Dont ever ride............

[dbvolfan]

when there are 55mph cross winds! I made it home 5 hrs ago and my knuckles are still white and my heart has just started beating normally.

Rode to work this AM as it was a decent day outside. Knew it was going to be windy but that hasnt been an issue before. So, I am coming home from work and hit the highway and 55mph winds are smacking me from the leftside. I'll be damn if the bike didnt feel as if it was going to sldie right out from under me a few times. Slowing down didnt help, in fact it made it worse. I had 25 miles to go and had just about made up my mind to park it and call the wife when an 18 wheeler pulled up beside me and blocked the wind. I ride in his dead air pocket for 20+ miles and it was so quiet I could almost hear myself talking.....he gave me a big honk as I exited the interstate and I crept home the last 2 miles on backroads.

I commute to work in rain and that doesnt bother me a bit but that had to have been the most terrifying experience I have ever had on the bike.

Note to self---> Use weather radio given to me for Christmas and heed wind advisories!

 

[03HiYoSilver]

db,

Glad you got home OK. One thing about motorcycling with farings, they don't help much with side winds. Makes you really appreciate the faring and the great aerodynamics on this motorcycle.

I had the same similar experienc when cycling thru the mountain passes in the Rockys when you almost had to lean at a 45 degree angle to keep a line and at times almost blown completely off the 2 lane road...tho' this was with my 750 Seca.

Rain, cold...OK, but wind is nooooo fuuun!

 

[ndivita]

In April 2006, I rode from KC to Amarillo TX. It started out merely rainy and a little cool. By the time I was in central Kansas down toward Dodge City, and in to Oklahoma, the winds were easily 50-55 mph. I encountered dust storms outside of Amarillo the likes of which I hope never to see again. I survived as did my 2005 FJR. The upside is that riding in such adverse conditions builds confidence and experience. Still, it's not advisable. White knuckles indeed.

 

[timk]

I know it worked, but I would be leery of being beside a 18 wheeler for 20 miles. I've seen them things change lanes in crosswinds on I77, around Mt Airy NC.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

I had 25 miles to go and had just about made up my mind to park it and call the wife when an 18 wheeler pulled up beside me and blocked the wind. I ride in his dead air pocket for 20+ miles and it was so quiet I could almost hear myself talking.....he gave me a big honk as I exited the interstate and I crept home the last 2 miles on backroads.

The good hearted trucker saved ya!

I know it worked, but I would be leery of being beside a 18 wheeler for 20 miles. I've seen them things change lanes in crosswinds on I77, around Mt Airy NC.

...As with riding near anything, You gotta use you noggin when riding with hazards.

 

[madmike2]

The good hearted trucker saved ya!

Yep, GB, I agree. The truck driver is probably a biker and recognized the problem. I've done the same thing here in the Sacramento Valley. I hate when cars get in my shadow because they're simply unaware, but "most" bike riders are watching the situation and if I can help a brother.....

 

[James Burleigh]

Scary stuff, Db. I agree with you and the other postings that wind is the scariest. Like you I commute in the rain. I don't like it; but I don't feel like I'm not in control anymore. With wind it's like some demon :devil: is kicking sideways at your bike trying to knock you down.

Commuting here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Bay Bridge is where I often get hit with a lot of wind, though not 55 mph . A year ago we had the the wettest March in history--30+ days of measurable precipitation. One evening riding home across the Bay Bridge, I earned my Wind & Rain merit badge. The wind was so strong it was blowing the rain horizontally across the span. When I got home that evening I did something I hadn't in 30 years--I crossed myself and said "Thank you, God." :innocent:

Yep, wind sucks. I mean blows....

Jg

 

[wheatonFJR]

...Yep, wind sucks. I mean blows....Jg

Actually, you are right on both counts. "Wind" is just the air moving from high pressure to low pressure...

On the leeward side of buildings, the wind pressure is actually a "suction" force that pulls the building skin outward. On the windward side, the wind "blows" the building skin inward.

So yeah, the wind blows, but it definitely sucks.

And yeah, HEAVY crosswinds are white knuckle events. :blink: I got hit with a sudden and immediate crosswind blast that I swear almost had me scrapin' pegs. The scary part is not knowing how far it is going to take you over... :dribble:

 

[dbvolfan]

The trucker definitly recognized that I was struggling with the wind, because he was hauling butt and once he caught up to me he slowed down, looked over at me and then held a constant 60-65mph.

I gave him the big thumbs up as I was exiting the interstate and he honked. I normally will not ride next to an 18 wheeler, I'll either drop back or speed past them but in this case he knew I was there and was trying to help me out.

Thank you Mr. Trucker!

 

[Evil Monkey]

I feel you pain dbvolfan. I was out in the Middle TN area today and the winds were brutal. It was even difficult stopped at a light just trying to keep the bike secure under me. Glad you make it back ok though.

 

[I'mAllIn]

I'm with you. Coming back from the IMS in Atlanta last week, the entire ride back to Memphis was a pain in the ass. Wind was a constant 30-35 mph, with big gusts every few minutes for good measure. What a PITA. I was thinking I'd rather it was raining than this wind. My head felt like a bobbing doll (insert joke here) for 6 hours.

 

[BeeLine]

The trucker definitly recognized that I was struggling with the wind, because he was hauling butt and once he caught up to me he slowed down, looked over at me and then held a constant 60-65mph.
I gave him the big thumbs up as I was exiting the interstate and he honked. I normally will not ride next to an 18 wheeler, I'll either drop back or speed past them but in this case he knew I was there and was trying to help me out.

Thank you Mr. Trucker!

That definatly makes up for some of the road ragers out there.

 

[odot]

dang it....bad cut and paste....