Wind - Slow or Fast??

[Doorag]

Right - Had my first proper scare riding in the wind this morning, so I'm calling on the collective knowledge of the mighty FZ6 forum to tell me the best way to handle high wind situations.

Vote and then explain your choice, please. Thanks!

[reiobard]

i just make sure i am paying attention and ride relaxed, just up your alert level a touch to make sure you aren't going to get knocked off balance while riding alone.

[Doorag]

Today was the first time I've been physically blown into another lane on the motorway. It was pretty scary, I have to admit. Funny though, it didn't feel like I expected it would. It felt like the bike was being pushed out from under me. I thought it would be a more "pushed over from the top" sort of feeling - like someone was pushing my shoulders maybe. I totally didn't expect it to feel like someone was pushing the bottom of the wheels out. Really strange.

It probably didn't help that it was in the driving rain as well so conditions really were horrible. I should have taken the train but it didn't look that bad when I left the house.

[mikebike]

I have ridden my bicycle in Nevada going into Wendover with 60mph+ crosswinds...

that is a 17 pound bike with close to 400 pounds... I do not worry...

just relax ---- stay alert and enjoy the challenge

[reiobard]

Originally Posted by Doorag

Today was the first time I've been physically blown into another lane on the motorway. It was pretty scary, I have to admit.

and that my friend is why i avoid riding directly next to other motorists. also they change lanes without looking a lot. both are very good reasons and i adhere to it every time i ride.

[VEGASRIDER]

Originally Posted by reiobard

and that my friend is why i avoid riding directly next to other motorists. also they change lanes without looking a lot. both are very good reasons and i adhere to it every time i ride.

I consider the wind as the biggest hazzard to a motorcyclist. Why? Because it's probably the only thing that is not predictable. You really don't know when it's going to hit you. Left turning cagers, bad lane changes, intersections, those are things that you can predict. If I know that I'm riding in windy conditions, I make sure that I'm in the correct powerband, usually a gear lower than I normally ride so that I can throttle into the wind when it hits me. I rode my bike to LA last Dcember and the winds were pretty damn brutal. I made sure I had enough space to my left and right on the freeways. I usually favor the extreme left lane on the freeways as I consider it the safest lane, however, in high winds, I choose not to travel in it so that I didn't end up against the concrete barrier. For all you members who live in Southern Cal. Kudos to you all for riding in those extreme and dangerous conditions.

For what its worth, the bikes we ride have weight and mass. The winds we ride in are a generated force against that mass. If the wind we are riding in is say 30mph we will need to ride faster than the speed of the wind in order to overcome the force on that mass. If we ride the same speed or less, it's going to be interesting as the force of the wind will have an advantage over the mass and we will get pushed all over the place.

As the speed of the wind changes so must you change the speed necessary to overcome the force generated by the wind and when you do things will actually smooth out. A good example of this would be I10 between Indio, California and Cabazon. Cross winds in that stretch can hit 40-50mph but you can still get a nice ride out of the bike by running 70-75mph. The same would hold true when crossing Hwy 111 between Palm Springs and I10. So, for me it boils down to an ability to maintain good control by gaining an advantage in speed.

What I want to know is how many folks get a death grip on the bars simply because you are riding in windy conditions? If so, relax because that death grip reduces control.

[Doorag]

On grip - I tried to focus on relaxing my shoulders and particularly my grip but I found it very difficult to overcome the instinct to grab at the bars when the crosswinds hit really strong.

I'm glad I went out in it although it was scary. I need to get experience riding in all conditions so better sooner than later. It will be an interesting ride home as the weather isn't getting any better.

[madmanmaigret]

one thing I have learned is to loosen up on the bars and relax. this makes the bike move less for the force of the wind. when you tense up you move the bike as much as the wind.

[cashcrzzy]

For the most part you can feel what direction the wind is hitting you from .So what I do is ,If wind coming from left move left into lane That way if gust comes it will most likely push you to the right side of lane And not into the other lane . I like to be more aggressive and get out in front of traffic so I don't have to worry about jack ass on the cell phone .The big thing not to do is fight the wind .Adjust your riding to The conditions that You feel comfortable with .
Greg A.