How to deal w/big wind

[guycole]

I680 between Benicia and Cordelia, I80 around Red Top road generates some amazing wind that blow my Interceptor all over lane. What can I do about it?

Perhaps some other tire? I have decent Shinko Advance tires inflated per the manual (36 PSI front, 42 PSI rear), etc.

Thanks for reading.

 

[CDONA]

Not so much a tire to fix this.
I can tell you about the solid wheels on my Fatboy and V-rod.
Add a big windshield to the Fatboy, it took on the characteristics of hanging on to a windsurfer. This happened on Nv 95 Vegas to Laughlin.
The Sacto causeway always gave me fits when the north wind cranks up.
Hang on loosely, give it some leeway, slow if it won't stay in your lane


Don't fall for the "pull my finger":teeth

 

[budman]

That area is windy for sure. I have had some good bluster adjustments through there. The amount of mass that the wind can catch makes a difference as noted in the post above.

Tires would likely do nada. Just something Mother Nature expect you to over come.

At Willow Springs Raceway when it got windy some riders would remove their lower fairings to try and reduce the impact in the high speed shit that was perpendicular to the wind direction.

 

[bikewanker]

Drop a gear or two and lean.

 

[totalknee999]

At Willow Springs Raceway when it got windy some riders woul remove their lower fairings to try and reduce the impact in the high speed shit that was perpendicular to the wind direction.

I'm with Budman. It was very windy in Colorado Springs when I was a novice in 1988 and all the fastguys were removing their fairings.

 

[davidji]

Agree about the plastics. If you're bike is acting like a sail in crosswinds, a different bike might be a good solution.

When I had a bike that responded poorly to crosswinds, it was better without the top case mounted. If you ride with a top case, and it has a negative effect, that effect will be less if you mount it to the pillion seat than on the rear rack.

More upright ergos can help as well. If you're putting weight on the bars, and your body gets pushed by the wind, is it translating into a steering movement? Does focusing on relaxed, shoulders and arms help in the wind?

Best bikes I've had in crosswinds were nekkid, though not all nekkid bikes I've ridden were great there. All but one I think.

 

[bikeama]

IF you have a bike with electronic suspension move it to sport and stiffen it up. Made a big difference on my K1600gt. Not as much a difference on the Multistrada, less plastic. Soft suspension makes the wind worse.

 

[NorCal Factory]

I ride a gear lower to keep RPMs up - more rotating mass and gyro effect. And sometimes go faster - more gyro effect from the wheels. Sometimes it is counter intuitive but faster is safer.
Other times it’s just too dangerous so I keep the RPMs up.
Give it a shot!

Tucking down also helps.

 

[ejv]

I feel it just takes a lot of experience to be comfortable getting tossed around a bit. I started riding in NM. New Mexicans will tell you they have four seasons. Summer, Fall, Winter, and Wind. The Spring can be real nasty there. After riding in high winds dozens of times for a few thousand miles, eventually it just becomes natural. I've not since ridden in anything like it in CA except one time two months ago when I was riding back from the central coast up 1 between approximately Point Sur Lighthouse and Garrapata State Park. Super gusty and two vehicles in front of me got partially blown off the roadway kicking up rocks and gravel. I picked up the speed to clear it ASAP because it was getting sketchy with all the large SUVs being pushed around. Anyway it was a good reminder about how high winds effect the bike. Probably a 10-15 mile stretch. After a few minutes I was back in my groove with it, after having not dealt with that kind of wind in over 10 years.

 

[day004]

I grew up in Fairfield and lived with that wind forever. I found weighting the pegs a bit more than usual helped. Be sure not to white knuckle the grips too.

 

[DucatiHoney]

Ugh, wind. I dislike that more than any other weather situation. I rode a Monster (so no fairings) over the BB regularly for years and still would get nailed by wind sometimes. I found that gearing down and tucking helped, as well as leaning into the wind. Often I would notice that there was an "ideal speed" for the wind too. Try speeding up or slowing down a little and see if you can find a happy medium.

 

[DrDave]

IMHO, most wind issues are wind buffeting the rider and that transmits to the bike through the handlebars. Loose on the grips helps tremendously.

 

[lvscrvs]

Gen 1 Vstrom 650 and 1000 were terrible in the wind, especially with a taller Givi windshield installed. I attributed that to the tall windshield and the high COG that comes with adv type bikes. I would wager that a heavy cruiser with no windshield would be the most planted in the wind, but I'm just speculating because I've never owned one..... :ride

 

[Mike T]

I lean into it. I deal with wind and gusts in my area (Tracy) on I5/205. Kind of planted due to being a heavy (but naked) Harley.

 

[Underdog]

Slow down and relax.

 

[sportbiker929]

^+1, get a BMW with their suspension, crosswinds are a breeze.

 

[ThinkFast]

Slow down and relax.

^^^^^^ +1.

Don’t get a different bike just to deal with this - you’re just chasing the windarty

Rode back from the Sierra last weekend across the valley in some big wind on 12. Hitting us from the north as we were riding west, so perpendicular. I was on my GS with panniers and I was riding with some big Harley baggers. Everyone noticed the wind, but no one complained about not being able to keep their bike on the road. And we didn’t feel the need to slow down, although I don’t know if I would’ve liked doing 80mph on that road in those conditions - didn’t get a chance to find out.

It’s all doable - takes practice to develop riding skill, and this is just another one.

 

[MX500]

I do a lot of commuting over the bay and carquinez bridges, I can confidently say that the Hayabusa is MUCH less bothered by wind than my 6700 lb 1993 F350 4x4 crew cab.

Lean into the wind a bit and you'll be fine. I rode the Bandit 1200's and DR650 all over including over the bridges during high wind advisories with no problem. I've also been past red top road many times without issue. Tuck in and lean, you'll be okay. Worst case scenario I've slowed to 50MPH on occassion, but never felt unsafe.

 

[NorCal Factory]

I ride a gear lower to keep RPMs up - more rotating mass and gyro effect. And sometimes go faster - more gyro effect from the wheels. Sometimes it is counter intuitive but faster is safer.
Other times it’s just too dangerous so I keep the RPMs up.
Give it a shot!

Tucking down also helps.

I forgot a couple key things. Tight knees on the tank and loose elbows and grip on the bars. Very important.

 

[ocoas]

Slow down and relax.

+1