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Riding in the wind.

6K views 27 replies 18 participants last post by  Paladin 
#1 ·
Hello all,
Odd question, maybe lame, and maybe unanswerable. Ive been riding for 30 years on about 20+ different bikes but have never gone outside my state, Colorado. I am thinking on taking my 2010 r1200r on a ride from Denver to Cleveland in 2 weeks, using three days two nights to get there. Taking back roads and maybe i70 20% of the time. I only have 1 concern, wind. I’ve driven this route 30 times or so in cars, trucks, suvs, uhauls etc. And id say half of the time or more there is enough wind to make me point my truck into it to get gas so my door doesn’t blow of its hinges.
The more I think about it the more I may just want to drive my truck again. Anyone with any wind experience that can say its really not that bad?

I did have an extremely bad wind experience about 3 months ago on near Boulder. The wind pushed me into the gravel, over the white line on the right side of the road and nothing I did was going to prevent me from going over except the wind let off for a few seconds and I was able to get back on the road.
Thanks!
Joe
 
#3 ·
Wind can be tricky - no doubt about it. The R1200R feels to me like it will be much more planted than my SV 650 was, though. With the SV, in the high winds I'd been through, there were times I was leaned over to about 35-45* off vertical, and it carried it's (lower) weight higher than the R does, so the R should make it less affected with it's higher weight and lower center mass.

The major trick is to relax, pay attention to a greater width of your surroundings, and learn to read where the wind and gusts are going to come from. Things like grasslands can show you where the wind is blowing. A roadside tree will create a short windbreak that will disrupt a constant breeze. A notch in the hillside provides a chute for wind to flow through. Sun on a hillside will increase the winds velocity upwards on that slope. Things like that. Once you start to read the terrain and flow, you can prepare to maneuver with the wind better. The worst is passing tractor/trailers. If you end up on the lee-side, you have to be ready to stand the bike up quick as you enter the lee, and again be ready to tip back in as you exit the lee, otherwise you will drive right into the side of the truck. Opposite that on the other side - if the wind is on you, and then pulling up next to the truck, the wind will shift less, but cause you to veer off the road.

Being relaxed is key, and allows your body to react to changes easier, making adjustments to lean angle to keep you headed in the right direction.
 
#5 ·
I live in Evergreen, just west of you, and have ridden plenty of naked bikes in nasty winds. By far the worst was in Death Valley, CA, several years ago. 50-60 mph gusts. I’ve also been quite challenged by strong winds on US 285 in the San Luis Valley. It’s not enjoyable.

Even on my RT, heavy winds require your focus and concentration. The tips provided by others are excellent but whether you’re riding your R or an RT, the feeling is about the same.

BTW, if you’re interested in getting out more, look into joining the BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado. They hold rides to KS, SD, WY, NM, UT, and this year will be riding to MT for the BMWMOA. Check their website for specifics.
 
#6 ·
Sounds like an awesome trip. I hope you do it and write a ride report ... maybe as you're going along like a travel journal.

Not to discount your experience, but I've always had confidence that the 500# Roadster is heavy enough to keep the bike on the road during heavy winds though I've certainly been pushed around.

Try tucking in and laying on your tank bag like a MotoGP racer making yourself a smaller target.

Good luck, ride on!
 
#10 ·
. . . crossing the Severn bridge in a gale. . .
Tall bridges with steel grate road surfaces are nerve wracking to ride across. I don't think they're actually dangerous and I've never had a problem but they just FEEL dangerous (don't look down!). Wind just adds to the fun.

Cheers, Dave
 
#9 ·
I remember riding to catch a ferry from Port au Basques NL back over to Sydney NS. Riding down Rt 1, the wind off the Gulf was unbelievably strong, but steady, not gusting. All we could do to stay upright. Had to keep going as the alternative if we missed the ferry was 9 hours around to Argentia. Very memorable!

- Michael
 
#12 · (Edited)
The wind pushed me into the gravel, over the white line on the right side of the road and nothing I did was going to prevent me from going over except the wind let off for a few seconds and I was able to get back on the road.
If the wind catches you and blows you across the road – well it is just the same principle as taking a corner. Sorry if this is teaching folks how to suck eggs, but making the bike turn is a matter of input to the bars. When at speed, if you wanna go right, push on the right bar (or pull on the left whichever you prefer), if you wanna go left push on the left bar. (some call it counter steering)

Getting blown of course by the wind, means you need to make the bike turn into the wind a little. So, if the wind is blowing you from the left to the right, push on the left bar as if you wanted to corner to the left.

