an 'oh shit' moment

[Keystone19]

On my way into town from out west yesterday afternoon I had an 'oh shit' moment on the bike in the wind. Big gust came through and really knocked me sideways! Got the old heart beat racing for a moment or two that's for sure! Got up this morning and saw (and heard) the wind and thought I might take the car. Decided to face my fears head on and took the bike. It was, of course, great!

Anybody out there got any tips for a newbie about riding in stronger winds. Me and my bike are pretty light so I don't know if that makes much difference.

[bugjuice]

ride in the middle of the road, so you have room to be blown around, and don't over-react to the gust! Look ahead in the road for gaps in tall buildings, gaps in trees etc where the wind will be blowing thru. Then just prepare for it. Also watch for debris on the road, both to avoid, and also to watch how fast it's going, then you can judge if the wind is going to pick up or die off..

It's something that you will learn to ride with in time, but it's never easy.. Just ride a touch slower so that you have more time to react and don't need as much room to do it in. I've been caught once doing a fair speed, then got blasted side on. My helmet wanted to face the other way it was that strong. It knocked me onto the other side of the road, and I must have done 2 or 300 metres before I could wrestly back to my side.. I backed off a bit after that. Something to do with trees crossing my path too..
Just keep your whits about you

[Waylander]

Just takes some getting used to. Also help is you never relax control of your bike. Afterwhile you'll just get used to the wind pushing you arond and it wont scare you as much.

[NC]

I tuck myself closer to the bike, ride in the middle of the road/lane and when the gust hits I lean into the wind (I don't know if that's a good idea? but it works for me)

[MrMelon]

Stay relaxed and don't hold the bars too tight. That way when your body gets moved by the wind, the steering won't be affected, and you'll be able to deal with it easily.

[TonyB]

Keep your arms loose- if you can't 'flap' your elbows your arms are too tense- if your arms are tense and you get hit by the wind, you will involuntarily steer the bike. If the wind is coming from the side you can try putting more weight towards that side. Some people drop a couple of gears and put their weight on the pegs.

[vifferman]

Try to relax as much as you can, and ride with a relaxed grip on the bars (which is what you should be doing all the time anyway). Most of the movement when wind gusts hit the bike is from you making the bike swerve, either by over-reacting to the gusts and trying the keep the bike going straight, or from the wind hitting your arms and body and the movement being transferred to the controls.

Keep your weight low and forward (i.e., crouch down a bit, and lean forward) to present as small a profile as possible. On windy days, if you have luggage, try and keep it low down (tied to the seat or luggage rack).

Avoid riding near buses and trucks to the windward side of you, particularly if they're ahead of you. You can use them as mobile windbreaks if necessary, but be aware that the wind spilling off around the back of them is going to be faster and more turbulent.

Be aware of places where the wind is likely to come in sudden gusts OR suddenly be reduced, like cuttings, hedges or closely-planted trees, structures alongside the road that block the wind, etc.

[Pwalo]

Just like everyone else has said. Keep relaxed, look ahead, and if all else fails move down to Wellington for a few weeks. That'll sort you for riding in the wind.

It really is one of those things that gets better the more experience you have. Just like riding in the wet etc.

[duckman]

Also - Stick your knee out on the same side that the wind is blowing from. The drag from the wind will counter balance you and the bike.

[surfchick]

hmm pesky wind...bad cross winds westerlies at the end of the southern motorway near bombay exit...and on nth western when you pop out from pt.chev onto da estury in southerlies. squish up small & relax yo arms like da boys said then your body can suck up some of the impact without changing the steering too much. my bike does this wierd thing where the top stays stable-ish but the wheels & lower part of the bike drift/flexes sideways (and back) over 1/2 a foot. nearly lost it a few times-slow down a bit... but hmmm pesky wind. i been riding heaps lately really late at night when its dead calm and its sooooooo nice.

[Keystone19]

i been riding heaps lately really late at night when its dead calm and its sooooooo nice.

Ahh, that's why I haven't been seeing you on the Peninsula.

[Keystone19]

so, if I:

- ride in the middle of the road
- relax
- lean into the wind
- keep my weight low and forward
- ride more

I should be right.

Oh, and move to Wellington...

Thanks guys!

[Beemer]

Wind is a bummer when you're new to riding - and I still hate it years later! My RG150 was terrible in the wind, all that fairing made it even worse. I hated heading along the Himatangi Straight and also the back road through Tokomaru as it's often windy there when it's calm elsewhere.

You have to try to relax without being so relaxed you get blown off the bike! If you tense up, not only will you feel uncomfortable, you will tend to make jerky movements when trying to beat the wind. Lean into it a bit, and I was told to drop down a gear and keep the revs up.

When a large truck is coming towards you, a friend told me to move to the left of your lane and then as the truck reaches you, aim towards the back of the truck on a diagonal line as it passes you. I was very sceptical but it does make a difference to how blown about you get.

The Beemer is great in the wind - no fairings, good weight, but the Goose is very much like the RG - gets blown around even when it doesn't look that windy.

[Ixion]

Also - Stick your knee out on the same side that the wind is blowing from. The drag from the wind will counter balance you and the bike.

Yep, twas a tad blowy this morning.

Not sure if I agree with the "stick knee out" I prefer to lock my knees good and tight to the tank. Knees locked, balls of feet on the pegs, and legs tensed like an off roader, Arms and wrists like jelly, And counter the wind with weighting and body movement. Just makes it worse trying to steer. And if you tense your arms or try to grip the bars hard(which is the natural reaction) you'll compound the problem. Most of the wind effect is actually hitting YOU not the bike. So if your arms are stiff you'll inevitably push the bars when the wind blows your body. That makes the bike swerve.

Keep the revs up, and if a gust hits you DON'T slam the brakes on.

And relax mentally, it's usually nowhere as bad or dangerous as it seems.

Just try if you can to keep a bit of personal space around you. I actually DELIBERATELY weave around a bit, between gusts, as if I was being blown about, to deter cages from sitting too close.

[Biff]

IMO - if it's really windy - don't ride if it can be helped.
You can follow every bit of advice in the book, and the gang here have already covered off every bit of advice I can think of, but the bottom line is that it can be unnecessarily dangerous to ride in high winds, particularly gusty winds. It only takes a strong unexpected gust, mid corner, with oncoming traffic to ruin your day.