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| Whosthedaddy |
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Whosthedaddy
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Joined: 11 Dec 2005
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 Posted: 11:53 - 09 Feb 2006  Post subject: Wind is embarrassing me |
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Theres blue sky, the suns shining (fecking cold though), but its blowing a gale 
Whats the best way to ride when its really windy.
Was getting buffered about by a cross wind at the beginning of the week when riding along straight duel carriageway, didn't know whether to go faster, slower, or start hugging the tank or stay sitting up.
I dont wont something this simple as to put me off riding my bike 
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy |
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| Kirmit |
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Kirmit
Nitrous Nuisance
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Posted: 11:59 - 09 Feb 2006  Post subject: |
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Thumbs up for a great subject line
I'd be more inclinded to go slower, giving more time to respond to drifting. Another thing you can try, if feasable, is taking a less open route.
But in the end, don't forget it's won't be windy for long. 
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When riding fast, think fast. When riding slow.. speed up.
Grey Honda Cityfly 125 || Red Suzuki Bandit 600 & Blue Suzuki SV650SK5|| Red Honda VTR 1000-F2 |
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| Black Knight |
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Black Knight
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| stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel
Bovine Proctologist
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Posted: 12:18 - 09 Feb 2006  Post subject: |
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If you crouch down, you are making a smaller sillouhette for the wind to catch. Sitting right forward on the seat is helpful. I also find sticking my elbows out helps steady things. Try to balance the against the wind by pressing down on a footpeg rather than steering or leaning.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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| Dom |
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Dom
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| Posted: 12:27 - 09 Feb 2006 Post subject: |
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Crouching down is the best option in my experience. I gave zxr400er a pillion ride a couple of weeks ago and down a straight section of dual carriageway with empty fields to both sides the wind was pretty nasty. Every time it caught the bike we'd both duck and that avoided the worst of it... must've looked pretty stupid to the cars though. 
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| Whosthedaddy |
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Whosthedaddy
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| Posted: 12:33 - 09 Feb 2006 Post subject: |
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I tried ducking down , but was concerned that I looked a fool for only doing 60mph and hugging the tank, nerve kept going when being blown about in lane as loads of lorries about which made me sit straight back up again
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy |
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| Stevie GooGs |
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Stevie GooGs
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| Posted: 12:41 - 09 Feb 2006 Post subject: |
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Depends on the bike and your general riding style, my bike is front light so i put a lot of weight forward on the tank to keep the front from going all over the place. Counter the wind by leaning but be careful as the wind can stop at any time. Make sure your road positioning is correct so you dong go into the wrong lane.
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
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| Whosthedaddy |
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Whosthedaddy
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| Posted: 12:49 - 09 Feb 2006 Post subject: |
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I have fpund the the front wheel seems to want to follow any little deviattion in the road making ot a liitle bit twitchy.
Twitchy front end + wind = Turtle head
Trying to gauge how much to lean into te wind is hard, especially when it sudden stops 
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy |
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| map |
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map
Mr Calendar
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
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Posted: 12:49 - 09 Feb 2006  Post subject: |
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I found this a problem when I picked up the new (to me) bike a while ago. Quickest way home (50 mile trip - what we do to track down a bargain) was via the motorway and it was blowing a gale (flat fields, nothing to act as a windbreak). All on a bike I had never ridden before 
Anyhow, found going faster was not a good solution. Tried leaning into the wind but as gusting that didn't help. Also the windshear from lorries was not good.
In the end found anticipating the wind as going past trucks/lorries helped. Also slowing down (60mph was ok) and forcing myself to relax holding the bars. Removing the tension and allowing the elbows to flap like a chicken impersonation really helped. I'd also let myself wander the whole width of the lane if required, funny how cars back off when you do that  That was one journey I was glad to finish.
Anyhow, in summary, relax, don't be too tense and rigid.
Hope this helps
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| landy.s11a |
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landy.s11a
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| mr.z |
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mr.z
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| Posted: 16:29 - 09 Feb 2006 Post subject: |
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Allot of it is predicting where the wind will be, or where it will suddenly change direction... lorrys, bridges, gaps in hedges/trees, and trying to postition yourself so if theres a sudden gust you have space to go, not so you'll be right into the next lane!
Grip the tank with your knees, keep your arms and shoulders relaxed, you'll still get blown arorund but if your useing the kung fun death grip it transfers right into your steering and you'll be allover the place! sitting lower will help too..
+ What map said, dont be affraid to slow down, 10mph makes a big difference!
