Tips for riding in gusty winds

[brownie0486]

2011 RT, big sail fairing. Great for weather protection, not so great in high gusting winds.

What's everyone's remedy/technique for riding into and through these higher gusts that seem to want to catch that fairing sail and take you off the motor.

 

[Visian]

Counter-steering works for me.

 

[pglaves]

Don't stiff arm the handle bars. Often the wind is not really moving the bike much. The wind moves the rider's upper body which puts inputs into the bars if the rider is too stiff and tense.

 

[chrisinsc]

If its a crosswind you can try sticking your knee which is on the side the wind is coming from out into the slipstream a bit like a sail. I have found that this works for me anyway. It counter steers the bike automatically so to speak.

 

[brownie0486]

If its a crosswind you can try sticking your knee which is on the side the wind is coming from out into the slipstream a bit like a sail. I have found that this works for me anyway. It counter steers the bike automatically so to speak.

Interesting, thanks I'll give that a try on the upcoming trip where I know I'm going to catch gusting winds more than normal.

 

[brownie0486]

Don't stiff arm the handle bars. Often the wind is not really moving the bike much. The wind moves the rider's upper body which puts inputs into the bars if the rider is too stiff and tense.

Thanks Paul

 

[BC1100S]

Park the bike and wait for better weather?

 

[truckerdave]

Park the bike and wait for better weather?

That's always a good option. Back in 2011 we were going across South Dakota heading to Sturgis. A freak wind gust of some kind hit us sideways and blew several bikes off the road, me included(on a HD Dyna). I don't remember much but i went up in the air and the bike landed upside down standing on it's nose. Another bike got blown all the way across the interstate into a field after the rider came off. I didn't suffer much but a broken hand and a mild concussion but that helmet had gouges all across the face shield area where i flew through the air like Superman. Hate to have seen my face if i didn't have one on. Yeah sometimes it's better to stop and check the weather.

 

[brownie0486]

Park the bike and wait for better weather?

Park the bike where, exactly, when you're crossing a hundred miles into the desert. Ya, you can pull over, but in the gusts I'm speaking to, the bike is going over if parked. I've been through one coming across Az just north of Flagstaff on the GS, instantly moved me into the lane and then all the way to the edge of the paved road before I could get the bike under control. Blink of an eye, and that GS didn't have a big fairing sail like the RT [ where a lot of that wind passed through the bike.

Hence my initial question here. In that one above north of Flagstaff, if I'd stopped, the bike was going down. If I slowed too much, the bike was being blown over with me on it. Can't imagine what the RT sail fairing would have fared.

 

[83014]

I am a fan of the knee trick. It worked for me heading West across North Dakota with a strong quartering headwind. I ride an unfaired R1200R, if that matters.

Doug

 

[pglaves]

Another tip. Position your bike in the lane so there is room when the wind moves you some. So I am near the right side of the lane when there is a wind from the right, and near the center line when there is a wind from the left. Give yourself some room to move around in the lane. If you can't stay in the lane get off the road and park somewhere/somehow pointed into the wind, or in or behind somebody's barn or garage; or at a decent motel.

And as an additional tip, I look at the forecast winds to assess my trip plan.

 

[brownie0486]

Another tip. Position your bike in the lane so there is room when the wind moves you some. So I am near the right side of the lane when there is a wind from the right, and near the center line when there is a wind from the left. Give yourself some room to move around in the lane. If you can't stay in the lane get off the road and park somewhere/somehow pointed into the wind, or in or behind somebody's barn or garage; or at a decent motel.

And as an additional tip, I look at the forecast winds to assess my trip plan.

Good tip on the forecasts ahead. I check the "my radar" app before heading out in the morning. Take a look at it when stopping for fuel again. If there's a cell moving through I circumvent the area or hunker down. Unexpectedly, before I could get out of Az on a trip to tenn, saw the weather was moving right at me and pulled into a motel late afternoon. If I'd stay on the road, who knows, wasn't worth it to find out.

