How much wind, is too much?

sockky

sockky

sockky

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4 Jan 2012
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Location
Sevenoaks, Kent
Just wondering if you guys think there is such a thing as too much wind.

Today, driving in to work I was being hit with gusts of wind that actually made me want to just stop riding for a little while. So I checked on met office to see what wind speeds are today and it's 19mph and 32mph gusts.

Along with all the nasty crud that has gathered in the middle of roads, I really did not enjoy today's ride and just felt in danger!
 
There is indeed such a thing as too much, more so now I have a faired bike and thus a more susceptible profile.
Part of it is down to your own experience - I ride a lot of miles and ride every day, all weathers, all year round. I'm perhaps more used to it and can work around it... but on rare occasions, I will still call it off if I think it's too bad to go out in.

Quick test, before you even ride off - If you're sat stationary on the bike and are getting seriously buffetted, so much that you're having real trouble keeping it upright, then look to your other options!

Better to arrive late than not arriving at all.
 
If you have a small bike it can be extremely dangerous.

But yes, there can be too much for any bike, hard to gauge before setting off though.
 
I was goign to ride this morning, got the bike out, started it up, walked back in to the garage, it pised it down and the bike was rocking on the side stand. needles to say i wheeled it back in and got in the car
 
Got blown across into another lane once, pretty scary :p

Happens quite a lot on bikes with a lot of fairings, you get used to it I think, as it seems to always be windy :D but it does get tiresome after having to fight the bike for miles. It's the gusts of side winds that catch you off guard that can be dangerous.
 
Couple of years ago I was coming up the A34 towards Oxford and it was raining and very windy. As I was going past a lorry, heading round a left hand bend, we cleared loads of trees on the left hand side and came to open countryside. The wind hit me and I still don't know how I didn't hit the central reservation barrier.

I got past the lorry and tucked myself in behind the next one and stayed on the inside lane the rest of the way to Oxford.

I can't say a number for too windy but I certainly know it when I feel/see it.
 
A good few decades ago, I rode over to Hayling Island on my 250cc super six, travelling quite fast. I do not know if the bridge is still there but it is long and crosses the tidal flats at low level. I was almost knocked flat and into the sea as I left the land and started across the water. One scary moment.
 
My DRZ400SM is terrible to ride in the wind, I always slow down when it's bad, I have been caught out a few times and it is not fun.
 
My old cbr1000f was terrible in the wind interesting at times.

I live in the fens, many years ago a friends missus was blown down a dyke she was ridding a rs250 we ****** ourselves cruel but you know what it's like when your young :p
 
can remember years ago riding to work on my cbr600 and it was blowing that hard from the side I was lent over a little riding in a straight line lol.

watch for openings when wind is blowing from the side as the gusts can blow you into traffic if there on you're. side of the road
 
See, I only drive a cbf 125 and im only around 5ft 6. I get knocked about badly! On my way to work, by the time Im driving past brands i can tell if its going to be too dangerous to keep on going. Gotta think of my safety!
 
ShakenNstirred said:
can remember years ago riding to work on my cbr600 and it was blowing that hard from the side I was lent over a little riding in a straight line lol.

watch for openings when wind is blowing from the side as the gusts can blow you into traffic if there on you're. side of the road
Click to expand...

Just as bad is when there is a very strong continuous wind that you are leaning into and it suddenly stops due to a building etc. I can remember performing a very swift maneuver onto the hard shoulder of the M5 due to this many years ago :D
 
My k1300s seems pretty stable, though I've yet to experience proper wind with it. The f800st with top box on was a bit of a bugger I recall. But I got used to it - as much as you can!
 
I've been off my bike for mostly 10 months, until the other day. I forgot how crap it was to ride in windy conditions, but it is something that you get used to, for the most part.
I did ride back on Monday though Germany, which was relatively nice, then on Tuesday morning from Hull to Liverpool, that wasn't enjoyable lol.
Admittedly I've not experienced it on a small bike before, however given time, I'm sure you can adapt.
 
I'm 5ft 5" and about 9.5 stone riding a Hornet, a few weeks back on my way home from work the gusts were 30+mph. It's honestly the first time sat at the lights i've thought i'm probably going to drop this bike. I simply didn't have the strength in my legs or arms to hold on. 30 more seconds and I would have dropped it, I was bloody exhausted when I got in the house. If it wasn't a naked bike i'd probably have had to lay it down.
 
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