Riding in the wind
Informal and experience based
Here’s one for all you regular or aspiring “all year rounders” and especially for this time of year. Just ridden home in a 40mph+ Shetland blow and rising so I thought I would list out some bits of advice from 20+ winters riding in various parts of the country...
Obviously anyone who knows anything about Shetland might have an idea of how windy it is at 60N and we experience regular gale forces with prolonged gales/stormy weather around this time. It’s more a case of surprise at still days rather than the other way round. Down in the SW where we were for 15+ years it was known to blow a bit as well!
The main thing is not to ride once it gets too wild. Early in my riding career I had a midnight ride along the A38 to Plymouth in a near hurricane and only just kept it off the Armco on 3 lanes. Perhaps not wise but work beckoned...
Shetland has no obstacles to stop the wind so it is relentless and can literally blow you off the road and half way across the scenery if you get too brave. “Sooth” it’s more a case of mixing it with traffic and also the gaps in the scenery that cause the problems!
So...
1. Is it safe to get the bike out? I usually stop at force 7/8+ as standing up is difficult enough
2. Plan your ride. Know where the exposed places are and where to expect the wind from (not as easy in sheltered bits with twists and turns).
3. Relax... Especially for newer riders you can get the arse/hand/teeth death grip of fear but this makes it 10x worse. The bike will move and you counter it with smooth countersteer and give yourself room by keeping across the lane closer to the wind so when it does move you, you don’t run out of road. Pivot round your hips and let the bike do its thing... (similar to slip sliding over things in the wet).
4. Keep in a gear or so lower as it keeps the bike dynamically “tighter” by making the bike work harder at keeping straight. Too high a gear and you will wander much more.
5. Don’t go too slow! If you are on an open road and slow to a crawl then the bike will be all over the place... Forward momentum keeps it straighter, upright and more predictable. Also it’s fine to go in a straight line leaning over!
6. Judge your bike... A light scooter will be affected far worse than a big heavy bike. A fully faired tourer will potentially be a bigger sail. A high faired-in bike is a bigger obstacle to cross winds. My best bike in a gale... K1200RS company bike with shit loads of weight and a steering damper... I was nearly blown off the bike but it remained straight and true. One of the worst... My old CBR600 with its solid bodywork and a short wheelbase. It could change lanes in a strong gust! Present 1000 V-Strom is surprisingly good GS’s etc do pretty well
7. Watch other traffic especially oncoming. A big Artic will project a sudden turbulence/headwind significantly wider so catching you full in the face. On the motorway/dual carriageway a big vehicle can give you a wild ride as you pass it to leeward so going turbulence/low pressure vortex (sucks you in)/sudden smack in the chops as you hit the wind again. Be ready for it!
8. Watch the weather forecast so you know if you are about to give yourself the ride from hell and can take the car/van/bus instead As with my A38 hurricane above, if I had known, I would have been late for work
9. Watch for contradictory wind directions such as passing through cuttings etc as the wind funnels and reflects so giving you several different directions in a few hundred metres...
10. Watch for gaps such as street ends and gates, and places that have signs saying “Vent Lateral” in France!
11. Errant wheelie bins, bits of tree, all manner of detritus not tied down can be out to get you so pay attention to the road surface. The f’ing wheelie bin is a council appointed menace.
12. The day after will leave roads littered with crap such as twigs/branches/ next doors kids toys/shop signs/the odd roof, so keep a look out.
There are loads of other bits but I am sure anyone can add their favourites... but the main thing is, use your brain, enjoy it and ride safe... It’s all part of the experience!
PS It’s now 50mph+ and rising... I know several people on a ferry in the North Sea travelling 200 miles “sooth” danight... Bike in garage for “peerie start”...