Wind

[Davel]

Went for a run out with a colleague last week up towards Wick in the rather ferocious coastal side winds on Thursday.

I was being blown from side to side and that, coupled with the snow and extreme cold, made me decide to turn round (what a wuss). Even the starter button and indicators froze up.

Saw other bikes, including my mates FJR, which didn't seem to be bouncing around anywhere near as badly as me.

Is it me or are these bikes more susceptible to side winds than more faired bikes?

 

[JayGee]

I think they are more susceptible to side winds. But I have realised something which may help. The wind tends to catch my upper body and if I'm not careful this introduces a small movement of the bars which are so wide that even the gentlest pressure gives a bit of steering input. I now make sure I'm not gripping the bars and try and lean forwards a bit so that a wind blast from the side does not cause me to put any pressure on the bars.
Having said that the bike is tall with skinny tyres and the rider is very upright so it's easy to see how side winds affect it more that short, low machines.
Now I've got used to it and improved my technique I don't really find it too much of a problem. Stick with it, the winds have been quite extreme recently.
Cheers JG

 

[TEESTAR]

mines the same, the standard screen is rank, i think the problem is that the screen is to far in front of you which lets the air turbulence converge between you and the screen instead of behind you, i think the handguards catch the wind as well.
try and crank-up the rear shock, i found that it helped stabilize the front end

 

[clerici]

cross winds take more effort and concentration - allow extra space just in case you get moved by a gust, look for windy places ahead eg open terrain, gaps in hedges etc but stay relaxed; watch vehicles in front as they'll show where gusty sections are...a real clue will be loads of caravans lying by the road on their roofs...if in doubt for those really strong windy areas like just N of Leeds! go a bit slower!

 

[roddy]

I rode my 1100GS home from Standstead, just bought it on Sat and it was a bit blustery in places.

I found if you kept the revs about 5K (60mph in 3rd) you didn't get knock about as much as 4k (60 in 4th) destroyed the fuel ecomony but it was safer, the thinking was if the engine is reving higher then you have the gyroscopic effect of all that metal wizzing about so you'll not get blown off line as readily.

Roddy

 

[Davel]

I take your point but I'm really more concerned about the very strong gales that were up in the Wick area last Thursday.

I can cope with fairly strong gusts but these were extreme and seemed to affect my bike certainly more than the following FJR.

What really added insult to injury was that both my starter button and indicators all froze up too, whereas the 3 year old FJR just seemed to take it all in its stride.

 

[birdseye]

They're definitely less suspectible to side winds that a typical faired bike albeit you do suffer from buffeting by big trucks.

I live near the old Severn bridge which is a real problem when SW winds are howling up the Bristol channel. On my previous bike - a Pan - there were times when I was down to 20mph for fear or either being swept into the wire rope on one side or a car on the other.

The GS is much better, particularly if you can relax enough to hold the bars really loosely. The prob with the GS is wide bars so that if your shoulders get blown, it affects the steering more than a narrow barred sports type bike. Hold on tight it gets worse, hold loose and its better.

What you feel is a wild swerve and what others see behind you are 2 different things.

 

[STU12]

well its much better than my ktm 950 adv. Mild gusts would find me doing an involuntary lane change... however as has been said before your arm/body position on the bike acts as a natural sail and that accentuates any cross wind you get.

On trackdays with the supermotos we used to tuck our arm behind us to get the extra speed on the straight . That looks a little odd on the GS so coming down the M1 on Sunday I just rode most of the trip with my clutch arm resting in my lap which helped no end passing lorries etc... as the wind spilled around me.

Also noticed its more susceptible to wind movement if you keep the speed low ( 60 - 70 ) .

Stu

 

[Welshmagician]

I followed an R1 down the M6 last week, wind was gusting a fair bit, the R1 changed lane at least once due to catching a gust as the guy passed an unprotected stretch of motorway, i can't say i found the 1200 deviating any more than i would have expected my old R1100Rt to have or even my old K1100Rs, certainly the 1200 gs is a tall target especially fitted with the givi 52ltr top box i use but i managed to stay in lane and with a little bit of anticipation and light hands i find it has perfectly acceptable manners in the wind regardless of mean wind speed or sudden gusts, it gets its fair share of gales down in pembrokeshire, sw force 8-9 isnt unusual and the bike copes admirably.

 

[GSmonkey]

I have wind problems - mainly due to my change to a 'healthy diet'

 

[TheJoker]

I have wind problems - mainly due to my change to a 'healthy diet'

Have you tried pulling your finger? It usually helps for me..

 

[Davel]

To be honest, I agree with birdseye - it was probably made worse by me gripping the bars and steering the bike as my shoulders and upper body were hit by the gales.

The guy with the FJR has just told me that he was about to turn round anyway as it really wasn't safe to continue in that weather.

So, if any of you guys were the few bikers heading up to the Orkneys on that day, I hope that you made it safely and you have my utmost respect for battling through the snow and wind - especially the girl pillion passenger on one of the bikes.