Surviving the wind?

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rye said:
Stay low, and stay loose. Number one cause of most handling problems is too tight on the handlebars.
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+1 A couple of years ago my brother and I were coming back from the Catskill mountains in autumn, both on KLRs, and he complained over the Comms about how the wind over the bridges was making him nervous.

He had a death grip on the bars and was really holding on tight with his knees and body.

I showed him that I was relaxed, that I'd let the wind push the bike, and use my relaxed body to flick it right back into my lane position.

Gusting wind is the worst, but you can see it coming, at the end of a treeline, the crossing of a river or Lake via bridge.

If it's a constant steady crosswind I shift my weight onto the side of the bike closest to the wind, and ride with a bit of a lean. It feels natural after a while.

The absolute worst was riding an overloaded KLR down the west side of Newfoundland from St. Anthony to Gros Morne as the wind was well up over 80kph, with a 12 foot rocky embankment on the right, and of course the yellow line. It felt like the front end was going to tuck, and the gusts had me all across the road trying to correct. It was nerve wracking and tiring at the same time. It stands out as the worst ride I'd ever care not to repeat.
 
yesterday at 404 it was worst! I absolutly HATED it! 300 got beat up all over the place...
 
cbcanada said:
Everyone starts just like you

Then one day you will be riding in crazy wind and you wont even realize.

Experience is the most important thing.. Time on the bike and confidence.

Try not to hold the bars tight even though you will be tempted.

Grip the tank with your legs., the less input you give to the bars the better... just sit and enjoy the wind!

How u feel scared right now is totally normal
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Best answer yet. That said I've been riding on the road for almost 20 years off and on and I still hate aggressive wind. The advice in this post is bang on though.
 
I went north yesterday and I drive a fairly heavy bike and the wind was blowing me around pretty good. It's crazy at times but once you've been riding awhile you'll get used to it.
 
If you encounter a really strong cross wind which usually happens going between two farmers fields, let the bike move underneath you. Don't try and fight the wind, you just let the wind lean the bike underneath you without turning the bars or leaning your upper body. Pretty hard to explain. You'll end up staying in your lane with the bike moving a foot or two side to side while your head/upper body stays put.
 
dricked said:
If you encounter a really strong cross wind which usually happens going between two farmers fields, let the bike move underneath you. Don't try and fight the wind, you just let the wind lean the bike underneath you without turning the bars or leaning your upper body. Pretty hard to explain. You'll end up staying in your lane with the bike moving a foot or two side to side while your head/upper body stays put.
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Best way anyone ever put it to me was be like a pendulum from a grandfather clock. It works if you think about it.
 
The worst part of riding in the wind is it's tiring over long distances heading into it or crosswind.

Now downwind - that's very relaxing.

The only what I would consider dangerous situation is the vortex off the front of tractor trailers coming toward you when there is a cross wind or if you are passing them and they are upwind.

One time on the 403 coming back from a PA run we got on the wrong side of a tandem - geez - felt like getting smacked by a giant pillow
I noticed buddy riders also got the hell out of there as well so wasn't just the Burgman that got whacked around. That was a bit of a white knuckle moment at 130 on the 403. We were all glad to get home and gunned it past him on the right ( we were exiting right anyway. Been leery of those dual rigs ever since.....can't imagine how bad it would be near a triple 35 meter road train in Australia....and they boogie.

It's the same phenomena as vortex off of the wingtips of a jumbo jet that can blow people around.

So when you coming towards a truck and there is a cross wind and the truck is upwind...brace a bit - you'll get hit with a good buffet that can be disconcerting if you are not prepared.

Stay away from the back corners of trucks that upwind of you going the same way ...the bigger the truck the worse the turbulence.

One time wind turned me back...
I actually felt something was wrong with the bike...it was so sluggish ....turned around and it was fine - just a smooth heavy northwest wind slowed the bike ( Burgman has huge frontage ).
Fooled me - thought I had a flat.

Nother point..watch your fuel...head winds eat it up. Don't count on your usual distance.
 
I had an RZ 350 once which I found to be heavily susceptible to cross winds. The other bikes I've owned weren't quite so bad. I'm sure the CBR 125 is probably prone to cross winds too since it doesn't weigh much. You'll get used to it though.


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Yesterday was really bad. 401 Westbound riding into the wind yesterday afternoon sure was interesting. I couldn't wait for the sweet relief of making it onto the 403. Being on a naked with a fly screen and not being the most "aerodynamic" of people in a standard sitting position really made it a workout. It felt like I was going to fly off my bike backwards if I relaxed on the handlebars too much. Cross winds on the 403 were interesting too since trying to stay in the same tire track wasn't that easy.

Today coming back from Aurora on the 404 wasn't as bad, but still bad. This weekend was the first time for me in this type of wind, so I guess experience will help deal with it. Some great tips on here as well, thanks all.
 
just be the dude while riding. relax and don't be stiff.
 
Today was a better ride, wind wasn't a bother, I actually enjoyed it! Better grip with the legs, looser on the handlebars. Even though I didn't start the topic, thanks for the advice!


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Dmtaylor said:
Today was a better ride, wind wasn't a bother, I actually enjoyed it! Better grip with the legs, looser on the handlebars. Even though I didn't start the topic, thanks for the advice!


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today was much better than yesterday!
 
The only times I found winds to be an issue were when it was raining and the traction was compromised. On dry days, just lean into it and leave a bit more of a margin in your lane when in blocking position.
 
I have a light bike, 326 lbs. In the states people with this bike apparently ride in hurricanes and tropical storms. I can't even imagine doing that. They must have replaced the stock tires.
 
I live in Hamilton and the Skyway bridge is my only "link" to the outside world! :) I learned to live with the wind (and it seems to be getting windier every year!). The key is as rye said, "stay loose" and don't put a kung-fu grip on the handlebars.
 
I found focusing on where you wanna go instead of worrying about what the wind is doing to you is the best way to deal with it.
 
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