Wind tip over point?

[marcusorelius]

Last night around 2am wind gusts were hit'n hard. i would quess 50 to 60mph. I heard a crash and thought damn the fjr might have gotten tipped over. Got up and looked outside and it was a trash can. What mph gusts do ya think would knock one over? My quess would be in the 70 to 80 range.

 

[Anthony]

Perhaps you could put a wind meter on your bike and expose it to high gusts to find out for us!

 

[TruWrecks]

My 07 withstood gust of up to 70 MPH on an exposed parking lot in the Columbia Gorge. It was on the center stand faced slightly into the wind.

 

[marcusorelius]

Perhaps you could put a wind meter on your bike and expose it to high gusts to find out for us!

I'll pass on that! Don't have sliders on it!

 

[Toecutter]

Not sure, but I almost had mine blown out from under me while waiting to pull onto 395 in Coleville a couple of Springs ago. I'd guess it was gusting to about 45, and blowing rocks off the mountainsides over Monitor Pass. The bike is a lot more stable when moving, and I use the centerstand any time stability is an issue....

 

[Foxhuntr]

A few years ago at the four corners monument (AZ, UT, CO, NM) it was blowing so hard you had to lean over to walk. The bikes were fine on their side stands.

 

[fjrthree]

Not real good at math but...if a 20 lb garbage can got tipped over at 60mph winds then a 600 lb bike will tip over with 1800 mph winds..not including lean angle :blink:

 

[rickcorwn]

What mph gusts do ya think would knock one over? My quess would be in the 70 to 80 range.

Sounds like one for MythBusters.

 

[kulwen]

I can't find the link, but I am pretty sure RenoJohn had his bike blow over once.

Edit

The more I look and can't find it, maybe I am wrong. But, I thought he had his blow over.

 

[James]

Mine survived a ~90mph straight line breeze that took the roof off the local Walmart. Was on it's side stand and kinda quartering into the wind, side stand on the down wind side. Coming back from Reno had some real stiff, gusting crosswinds in Eastern CO/Western KS that I later read were in the 60mph range. That'll tire you out in a hurry, but I was able to stay in my lane. Mostly. Top speed a bike can remain upright in is probably dependent on angle, I would guess mine would have gone over @Walmart if it'd been straight to one side. But I didn't go out & test it .

 

[Cdogman]

LOTS That is how much!!!

 

[JR'SFJR]

If your bike is covered, it takes a lot less wind. Last summer I was at the National BMW Rally in WY. We were warned about possible wind, hail, and to take cover. A couple of bikes that were covered, blew over and then knocked over several other bikes along the curb. Damaged some nice bikes.

 

[oldryder]

"Not real good at math but...if a 20 lb garbage can got tipped over at 60mph winds then a 600 lb bike will tip over with 1800 mph winds..not including lean angle"

the force applied is not a linear function. 2x the wind speed gives 4X the force, 4 times the wind speed gives 16X the force. surface area of the bike is also several times the surface area of the can.

conclusion: 200mph would definitely do it, probably much less.

 

[palerider]

"Not real good at math but...if a 20 lb garbage can got tipped over at 60mph winds then a 600 lb bike will tip over with 1800 mph winds..not including lean angle"
the force applied is not a linear function. 2x the wind speed gives 4X the force, 4 times the wind speed gives 16X the force. surface area of the bike is also several times the surface area of the can.

conclusion: 200mph would definitely do it, probably much less.

It depends if it's an ill wind, which does nobody good.

 

[Fred W]

I would venture to say that the bike is less apt to blow over when on the side stand and in gear (or with the front wheel chocked) than when on the center stand.

Here's how you can prove it: Put your bike on the center stand and stand to either side. Push on the bike and see how easy it is to get it to tip to (near) the balance point of no return. Now put it on the side stand and do the same thing in each direction. Pushing against the side stand the bike will almost never fall over. That's why when you ride a ferry they have you put the bike on the side stand and tie a rope pulling/holding the bike in that direction. Even pushing away from the stand you have to lift the weight of the bike up to the balance point.

 

[dbvolfan]

70+ mph in an exposed parking lot at work witht he wind hitting it from the left side. Didn't move an inch.

I agree though that while sitting on it, a 45 mph gust will knock you over if you arent braced right or height challenged.

I had one episode on the Bluegrass Pkwy ~2 yrs ago where the wind was blowing so hard from the right side that I ended up seeking shelter from a trucker who gave me the thumbs up and broke the wind for me. OK, not the smartest thing in the world, but it wasnt like I was going to pull over and wait for the wind to die down because I was literally 22 miles between exits. That was a white knuckle ride until I could get to Somerset.

 

[Spook]

"Not real good at math but...if a 20 lb garbage can got tipped over at 60mph winds then a 600 lb bike will tip over with 1800 mph winds..not including lean angle"
the force applied is not a linear function. 2x the wind speed gives 4X the force, 4 times the wind speed gives 16X the force. surface area of the bike is also several times the surface area of the can.

conclusion: 200mph would definitely do it, probably much less.

in a two hundred mile an hour wind you got a lot more to worry about then your bike.