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when is windy too windy?

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Deleted member 23845

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All,
Pondering taking the MV Agusta out this morning. But, it is windy enough to be blowing my backyard hammock over on its stand, there is a "wind advisory" and yeah.
Gusts to over 35 mph in Sugar Land. What say you? Different bikes respond with their own aerodynamics. My Guzzi bikes seem to plow through anything. When I had my Triumph 675 STRX it would blow around like a feather. MV is more planted, but also very light. Guess I will walk the poodles and then decide.
 
Some bikes just handle better than others in the wind...but today, yea, IMO it's too windy...even for my Bandit that does great in windy conditions.
 
Call me weird but I love riding in the wind. I haven't met conditions yet that have stopped me. I do draw the line at rain/snow though so I'm not typically riding into extreme wind gusts from major downpours. I think the highest wind gusts I've ridden were in the 45-50 mph range when we had the remnants of a hurricane move through. The head winds were annoying on a naked bike and then it got fun when I changed direction and the wind was a cross wind. I do slow down a bit when dealing with high cross winds and especially when going over an overpass. It's amazing how much the wind speed picks up just going over i35 and i365 on George Bush.
 
Leaning into a corner with a high wind sure is interesting, you can go from fighting a headwind to either it trying to blow you back up vertical or pushing you down on the ground, or vice versa. It's an odd thing to adjust to while going round the corner.
 
I commuted on my GS this morning. Yeah, it was windy, but not too bad. I remember riding a Goldwing in strong wind. That big windscreen became a bit fat kite! :shock:

I'd say it's too windy when some hard flying objects hit you as you ride... like flying 2x4... :rider:
 
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Like anything, riding in strong winds is just another skill a rider can learn. I rode down I-25 in Colorado last March when the cross wind was so strong there were over-turned semis and trailers littering the hwy. I rode a good 130 miles with 1/2 my butt cheeks hanging over the downwind side and the bike leaned into the wind. I rode like that even between wind gusts, because when the gust does hit, the bike is already in an attitude that can buck it a lot better. Even then, I had to be ready to crank the lean angle even more into the cross wind to compensate whenever a gust hit, and be ready to do the opposite when it died down. Oh, I also kept my torso low closer to the bike to reduce the moment arm when the wind tried to push me over.

It was 1 part terror and 3 parts fun... but then, so was my first track day trying to keep up with the bike ahead of me going wayyy faster through corners than I've ever managed in all the years of road riding before. It's terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. It's times like that where you learn FAST.

So... short of riding head on into a tornado or in the middle of a hurricane, no, I don't think there is such as thing as too windy to ride.
 
BTW... this is what I rode through last year: https://www.outtherecolorado.com/st...qCUF2P4lpfcMgVZjXJ9tCInOOIYrU5C2X-HW2QzeSQ5nA

Stopping at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs...

234596
 
MidlifeCrisis said:
By the time I rode into NM, the wind had died down a bit.
View attachment 234600
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This reminds me of the time I rode to Colorado a few years ago. I was riding a NC700X on that trip. The headwind was so strong from Clayton NM to Raton, I was WOT. That bike will not go faster than 65mph.
 
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Two problems I see in that vid.

1. He slowed down. The strong gust startled the rider and the survival instinct was to stop what is going on. You MUST maintain power, because that is the only way you can leverage the motorcycle to help you fight the wind. It's an action-reaction. The head wind was pushing him, and even if the rider was Arnold Schwarzenegger, he couldn't possibly be strong enough to push back with his own strength. The big KTM has 100+HP and could easily counteract that wind force. Also, keeping his speed up would have maintained the gyroscopic stabilization effect of the bike's 2 wheels, which would also have helped to keep the bike from getting blown over.

I thought about stopping to take some pics of the blown-over trailers and semis, but I did not... precisely because I would have risked joining the scenery.

2. He stayed upright. Again he was startled and didn't know how to react. He should've immediately shifted his body to the downwind side and yank the bike to lean it into the wind... and stay on the gas! Again, it's force vs. reactive force. The bike is a far heavier and more powerful tool. Use it.

OTOH, I can understand the funneling effect in those valleys, but I cannot imagine that rider had absolutely no inkling what what is forthcoming. I remember from Colorado Springs and Trinidad I rode through many tall mounds by the side of the highway that temporarily block the nasty crosswind. It doesn't take a genius to figure out some even nastier gusts and eddy turbulence were waiting just on the other side. So I made sure I cranked the bike over hard and got on the throttle just before the onslaught.
 
