I almost bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago in severe crosswinds of 50+ on I90in South Dakota. When the first gust hit, I got pushed from the right lane towards the left lane. Some dumb a$$ cager was sitting in my blind spot and the vacuum created by her car started pulling me over the white line. I could have knocked on her window. Had to lean hard to the right and hit the gas to pull out of it.
Ended up running about 100 miles in the wind, most of the time in 4th gear at 45 mph before I had to call it a day much earlier than planned.

 

Buy a Road Glide....I don't have that problem. - Mike

 

BULL ****!!!

 

Just lean like anything else.

I've definitely been out in some gusts that had me pulling over from sheer exhaustion a few times though... It can be hard work if you're out for a few hundred miles in the windy stuff. Especially when they smack you without warning.

 

One thing I've been doing with lane position is getting into the tire track from where the wind is blowing. IOW, right crosswind = right tire track. If I get a gust, at least I have a bit of a buffer before I end up in someone else's lane.

 

being a new rider, i either wait it out or dont even bother to head out when it gets that windy. not saying i havent been caught out in them and didnt have a choice, so if i didnt wave that day, its because i was hangin on for dear life!

 

You always have control of speed......use that to your own benefit.

 

Yup, I had this one time. That's the last time I wanna deal with that crap. I was real new to the game, Fatty had like 1k on her. Still no clue what countersteering is etc. but I slowed right the hell down, almost rode the shoulder, .... 2 laned road, man, that was the worst ride I ever took. Couldn't even keep her in a straight line.

Anyhow, finally I just pulled off into a gas station & had a coffee.

This was real bad though, didn't even go kite surfing. Must have been over 50 kts.

 

Demkay, countersteering is the basis of all two wheel control once you are going fast enough to not need to turn your front wheel like a tricycle. On most bikes this happens as soon as 6 mph. The faster you go the less you steer and the more you countersteer.

Press forward on the left handlebar, and your front tire will deflect to the right, causing your biketo lean left and go left. Press forward on the right handlebar and your front tire will deflect to the left, and your bike will lean right and go right. It gives you instant control of your direction, and very useful in dealing with cross winds.

You are already doing this when riding, you just don't realize it. Go out on a deserted tar road, and practice swerving the center lines by just pressing on the bars.

 

In the spring these winds are constant 40-50 with gusts up to 70 across the Mojave desert. Depending on the gusts, maybe I'll slow from the 80s to 70. I've never ridden a bike that didn't automatically counter steer into the wind.


NO! Johnny can't come out to play biker, youkids [>:]run along now.