On the motorway in bad weather i'll tend to sit back from a lorry or whatever and just take it easy 
As far as the picking up every bit of the road, you might be due some new tyres (front or back could cause it), or your steering head bearings might need tightening/checking or your brakes might be binding on one side? Maybe your imagineing it 
Massive farings and luggage dont help either
edit:
| https://www.survivalskills.clara.net/riding_skills_46.htm wrote: |
As November unwinds, Britain is being battered by storms. So how does a rider deal with wind?
You can't stop the bike being blown sideways, but like most things, there are strategies for dealing with the problem.
As always, the first stage is SCAN and PLAN. Before you do anything else, watch the forecast! Seems obvious but the weather can change from a bright and still morning to a gale-wracked afternoon. Even when you ride, a bit of amateur weather forecasting can come in useful. The strongest winds often blow around thunderstorms and heavy showers, so if you see a big tall cloud with a tell tale rain shadow beneath it, prepare for a few minutes of strong winds.
Out on the road, look ahead, figure out where the wind is going to catch you:
* high bridges
* open roads
* coastal areas
* mountain tops and mountain valleys
* gaps between buildings and hedges
* as trucks pass
* below high rises in cities
etc etc - I'll leave it to you to think of other examples.
Then decide which way you are going to be blown.
Usually it's in the direction the wind is blowing, but there are three exceptions -
* passing trucks where not only are you sheltered from the wind but there is a low pressure zone beside the truck that sucks you in
* halfway down a hillside there is a back eddy where the wind blows in the opposite direction to the wind on the hill top and at the bottom (the M20 halfway down Wrotham Hill is notorious for this)
* alongside high rises where the draught at groundlevel is in the opposite direction (so you can be buffeted by winds which change direction through 180 degrees in a few metres).
Now if you know when and where you are going to be blown, you can deal with it - ACT:
* ride on the side of the lane which gives you the most room to be blown to the side
* keep a good distance if overtaking trucks (or one comes the other way),
* take up the right posture - brace your knees against the tank, brace your back, take a good grip on the bars. but keep your shoulders and elbows flexible
* steer into the wind
It's important you don't lock onto the bars with stiff arms. If your upper body gets buffeted and you have a death grip, you simply yank the bars and wobble and weave down the road. Think of the bars as the tiller, something you steer with, not something to hang onto. Simply countersteer into the wind.
Riding in strong persistant sidewinds is knackering. I still remember a Christmas eve despatch job from Kent to Northampton when the wind was strong enough to close the Dartford bridge on the way back. You'll find that if you hang your backside off the side of the bike facing the wind, the bike will try to steer into it and takes a bit of effort out of holding a constant degree of turn.
One plan is to take a route that is not so exposed - I came back through central London rather than go round the M25 again. Recently we had to take the tests down on the coast at Folkestone in the afternoon when the wind had got up and ride back to base later through the worst of the squalls. The examiner (and myself) avoided the most exposed bit of the A20 Folkestone bypass, and the route I took home was mostly thru country roads which are more sheltered from the wind, being aware that gaps in hedges and tops of hills would be windy.
I also warned them on the ride back to look out for fallen branches and general vegetable detritus blown from trees, and mud and gravel washed into the road by the rain.
Some people think that if you slow down, you feel less "blown about". Well, that may be true into a headwind but if the wind comes from the side, though you might feel less buffeting on your chests, the sideways component of the windr is unchanged, and you lose the benefit of the increasing straightline stability most bikes generate at speed. Ride too slowly in wind and you wobble all over the place.
The main problem in wind if you ride too fast is that you get blown off the road quicker than you can deal with it, so a compromise is necessary where the bike has reasonable straight line stability but you can stay on the road.
It's worth pointing out that different bikes react in different ways to the wind (big fairings and hard luggage tend to be worse than sportsbikes), but have more mass to shift than an easily buffeted lightweight.
Neither can you can't treat the bike as a solid object that is blown sideways - the rider tends to be blown around seperately and if (s)he accidentally steers the bike by hanging onto the bars at the same time this induces wobble. Baggy clothing and things like rucksacks don't help either.
The design of the front wheel is important too. Harleys with solid disc wheels have a bit of a reputation, and so did the 80's Hondas with "banana" comstars - I had an XBR500 and this was an absolute pig in high winds - you could feel the wind blowing the front wheel around and trying to yank the bars out of your hands.
Riding in strong winds is not fun, but with a bit of thought and forward planning it need not be scary. |
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| EuropeanNC30R... |
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EuropeanNC30R...
Gay Hairdresser
Joined: 20 Jun 2002
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| Posted: 16:57 - 09 Feb 2006 Post subject: |
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It was fairly hairy last time I went over the m4 bridge, they'd already closed the m48 bridge because of wind
Other cars do tend to back off a little when they see you struggling to keep in a straight line, however filtering at any sort of speed above 30mph is very difficult and probably not worth it. |
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 20 years, 165 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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