sidewinds from oncomeing trucks

[fireyphoenix1...]

hey guys just asking for any advice about lorrys comeing the other way .
i shift my weight to try to counter the wind but the other day i was riding down one of my local a roads at about 50 with a lot of sideind from the left hand side when a huge double articulated went past in the other lane it nearly blew me out of my lane.
i know the best solution is to pass my test and get a heavy bike but i cant afford that till march

any (useful) advice

thanks fife
____________________
2014 Aprillia dorsoduro 750 factory.

[Frost]

Leaning your bodyweight won't do crap all. If you shift your weight to the left, the bike will lean right in order to keep going in a straight line. What you need to do is to get the bike to lean into the wind. This can be done by countersteering, e.g turn the bars to the right to lean the bike to the left. Again this works because the bike wants to keep going in a straight line, by turning the bars left the bike must lean right in order to keep going straight.

Leaning how to do that is an important part of being on a small bike. Buying a larger one to solve the problem is like buying a larger brush to hide that you can't paint

A trick i've found is to grip the bars loosely and push the hand with the lorry on it forwards.

[stinkwheel]

Reducing your surface area also helps. Much more than you'd think.

Tuck in when you see one approaching.

Some wagons do and some don't do this. I reckon that tankers are by far the worst (but also give a 125 the best aero-tow if slipstreaming one up a hill). The really big Stobbart wagons are bad for it too.

Taking more weight on the pegs and (if possible) changing down a gear helps you to respond more quickly and effctively to sudden changes in direction.

As DaFrostyOne says, a death-grip on the bars doesn't help.
____________________
“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.

[pinkyfloyd]

The above 2 have pretty much covered everything so I wont repeat them. All I will add is you will get used to it. You get the same from side winds whistling down side streets on a windy day. You will soon get used to how the bike handles in them condition and it will become second nature to counter act it.
____________________
illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Paxovasa]

Grip the tank with your knees and keep your arms relaxed
____________________
Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[doggone]

Over-reacting is almost as much of a hazard as the wind blast itself, it helps to just relax a bit especially arms and shoulders.
With lighter bikes you are affected far more and it's the same with natural gusty crosswinds over bridges on high ground.

Even with a big heavy bike crosswinds can sometimes get so bad the best plan is not to ride that day if you can possibly put it off.

[LeeR]

Agree with all the good tips here, and would add applying a little more pressure evenly to the foot pegs helps as well, and support yourself with your stomach muscles to take the weight of the bars.
But, the key point is to relax your grip on the bars, almost to the point where the bike is just carrying on in a straight line without you. Practice when it's not windy and you're on your own, then apply the techniques all the time and in a few months you'll hardly notice the wind except when it's really strong.

On the mechanical side of things, the correct tyre pressures will help with stability and the difference between cross-ply and radials should not be underestimated, radial side walls flex more.
____________________
My claim to fame: Austin Vince nicked my pen...

[fireyphoenix1...]

so i need to counter steer slightly against the force acting on bike/rider and tuck in to reduce the effects of the sidewind

thanks makes more sense that the advice i was getting else where

im glad to say i have a good light grip and use my leg muscle a lot more that my arms only thing is my current foot pegs offer crap grip and i dont really trust them (had my foot slip a few times)
____________________
2014 Aprillia dorsoduro 750 factory.

[Polarbear]

All bikes are effected to some degree or another. My pet hate is overtaking a lorry in the wet when its doing 56 mph.You have to punch through the wall of water its throwing up at the front. If its windy as well it can knock you around quite badly irrespective of what you ride.

My busa is shite innside winds. You just have to look at the huge side area of fairing to see why but you just get used to it. Once you know whats going to happen and are ready for it, then the effects aren't quite so frightening.
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition