Dealing with the wind, Advise?

[Rexsname]

It was quite windy here today and I rode my motorcycle to work and then to Bible study after. The bike was wiggley and felt unstable. I stayed in the slow lane and didn't have any problems but was wondering if any of you had any advice to help a new rider cope with the wind.

REX

[traveltoad]

Sounds like you did the right thing... ride extra carefully and give yourself a bit of extra space. Riding in string winds, especially gusty cross winds, if difficult and stressful. Add some traffic into the mix and it will drive you to drink.

[LandCruiserPhil]

The disadvantages of a lighter bike regardless of the manufacture. Slow down and give yourself move room is about all you can do.

[LeadDoggy]

Advice:
be ready for anything.

one time for me with a major cross wind while riding back from Sturgis, I got pushed over to the other side of the Hwy. Good thing no one was coming the other way.

[CoastalDefender]

There's a slow-down sweet spot different with each bike. Find it. Mine DL650 happens to be at 45mph, any slower and I'm simply going too slow to have enough inertia to battle side gusts. Any faster and the wind will blow me around too quickly to react safely.

I've found the more practice the better. A few weeks ago I was scared out of my mind when it was windy. Yesterday I was riding one-handed in the same stuff. It's all about experience and recognizing your limits.

[Mr. Leary]

When riding in strong winds, I employ two strategies, depending on severity. The first is to position yourself on the side of the lane that the wind is coming from, to give yourself a little room to work with. The second it to let your arms hang a little floppy, and be ready to couner steer. Tensing up your muscles hurts your ability to react to being blown off course. If you just get in the mindset that you are going to be pushed around from time to time, you can treat it like avoiding an obstacle on the road. Counter steering should be used judiciously, and is best employed when in the far lane , giving yourself room on the shoulder in case of overcompensation until you get the process down.

Breath deep, try to relax your shoulders, and find a comfortable speed.

[goodtimes]

Relax
Ride on the 'up-wind' side of the lane
Ride faster

Faster? Yes. Faster. More speed = more stable bike (centrifugal force of the tire/wheel assembly increases). When the wind picks up (almost a daily occurrence in the spring -- except this year) I step the speed up a notch. My 800GS is happier in 40mph cross winds at 65 - 70mph than it is at 45 - 50.

Obviously, never exceed your riding ability, or the safe speed dictated by road and traffic conditions. But like so many things with motorcycles, if your natural instinct is to do one thing -- the proper response is to do the opposite.

[haven]

Whether in a car or on a bike, keep an eye open for places where a side
wind could become a bigger factor. When you come into the open from the
relative shelter of a hill, a highway overpass, or even a big building,
the side wind can be unexpectedly strong. Watch the traffic ahead of you
for their reactions to the wind.

There's a spot near my house where the wind is funneled around the
shoulder of a big hill. The wind just howls through this spot, and catches
many drivers by surprise.

[Mr. Leary]

Whether in a car or on a bike, keep an eye open for places where a side
wind could become a bigger factor. When you come into the open from the
relative shelter of a hill, a highway overpass, or even a big building,
the side wind can be unexpectedly strong. Watch the traffic ahead of you
for their reactions to the wind.

There's a spot near my house where the wind is funneled around the
shoulder of a big hill. The wind just howls through this spot, and catches
many drivers by surprise.

... like when you come around an 18 wheeler... :yikes:

[CoastalDefender]

... like when you come around an 18 wheeler... :yikes:
When I drive one of our 28 wheelers at work, I'm continuously astounded at the amount of bikes that hang in my wings. I can't imagine the buffeting is all that fun to sit it.

[weezerbot]

I experienced the same thing yesterday on my way home Rex...it was a windy day for sure. Pushed my little bike all over the place and my head too. This morning my neck and shoulder are killing me. I need a massage.....

[High Center]

Here is my method:

1. Hold my breath.

2. Squeeze my legs against the bike in an effort to control my bladder's ever increasing urge to let go (and so that passers-by don't notice the trembling.)

3. Spew foul words into my helmet at anyone that passes remotely close to me...or decend into a cave man like verbal barbarism when anyone in an 18 wheeler gets within the same zip code of me.

4. Swear- over and over- that I will never bring my bike on I-95 again on a windy day.

5. Do the "Thank God I Made it Dance" in the garage when I get home.

This also works for hard rain.

