wind rarely blows bikes "across lanes" or off the ground; usually what happens is the bike leans (effectively) towards the wind, although what's actually happening is that the bike is being pushed away from the wind, you're compensating slightly, so it leans. The trick is that if you don't fight the wind gust, but just let it lean without contersteering, then when it abates you won't suddenly be steering the other way.

My wife absolutely hates the wind, and windy days make her grumpy. They have the opposite effect on me, and make me feel exhilarated. The best thing is when you have a really strong tailwind, and it seems like you're hardly moving, but really zooming along quite effortlessly. (Of course, by contrast, strong, gusty winds from one of the front quarters really piss me off, as they twist your head to one side, and slow you down.

It's all good. The strange thing about the human experience is that the most vivid and satisfying memories are of the hard things, the near disasters, and the challenges we overcome, not the happy easy stuff.

[Ixion]

Indeed, and the traffic on the bridge makes it worse, as it accentuates the gusts, especially as the wind blows past boxy vehicles like trucks, buses, vans. If you're on the leeward side of a bus/truck, and just behind it, then you get very turbulent gusts.
I think I've got it fairly well sussed now, but I've had to modify my riding depending on which bike I was on. I've had 4 different bikes while commuting here, and they all had markedly different characteristics.
The VF500 had a small front wheel and a front mudguard with vents, so the wind blowing through the railings didn't affect it at all. The fairing was also the smallest of the bikes, so while it didn't afford as much protection, neither did it catch the wind. Once I took the beading off the screen, there was less turbulence behind it.
The VTR was best for 'slipping through the wind', courtesy of a low and narrow fairing, and a side profile that allows more wind to pass through.
The current VFR has the most protective and aerodynamic fairing, but it's slightly broader than the VTR. The 'new, improved' front mudguard catches the wind a little though.

I'm no longer so sure about this fairings catching the wind theory. Always rode naked bikes, and thought smugly "Ah, you'll regret that plastic when the wind catches it" when I saw a faired bike.

But then I got the Whale. Now that has the biggest fairings you could have. Yet it seems more or less impervious to wind. The wind blows ME around, but the bike just curls it's lips in a Teutonic sneer and plows on like some monstrous Wagnerian beast. If a bike could goosestep it would.

So it seems it is more than just the size of the fairing. Also I don't think that wind hitting the main body of the bike (ie not the front wheel) below the rolling centre will have any effect (unless it is strong enough to physically move the bike sideways)

[Blackbird]

Great report Ian - glad you could laugh at it all!

Makes my 9 minutes to work through the countryside very tame by comparison!

Interested in Ixion's comments about faired bikes in wind. My old BMW K100RS tended to get battered about in crosswinds but the Blackbird doesn't, even with its greater fairing side area. I reckon it's your moment of inertia that has the biggest influence (BMW half fairing high up from the pivot point (the road) and the same for the upright stance of the rider. Possibly a higher centre of gravity too and forward-biased for the Beemer.

And on that technical note, I will go and do some useful work to earn a crust...