gs and cross winds

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julien

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Hi there
i am seriously thinking about buying a 1100 gs and was wondering how this bike is dealing with cross winds, which can be quite nasty up here in Scotland. I have taken up surfing lessons since commuting on my K75... never fallen off the board but you certainly get wet fairly easily...to what a work collegue said "Don't worry, your skin is waterproof" before getting in his new mini! Any comments welcome.
Cheers
J.
 
Hang loose !

Julien -- No , not a hippy exhortation ! Rather the best mode of approach to riding in strong / gusty sidewinds .

The GS is not prone to adverse reactions compared to other motorbikes , however , if you grip the bars you will cause the bike to respond to your inputs through the bars , and that spells problems - leading to gripping harder - leading to greater and greater direction changes .

Self fulfilling prophesy !

In gusting high winds the best approach is to maintain a loose contact with the bars , relax and maintain your normal cruising speed , utilising counter-steering as the principal means of dealing with sudden gusts . This takes considerable practice and concentration so , I've found that it helps to take breaks more often than the norm in order to relax and replenish the soul .

Easier said than done I know , but it works .

Apologies if I've attempted to teach my grandmother to suck eggs !

All the best and welcome to the site . -- Jim

ps. - you'll not regret buying the best of the GSes - 1100s rule !
 
Thank you Jim!
I will remember the advice next time I come across.. cross winds! I come from France so I was not used to very windy conditions so your kind of detailed advice was very much appreciated. Hopefully the 1100 GS will soon materialize...was also considering a RS or RT but I am not that keen on taking up sailing lessons as I have the sneaky suspicion that the bigger fairing, the bigger the surfing.
Cheers
Julien.
 
I dont know why winds get so cross. Its not as if they have to work for a living, they just mosey on along, passing some wonderful scenery on the way.
I would deal with them by wagging a finger at them and telling them to calm down and stop being so angry.
I can understand them getting cross if the were caught up in a tornado or something like that. That must piss them off a little.but in general, they have a breeze of a time.
 
Den, all good points, but remember some wind gets stuck up peoples' arses. Not nice. I'd be cross.
 
julien said:


not that keen on taking up sailing lessons as I have the sneaky suspicion that the bigger fairing, the bigger the surfing.


.
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Julien I rode my 1150RT in North Wales recently, high winds, in company with a Two up 1150GS, and the GS comlained of side winds, I hadn't noticed any probs. could be the wind goes smoothly around the fairing and not like a sail that the naked GS presents. Dunno.
 
Thak=nks for your comments.
After reading other theads in side winds. it seems like everybody copes with them in their own wee way. As far as my K75 is concerned, I learnt not to panic too much when both wheels started to drift off but it is something quite disconcerting to get used to: I guess that I am bound to face strong gusty winds and very wet surfaces here in Scotland...always tricky no matter the bike it seems...just a question of picking the best of a not-really-designed-for-wet-windy-conditions machines.
All I need to remember is the bike I fancy, the R1100GS! And if it takes a black one to go faster or a blue one to deal with wet weather...like my father in-law says "details are for bird brains!"
Merci everybody
Julien.
 
Perfect advice from JB. I'll add this though...

Watch your surroundings...look for the gaps in the trees/hedges/vehicles. Work out what will happen with the wind when you pass things.

My favourite trick is to decide things like...when I pass this big lorry I'm going to pull back into lane 2...and then DO something positive and fight against the elements to do it. To be passive is to be blown about willy-nilly. Look, analyse, then enforce. :D
 
The most unnerving bit of road in a strong crosswind that I know (unless you know its coming) is the cutting through the Chilterns on the M40 near Jct 5 especially if you are heading towards Oxford.

You are fairly well sheltered, though with the occasional gap to give you a good gust, as you approach the cutting. As you go into the cutting, there is a strong eddy which makes the wind come from the opposite direction.

As you leave the cutting, you come into a comletely unsheltered stretch of road and the wind changes direction again by 180 degrees and is considerably stronger (as there is nothing in the way since the Berkshire Downs).

Fun! The first time I encountered this in a Force 8, I was petrified.

Paul
 
Den said:
I dont know why winds get so cross. Its not as if they have to work for a living, they just mosey on along, passing some wonderful scenery on the way.

cos they cant ride a bike :D
Click to expand...
 
julien said:
...was also considering a RS or RT but I am not that keen on taking up sailing lessons as I have the sneaky suspicion that the bigger fairing, the bigger the surfing.
Click to expand...

I'm new on this forum. I've got a 2001 R1150R and I'm thinking of trading it in for either a GS (probably 1200) or an RT. However, the RT is quite a bit heavier than my R, and I thought the GS to be a good compromise. What I want is some reasonable protection from wind and weather on my occasional trips to UK and France.

What is the protection on a GS like at 80+ mph?
 
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