Best,
HC
DRZ400 "Ol Tippy"

[earthmuffin]

In all honesty, if you are a newer rider, it will always feel worse that it really is. I ride in the wind alot and the more miles of seat time you have, the more confident that you feel, even when the bike is flapping all around under you.

The bike has to do a pretty big dance before it will buck you off.

[traveltoad]

In all honesty, if you are a newer rider, it will always feel worse that it really is. I ride in the wind alot and the more miles of seat time you have, the more confident that you feel, even when the bike is flapping all around under you.

The bike has to do a pretty big dance before it will buck you off.

True... but feeling the front wheel skitter across two lanes of road as the wind tries to blow you off causes some serious pucker.

[R_Lefebvre]

How come nobody has yet mentioned learning to steer the bike with the handlebars, intstead of leaning? That would be the #1 skill to learn when dealing with side wind gusts. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was 20 years old, riding a Ninja 900RR at 220km/h and got hit by a side gust that almost put me in the ditch. I couldn't get the big bike leaned over fast or hard enough to counter it. Almost killed me.

I've since learned the skill. At speed, push the bars to the left gently, and the bike will lean right. Be careful, it can happen really fast. And it's weird to feel it. But it's the fastest way to flick the bike from one side to the other. Don't just crank the bars over, or you're going down. Just apply pressure, and you'll feel it happen. You have to practice this until you have it instinctual.

However, at lower speeds, the reverse is true. When riding single track in the woods, the fastest way to get around a tree is to throw the bike over with your weight, and steer into the corner.

There's a cross-over speed somewhere between the two techniques. Maybe 40mph. I think it happens when the gyroscopic effects of the wheels take over.

[Hltoppr]

Rob nailed it. After long trips with lots of wind, my windward side shoulder is sore from pushing that handlebar into the wind, (steering the bike into the wind as well).

You really need to ride conservatively, and be ready to react to a gust that, as others have said, can easily push you into oncoming lanes of traffic.

...and a bigger bike helps. My 1150GS is nowhere near as prone to being blown around as my XR650 was.

-H-

[goodtimes]

...and a bigger bike helps. My 1150GS is more likely to blow a semi off the road than the other way around.

-H-

Fixed that for ya --

:snorkel:

[earthmuffin]

True... but feeling the front wheel skitter across two lanes of road as the wind tries to blow you off causes some serious pucker.

Oh don't get me wrong, it can get really concerning, really fast, but following the advise above by pushing into it, reading terrain ahead for problem areas, and letting the bike waffle around a little helps alot.

[grahamfitter]

How come nobody has yet mentioned learning to steer the bike with the handlebars, intstead of leaning?

<snip>

At speed, push the bars to the left gently, and the bike will lean right.

The MSF learn-to-ride class I took a couple of years ago taught that method of steering. Push on right handlebar => bike leans right => bike turns right.

At faster speeds you lean with the bike. At slower speeds you let the bike lean under you to keep the weight balanced.

Anyway I find it quite uncomfortable to pass a gust of wind while I'm seated on the bike so I tend to stand up on the pegs. :sombrero:

Cheers,
Graham

[RHINO]

riding a street legal dirt bike can be real fun in crosswinds, like rob said handlebar action is a skill i learned early on, and now when i encounter sidewinds i hardly notice it because my brain and body just know what to do w/o me even thinking about it really. its an odd feeling being pushed and leaning when your going straight, but your body really does know what to do, just learn some basics and trust yourself.

[R_Lefebvre]

At faster speeds you lean with the bike. At slower speeds you let the bike lean under you to keep the weight balanced.

Also very true. That was the other part that was hard for me to learn. At low speeds, you throw the bike to the side, put all your weight on the peg in the direction you want to turn, stand straight up, while the bike leans under you, and turn the bars in the direction you want to go.

At high speeds, you push the bars in the opposite direction, stay on the seat, and lean with the bike, maybe more than the bike is.


riding a street legal dirt bike can be real fun in crosswinds, like rob said handlebar action is a skill i learned early on, and now when i encounter sidewinds i hardly notice it because my brain and body just know what to do w/o me even thinking about it really. its an odd feeling being pushed and leaning when your going straight, but your body really does know what to do, just learn some basics and trust yourself.

Yeah, I think, after dodging trees at 30 mph... wind just isn't a big deal anymore. Not to mention, my 250lb bike changes flicks really fast, which is the counter to it being blown around eaier.