Santa Ana winds

[Moedad]

I did NOT ride to work today.

Here in the LA Basin every fall and into early winter (other times of the year also but not as common) we get what severe winds that are caused by high pressure areas out over the Great Basin (Nevada, Southern Utah, etc.) that funnel air through our canyons and passes and blast us with gale force winds. There's all kinds of crap flying through the air--palm tree debris, election signs, GOP chances of winning in November, etc. Plus it blows you around on the GZ somethin' fierce. From the side it changes your lane and from the front it's like you're going 90 when you're only going 20 or 30. Alan, Busy--have you guys been out in this? Not fun.

[NeverAgain]

will try this Wednesday, my bike is at dealer for a leaking head gasket

101 north ---> 134 east ---> 210 pasadena = 26 miles

[Moedad]

Originally Posted by NeverAgain

will try this Wednesday, my bike is at dealer for a leaking head gasket

101 north ---> 134 east ---> 210 pasadena = 26 miles

Oh yeah, I forgot your freeway commute, Never. If the winds are still howling on Wednesday, we'll be interested in a ride report from you, for sure.

Just curious, does the dealer (or you) think that your leaking head gasket might be due to all the high rpm freeway driving? How many miles have you put on by now? Somewhere between 2500 and 3000, right?

[alanmcorcoran]

I will probably give it a whirl. I only gotta go about 7 miles.

[NeverAgain]

the dealer think it due to riding at 60mph on a new engine, even thought i told him my maximum speed is 55mph with occasionally going to 60mph for 1 minutes or two (the warranty will cover it)

I put 3053 miles between 6-29-2008 and 10-10-2008

[NeverAgain]

I forgot to say, my first freeway ride was after 850 miles on the street

[alanmcorcoran]

Moe, Never, Busy:

I decided to check it out. I think the really bad gusting might have passed before I headed out. It was still blowing pretty good though and the gusts were tremendous. The air out here is brown with dust. Here's the deal:

1) I paid close attention and I do not think the wind is actually capable of "moving" me and the bike directly. I think your body and the bike acts like sail, and the wind can influence the lean of the bike, yourself and the handlebar position. I suppose if the blast is really powerful, it could knock you over, but the "moving" is more an influence on your direction, rather than actually sending you five feet to the right. As it turns out, I had no issues with steering or control. (Maybe just lucky.)

2) The bigger problem for me was all of the crap blowing around. I got dust/dirt in my eyes (even though I am wearing a full lid with a faceshield), and all kinds of stuff was bouncing off my head and chest. Being sort of fall, theres a lot of leaves and crap on the street too, and we all know how fun those can be for two wheel traction. Coming down La Palma, past the Regional Park, there were some tree branches down in the road I had to steer around. Good practice for the zombie slalom.

3) I did need to put both feet on the ground at the stops. Normally, I'm not religious about this, but the wind was strong enough to knock me over if I didn't use both legs to keep the bike upright.

Early on on my trip I was heartened to see a motorcycle cop out on patrol. (Never thought I'd say that!) I figured if they didn't think it was too dangerous, that's a good sign. I know they ride heavier bikes (BMW's I think), but still...

So, to sum up, it's not fun, probably more dangerous than riding wind-free, but also do-able. Part of my aim with the GZ is to learn the boundaries of what I can tolerate so I can apply this knowledge should I attempt a lengthy tour. Today was a good lesson on high winds.

-Alan.

[Moedad]

I made a freeway loop late last night. I was trying out the high winds too. 22 east made me feel like a salmon swimming upstream. On the 57 north, I twice got bumped over a lane. 91 west was great! I was doing 75 no problemo. Oh, and I also got stuff inside my FF helmet. I wear contacts. No fun. When the winds picked up during the night, I decided not to ride this morning. Seemed much calmer at lunch.

[alanmcorcoran]

Have you gotten used to the freeway wiggle? I've only got about 30-35 freeway miles under my belt, and I am still quite unnerved by the constant shimmying of the front and back wheels - especially above 55. Plus there seems to be near constant edge seams you've got to be careful of. Not to mention the traffic and the wind. I haven't had any "incidents" but I am totally on edge the whole time. I did about 7 miles on the 71 over the weekend and it's real wavy, and the first lane straddles the old concrete and the old shoulder. There's a nice ass-dumping edge that runs right down the middle of it.

Maybe I'm just a pussy, but I thought I'd have calmed down and relaxed a bit out there by now. Doesn't seem to be happening. I want to try the 55 cause it's paved, but I haven't had any reason to go that way just yet.

I did split the lanes last Saturday when I mistakenly got on the 91 going west at about 6:15. No problemo. Was kind of fun actually. No shimmy shake at 12 miles an hour.

[Moedad]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Have you gotten used to the freeway wiggle?

Yes and no. Used to it, yes--comfortable, NO. I'm used to it enough that I would rather do it than ride across the county on surface streets, depending on how crowded and which freeway it is. I've only been out in moderate traffic so far. It just depends. Some are fine, like some of the new portions of the 22, or like the 405 south of Goldenwest or Beach. Some are awful.

Maybe my windshield has something to do with it too. I no longer feel like I'm going to be become a kite, or be pulled off the bike. I think if I used some earplugs it would also help lessen the sensory input. For me anyway, my noobieness, the windblast, the wiggle, and the noise definitely kept me off the freeways. Now it's easier. I sure would like to have more horsepower to move with the traffic patterns and take better advantage of gaps that are opening and closing.