Had a few lively rides on the M40 recently being blown about by strong crosswinds. What techniques work best for you in gusty conditions? I try to adopt the loose hold on the handlebars and steady speed through it but find myself chickening out, pulling over and slowing down if the wind is really blowing.
I usually try to lean into it a little... We had a horrible section of a ride year with ferocious side winds and rain whilst going across the middle of France on open plains. The main issue was the lorries going in the other direction, you got swamped with a wall of water and the side wind stopped and then hit you as you cleared the back of the lorry. I've always noticed this effect more in Europe for some reason.
Agreed had similar in northern France - the one time I was really pleased I had traction control as felt like going down motorway at 45 degrees - still missed the ferry
I did the M40 yesterday and know exactly what you mean about the M40 crosswinds. You don't need a really light grip on the bars, just keep your arms loose so any movement from the front wheel doesn't travel through you. Happy riding.
Thought I was going to die today. M40 maybe 95 lane 3. Coming out of London and passed that large cutting that opens out to a vast open area. Got blown straight from lane 3 to 2 in an instant. So lucky the other lanes were free as I had absolutely no say in where I was heading.
The M5 is scary in the wind My SS got blown about I too ended up from lane 3/2 scared me so I pulled into lane 1 and travelled at 40 till it was safer to go faster
Physics does help - there's a sweet spot: too slow and you're not getting enough help from the bike's gyroscopes (its wheels) and too fast and things can happen too fast for you to correct. The Wind in the Willows | Ducati Diary - and,yes, the Pont de Normandie in an Atlantic gale is a full-on underwear mangler.
I ride quite loose, and lean into any movement, in fact it is quite good fun sometimes like on a merry go around, every straight is like a bend I have ridden in some pretty bad conditions, and it has never bothered me too much, it is true there is a good speed to ride in windy condition, too slow for sure makes it far worse. I agree when riding abroad too, Lorries seem to bring a far worse wall of wind when they pass you, maybe because they drive much faster, but once you see one coming you are ready for it, so I just duck down.
Helpful piece Techno, thanks. I've definitely been guilty of rider over reaction recently. But through trial and error I've found keeping loose in the arms and maintaining a constant reasonable speed works well for me.
Oddly, that hasn't been much of a problem for me in the Netherlands, which is the home of the windmill for a damned good reason. Then again, I rode an inline 4/250 in Wellington (NZ) where getting blown into the next lane was not unusual. Happened to me in a hatchback once, to give you an idea of the winds in that area. Mostly, I keep the arms loose and the throttle open and lean into it, much like riding over a corrugated surface. Well, except for the part about leaning, because I can't see that going so well on corrugated dirt.
