Windy Day Riding - Strategies?

[zbassman]

Hi,

 

Okay, its official. I hate windy days, especially days with gusting winds, especially days with gusting winds that are changing direction.

 

Yesterday I rode to work. The ride in was great. 50 degrees, sunny, not too much traffic. A perfect ride in. But going home was different. The wind had picked up. A lot. It was gusty and seemed to be changing directions.

 

On my last bike, a Suzuki Volusia, wind wasn't too much of a problem. It'd blow the bike across my lane a foot or so but the bike felt pretty stable.

 

However, on the R1100RT yesterday it was different. It felt like the tires were being blown out from underneath me. It felt like I was walking across ice in hard-soled dress shoes.

 

I of course did the exact wrong thing. I tightened up. I used the G.I. Joe Kung Fu Grip of Death to hold the handle bars and tightened up all the core muscles in my body. Which I know causes the wind forces hitting my body to be transmitted to the bike causing further instability.

 

So, I know that's wrong. But aside from trying to relax what other strategies may help deal with high, gusting winds?

 

Would leaning my body over in a sort of "racing" posture help?

 

Would adjusting tire pressure? I'm a big guy (6' 5", 320lbs) so I run 36/41 PSI.

 

Any ideas to help me deal with windy days greatly appreciated.

[sebjones906]

Lean over, adjust the W/S down, loosen up on the bars and tighten up with your knees.

[pokorskij]

Don't remember if I read it on this post or another, but the suggestion was to stick your knee out on the windward side (side wind is coming from). Tried it this past weekend on an 05 RT1200RT and it worked quite well. Not the most comfortable position, but the knee out position had a 70 to 80% calming affect on the bike.

[Ken H.]

See this recent thread on just this subject - Cross Winds

[Tony_K]

Rewiew Master Yoda riding position. As Sam has said it's all in the knees and positive foot placement. Meaning get up off your ass and use your feet and thighs.

Wind is incredibly easiy on the RT and solid as a rock when your in the wind mind set.

[onmyrt]

I took I-40 out to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque a couple of weeks ago (from Oklahoma City) and fought terrific winds all the way out there.

 

Our course was due West and the wind was howling out of the South at around 30, so at roughly 90 degrees to the left side of the bike (an R1200RT).

 

Somewhere in Mew Mexico, a sign warned us of 'High Gusty Winds' and not a 1/2 mile later a huge blast hit me like a Mack Truck

and very nearly swept me off the North side of the road.

 

Fortunately I was riding in a fairly relaxed position and the bike corrected itself and on down the road we went, but my heart was pounding for a while after that.

 

I've toyed with the idea of getting a trailer to tow behind my RT, but I can't imagine how it would have reacted in that situation.

My guess is that it would only provide even more surface area for the wind to hit.

 

Then there's the issue of getting around trucks in high crosswind situations.....

Of course they only present a problem when their on the downwind side of the road and you're trying to pass along the upwind side.

 

Approaching a rig in calm conditions at highway speeds can be testy enough, but on a windy day, that buffeting can become violent.

 

I've discovered that the safest way past (for me anyway) is to reduce my speed to about that of the truck,

slowly get along side him (in that vapor lock) and roll on up towards the cab,

then prepare myself for the blast that I'm about to encounter and very cautiously ease back into the air flow.

 

I also try to keep an eye out for natural wind blocks, like groves of trees or maybe a hill or mound, anything that might break the wind for the truck, and get past him at that point.

 

Anyway, my advice would be to 'ride smart', try and keep a relaxed riding position and don't tense up.

 

 

As for the 'knee out' trick, it does have an effect when riding against a constant wind, but gusts are another matter.

[T__]

Hi,

 

Okay, its official. I hate windy days, especially days with gusting winds, especially days with gusting winds that are changing direction.

 

Yesterday I rode to work. The ride in was great. 50 degrees, sunny, not too much traffic. A perfect ride in. But going home was different. The wind had picked up. A lot. It was gusty and seemed to be changing directions.

 

On my last bike, a Suzuki Volusia, wind wasn't too much of a problem. It'd blow the bike across my lane a foot or so but the bike felt pretty stable.

