wind and broken bones

[sunhuntin]

i agree with the others.... the only way to learn to ride in wind is to do it. had some rough winds coming home the other day...strong siders from my left. made cornering fun....right turns nearly saw me in the ditch, and as illustrated above, left turns were virtually non-turns. i tend to lean into the wind and then adjust as it changes directions or i find a screen along side.

i do tend, when riding in wind, to keep furthur left, so if a strong gust blows me hard, i wont get knocked into oncoming traffic. it gives me more room to play really....also helps keep cars furthur back when they see how blown about i get....gives the impression of about to fall off.

trucks are the same, when they are going at speed. i used to hate trucks, but now im getting used to them.

best of luck!!

[enigma51]

Seeing as i have done alot of motox i would have to say over 60 I use to fall at least once a weekend in motox Actualy I knew it was going to be a bad race if i did not fall in one or two of the practice runs (its a mind thing i know)

[kevie]

Have been riding since 1969 and have had 3 offs, one was my fault, went riding in rain as we often did as teens, misjudged the corner at a reasonable speed and footrest touched curb and threw me off into an enormous puddle... didnt damage bike or myself but was told it looked spectacular, other 2 offs was caused by cars one done Uturn in front of me, the other went through a giveway and Tboned me.

[Str8 Jacket]

IN my first 2 months of riding I managed to write off my first bike by wrapping myslf round a barrier pole after taking a corner too wide panicking and hitting the front brake. I only had jeans on that time but was extremely lucky to "walk" away with severe bruising, my leg is still numb where I hit it. Two weeks later (on my birthday) I was riding home from lake ferry and was literally blown of the road into a grass bank while riding along a dead straight road, I had proper pants on this time but stil managed to briuse the sameknee that I had hurt previously. I paid the price by having a swimming pool attached to my knee for some time afterwards, but still no damage to ligaments bones, etc. I was lucky again!
I developed a huge phobia about cornering and riding in the wind so I started riding really nervously and would practically slow down to 20 kmh around every corner. The only advise I have for you is to just get out there and ride, slowly if you have to. Get used to your bike and start trying to relax while riding, the only way you'll get this though is by riding as much as you can. I also reckon that all newbie riders should do a track day, I swear its awesome for learning how to ride your bike properly and you'll confidence will rise...
Its been about 7 months since my last accident and my riding is getting better and better, in fact my boyfriend (who rides) actually told me to slow down a bit the other night.
So in case you missed what I was trying to say, you need to just get out there and ride as much as you can, its the only wa to learn.

[surfchick]

no accidents. i put it down to my lucky L plate. never got got off my L i seem to have dozed through a year riding somehow & forgotton to get my R. but meh, i ride like your nana on the straights and like your great nana on the corners... i like to be going slow enough for people to see my vetter jacket...

by the way though-glad you Ok, and don't give up...

[Insanity_rules]

Welcome Wendy,
I've binned 2 times on road and 3 times off road. My last bin was 13 years ago and kinda scary but you need to get back on and get confident at your own pace. Try going for an on purpose rides on some twisties, start slow and work up. After a while you'll get better and better.

Coming off and walking away is a blessing but it gives ya a respect for your chosen passion.

Oh BTW we have the same kind of bike and with a careful investment in tyres they handle better than any bike I've ever had. PM me if ya want to know more.

[metric]

Now....what I recently learned (after 35 years on and off riding) was to get my body off the side to windward but keep the bike upright. This works on the big ol' Gixxer with it's fairings & weight AND on my lad's little 250 Spada (naked & fairly light). The bodyweight to windward provides the same resistance to being blown off the road BUT does not upset the trim when a sheltered spot comes upon you. Altogether more predictable & stable. Try it - I think you will be amazed.

Great idea... will give this a whirl the next time I'm heading over the harbour bridge nearly being blown off by massive gusts etc

[Oakie]

i applied both brakes but i turned the handle bars. i flew over the handlebars

Yes that was what caused my first accident, thankfully on grass and at about 15kph. Thankfully, that was also the worst of my two offs. The other was at about walking speed when I turned on some gravel.

[sheddy]

Hi Guys.
My view is this, if at all possible when learning to ride. Ride a dirt bike first, You learn a lot of stuff doing this and take a few tumbles and often at low speed its the best way to get a feel of what you can and cant get away with. For you "Townies" I guess you don't have much choice. Don't learn on a flash bike you'd be extremely lucky not to have a minor bin in your first year. If you are into bikes big time, when you fall off you just get back on asap and take the lesson learnt. Paranoia is quite useful when riding in traffic. If you have a mindset all the cages around you are out to get you youll be more prepared. My worst bin was on a diesel and cow crap slick at a railway crossing. When trucks are stopped at intersections if they are leaking anything[ oil, diesel any other fluids youd be amazed what stuff gets spilt on the road], then that's where the biggest danger lies. As for this wind thing just slow down and dont tense up too much. I don't think there is much more you can do.

