Riding in windy conditions

[5th_bike]

Yesterday it was sunny and 50°F, but it was also quite windy. The weather warning spoke of sustained 25-35 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph. A rare (for Maryland) opportunity to try the bike in windy conditions.

So, I took it for a 40 mile ride on the local two-lane back roads, and noted the following differences from 'regular' riding:
1 - I tended to keep more distance from opposing cars, taking the right tire track more often.
2 - With strong side winds, lean into the wind a bit. This is easily accomplished by counter-steering slightly.
3 - There is more debris (fallen branches and trees) on the road, that you have to look out for.
4 - There are more emergency response vehicles on the road, because of the fallen trees, brush fires, etc.
5 - There are less other motorcycles on the road, so you don't have to wave so often. I only saw one.

The bottom line is: Under windy conditions, our light and agile GZ250s are like an iron on the road. I was never "blown all over the place" or blown into the other lane, even though I'm sure I was hit by several 40-50 mph side gusts. You do have to plan for a foot or two adjacent to your planned line of travel, to counteract the side gusts, that's all.

:ride on:

[Ted324]

Nice, all the riding i've done has been in the wind i'm ready to see what riding without the wind is like.

[JWR]

Hold the bars lightly and let the bike do its thing.

You can also hang a knee out on the windward side to help pull the bike back upright.

Sometimes I don't mind riding in the wind, other times I actually enjoy it.

[alanmcorcoran]

Not a big fan of gusty wind riding myself - it tends to be exhausting what with the need to maintain a much higher level of (practically constant) vigilance. I had gusty winds on the beginning of my recent Vegas run, for an hour or so. Fortunately, the wind was less intense and gusty once I cleared certain geographical features, but its really not possible to relax and enjoy the ride when you are dealing with the constant unpredictability.

Countersteering will correct for the blowover, but countersterring requires leaning, and you have to lean more, then less then a little more, etc. constantly and after a few minutes, it really loses its appeal.

I can say that riding the 850 lb bike is less stressful in the wind than the GZ, but it suffers from much of the same aggravation.

[alantf]

OH no!!!!!!!!!!!! this is the third thread this Ba****d's posted in. ...............SPAAAAAAAAAM!

[mrlmd1]

Gone.

[Rionna]

Thanks for the riding in the wind tips. I have gotten better with riding in the wind since I first started a few months ago. I do find it not as relaxing as a normal ride, but I am not as petrified as I was at first. I found the advice not to grip too hard and to use countersteering to be very helpful. It's the time of year here in Ohio that if I want to ride, I'll more than likely be in the wind. This is a great post especially for those of us with little riding experience.