 

However, on the R1100RT yesterday it was different. It felt like the tires were being blown out from underneath me. It felt like I was walking across ice in hard-soled dress shoes.

 

I of course did the exact wrong thing. I tightened up. I used the G.I. Joe Kung Fu Grip of Death to hold the handle bars and tightened up all the core muscles in my body. Which I know causes the wind forces hitting my body to be transmitted to the bike causing further instability.

 

So, I know that's wrong. But aside from trying to relax what other strategies may help deal with high, gusting winds?

 

Would leaning my body over in a sort of "racing" posture help?

 

Would adjusting tire pressure? I'm a big guy (6' 5", 320lbs) so I run 36/41 PSI.

 

Any ideas to help me deal with windy days greatly appreciated.

 

Dan, I think a lot of your wind related problems are in you mind set.. You say you don’t like riding in the wind so it bothers you to do so.. Tightening up on the bars will indeed magnify your wind related problems.. I know it’s easy to say “just loosen up & let it float around” but unless you learn to do so you will fight that wind problem for ever..

 

I’m just the opposite of you as I just love to ride in the wind,, the windier the better.. Directional wind gusts do make the bike pretty active but it really isn’t going anywhere (unless you fight it).. On those really windy spring & fall days I will sometimes be out riding all day in it..

 

Try slowing down (even if you have to find a different road to travel on).. If you slow down the wind gusting & bike movement will bother you less so you can stay relaxed & get comfortable with the bikes movement without tightening up.. Once your get used to the bike buffeting around at lower speeds you can gradually increase your speed in the wind until it feels right to you..

 

One thing I will caution you to beware of is hard leaned over cornering in real hard gusty winds.. If you are already close to the inside or outside of the road (or the center line) & a gust of wind hits you it can instantly push the bike a foot or so closer to the outside of the lane or over the center line.. When it’s real gusty out I usually corner closer to the center of the lane than I usually do to hit my apex correctly..

 

If your bike has a lot of straight up riding miles on the tires they might be worn flat in the centers & if that is the case the bike can act real squirrelly as the wind moves it around & tips the bike a little.. With worn flat centers that means you have a very abrupt transition to the round outer edges of the tire & the bike will squirm as it goes across those square edges..

 

Relax & enjoy the ride.. People pay big money at an amusement park to get a ride like that..

 

Twisty

[upflying]

Unlike aircraft, I don't think the RT has a maximum crosswind component. I ridden in winds alot, never seems to bother me. Just relax and let the bike move around. It's natural gyroscopic stability will keep you upright. If winds bother you, just park it when the comfort level threshold is reached.

[AdventurePoser]

Riding in a constant crosswind of steady wind speed is not too bad. The main thing is to loosen up your grip and relax as much as you can.

 

Howling wind that is gusting is another story. The day the fires started in So Cal I took a ride up Glendora Mountain Road, an outstanding, very twisty canyon road about five minutes from my house. My goal was to practice my riding technique in super windy conditions.

 

Unbelievable! I've never been batted around like I was on that ride! For me, the key was steady throttle input, loose arms and HANDS and ball of feet on the pegs. When you don't lock your elbows and grip the handlebars to tight you can make instantaneous adjustments in your riding position that help keep the wheels where you want to go.

 

About 20 minutes into the ride I came across a female HD rider and her male partner on his FJR. They were stopped on the side, sheltered from HUGE wind gusts, and she was crying hard.

 

I offered to put her on the back and ride her down the mountain. Her brother could follow her, and then I'd give him a ride back up the hill for her bike.

 

So we did. She'd never been pillion on a motorcycle. When the ride was over, about 30 VERY technical minutes later, she exclaimed, "Wow! This is a smooth motorcycle!"

 

Those were the windiest conditions I'd ever ridden in, with measured gusts up to 85 mph. I wouldn't do it again on a flat stretch; at least the canyon walls gave me some shelter from the bigger gusts!

 

Steve in So Cal

[Tony_K]

Damn. Time for a name change to SMOOTH GUY!

