What's the trick for....

[nickj]

Riding in wind.

Went out for an hour today and was getting blown all over the place. Not too bad on normal roads but when i got onto an open A road i struggled to keep it in a straight line.

Going to shropshire at easter and was hoping to take my bike with me and am not looking forward to the motorways now.

[OF.uk]

Keep the speed down and don't grip the bars too tightly

[Scoobs]

Keep the speed down and don't grip the bars too tightly

Yep!

[Carsick]

and be bloody careful overtaking lorries.

[Biker Biggles]

Dont fight it too much. Go with the flow a bit,its a bit like riding on rutted roads inthat the bike will move about a lot more than usual,so avoid tight gaps.I find the most dodgy thing is when I stop.You need both feet down or you can get blown over :arrow:

[chris SVK3]

Relax and take visual notes where breaks in hedge rows and tree's are so you know when the next gust of wind is comming

[Spiderman]

No more to add but do all of the above and you should be ok.

trees are a good visual clue too...good direction and intensity indicators imho :thumbsup: Good luck

[Warren]

get down a bit - gives the wind less to hold onto,
slow down. (some may argue with this - but it generally makes me feel safer)

adjust your road positioning not to allow any cars to dangerously overtake.

[leatherpatches]

Get a heavier bike. I've ridden several different bikes in strong wind and there is not replacement for a bigger weight. ZZR1100 seemed the best - not buffetted at all. Our little SVs take a bit of a battering, I'm afraid, and there's no real way around that.

[northwind]

I've found that being higher up the revs than I'd usually ride at also helps, gives you a quicker response in the face of a gust... And depending on the situation, it's sometimes helfpul to ride offset in your lane- if I'm getting big infrequent gusts from one direction I'll ride offset in that direction (a little) just to give me more reaction room. Doesn't work in a steady wind of course, you just end up in difficulties when it drops...

Avoid big open roads, is a biggie- don't take a motorway or big dual if there's an alternative route.

[hall13uk]

i got this one from john reyonlds himself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
grip the tank with your knees (helps if you are wearing leathers, they stick better) and relax your arms and let the wind flow through & dont grip the bars to tight either / you can use the palms of your hands to steer on modern bikes no tight fisted antics needed :lol: save that for the bedroom :shock:

[Iansv]

compared to riding my gpz500 in the wind the sv is a blessing....

All the tips have been said really, tuck in, relax your grip and look out for sideroads, hedge gaps and lorry overtakes

[Baldyman]

One good tip I was given for riding in cross winds was ........ if for example, the wind is coming from the left, hang your left knee out a bit and it balances out the effect of the wind (something to do with creating a vortex, which negates the wind pressure :? )
Anyway works for me :)

[wyrdness]

I countersteer in windy conditions. If the wind blows you to the right, push the right bar slightly to counteract it. It makes riding in wind suprisingly easy. And as someone else said, don't grip the bars too tightly. The last time that it was really windy, I was fine when I was moving and nearly got blown over a couple of times when I stopped at traffic lights.

[GSXR Carlos]

nothing new to add, just take your time and give it a go, if you don't you'll never know, i've ridden in some awful conditions this winter and i seriously think it has made me a better rider because of it.

Have fun

[Ed]

i got this one from john reyonlds himself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
grip the tank with your knees (helps if you are wearing leathers, they stick better) and relax your arms and let the wind flow through & dont grip the bars to tight either / you can use the palms of your hands to steer on modern bikes no tight fisted antics needed :lol: save that for the bedroom :shock:

Yeah - relax. If you're gripping hard you'll act like a sail and be blown about all over. Let your shoulders drop - really really drop. Feels odd at first but you soon get used. And make sure your clothes aren't billowing up too.

[caines]

Totally agree with wyrdness. Counter steering keeps me in a straight line even in the strongest winds.