That time coming south to Flagstaff, a little indication up ahead it was coming from the right, fair but didn't look bad enough, but enough to brace for it as you suggest far right of the lane. BANG, I'm across the road and near out of tarmac to a ditch. Pucker factor 10 for a few minutes till I got it under control. I couldn't slow down too much or it would have thrown the bike over. Scared the livin crap out of me. 45 min break in Flag.

I will keep this knee trick in mind, leaving in a week where I may run into some of the same or worse if unlucky. Watch the radar app every stop if it looks anything but nice running, I should be okay. Worth the ask on this knee trick.

Thanks again.

 

[Moretti]

I ran into 30-40 mph (maybe stronger?) gusts coming from the north as I was heading east of Gunnison, CO, on US 50 last July. While other vehicles were pulling off to the shoulder, I was determined to get into the more protected mountain valley I could see 5-10 miles ahead. My technique was to keep my upper body loose, counter-steer with appropriate force into gusts, keep my body relatively low and resist the temptation to slow down, unless I was planning to stop. Key for me was to keep focused on the wind (including how it was affecting traffic around me) to adapt to the constantly changing conditions. I was riding my 2014 RT, fully loaded for coast-to-coast with tank bag, 49L top box and large soft bag on the pillion with a few smaller items strapped on top. I made it from Delta, UT, to Cañón City, CO, via Moab, that day. Looking forward to try out the knee-sail tip!

 

[easy]

If you're riding your RT your windshield size and position is important. It can act like a large sail. How much you have packed on the bike can also be important. Last year coming back from Colorado I hit high wind south of Lubbock. My RT was completely loaded, and nothing would help. I had to move to the slow lane and ride 60 in a 70 for a while.

I should have found a good donut shop and pulled over.

E.

 

[brownie0486]

If you're riding your RT your windshield size and position is important. It can act like a large sail. How much you have packed on the bike can also be important. Last year coming back from Colorado I hit high wind south of Lubbock. My RT was completely loaded, and nothing would help. I had to move to the slow lane and ride 60 in a 70 for a while.

I should have found a good donut shop and pulled over.

E.

C. Bailey wind screen, bike will be loaded with 15-20# each pannier, 15-18# in top box with a 40L bag on the back seat about 20#'s.

58#'s of gear, the bike weighs 581, top box is 24#'s, adding the gear makes it 663#'s. Add another 180 for me, total running down the road will be about 850#'s

When I had that incident near Flagstaff, the GS was fully loaded down from the trip to Ak. with 100#'s of gear and over 900#'s with me on it. But it didn't have that huge sail of a fairing like the RT has.

 

[kbowman]

Per Paul Glaves suggestion, you can get a wind forecast for just about anywhere in the U.S. by going to nws.noaa.gov. Enter a city and state or zip code in the search box. You will get a page like this. On the right side, click the Hourly Weather Forecast link. The second graph from the top is sustained wind speed and direction, plus gust speed, if any. You can select the wind speed units in the pop-up menus.

Cheers, Ken

 

[lkchris]

Back in'80s had crosswind problems going south on I-25. Going slower than I liked until Raton Pass, where the wind was broken up a bit. After that, maintained higher speed and told myself all that aero downforce generated by the R100RS fairing did the trick. Probably there was less wind.

 

[Rick del Monte]

As the rock song says “ just hang on loosely but don’t let go…if you cling too tightly you’re going to lose control…” ;-)

 

[skibum69]

I've been hit but winds gusting close to 100 kmh here in Newfoundland, the tail ends of the hurricanes we get can be brutal. There is one section of highway where tractor trailers regularly get blown over. As has been said try to stay loose and give yourself all the room you can for when the wind blows you to the side. I remember one ride where each time I came out of a bluff of land into the wind it would blow me from the yellow lines all the way over to the white line. That day I just stayed on the gas to try to get to my destination as quickly as possible. Made for a sore neck by the end of it.

 

[nickrides]

Windy.com is another interesting free weather website.

Another weather wind related thing to not mess with is what Pilots call Dust Devils, mini tornados really.
If you see one ahead best to slow way down and not ride through it.
Nick