 

Pickin' up the ladies anywhere and everywhere. JUST KIDDING!

Excellent display of caring right there. Good for you.

[AdventurePoser]

Thanks, she was totally freaked out. It was gonna get dark soon and that would have just compounded matters...

 

See ya soon,

 

Steve

[Carl_B]

Don't remember if I read it on this post or another, but the suggestion was to stick your knee out on the windward side (side wind is coming from).

 

Interesting suggestion / observation. I guess this works like wing lift on an airplane - the disrupted airflow reduces the pressure and allows the bike to combat the constant push from the crosswind. As a previous post noted, it will be little against intermittant wind blasts.

 

Carl

[BFish]

my only advice, and it has worked for me, is to heed the words of wisdom from this thread and just get saddle time in these conditions. over time, confidence, or less fear, come along with experience. have fun.

[pokorskij]

Interesting suggestion / observation. I guess this works like wing lift on an airplane - the disrupted airflow reduces the pressure and allows the bike to combat the constant push from the crosswind. As a previous post noted, it will be little against intermittant wind blasts.

 

Carl

 

Just the opposite was true, at least when I used the technique. It works very well in intermittent wind blasts, as it reduces the effect of the blast and the reaction of the bike, that is the bike being pushed across the lane by the gust of wind.

 

If by intermittent you are referring to a gust once every 30 minutes, then the technique would not be appropriate. But in my test instance, the gusts of wind blowing accross open fields were every few minutes or less. And as stated previously in my experience the technique worked well and has merit.

 

And finally, remaining relaxed in important, and in my test of the technique, I maintained a constant level of relaxation in control of the bike.

 

May not work in all situations, may not work for every ride, may work differently in different conditions and on different bikes. But I was a suggestion that I tried and it worked for me when I tried it.

[AdventurePoser]

my only advice, and it has worked for me, is to heed the words of wisdom from this thread and just get saddle time in these conditions. over time, confidence, or less fear, come along with experience. have fun.

 

...Practice the things that make you nervous, and those things will gradually not unnerve you, grasshopper...(insert stereotypical Oriental-sounding music here).

 

Steve in So Cal

Not so windy today, but still VERY smoky...

[bakerzdosen]

For me, the key was steady throttle input, loose arms and HANDS and ball of feet on the pegs.

I'm just wondering how you got your arms and hands on the pegs along with the ball of your feet.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Damn. Time for a name change to SMOOTH GUY!

 

Pickin' up the ladies anywhere and everywhere. JUST KIDDING!

Excellent display of caring right there. Good for you.

 

That's called the Master Yoga riding position.

[eddd]

I concur with those advocation some time riding in these conditions.

 

I live on the Gulf coast where gusty winds are just part of our normal weather, not every day, but pretty frequent.

 

I hadn't really given it any thought until I read some of the posts, but after reading the posts and thinking about it, I concur with those who are advising practice/saddle time. I ride in these conditions without giving it any real thought. I'm not aware that I am doing anything special. The only thing I can say I even notice are overpasses and running in and out of sheltered areas, which for me would be open fields occasionally interrupted by a brush line. Even then my reaction to these conditions is second nature to the point that I truly couldn't tell you what I am doing differently.

 

I guess I need to pay attention to what I'm doing next time I ride in some gusty wind. Maybe then I could offer some sage advice about techniques.

[camille]

I'm definitely not an expert, but it seems to me that the bike makes all the difference. My lightweight bikes shook like crazy on a windy day, but my F650GS is really stable in the wind. Maybe it's the excuse you need to go buy a new toy?!

[Quinn]

Lower your windscreen to decrease sail area. Put rocks in your pockets. Give yourself as much room as possible; don't let anyone stay beside you if you can help it.

 

 

Okay, I was kidding about the rocks. Put them back on the ground.

[AdventurePoser]

For me, the key was steady throttle input, loose arms and HANDS and ball of feet on the pegs.

I'm just wondering how you got your arms and hands on the pegs along with the ball of your feet.

 

I have very long arms and very short legs.

