Hello to all, im a new rider, and a lifelong HD enthusiast. I purchased my 2016 Iron 883 last week with 808 miles, and have over 1150, mainly city and county roads. Well, I decided to take it to the highway for the first time yesterday, and it was quite and experience. As I accelerated to 60 mph, I immediately felt the wind resistance pressed against my body, I swear , I thought I was going to be blown off. Im 5'8 150lbs. I then dropped to 55 mph, and it was a bit more manageable, but I was gripping the bars so hard, that my fingertips started to go numb about 20 minutes into the ride. I would get the occasional side gust, and it felt as both me and the bike would end up in the next lane. I don' know if it was a combination of the higher speed, along with the wind noise, but I was so focused on holding on, it actually made for an uncomfortable ride. Once I got to my destination, I explained what I went thru to my lifelong Harley riding brother in law, and he said to just ride it out and don't fight it. His advice kind of helped, because on the way back, I slowly progressed from 55 to 65 mph, and kind of stopped fighting and just rode it out. I couldn't possibly do any "long distance" riding knowing my fingertips might get numb. My question is, did this happen to anyone the first few times they rode, how well did you manage, and any other advice I should know? Thanks to all, and safe journeys to all.

 

Hey, welcome! Your body size has nothing to do with it. I'm 6'1 and 200lbs.... the wind is brutal at highway speeds sometimes. Takes the fun out of the ride.

It's a lot better with a small windshield to take the wind off your chest/shoulders. However, choose carefully so as not to introduce wind buffeting around your head, creating another type of problem. You will get lots of advice on which windshield is most effective. Best of luck.

 

You will always have that wind at highway speeds. A windscreen will help. You will get used to it with more experiance. You dont want to grip the bars so tight, as you found out. It can also cause cramping up.

 

Threw a dart flyscreen on my bike... Helped a lot. Took most of the pressure of my chest. I can wear a hat up to 50ish mph

 

When I was a new rider last year my first highway experience wasn't much different. I didn't grip so hard that my fingertips got numb, but with the wind hitting my chest I felt like a parachute. I only had several hundred miles in the seat (and the stock 883 seat doesn't help much). My second highway ride I had to pass a tractor trailer and got a good bit of buffeting.

I got used to it with experience and added a flyscreen that made a big difference. I have over 4,200 miles now and highway riding is no longer an issue.

 

I got a windshield from a sportster 1200 touring model. Its 14 inches tall and works great for me. In 5/8 at 190 and I can cruise at 75 all day without getting beat up.

 

Thanks for the sound advice. Another thing I forgot to mention was the force of the wind on my helmet. Every time I would do a shoulder check, it would whip my head backwards, and I had to fight to re-center it. I guess these are all things that will get better with experience. It definitely didn't discourage me from riding, I was just wondering if other riders felt the same way when they started riding on the highway.

 

There's a reason why I call my bike Seabuscuit.

I'm 5'-9" and 145 lbs. You will get blown around on windy days, just the nature of both you/bike weighing ~700 lbs and you sitting in an upright position. I would find some straight, low traffic volume county roads in good condition and gradually open the bike up to a higher speed each time. You will get used to the bike is at those speeds and then freeways won't seem so bad since they are built to a higher standard.

As for tensing up. As soon as you death grip the bars, try pointing your fingers straight down. Your thumb and index finger will form an upside-down U and your palms will just rest on the grips. I also gripped the bars very tight at first until I started doing this and it helped me become a relaxed rider even when riding aggressively.

Hope this helps.

 

Try leaning forward and relax the grip on the bars. Holding on tight will transmit the road and bike vibration into your hands making things worse. Holding on tight also stops the bike from doing its thing.

 

I went through much the same experience when I got back into motorcycles after 40 years "out of the saddle" at age 65 in 2017. As I rode more and more on my 2017 XL1200T Superlow, I gained more confidence. Noting that I have an OEM windshield, you will find (as others have mentioned) that this will help a lot. I got over the "death grip" after committing to highway riding and learning to deal with wind, trucks and buffeting. After about 14 months of riding, I took a long trip (1600 miles in 6 days), almost all of it on Interstates at 60-70 mph. The longest was 450 miles in 1 day with several well over 300. The last day was in some rain and 25 mph wind with gusts to 30 for 320 miles. After that final "initiation" I now ride with confidence in all circumstances. You will too with practice and commitment over time.