Staying upright!

[judecatmad]

OK, sorry if this is a dumb question....but how do you cope with the riding in the wind thing? I rode home to Upper Hutt from Wellington tonight and was sh!tting a brick all the way home! It was so gusty.... (not ridden before in much wind if you hadn't guessed!) Is it better to go faster or to go slower? Can the wind blow you over or does it just feel that way? Can the wind ever stop you from going around corners (cos that certainly felt like it was happening!). I'm a pretty hefy heifer so it's not anything to do with my being too light (more's the pity)

[Colapop]

If you rode in tonight's weather then you're braver than a lot of people here including me (or more foolhardy) - if you made it home in one piece, safely, then you're virtually a legend!!

[MikeyG]

I'm over 100kg so should be able to hold the wheels on the black stuff but riding from the Hutt to Wgtn this evening all I could do was hold on and pray

[merv]

Just stay relaxed (if that's at all possible) and go with the flow a bit so don't worry if it moves around a bit, but stay active on the bike so you react as quick as you can to the gusts but don't overreact. I think of it like dancing with the bike where you treat the movements like they were meant to happen so you stay in control.

Sure wind can blow you off and stop you going around corners, but your job is to counter it as best you can and beat the b.....d.

Speed is not a big issue its only when you are going really slowly its tough because its harder to keep balance then anyway.

[judecatmad]

I feel a bit better having read your replies so far! As for riding this evening, I didn't have much choice - didn't want to, but had to get me and the bike home somehow! Hubby's away this week, so short of walking the 40-or-so kms whilst pushing the bike, riding was the only way Nobody to come rescue me, LOL! It was very scary tho - the big question is now, will I risk it tomorrow if it's not windy in the morning?!! We shall see......

[Str8 Jacket]

Congrats on getting on and riding anyway, it was a pretty windy night tonight! Trust me, I know first hand that the wind can be very scary and quite dangerous at times. Keep at it though, it'll get easier. Trust me, I know!

[Zed]

OK, sorry if this is a dumb question....but how do you cope with the riding in the wind thing? I rode home to Upper Hutt from Wellington tonight and was sh!tting a brick all the way home! It was so gusty.... (not ridden before in much wind if you hadn't guessed!) Is it better to go faster or to go slower? Can the wind blow you over or does it just feel that way? Can the wind ever stop you from going around corners (cos that certainly felt like it was happening!). I'm a pretty hefy heifer so it's not anything to do with my being too light (more's the pity)

Riding in the wind is like riding in the wet - higher risks, not much fun, and sometimes it's just unavoidable. When riding in high winds you need to focus alot more on your balance, I prefer to stay in the centre of the lane because wind can often change direction on the road and blow you either way. The more practise you have at it the better rider you *should* become, and with that comes an increase in your confidence.

[James Deuce]

Reeelllaaaaaxxxx.

That is the MOST important thing to do in that kind of wind.

Do NOT hold your arms or upper body stiff. Let the bike move around and only counter the bigger moments.

Grip the tank with your knees and move around on the bike if you have too, but don't use your arms to brace against the wind. Your body acts as a sail and that will transmit steering input through your arms to the bike. Stay relaxed.

As Merv said speed isn't the issue, though going too slow can make things much worse. Your wheels give you a gyro effect thanks to rotational inertia.

If you find yourself being blown wide on a corner STAY ON THE GAS. Bikes steer much better on the gas. Use countersteering at the bars to adjust your line, don't panic, button off, and try to get upright, or you WILL end up on the wrong side of the road.

Stay relaxed mentally too. Try not to approach a windy day in a state of panic.

[Str8 Jacket]

Reeelllaaaaaxxxx.

That is the MOST important thing to do in that kind of wind.

Do NOT hold your arms or upper body stiff. Let the bike move around and only counter the bigger moments.

Grip the tank with your knees and move around on the bike if you have too, but don't use your arms to brace against the wind. Your body acts as a sail and that will transmit steering input through your arms to the bike. Stay relaxed.

Stay relaxed mentally too. Try not to approach a windy day in a state of panic.

See, that's what I was trying to say... He's completely correct though. Something Andrew Templeton teaches well too! Sometimes I'll grip the tank really hardwith my knees so that it's hurting just to make my arms relaxed. If you try doing that you'll notice a huuge difference. I als find tucking into the bike helps a bit too.

[quickbuck]

Thanks guys, I often get asked by riders with less experience than me how I combat the wind. Truth is, I am not really sure, you see ever since I started to ride at 6 I lived in a windy area, and if it wasn't instinct I would have been blown off.

So, next time I'm asked, I will pass on the info (it had to be simple).

I find a bike with more power will handle wind better than one with less. It goes along the lines of "Keep the gas on around a corner" thing. You can only keep it on (or apply more) if your bike hasn't run out already.

Oh, and judecatmad
Don't let it put you off, or make you loose your nerve.

[Ixion]

Riding in the wind is like riding in the wet - higher risks, not much fun, and sometimes it's just unavoidable. When riding in high winds you need to focus alot more on your balance, I prefer to stay in the centre of the lane because wind can often change direction on the road and blow you either way. The more practise you have at it the better rider you *should* become, and with that comes an increase in your confidence.

But I *like* riding in high winds. And often in rain too "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!".

What others have said. Fear not, relax and let the bike do its stuff. You will not blow off it, and it will not blow over.

I find it best to hang off the bike rather than lean into a wind, the one time I do seriously hang off a bike.

Keep the speed well up, engaging an indirect helps, and leave the brakes alone, they will have you off for sure.

And enjoy the primal tussle with the elemenst, 'tis fun

[Zed]

..."Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!".

I much prefer "peace, be still".

[Drum]

I made that ride this evening too Judecatmad, except only to Stokes Valley. It was definately very challenging, especially with the torrential rain added in.

Like everyone has said, relax etc........

Main thing is you did it, and you made it! Much more experienced riders than you took their cage to work today (you know who you are ).

[apteryx_haasti]

Good on you Judecatmad, Drum and others. I rode along the Petone foreshore this evening and then out to Eastbourne and at times it was a bit hair-raising! I found this thread pretty useful, and I have applied some of the suggestions which are in it.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=30616

As others have said #1 is definitely relax. I keep telling myself "A grip, but not a DEATH grip!" I also found it's easier to compensate for the wind if you are going 50+ kph. Slower than that (for me, anyway) made it seem like the wind was doing more to my bike.

I also trialled one of the suggestions from the thread above, which is to point the windward knee out into the wind. Looks pretty stupid, but it did appear to lessen the buffeting, possibly because the wind "breaks" on your knee rather than hitting the bike flat on? This was easy to do along Petone foreshore, where the wind was almost exactly side on, didn't really help for the rest of my ride.

Finally, (and I'd be interested in what others think here) when my bike went for its 1000km service a couple of weeks ago, they bumped the tire pressure up from 25/29 (front rear) to 29/32 front rear and said that this was better for NZ road conditions. However, it seems to make the bike move around more in the wind. Any thoughts on whether that's a real effect or just something I'm imagining?

Keep at it - I think that as long as you don't freak out about it and ride sensibly, the wind is manageable. And a gold star to everyone who made it home in one piece! Well done...

[edit - wow my 100th post!]

[Buster]

I find on a smaller bike its best to keep the revs up and keep it in the 'power' so you can use the throttle to counter any sudden movements.

As said before, keep on the gas.