MidlifeCrisis said:
I remember from Colorado Springs and Trinidad I rode through many tall mounds by the side of the highway that temporarily block the nasty crosswind. It doesn't take a genius to figure out some even nastier gusts and eddy turbulence were waiting just on the other side. So I made sure I cranked the bike over hard and got on the throttle just before the onslaught.
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I've experienced that pretty bad coming down Hwy 95 in SE Utah. When we arrived at a Ranger station he was surprised to see us. We'd been fighting the winds for hours. He told us that they had sustained winds of 50mph plus all day. If we weren't prepared for those cut through the hills, when the wind switched sides it could take us to the other side of the highway or off the shoulder on our side by the time we reacted. Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic and we focused on trying to stay as close to the center of the entire road as we could. When we finally stopped for the night, we parked the bike pointing into the wind and did not put covers on them as we had been doing previous nights.
 
I agree and thought of both of those things, I also noticed that dropoff and the thought of being blown into that guardrail at speed would have my sphincter so tight I don't know what I'd have done there.
 
While I have not been able to ride for some time due to medical reasons, few things will stop me from riding. Rain, snow, or frozen roads are among the list. Wind is usually not a big issue unless extended riding is expected. Normally I compensate by just slowing down a little. Strong chance of rain will most always make me alter my course if on a trip or if cause me to cancel if just a local ride. Really hate the rain. However, once in it and dressed for the occasion, its not so bad.
 
I don't like being really cold. Mid to upper 30s is where I tend to start canceling my plans if I can. Although, I have ridden down into the 20s. Ice/snow is not fun. Rain is not a biggie so long as it is not a raging storm. I HATE being cold and wet. If it is going to be wet, I generally start canceling around 50 degrees. Really strong winds just gets old after a while. Heat I can do up to about 105 F.
 
I had a Gen. 2 KLR I loved the bike but in a large cross wind in gusts it would knock me out of my lane at 65-70 mph.. Too much faring for a tall bike I guess. Like someone said, some bikes are better in wind. The KTM in video was like a sail with all that was on it.
 
I would suggest all depends on where you are confidence and experience on your bike. I was up in Ark this weekend and we had some 40/50 MPH gusts. When one of those hits you it will Wake you up. Know your limitations.
 
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grandelatte said:
This reminds me of the time I rode to Colorado a few years ago. I was riding a NC700X on that trip. The headwind was so strong from Clayton NM to Raton, I was WOT. That bike will not go faster than 65mph.
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That stretch may be the scariest wind riding I've ever done. It was steady at 35 mph with much higher gusts - all the way from Dumas to Raton - and with much higher wind gusts. Plus, I was leaning the bike hard to keep it on a straight path and, as I passed trucks, that would sometimes very suddenly reverse and the bike would veer toward the truck as I corrected. That evening I ran into a couple of ElectraGlide riders in Salida. One asked me "Did you come through that wind in NM? I've never been so scared on a bike."

To me, 20mph is annoying, 30mph is getting unnerving, and 40mph is dangerous. I'll ride through wind when I'm getting somewhere, but I don't necessarily enjoy it.

Skill and confidence definitely play a part. It also has to do with the particular bike. My Wee handles wind quite well, and a little bit better than my '05 Wee did. I've ridden some older bikes that were just plain dangerous in winds above 20mph - the front end would get floaty and very difficult to control.

Have you ever had the wind rip your tank bag off your bike? That'll get your attention too.
Also, helmet fit is crucial. I have a roundish head, and my old Sheoi Multitech was long. In high wind, it would tend to corkscrew around my head. I can't tell you how disconcerting that is! :eek2:
 
I was leaving Wyoming headed towards the Royal Gorge years ago in the worst wind I've ever been in. Two lane highway 191 just north of Rock Springs and the truck traffic was fairly steady. Direct crosswind from the east, so each oncoming truck would block the wind blast, then abruptly turn in back on. First time that happened I very nearly left my lane and side swiped the truck. Going slower didn't seem to help much - so tried to ride the outside line and react as quickly as I could and truck after truck cut the gusts. The Rock Springs weather said winds at 35 gusting to 55.
 
Lucydad said:
All,
Pondering taking the MV Agusta out this morning. But, it is windy enough to be blowing my backyard hammock over on its stand, there is a "wind advisory" and yeah.
Gusts to over 35 mph in Sugar Land. What say you? Different bikes respond with their own aerodynamics. My Guzzi bikes seem to plow through anything. When I had my Triumph 675 STRX it would blow around like a feather. MV is more planted, but also very light. Guess I will walk the poodles and then decide.
Click to expand...

About 15-20mph has been my max on Little Blu. More than that and its a lot of work and also slows the bike down. Not fun. Depends on the bike I guess nd what stretches of road you're riding. If you're protected by some wind breaks you may be ok but if you're in the wide open you'll get tossed around.
 
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