Watch out for the little things, like passing gaps in a wall that is sheltering you etc – if you are sleeping they can wake you up.

A strong constant wind will require a little continuous pressure on the bars. Windy blustery conditions can be tiring to ride in.
 
#15 ·
All I can say is that when I got back onto 2 wheels after a long time off, I lived in Wyoming. Those crosswinds are murderous. So, I've not had an "issue" with wind when riding. All I can say is when it's bad, keep your speed down and be prepared to close the throttle. Best move when hit crosswise is to slow down naturally until you have control while trying to maintain your lane.
 
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#18 ·
Quite surprised by some of the answers here.

Here is a wee thought. If you are driving your car and it gets caught by a strong gust of wind blowing it to the right – what do you do? You steer to the left. Nothing else will solve the problem.

Why would it be any different on your bike? If you get blown to the right, steer to the left. Steering to the left means pushing the left bar – pulling the right bar - or both at the same time.
 
#19 ·
Thanks for all your replies, should be fine. :) Again the wind was so violent there was no way to lean anymore and it was pushing me uncontrollably. These were reported at 60+mph gusts. Ive been riding since 1991 and never experienced anything like this or if I did, my thought was it was on one of my many other bikes and it responded differently.
 
#20 ·
After years of being told that bikes with fairing were much better than a naked bike for comfort and protection I bought a K1000 GT on fleabay and drove the 100 miles or so to collect it. The wind was starting to pick up but I didn't have much choice but to ride home so after paying for the bike I headed off with my wife driving the car behind me. The wind go up so much I had to ride along the white line of the motorway with all the hard shoulder on one side and the whole inside lane the other, and I used all of it. My wife stayed close to protect me from and vehicles trying to overtake. When we got home I noticed she had been crying as it the bike was getting blown around so much I was almost in the dirt at the side of the hard shoulder and crossing the line into the second lane she was sure I was going to come off, I didn't think it was that bad until she told me how much the bike was moving around.
I only kept the bike for three months as the buffeting and noise coming off the screen was too much for me to put up with, ridden naked since.
 
#24 ·
Have you ever ridden a motorcycle across the Great Plains?
Can’t say I have. But yes, living in Scotland means changeable weather and plenty of windy days.

The point I was trying to make, is that at the end of the day if you want your bike to change direction there is only one way to do it and that is by input at the bars. Sadly, there are a lot of people riding about on motorcycles who don’t actually know how to make them go round corners or how to keep it in a stright line on a windy day.
 
#25 ·
The Front Range is famous for it's gale-force winds in the Spring, and Fall. I doubt that Cleveland has anything on the roads you ride in Colorado.

You're welcome to visit me in San Francisco and practice your wind riding, where the Golden Gate Bridge actually sways, and shudders, and that's on "nice" days.....

One thing about wind, though. You can't trust it. It's invisible, but makes things move around!
 
#27 ·
A motorcycle is an efficient gyroscope, the more weight, the more inertia. While my 800 lb Rockets were quite stable in the wind, that didn’t keep 160 lb me from struggling to not get blown off the bike.
Absolutely Dougl. All that gyroscopic energy is what makes steering a motorcycle interesting. I’m also reminded of my first few weeks with the boxer. In the first few weeks I found myself often running a little wide when trying to sweep through tight bends at speed. What was confusing me was the upright nature of the riding position. My previous bike, my FZS1000, whilst reasonably upright has in fact lower bars plus they are a little farther forward. So, on tight turns on the Yamaha, say a left turn, I’d just lean in and shove my shoulder into the left bar and over she’d go. But with the higher closer to me bars on the BMW that just wasn’t happening and I was running wide. I just had to reprogramme my brain a little, and now on the Beemer I find myself steering by a push/pull technique.

I think once you think about something, rationalise it, practise it, then it kinda becomes automatic.

But yeah I take absolutely your point about the heavier the bike. And sure, if it is getting tricky just standing up it is probably best to avoid going out on the bike at all.
 
#28 ·
I would not want to do that trip on my motorcycle. Wind is just one reason. I rode out on the plains in Alberta two years ago and experienced the worst cross-winds I've ever ridden in. Gusts would move me two feet sideways. Plus, Colorado to Cleveland is not a pretty drive. Straight, flat. The interstates are the quickest way, but that is obviously not going to be enjoyable.
 
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