Wind

[Marcus]

Riding along the east coast of tassie today. The wind was so strong it blew me into the other lane about 5 times thankfully no traffic was coming.

Got me thinking

Has anyone actually been blow off the road?

[StinkyPete]

My mate, who is a skinny little runt, got blown off the road while riding his 250 Kawasaki Ninja.    No injuries and much laughter from everyone else.   

[Brock]

Had a mate who had that problem, he ended up selling the Gold 1100. Funny thing was, that I was riding in the same group, hit by the same wind and I didnt move (apart from a little tilting into the wind)  Turns out, that he locked up and fought the bike every time a gust hit instead of letting the bikes gyro effect work for him.

[HunterTodd]

I recently rode up from the south coast in an 80km/h cross wind.  It was really difficult to keep the bike in the lane on the freeway.  I had to ride on the extreme left of the lane because the bike drifted the full width of the lane on the gusts. It was an  extremely tiring ride but it got worse when I crossed the hunter river flats which funnel led the wind and increased the speed
 The combination of the wind and my fatigue almost made me ring a mate with a trailer to come and get me!

[Biggles]

Had a mate who had that problem, he ended up selling the Gold 1100. Funny thing was, that I was riding in the same group, hit by the same wind and I didnt move (apart from a little tilting into the wind)  Turns out, that he locked up and fought the bike every time a gust hit instead of letting the bikes gyro effect work for him.

Momentum is your friend!  Mo = Mass x Velocity       


 

[Chops]

I find a full tank and a feed of fish n chips helps

[Chops]

Seriously it was very blowy around Lake Bathurst yesterday
I had the short screen on and i think that helps with wind and when passing trucks on the Newell

[Jglan10 (Onesie)]

Rode dad's st 1300 to the mechanic and the wind affects the 1300 more than the 1100 even with tne traler it doesn't affect me as much

[ST2UP]

When I first read the heading I thought you where in strife again in Tassie  my first thought was to lay off the franks and beans with the egg floater at breakfasts......


Yep wind can be a right bar steward......both kinds.


The bigger "sail" you are being 2 up etc the more wind you catch, and yep have been blown around but not generally out of my lane....just a case on keeping an eye on your road position.....if the wind is hammering in from your left  ride in the left wheel track to buy you some grace for the gust that will throw you off track etc.

Enjoy Tassie mate 

[Gadget]

Sometimes you can watch the grasses off to the windward side of the road, and 'see' the wind gusts coming and can lean into it as it hits or at least brace for it.  A bit like sailors do on the water.

I had a ride to Port Macquarie where the wind was gusting up to 130 km/h both side on and head on. 

I spent one section of the highway riding at a lean of what felt like about 30 degrees from vertical for several hundred metres.

When I got to Port, I had a red spot on my forehead from the constant head wind pushing the helmet hard into my head.

[Carsten]

And today, not only is there wind in Tassie, its pissing down, 10 degrees and snow on the mountain.

[Marcus]

7 degrees through lake leake road the wind is really a bother. 80km all the way. On our way to pancake place then St-Helen     Only rained for 5 minutes this morning. Radar looks clear for the tip half of tassie

[Carsten]

Make the pancakes extra hot for Tania.

[Lionel]

"Has anyone actually been blow off the road?"

Well, there was this one time when I was riding too closely behind Tipsy.

[Marcus]

Had an off today. Pulling out of the carpark at elephant pass pancake place. Fully loaded up, carrying an extra few kg worth of pancakes. Is was a steep dirt driveway with a narrow road on blind bends. I stopped to check traffic. That was my undoing.

Hand slipped, dropped the clutch, stalled, instantly grabbed front brake, foot slipped on gravel. Next thing I knew we were down.

Crowd laughing and pointing in pancake place

Pick up the bike and my dignity. Got Tania to check for traffic. Take 2. Onto the road load up the co-pilot and zoomed out of there.

Bike suffered no damage. Just a bruised ego 

[Williamson]

7 degrees through lake leake road .....

Warm day at Lake Leake?

.... Fully loaded up, carrying an extra few kg worth of pancakes.....

Easy to overload on Elephant Pass pancakes.

[Kev Murphy]

WHOOPS! Marcus... lesson learned

At least it only dented the dignity.

[Kev Murphy]

Riding the Bol Dor a few years back, there were tree windbreaks at the side of the road, then an open paddock. As I cleared the trees the side winds caught me left footed and I found myself on the centre line of the highway, and had to ride some distance side saddle until the next wind break.
Slowed me down a bit, as I had been happily cruising at highway speed until the wind hit.

[Shiney]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck Marcus




Back in 2013 on the way back from the OzSTOC National Rally I had the following experience

Extract from Shiney’s 2013 Rally Ride Part 3 of 3

....
We got through the roadworks and got back up to 110, the wind and the rain had gotten worst, this was the worst I had ever ridden through.



A bit further down the road I was hit by a gust of wind that forced me clear off the road into the emergency stopping area on the side of the highway.
I gave the beast more power and forced the bike back onto the roadway.



....

First thing in the morning Streak informs me that it wasn’t just bad weather we had ridden through yesterday… it was Tornadoes along the NSW/Vic border! and we had been doing 110 kph in 120 kph winds… (WOW)
(It was indeed a good move to call the day early)

....