Im fairly new to riding with only 1300 miles since october. I ride a VLX wich is small I know. This time of year here in BigSpring Tx we have lots of windy days by wind I mean like todays 25 to 30 mph gusts. Im new at it like I say and have very very little highway time in mostly in town or near town. But how do you experienced riders deal with the wind I get blown all over my lane it seems?
Riding in the wind
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Biggest piece of advice I can offer is loosen your grip.
When you fight a bike...it wins and goes where it wants to.
When I feel the wind or if I am passing a semi and know what is coming when I pass 'em, I lean a bit in the other direction.
When you fight a bike...it wins and goes where it wants to.
When I feel the wind or if I am passing a semi and know what is coming when I pass 'em, I lean a bit in the other direction.
We all get blown around in the wind, just don't panic, stay near center of the lane if the wind is not coming from a particular direction and try not to go out of your lane.
It's never really enjoyable, but you kind of get a rythm and it gets easier, still better than a good day at work......
It's never really enjoyable, but you kind of get a rythm and it gets easier, still better than a good day at work......
the 175 from Kemp Texas to Dallas is a hell of a windy road at times when i ride that road i tend to become smaller and crouch closer to the gas tank... the only thing i do is push the my handle bar down into the wind... its gotten bad enough that i was riding pretty much like this / down the road... it was interesting to say the least
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135 Posts
Not much you can do but just try and counter steer smoothly without jerking the bike around too much. DO watch for the trucks coming up from behind and anticipate what will occur. Remember that if the truck passes on your left and the wind is coming from the left, you may swerve toward the truck. Or worse, away from the truck for a short distance from the "bow wave" as the truck just starts to pass, and then abruptly back toward the truck. That can cause a real pucker moment. :shock: Anticipate it and you'll have no problem.
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I have learned that if you bend the elbow a bit on the side the wind is coming from, you can angle your shoulder into the wind a wee bit and that seems to help.
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I've had a few days with 30-40mph gusts over the winter here. My ride to work is mostly exposed to 90-degree crosswinds coming over the pastures and golf courses.
I haven't found my VLX to be as squirrelly in the wind as I thought it would. (It might help that I'm not built so as to stick up very high above the bike tho', and my windshield is small.)
Mostly I've gotten comfortable knowing that even though the wind may lay her over a bit, she doesn't really have that much tendency to shift in the lane . I suspect you're tense and over-reacting, and that's what's moving you around. Loosen your grip and let 'er lean a bit into the wind when it hits, and only give as much steering input as you need to get back on line. Forget about trying to stay vertical; you can't in a crosswind any more than you can go 'round a corner without leaning. Just physics.
It is fatiguing though, and if your attention wanders you can get yourself in a pickle pretty quick.
I haven't found my VLX to be as squirrelly in the wind as I thought it would. (It might help that I'm not built so as to stick up very high above the bike tho', and my windshield is small.)
Mostly I've gotten comfortable knowing that even though the wind may lay her over a bit, she doesn't really have that much tendency to shift in the lane . I suspect you're tense and over-reacting, and that's what's moving you around. Loosen your grip and let 'er lean a bit into the wind when it hits, and only give as much steering input as you need to get back on line. Forget about trying to stay vertical; you can't in a crosswind any more than you can go 'round a corner without leaning. Just physics.
It is fatiguing though, and if your attention wanders you can get yourself in a pickle pretty quick.
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I seem to live in the wind around here.... scooch my knees up along side the tank (my favorite riding position) to make yourself more a piece of the bike, rather than something riding on it.... give the bike a little "play"-- let the wind move it a little. You'll wear yourself out less if you don't fight it so hard-- just be careful not to let it push you into another lane. I also find that riding without that stupid windshield helps alot too. As always, practice makes perfect.
I just spent a whole winter practicing.... still waiting on the perfect. :roll:
I just spent a whole winter practicing.... still waiting on the perfect. :roll:
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236 Posts
Silts, riding in the wind is something that you get used to over time. However, the kind of winds that you are talking about can take the fun out of riding. If it is one of those days that picks the dirt out of the cotton fields and piles tumbleweeds against the fence I don't get the bike out anymore. In our part of the world, the grain cilos and highway culverts can whip the wind around hard enough to push you out of your lane ( 
). My general rule is that if you don't feel comfortable with the wind on a given day, don't ride.
). My general rule is that if you don't feel comfortable with the wind on a given day, don't ride.
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I quite enjoy riding in gusty winds. Of course, when I was a kid, I used to climb up to the top of our big maple tree on windy days to enjoy rocking back and forth. It does help to not have a windshield, they can act as a sail at times. Like others said, don't fight the bike, let it make it's move then bring it back on track. You get used to it after a while and it just becomes a natural reflex. Relax and enjoy the ride. Another thing, always go behind tumbleweeds, and other debris that gets blown across the road. If you go in front of it, it always seems to speed up and attack you just as you get to it.
Happy Trails!
sanoke
Happy Trails!
sanoke
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