 

Steve in So Cal

[LDHack]

My comment; let the wheels blow out from under you. The wind naturally leans the bike into the wind, and keeps you going straight. Your mental strategy is to keep your balance point in the center of your lane, and let the bike blow around to it's own requirements. To do that, you must trust the traction of your tires and the road surface. I've never been blown out of my lane while riding in heavy wind this way, and I ride long miles each year.

 

The RT is very slippery in the wind, and doesn't catch much side wind. Sometimes a big trunk can become a "problem sail", so try riding with your luggage strapped to the passenger seat instead of in a tail trunk. Large BMW RT saddle bag covers work fine for me in windy conditions, but I believe square aluminum bags would make the bike more vulnerable to wind issues. While traveling, I also have a fuel tank on my rear saddle, plus a Givi tail trunk, and the big saddle bag lids, and have no issues with heavy wind.

 

If it gets too windy, slow down and use the above strategy. You need to learn to trust the traction of your tires. You need a relaxed grip because you need to let the bike to it's thing. Tense grip, and you no longer let the bike work the wind for you. Works fine in steady heavy winds, and heavy gusty winds.

 

Also, make sure you let your body lean into the wind with the bike. Don't just let the bike lean into the wind, but allow your body to lean windward too. Think that your shoulders or head is what is following the center of your lane, and both the bike and your lower body are being blown about with the wind. Thinking this way, you really are letting your lower body and legs get blown down wind, along with the bike, while your shoulders or head stay centered along the center of your lane.

 

Wet conditions, trusting your tire traction becomes an issue that you need to consider.

[jaytee]

+1 on what Mike said; can't believe there hasn't been more said on it...

 

The key, IMHO, is to relax enough to let the bike have its head. Let the bike blow out from under you, like counter-weighting a slow speed turn. Keep your own body straight up and let the bike lean.

 

Secondly, since there is nothing you can really do about the bike moving except to make gentle corrections to it, let it have the space. Start in the middle-ish of the lane, leaned into the cross/side wind with your own body straight up. Then when a gust hits you, expect to move downwind a bit, gently correcting it back to the center. Likeswise if the wind suddenly stops.

 

You have the whole lane, dont be afraid to use it.

 

Third, watch your surroundings. Even a fairly distant hill can shape the wind you feel. Roadbeds, especially freeways, are usually either below the level of the ground or above it, rarely following the true contours. When you see a hill coming up on either side of the roadway, expect the wind conditions and even the direction to change.

 

Same with overpasses and trucks. When you are coming along side a semi which is upwind of you, start on the far side of the lane from it. since you will enter the lee side, the wind will dramatically decrease, causing you to move towards him. If you are straight up and down with the bike leaned, as you start to move towards him, anticipate and countersteer slightly, bringing the bike back level under you. Then as you move past him, cut towards the inside of the lane (closer to the truck) as you come back into the wind. Remember that for several feet you will have both the crosswind and the leading edge of his turbulence to deal with. Its better to go into that with a slight bit of drift, helping to counter the blow.

 

So in short, stay loose, stay upright, stay in the middle and anticipate wind direction changes.

 

Funny, we get to ride year round here in SoCal, but we do see quite a bit of very windy conditions on our best roads during parts of the year (like right now).

 

JT

[LDHack]

Let the bike blow out from under you, like counter-weighting a slow speed turn. Keep your own body straight up and let the bike lean.

JT

 

The way I do it is to let my lower body move with the bike. I don't keep my body straight or upright. If I keep my body straight, there is less of a tendency to "flow with the gusts". It's more a committment, because you're leaning your body into the wind. If you don't trust your tire traction, you then worry about having the wind blow your tires out from under you. And, of course, if that's happening, you need to slow down to the speed where you trust your tires to hold on to the road during the gale.

