Scariest ride ever

[windchaser1942]

I had been runing north on the Blue Ridge Parkway Saturday morning approaching the point where it changes into the Skyway. A early morning weather report indicated strong westerly winds of 25 to 30 mph with gust to 50. Althought it was windy on the Pkwy I figured it wouldn't be a problem down in the valleys. There I was 260 miles from home and I need to head west.

I was way off! As I pulled on to IH 64 headed west the wind hit me full force. There I was surrounded by fast moving cars and I couldn't control the bike in that headwind at greater than 50! My immediate thought....get off this road and find another way home. Unfortunately the options were very few and it would take days to get home on the alternatives. Shortly after that I hit an area fairly protected by the terain and I increase my speed to 60. The windshield is down and when I see a gust shaking the trees violently up ahead I lay down on the tank behind the windscreen and hang on for dear life!

My route took me off IH 64 when it reached 81 heading south. Now the wind was at my side and it wasn't as bad. Later I had to turn west on 64 and it started all over. At one point a gust hit me so hard it actually tried to rip me off the bike. My helmet was nearly ripped off and the front suspension actually decompressed. A millasecond later the force pushed me down on to the tank. It was really scary.

What amazed me was that crusier bikes seemed to be un-affected by the wind. Two bikes entered the interstate ahead of me a slowly pulled away. A chopper blew past me while I was headed south on 81 at a very high speed. The guy didn't even have a windshield. How he wasn't being blown away I don't understand.

Is there a technique one can learn to use while riding in high winds....expecially, when you have to head into them? Hopefully, I not ever half to ride in conditions like that.

Does the problem lie with the fact the FJR stands so tall with a higher center of gravity? Or, the way the bike was loaded? I had the side cases on and Givi trunk. In the gap behind me and the trunk I had a sea bag and a tent tied to the racks. I've had problems in the past with angular winds with the trunk on but putting something between my butt and trunk pretty much cleared this problem up. It wasn't a problem with the 'rear-end" moving around from under me but rather the entire bike being knocked around like it was a toy. I weigh right at 270 and with the bike loaded it had to be close to 1000 lbs. Yet, it was "chaff" in those conditions.

 

[johnny80s]

I have seen Fairlaner and DJBill cruise right through the wind while I was fighting it and hating it. Some guys make it look easy.

 

[BikerGeek99]

BTDT, dude. Riding in heavy wind sucks.

Wish I had some words of wisdom to offer, but I don't. If I were to guess, I'd chalk at least part of it up to the tall windshield and all the bodywork, but that's just my own theory. As for the other riders, they're getting blown around, too.

When JustRoy and I were riding out to Eureka Springs for SFO, a cross-wind caugh me pretty good from the left side. It moved the bike around - OK, no big deal, I can handle that - but then it came up under my helmet, started lifting the helmet off my head, then popped the visor open. Never had that happen before.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Agreed. Riding in high wind sucks, especially on a fully faired bike. You may as well present a sail to the wind. I have noticed that my FJR does better than Andy's lighter, K1200S in windy conditions. His solution was to increase the speed and get it over with quickly. I can just imagine us explaining to the nice man in the black and white cruiser.......

Had an unusual experience with high winds last week. On the way home from AZ, we were each riding a BMW GS, and traveling at a suitable speed for a 650 with no windshield. On two separate occasions, I was passed by a big-rig then hit with a tremendous rush of air. Not the usual turbulence but enough to be like a kick to the gut. It winded me each time. Had I not had both hands firmly on the grips, I would have been off for sure.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Had an unusual experience with high winds last week. On the way home from AZ, we were each riding a BMW GS, and traveling at a suitable speed for a 650 with no windshield. On two separate occasions, I was passed by a big-rig then hit with a tremendous rush of air. Not the usual turbulence but enough to be like a kick to the gut. It winded me each time. Had I not had both hands firmly on the grips, I would have been off for sure.

Two-lane road, right?

Yeah. I'm not a fan of 18-wheelers in that situation. What I don't get is how some of them seem to push what feels like a brick wall of air for us to ride through, while others you can hardly even tell they passed.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Two-lane road, right?
Yeah. I'm not a fan of 18-wheelers in that situation. What I don't get is how some of them seem to push what feels like a brick wall of air for us to ride through, while others you can hardly even tell they passed.

Actually, this was just after we got onto I-10. On the two-laners, we were traveling at or slightly above the speed limit. Once we got onto the freeway, the differences between the little bike and the FJR become more apparent. No big-rig would be getting past me, on the FJR.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Actually, this was just after we got onto I-10. On the two-laners, we were traveling at or slightly above the speed limit. Once we got onto the freeway, the differences between the little bike and the FJR become more apparent. No big-rig would be getting past me, on the FJR.

Ah! Gotchya! Yeah, I hate that, too.

Thought you were talking about trucks passing going the other way.

Big-rigs don't get past me, either.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Ah! Gotchya! Yeah, I hate that, too.
Thought you were talking about trucks passing going the other way.

Big-rigs don't get past me, either.

Yes, this trip was a whole new experience. For the first time, other traffic was passing me on the freeway. The only time that has happened before is when I get the word from Andy (who always rides lead) that his radar detector is active.

