Riding Your Motorbike In High Winds

About the only negative of riding a motorbike in this part of Spain (Almerimar) is that from time to time we get some pretty strong winds. In fact as a quick aside, I was surprised to learn recently that Spain has the third most wind turbines in the world after the USA and Germany.

Now to be fair, you can generally count the number of really windy days in a year on two hands so it tends to be a case of wait a day or two and then take the motorbike out for a ride, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. This was the case recently when I ended up riding through some of the strongest winds that I have ever encountered.

Last time I wrote about Post Ride Recovery Tips after long journeys, so this time I thought I woud pass on some advice for riding in high winds.

First up wind is a good thing! Without it you wouldn’t ride with the wind in your face, nor would we get the great sense of smell that riding a motorbike provides, and it certainly helps makes us aware of traffic noises that get carried on the wind. Here in Spain especially it acts as a air conditioning unit for the body, carrying away the heat of the sun during the long hot summers.

On the other side of the coin, wind can be a real pain! The sudden gust that threatens to blow both you and the bike under the rather large lorry that you are overtaking. And like a two faced bitch at the same time as it is cooling you down on a summers ride, it is dehydrating you at the same time!

So what can we do to prevent the effects of riding in high winds?

Luckicly I have a couple of Harley-Davidson motorbikes, a Fat Boy and a Road King Classic. As heavyweight bikes they hold up well in the wind as a general rule, but when the wind does get them they can really lose that anchor for a moment. In general though, the heavier your bike the better as far as riding in high winds goes. The Fat Boy with its lower centre of gravity is slightly better equiped, but the fact I ride it without a windshield overall is great, but does take away a little protection, but then again the windshield on the Road King Classic can act like a sail in cross winds, but overall a screen is going to do you more favours than not! On the subject of the Fat Boy, the solid chrome wheels aren’t ideal for riding in high winds at all!!

Know Your Bike

I have found that the more upright ‘cruiser’ style of the Road King Classic gives better stability than the more open, wide armed style of the Fat Boy. That said the fact that Sands rides pillion on the Road King Classic doesn’t help in strong winds, nor does the fact that the luggage on the back sits above the center of gravity and has a tugging effect.

The thing is, it pays to know your bike. It is the unexpected that causes the most harm, and having now ridden thousands of miles on both bikes I am very aware of their strengths and limitations in high winds, and that is half the battle. Nothing you can do other than to learn by experience, but being aware of the potential effects on your bike, the way you ride it, and how it is set up will help you.

Act & React

Knowing your bike as stated above is one thing, knowing what to do in the event of strong winds is another. As you feel the wind pick up, or as you enter a stretch of road that is known for cross winds, think ahead and react in advance:

• adjust your riding position to be more upright
• bend the elbows more to give more flex to gusts of winds
• ligthen your grip! You will have probably tensed up and gripped the bars for dear life, which just makes it harder to steer
• countersteer into the wind to keep the bike upright i.e. lean into the wind!
• don’t panc! when a gust hits, and it will, don’t try and force the bike back, concentrate on getting it upright then steer a straight line

And of course, more than ever, pay attention to the traffic around you!

Be Prepared

More than ever what you wear can help you out in strong winds:

• sunglasses are great in the sun, but crap in the wind. You need something that keeps the wind out of your eyes
• to prevent dehydration wrap up well, but make sure everything is firmly fastened, last thing you need is a flapping jacket!

In its own way riding in high winds can be very challenging and very rewarding. It can be dangerous but needn’t be if you take care, plan ahead and stay sensible!