Coping With Cross Winds

[I'm_a_Newbie]

Hi All.

I have just done my first long distance trip. Usually only ride about 5 to 10 miles at a time. I went the whole hog this time and went to Scotland from Portsmouth and back again over Easter. Boy did I ache when I got there! 480 miles in all.

Anyway, the ride on the way up was reasonable until I got to the Lake District on the M6. At this point I had to deal with cross winds from the west which must have been gusting up 30 to 40 mph. Trying to keep the bike in a straight line was a nightmare. I was down to about 40 mph in some cases when it was really bad. What was worse was passing large lorries or coaches. Along their length I was shielded from the wind pretty much, but as I emerged ahead of them not only did I get the full blast of the cross wind again but the blast of air the lorry or coach was pushing out the way. It was scarey! Also, a couple of times while leaning on a left bend an extra hard gust of wind had me heading towards the next lane on the right!

What advice can any of you regular long distance riders give me to improve my riding in these conditions?

On my return journey the Lake District was just as bad again but with the added bonus of rain thrown in. At least I was on the right side of the lorries and coaches this time though!

Many thanks
Tim

(Had a great ride out around Loch Lomond while I was up there with a couple of friends. Did about 120 miles that day).

[scooby2102]

Tim, what weight are you ?

Mines (03 pointy 650S) and me (11st) seem to get on ok in the wind, can be scary sometimes like you say when passing lorries but otherwise, its fine

Have also got a bike with solid disc wheels and although its 275 kilos (against 170 for the sv), this thing is f*@kin scary in any windy situation :shock:

have only had it 2 weeks and have just aboot shaat ma pants a few times, sunday there was really bad, even at 50 or less, its that bad that i may change the wheels

So unless you are 7 stone mate, then it may not be that bad :wink:

[CB1ROCKET]

Nice one

Did a trip on my -1 to scotland from Brighton, totalling 1,500 miles in all.

Only bad thing i had on that trip, was as soon as you cross the scottish border, cr@p weather settles in! :evil:

I have experiance cross-wind and the only way to ride stright was to lean into the wind. So it was like riding in a straight line while actually leaning as if you were cornering! Thats the only way i could battle it, but any more advice folks would be nice.

[I'm_a_Newbie]

Tim, what weight are you ?

Mines (03 pointy 650S) and me (11st) seem to get on ok in the wind, can be scary sometimes like you say when passing lorries but otherwise, its fine

Have also got a bike with solid disc wheels and although its 275 kilos (against 170 for the sv), this thing is f*@kin scary in any windy situation :shock:

have only had it 2 weeks and have just aboot shaat ma pants a few times, sunday there was really bad, even at 50 or less, its that bad that i may change the wheels

So unless you are 7 stone mate, then it may not be that bad :wink:

I'm about 14 Stone. (Hopefully 12 by July/August) :oops:

My instant reaction in the large gusts was to close the throttle as well as to lean into the gust. What scared me about this was following vehicles, if I kill off speed to quickly theyr'e now right up my **** and ****ed off that I have slowed down.

Kind regards
Tim

[Sid Squid]

Grip the tank with your knees, and relax - easier said than done I know - but if you're tense, and a riding a bit stiffly the buffeting your body receives will be passed into the steering by your rigid arms, resulting in a nervous feel.

[K]

Ditto Sid's advice really.

Um, have you ever ridden a horse? Really, I swear it easier for those who have.

Too many bikers think it's all about upper body control - but in horse riding you learn that the vast majority of your control comes from the knees down, NOT your hands.

Transfer this attitude to bikes and suddenly you suffer less stress on your wrists, neck and shoulders, your hands don't clutch at the bars so you feel rather than suffer each bump of road and bike.

In high winds, as Sid says, this more relaxed, lighter touch helps you to just absorb the smaller nudges and only react when you need to - at the extremes of movement.
If you react to everything, well, the wind's changed it's mind by the time you do something about it and you tend to only exacerbate the problem.