[Bend-it]

Hey, welcome to KB! Rode a scooter before in serious wind and that definitely gets blown around!! Wear too loose a jacket and it could well be a sail!

Have come off twice, once was a wet day and the taxi in front of me decided he'd alight his fare NOW. Jumped on the brakes and skidded. Kind driver duly drove off, because apparently carbon monoxide dulls the pain, so he provided lots, straight in my face... Thanks mate.

Second was on a 110cc honda wave in Thailand. Invisible speed bump that really BUMPED! Didn't see it and ended up flying off it at about 70. Took a fair bit of skin off my right leg, this was 2 months before my wedding! Thank God nothing broken.

Well, being a relative newbie to bikes, I have no advice to give, just empathy that it happens, and the important thing is to learn from others and keep growing in skill and confidence.

All the best, keep at it, and keep safe!

[Jantar]

I have lost count of the number of times I've come off, so I voted 30. But that could be light. However the majority of those would be while riding motocross in my younger days. One of the things I would do in practice is to take a difficult part of the track and ride it harder and harder until I crashed. I then knew my limit for that part of the track.

For normal road riding (ie non competitive) I have had 8 offs and been injured twice. It is interesting that both of these injuries were much more serious than any injury I've ever had while racing. These incidents were 1971, 1972 (x2), 1973, 1974, 1976, and the most recent one in 1980. Note how the list spreads out with more experience and no road crashes in the past 26 years.

I won't go so far as to say that crashing is inevitable, but while learning it is highly propbable.

[Zed]

Welcome to the site Wendy!

Sorry to hear you came off your bike and hurt yerself, it happens to many of us, get well soon.

...rode it yesterday for the first time since the accident my confidence was a bit low but i was fine until 20mins from home the wind was knocking me about it got pretty scary so i stopped and a couple (bikers) with a dirtbike and trailer stopped and asked if i needed help, they put my bike on the trailer and drove me home.

any advice for riding in windy conditions?

I reckon you made a good decision in stopping! As you get more windy-weather riding experience and increase your confidence level you'll be able to brave that wind better and ride through it. Sometimes you have to lean the bike into it if it's a strong wind, and concentrating on keeping a good line in the lane you are travelling in is of the utmost importance in any windy conditions.

I rode in stormy conditions from Whangarei to Auckland recently and had the near scariest journey on a motorcycle I can remember! The wind and rain was so strong that i got consistently blown all over SH1 for nearly 40mins, my concentration level seemed like it increased 5 fold at the time , got absolutely drenched too!

...have many others here come off many times especially when on L's?

For some reason i never came off in 20 years road-riding until several years ago, and twice too, one after the other within about 2 months of eachother - doh! Having these strings of accidents seems to be a common phenomenon, maybe it's the lacking confidence, but with a learner i suppose the reasons for binning are more obvious.

Glad to hear you're sticking with bikes despite your misfortune!

[ZeroIndex]

I've had two, in my 1st month! First was my first weekend with my bike (went on a hamilton run with a bunch of KBs), decided I wasn't going to make a right-hand corner (bad idea), straightened out, braked, went on the grass, and hit a lump and hopped over the handlebars

2nd: Going to get petrol for BabyB's Pyes Pa Run. on a left-hander, my back tyre went "all soft" (popped rear tube), started sliding to the right, managed to pull it back to make it around, but the next corner (slight S-bend), which was a right, it slid out from under me, and I ended up in an ambulance, but nothing major...

...but yeah, with wind, just move your body slightly over (facing the wind), and that should help a bit...

[Jonty]

As to wind. It is far more scarey than dangerous. I have only ever heard of one person actually coming off because of wind and that was a lightweight chick on a very lightweight bike.

Clearly you have never ridden with me and skels in a takas hurricane

[skelstar]

Wendy - I came of my bike on the takas. I was heading into a downhill corner fairly tipped over and a gust of wind came up underneath me and my bike got out of shape, made the classic newbie mistake of grabbing a handful of brakes and stared at the barrier that I 'apparently' wanted to crash into. In the end I lost the front wheel in the gravel and hurt my hand a little. My bike was fine.

Subsequent trips have been interesting and repeated but I have learnt these lessons:

1. Make sure your suspension is sorted out. Soft suss was a principle reason my bike lost shape, and has done so on many ocassion. Im just lazy.
2. Keep the power on. Keep your momentum up. Dont tip over too far.
3. Watch riders/trees/dust on the road infront of you.
4. Dont look where you think you are going to crash. Look through the corner keep the power on a bit (downhill stuff).
5. Dont slow down...its hard to tip a bike over that is going at a reasonable pace.

Someone correct me if I have led Wendy astray.