Sidewinds

[Wossname]

I've been thinking about the best way to cope with these. We've all seen the video clips of riderless bikes continuing on a fairly stable path due to gyro effects which give a surprising amount of stability. When a sidewind hits, my impression is that the bike is deflected in a vertical plane, but not much as regards it's path along the road due to this gyroscopic stability. I have the feeling that many riders react to e.g. a gust from the L by steering TO the L, in an instinctive attempt to counteract the perceived push to the R. In it's effect on the bike, however, this is a countersteer which will turn the bike slightly to the R and make any resulting deviation worse - hence the comment that "I got blown across 2 lanes". I could be wrong in my conclusion, obv.

The better way to counteract a gust like this, surely, would be to countersteer INTO the wind i.e towards the direction of the gust - so, push with the L bar? Interestingly, the new Motorcycle Roadcraft, which I may have mentioned elsewhere recently, has very little to say about sidewinds, but recommends "taking a firm grip on the bars", which is the opposite of what i find helpful. I prefer to keep a relaxed grip on the bars, and instead grip with my thighs to steady myself on the bike.

I could, of course, be completely wrong.

[Skub]

When sidewinds became a thing of terror for me on my little Innova,I employed the little known riding technique of trading it in for a considerably heavier SH300i

It worked a treat.

[The Spin Doctor]

I've been thinking about the best way to cope with these. We've all seen the video clips of riderless bikes continuing on a fairly stable path due to gyro effects which give a surprising amount of stability. When a sidewind hits, my impression is that the bike is deflected in a vertical plane, but not much as regards it's path along the road due to this gyroscopic stability. I have the feeling that many riders react to e.g. a gust from the L by steering TO the L, in an instinctive attempt to counteract the perceived push to the R. In it's effect on the bike, however, this is a countersteer which will turn the bike slightly to the R and make any resulting deviation worse - hence the comment that "I got blown across 2 lanes". I could be wrong in my conclusion, obv.

The better way to counteract a gust like this, surely, would be to countersteer INTO the wind i.e towards the direction of the gust - so, push with the L bar?

Yes... steer into the wind. It gets very tiring maintaining a constant pressure on one side of the bars, so one trick I learned on long despatch rides on windy days on motorways was to sit partially off the seat towards the wind. That makes the bike steer in that direction too... but it also makes it slightly easier to 'brace' to maintain that pressure. Don't forget momentum though - it always wants to go straight.

Interestingly, the new Motorcycle Roadcraft, which I may have mentioned elsewhere recently, has very little to say about sidewinds, but recommends "taking a firm grip on the bars", which is the opposite of what i find helpful. I prefer to keep a relaxed grip on the bars, and instead grip with my thighs to steady myself on the bike.

Where is the slap head icon? Who writes this stuff? The best way to generate instability on a gusty day is a 'firm grip' - every gust of wind will blow the upper body around and then the rider feeds that directly into the steering. The answer is exactly what you suggest - locking into the tank with the knees (what I call the 'brace position') and keeping everything above the hips flexible and able to sway in the breeze.

I could, of course, be completely wrong.

Nope. Not in my book. Literally. Which reminds me... I've forgotten something

[Horse]

Spin has just covered stuff on Fb which overlaps with this.

Grip the tank with your knees, loose grip on the bars, let the bike sort itself out.

Edit: just seen his post.

[Wossname]

@ Spin: "Who writes this stuff?"

More or less the same team that were responsible for the 1996 edition. They also have the assistance of the authors of 6 full pages of references at the back. It's described as "The Police Rider's Handbook", so it begs to be treated as authoritative.

I'd love somebody to come on here and justify it as a motorcycling "manual".

[Bigyin]

As the experts have said, loose grip on bars, knees on tank and move ass on seat into wind direction.

The only thing i would add is look well ahead at the signs the environment is giving you for wind direction. If birds are hovering into wind and suddenly get blown away when thy turn then brace that way. Watch for oncoming highsided vehicles if you are leaning right into wind as it will suddenly drop. Look ahead for gaps in trees and buildings.

Steady high winds is easier to deal with, gusting high winds is another matter