wind,wind,wind

[dollardriven]

live down in NC so last week-end was pretty good ride weather...EXCEPT...wind started blowing and was gusting up to 35mph. Very scary. First time i have experienced wind like that. the cross winds made the bike very buggy. Am a decent rider with 8500 miles on my Sprint...am I just chickens..t or does anybody have feedback on very windy conditions.

[Scottius]

You're a light, vertical plane from the wind's perspective. Crosswinds are never fun. On my FJ they're a little better since it's such a heavy bike, but I still get tossed around. I've found myself nearly across my lane from winds. Plain and simple - crosswinds suck. Slow down and duck down or grab a coffee 'til the winds die down.

Crosswinds are frequently a problem here in Texas. And it seems we're always traveling against or at right angles to them.
Initially when I was riding less I tended to tense up and fight the effect of the bike being blown about and wasted a lot of effort fighting the effect to maintain a straight course. Finally, with time I learned to relax a little and have confidence I wasn't going to be blown off the road and focused on countersteering. not to maintain a perfect line but to stay more or less in lane position. It's a universally cursed thing to deal with but unless it gets up to really hairy 40-45+ knots ( I love nautical terms) it is manageable.

And no, you're not alone in not liking dealing with it. You think your bike get's a little buggy? You should see the BMW RT guys with the REALLY big fairings. As nice as that model is, coping with cross winds is not a strong point.

[ This message was edited by: TxRider on 2004-02-25 16:50 ]

Around my house for about 10 mi. I have cross wind problems most of the summer months in the morning and early evening in the 15 to 30mph range.

I just slow down tuck in behind a trailer rig and do a lot of praying & countersteering. The ST is not nearly as bad as some others, but lets face it, nobody likes to get hit from the side by a sudden 30mph force tht you can't see coming no matter how much riding experience you have.

Thought I'd chime in on the sidewind issue...

I've ridden a lot between Phoenix and L.A., going through Palm Springs (where all the wind generators are), and the way I've found to deal with gusty sidewinds is to NOT slow down, but relax, countersteer, and SPEED UP!!

Think about it - if you've got a sidewind of 20MPH, and you're standing still, you get the full 20MPH from the side.

Now, If you're doing, say 100MPH... that sidewind is now approaching you from nearly the front (by vector addition), and will have very little destabilizing effect.

Just my 2 pennies worth - gj

[Scottius]

Just for giggles I'll join back in - don't get upset Gary, just playing along here.

Vector addition assumes constant rate of said vector. The major problem is not constant wind, but gusts. With a constant cross wind it's a simple matter of leaning into it, countersteering and just dealing with it. Gusts, however, can pop you across your lane really quick, and at 100mph that'd be one heck of a surprise for both you and (possibly) oncoming traffic! Thus my thoughts of slowing down...your thoughts?

Scottius,

I my experience, a bike going faster is more stable than a bike going slower.

Ever have a passenger shift their weight around while you were coming up to a stopsign? It really upsets the bike, and much (counter)steering input is required to maintain a line. But at ~50MPH or above, they can squirm around all they want, and no biggie...

I've found the same to be true of sidewinds - gusty or constant.

gj

[Scottius]

Agreed - I attribute that to the gryo-effect of the wheels as well. I guess my point was not to slow down to the point of instability, rather keep speeds a little more in check since gusts are going to upset your chosen line.

[woodrow]

Call me insane, but I enjoy a good crosswind, whether gusty or not. The felling that I get is the bottom going out and the bike feels like it is going to be lifted in the air. At first I was uneasy about, but like others said, I learned how to relax in it and now enjoy it. Don't want it all the time.......... :wink:

I have to say that I hate wind more then just about anything when I am on the bike but up here we have just broken the freezing point for the first time in over a month. Our friends to the north have been sending us more then our fair share of -10 and-20 temps so I guess if it was warm enough to ride I could live with the wind.