If you want to practice, find a gravel road. It'll play merry hell with your handling in a similar 'ever-shifting' way. Relax, remember to grip with your knees and take it slow. Or do an off-road day or something. You'll find it's a good way of polishing up your low speed control too.

[timwilky]

My method of coping with cross wind.

I tell my bottom to stop it in a very stern voice. and fasten my trousers tighter to keep it all in.



Sorry, do I need to get my coat.


Taxi

I have to agree with K on how to take your own weight on a bike. Again, I am an ex horsey type, so grip with your knees, pushing your weight down on to the pegs. no weight being taken in your arms/ wrists/ shoulders. I prefer at times to bend my back into a concave profile.

My physio would be so proud of me. Then again it was bikes and dodgy landings that made me the physical wreck I am today. It is not the first 4000ft, it is that last 10,000th of an inch that does the damage

[bluebell]

I tend to tuck down behind the wind shield when i pass lorries/coaches, to reduce the wind bufferting. Did this even when i had the svs.

[Anonymous]

But the main thing is you will get used to it. I regularly ride up the Wye Valley which involves a crossing on the old severn bridge. I used to dread it or avoid going. Now if its windy I just hope the bridge isnt shut. There you have to be cranked over to get straight and then get thrown when you go past the pillars. But you just learn it. As they say above being loose and realxed helps because it all gets less 'jerky'.

On my new bike (12GS) Ive got virtually no protection, a large wind profile and when loaded the front end gets a bit squirelly at speed so at first it was a bit of a nightmare in crosswinds. But again you just get used to it. And a fairly relaxed style helps (I cant use knees much really). 'Absorbing' it is probably a good way to think about it.

I'm afraid in many ways its one of those things you juts have to do until you just think 'bloody hell that was windy' but really dont think much more about it.

Oh...and go as fast as possible :lol: (that bit's tonque in cheek but seems to work)

[rictus01]

All the advice on relaxing and not gripping the handlebars is more than valid, and will allow you to do greater mileage,on naked bikes even more so, your arms shoulders and neck will get tired first.

As to lorries and such, you will always get "pushed" away as you overtake", drift over away from lorry to the left side of the lane, then lean into it as you come passed the front, but you'll find you only use about half the lane or so, the "push" helping keep you straight (yes I know it sounds suicidal :shock: ), with a little practice it becomes second nature, so not an issue anymore.

A good deal of distance riding is training the right muscle, so the more you do the easier it becomes.

Cheers Mark.

[johnnyrod]

Stick a tank bag on to fill the gap up between you and the screen, and sit a bit further back so you're a little lower behind the screen. Some double bubble screens do a hell of a job too. All this makes the air flow over you and the bike easier, I find this makes a big difference to how much the crosswinds catch you, when you're zipping along at 70 or so. You will get blown around a bit, you'll get used to it, and to the wake off the front of things like trucks.

[tomjones2]

Lots of it is about anticipating when the wind will come for instance trucks, big vechicle and even big 4x4's can dispalace lots of air or can be shielding you from a big crosswind

Apart from just lean into the wind like u would in a corner. I wouldn't slow down to much can be a bit dodgy on the m-ways, obvoiuls don't ride faster than you happy with but i find with a bit of practice i can always keep at the speed limit in cross winds.

[darylB]

It's also worth watching your road position as well, if you are on the right hand side of your lane close to the white line if you do get caught and pushed wide you could be into oncoming traffic, so it's worth keeping further over to the left. so leave enough road either side of you if the worst happens.

Daryl.

[copper kettle]

Counter steering is also worth a mention. If you are passing a truck and are expecting a gust of wind (say from the left) then just apply pressure to the left bar and you should (with practice) be able to anticipate and deal with those gusts.

Dan

[I'm_a_Newbie]

Thanks everybody. I am doing pretty much what you have all said, as I was taught some of these techniques during my CBT a couple of years ago. Now I am able to be let loose on the motorways I didn't realise how bad the wind can affect the bike.

Went down the M27 for a jaunt at lunchtime and coped better although the wind was nowhere near as strong.

I guess I will get used to it but I don't know when my next long trip will be.

Thanks again
Tim