 

As a result of my sidecar experience, I'm very aware of balance and weight on the handlebars. By this, I mean, when leaning into a normal two wheel turn, make sure my hand weight on the two grips is the same, or better yet, there is more hand weight on the lower grip. That gets me leaning into the turn with my body, a little like the track racers do, but not even close to the extreme that you need a knee puck. Instead of staying straight with my body and leaning the bike, I'm leaning into the turn with my body, thus putting more weight on the lower handlebar grip. The staying straight tendency during a turn is a bad habit I discovered I had. The same bad habit applies to gusty winds and letting the bike wheels along with my lower body blow out from under me. After becoming conscious of that bad habit, and correcting it during my riding, my gusty wind riding time became much more smooth and controlled. By riding this way, when the gust hits, my whole body is blown out from under my shoulders, my shoulders stay in line with the center of my lane, and the bike easily moves about with the wind and keeps me on track. My body automatically maintains the changing angle of the motorcycle during the gusts.

 

One thing I've noticed; it's amazing how many experienced riders, who I also respect, tend to lean a two wheeler into a turn and keep their body more vertical. I believe that's the reason turning and counter steering is taught by the action of "pushing on the lower handlebar". That puts more hand weight on the lower grip, and moves your body into the turn at the same angle as the motorcycle.

[motoguy128]

I agree with the above. I rode 500+ miles yesterday with a steady 15-20 mph wind and thought about what I was doing. For me it's passive from thousands of miles riding road bicycles in the midwest. The wind hits you and naturally maintain your balance and allow the bike to lean into it with small counter steering inputs and weighting the pegs.

 

I'm also suprised at how well the RT handles crosswinds considering it has so much plastic.

[zbassman]

Wow, this thread is still going!

 

Well, there was a lot of great advice and suggestions here. I tried some of them this weekend to great success.

 

I rode Saturday and Sunday. Both days had a fair amount of wind and putting in to practice some of what was suggested here I was able to ride more comfortably in the wind. Here's what I tried:

 

Leaning forward a bit more from the hips

A bit more of an exageratted "kiss the mirror" turning posture.

Gripping the bike a bit more with my legs.

Gettting the weight off my ass and on to the balls of my feet, and thus onto the footpegs (this really helped)

RELAX

RELAX

RELAX

 

There were time when I had to literally talk myself in to the last one. When a gust would come along and push the wheels a bit I just kept chanting: relax. When I would let go and trust the bike and the tires and relax my G.I. Joe Kung Fu Death Grip the bike would blow around a bit under me but keep its heading.

 

I've still got aways to go to get totally comfortable in heavy winds but all your suggestions really helped.

 

Thank y'all.

[Keith S]

Come on up to western Canada and ride with a strong cross wind in the fall. You get to play our favorite game "Tumble weed dodge ball" They explode on impact!

[jaytee]

Let the bike blow out from under you, like counter-weighting a slow speed turn. Keep your own body straight up and let the bike lean.

JT

 

I don't keep my body straight or upright....The staying straight tendency during a turn is a bad habit I discovered I had. ... By riding this way, when the gust hits, my whole body is blown out from under my shoulders, my shoulders stay in line with the center of my lane...

 

One thing I've noticed; it's amazing how many experienced riders, who I also respect, tend to lean a two wheeler into a turn and keep their body more vertical.

 

I defaintately agree with you where normal ridign is concerned. Ithink the reason that some experienced riders tend to 'drop the bike' into turns is loads of dirt-bike experience which teach that (more or less). I always try to keep my weight to the inside of the bike's weight in turns normally as well.

 

In wind, however, I find I dont move so far i nthe lane if I let the bike move out from under me (in effect, staying vertical). But the winds I am talking about are pretty severe in our canyons and deserts. If we are talkign about a 10-15mph cross wind, I certainly agree with you and do not stay vertical, instead I weight to the inside a bit.

 

But driving across towards Kramer Junction throguh teh Mojave or across the 10fwy during santa ana season with wind gusts at 40-50 mph, I let the bike move, especially if the gusts are unpredictable. I am more concerned about the lack of time to react and the lack of lane space in those situatuions.

 

JT

[AdventurePoser]

+1!

 

...But driving across towards Kramer Junction throguh teh Mojave or across the 10fwy during santa ana season with wind gusts at 40-50 mph, I let the bike move, especially if the gusts are unpredictable. I am more concerned about the lack of time to react and the lack of lane space in those situatuions....

 

Steve in So Cal