Sidewinds

[LaggCity]

Hi Yall, comming back from Sundays little outing I was doing about 130+ comming up to the start of the Bombays and got hit with a very strong sidewind which shunted me most of the way across 1 lane and I had to fight to stop going into the next, my question is whats the best technique to counter the gust, lean into it or steer into it?

[cowboyz]

I tend to sit to one side of the bike. Not sure if this is the "right" thing to do but it seems to keep my little 600 going in a striaght line. The commute to work each dayfor me is a road that has a wicked crosswind on it, and that is on still days. On windy days it can get really bad. By weighting the bike bias to one side I find you can ride on a lean angle to counter the wind but dont throw the bike around when you come into quiet spots where the wind drops.

My 2c

[Virago]

Hi Yall, comming back from Sundays little outing I was doing about 130+ comming up to the start of the Bombays and got hit with a very strong sidewind.............my question is whats the best technique to counter the gust.....?

......Slow down...........??????

[beyond]

The times I used to commute to work, I leaned into the wind. I crossed the harbour bridge in a gale once when they advised motorists to be extremely careful and for bikes to stay off the bridge. The bike was my only means of transport then.

You can't "steer" a bike over about 30kmh in the sense we mean steering toward the wind, but you can counter steer. i.e. If the wind is coming from the left, to bear against the wind you push the left bar away from you and the pull the right bar towwards you. This seems like the opposite but will turn your bike to the left or into the wind. Counter steering is more useful in winds as leaning can have the wind drop suddenly and then that's no fun either. Counter steering allows you to make minor adjustments or major adjustments as conditions change, "on the fly" and makes wind riding much more manageable.

It's far easier to counter steer quickly if necessary, than it is to lean or shift body weight.

[loosebruce]

......Slow down...........??????

pfft what kinda advice is that, pull a wheelie in this situation

[carver]

i counter steer in sidewinds, and also try anticipate them.
if you can do both it work well, my Dt is terrible in tham because its light and quite tall, only the wide bars save it!

[Str8 Jacket]

Hey LaggCity, Welcome to the site!

I can totally sympathise with you, I have literally been blown of the road into a grass bank when a freak gust of wind caught me on a straight road up the back of Martinborough. As my bike weighs 120 kilos and I weigh 50 kilos I am continually blown around by the wellington wind. I find it quite unnerving at times but I find that squeezing my knees hard against the tank and relaxing from the waist up helps. This way counter steering against the wind is quite alot easier and you'll find the bike may not move around so much. In saying that your bike is over 6 times bigger than mine, but i'd say the same thing would work for you.

[Fishy]

The faster you go the easier it gets. Or you could just stick to whatever you are comfortable at and countersteer against it.

[MSTRS:Me]

Even my heavy bike can get thrown about. Ride 'relaxed' in gusty conditions (ie don't fight it too much). If crosswind is steady, I find 'hanging off' on the windward side is best. This will work on any bike.

[sugilite:Me]

For very gusty and unpredictable wind, place the balls of your feet on the foot pegs, sit forward, bend your elbows a few degrees, this stance lets you react a lot quicker to those surprise gusts.


I remember racing down Invercargill during the nats years back, it was so windy on the Friday practice day, most riders in the senior production class were backing off half way down the straight!
You were protected from the wind till you past the club house, then WHAM!!!
The only people not slowing down were the 4 Wellington based riders, go figure!

[Str8 Jacket]

The only people not slowing down were the 4 Wellington based riders, go figure!

What we call wind, the rest of the country calls GUSTS! I swear if anyone had warned me about biking in Wellington with the wind I may have never got my bike licence.

[terbang]

Try the Canterbury Nor Wester then..

[Bonez]

All the above advice is good. Keep an eye out the vegetation- bushes, trees and the like. It generally give a good indication how stong the wind is. I've had to stick my knee out at times, along with counterstearing/hanging off the side a bit, to create some drag on the oppersate side the wind is blowing from. Looks silly but has worked for me on a number of times.

[Motu]

Point into the wind,stops those nasty side gusts...

[Korea]

The reality is that you will never get 'used' to the wind, just have to learn to deal with it...
Failing that, some practice in Welly in all seasons will help build up your immunity