Without the big windshield, any speed more than about 65mph was brutal on the little bike. It's got the power to do it, but I could only tolerate the hanging-on-tight for a short while at a time. Wanna know how bad it feels to get passed up by mini-vans? Volvos? at least I didn't get passed by a Prius.

 

[johnny80s]

Ah! Gotchya! Yeah, I hate that, too.
Thought you were talking about trucks passing going the other way.

Big-rigs don't get past me, either.

Yes, this trip was a whole new experience. For the first time, other traffic was passing me on the freeway. The only time that has happened before is when I get the word from Andy (who always rides lead) that his radar detector is active.

Without the big windshield, any speed more than about 65mph was brutal on the little bike. It's got the power to do it, but I could only tolerate the hanging-on-tight for a short while at a time. Wanna know how bad it feels to get passed up by mini-vans? Volvos? at least I didn't get passed by a Prius.

Prius drivers don't pass you. They try to run you off the road or just aim for your straight out.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Prius drivers don't pass you. They try to run you off the road or just aim for your straight out.

Or the (slowly) moving road block, in the HOV lane. All lanes are doing 50+. HOV is moving at 80+ but the line of cars behind the Prius...........

 

[tindjin]

Kinda funny that your screen name is windchaser. :lol:

Did you try raising the windshield up? How is the front tire (cupping etc)? I've never had a bike that was unstable with headwind gusts like what you describe, just doesn't make sense (but what the heck do I know.) Disliked my DL650 a lot in cross winds but was rock stable heading into even very heavy gusting winds (yea we get some stupid wind in new mexico).

 

[windchaser1942]

Kinda funny that your screen name is windchaser. :lol:
Did you try raising the windshield up? How is the front tire (cupping etc)? I've never had a bike that was unstable with headwind gusts like what you describe, just doesn't make sense (but what the heck do I know.) Disliked my DL650 a lot in cross winds but was rock stable heading into even very heavy gusting winds (yea we get some stupid wind in new mexico).

Windchaser...you got it but in this case I wasn't "chasing it"! I was being nailed to the wall!

The windshield was put down right after I hit the winds and never moved back up. The front tire is fairly new and is wearing properly. The thing that was so scary is as someone else has mentioned. A gust of wind got up and into my helment. It felt like someone was trying to rip it off. The force was so strong it raised me up vertical and the chin strap momentarily started to choke me. That is when you could feel the front of the bike begin to lift. Then in an instant it either pushed me down on the tank or simply let me go. For suction of that kind to get into a helmet that is basically sealed around the edges was pretty amazing. Were it not for the Mercy of God and my "white knuckle" grip on the bars I would not have been able to stay on the bike. Heavy emphasis must be placed on the "mercy" aspect!

 

[nofreeride]

Prius drivers don't pass you.

Their mph is not what they're looking at, it's their little fuel economy video game on the display.

 

[Bounce]

I've bucked 50 mph headwinds before and, while not something I'd choose, it's not that big a deal. Raise the FJR shield (full up) and tuck in behind it. 50 mph side winds are much worse as they'll get you changing lanes without any input from the rider.

 

[HotRodZilla]

A few weeks ago a few of us rode from Albuquerque to Ruidoso in crappy weather. Between Corona and Carrizozo, the wind was really bad, coming from our left. My wife and I were 2-up with a bag on the back and tank bag extended like a frigging sail. A couple gusts felt like they were gonna knock us off, and twice my buddy on a cruiser got blown onto the shoulder.

Most times the wind sucks, and the only thing you can do is slow to a comfortable speed and push through it. I've had plenty of miserable days out here.

 

[cota95]

Driving I40 across the southwest headwinds are brutal. RAISE the shield up and get behind it. Lowering the shield puts all the wind right in your kisser. Crosswinds in the 50+ range, now that soils my shorts... :dribble:

 

[Duster19]

I will say this.,,, I have no idea if it's rider or bike. But on my way back from Utah we got into a really bad wind storm outside Boise, Idaho. My 1/2 brother on his ZZR 1200 was freaking out and not wanting to ride over 50mph. It wasn't a fun ride, but I could have kept a safe speed of 60+. Since the FJR is in the Tour catergory it handles winds better. I ride with my sheild down in a wind storm. I feel like I get better feedback when the cross winds come this way. They just don't seem to be as forceful.

Dave

 

[BikerGeek99]

Prius drivers don't pass you.

Their mph is not what they're looking at, it's their little fuel economy video game on the display.

Mrs. BG's cousin is on his second Prius.

When he first got the first one, he'd had it for just a couple of days and he was looking at the fuel economy thingy instead of watching where he was going. He rear-ended a semi. Oops.

Same guy - we were visiiting he and his wife in Philadelphia. We went to have an authentic Philly cheese-steak sammich. If you haven't been to Geno's or Pat's, they're not in the greatest of neighborhood. We parked the Prius and had our sammiches. Got back to the Prius, and the lights were on, and the engine running. He forgot to turn it off. Duh.

 

[luvtoride]

I was up on the BRP on Saturday. Indeed it was pretty friggin windy. Glad that we weren't riding home until Sunday, though.