Safety TipS
WIND
winds are one
of the most
challenging conditions faced by
motorcycle riders. Winds can blow
straight from any direction or
they can swirl around a bike com-
ing from several directions at
once. Winds can be steady or
gusty. Wind turbulence or a vacu-
um effect can be felt around large
vehicles when passing them or
when they pass you in the oppo-
site direction. The winds’ effect on
a bike is determined by bike
design including the center of
gravity, fairing, and trunk, and by
rider seat position and skill.
Motorcycle center of gravity is
like the water line on a boat.
Anything above the water line of a
boat is a sail and will be affected
by the wind. The motorcycle cen-
ter of gravity is found by drawing
a straight line from one end of the
bike to the other end. The line will
normally pass just below the
rider’s seat. Anything above the
center of gravity acts like a sail in
the wind. A motorcycle tends to
lean around its center of gravity.
Wind pushing below the center of
gravity has little effect, but wind
blowing on the sails above the
center of gravity has a much larg-
er effect on the bike.
A bike with a windshield, fair-
ing, and trunk will catch more
wind than a bare bones bike. Gear
added to a bike like tank bags,
bed rolls, and packs all act like
sails, catching the wind. Gear
should be strapped down tight so
it won’t flap. Gear can be packed
S TRONG
into bags to prevent odd shapes
and flat surfaces from catching
the wind. Stacking gear high on
the bike should be avoided as
much as possible.
Rider position makes a differ-
ence in the wind. A rider leaning
back with his feet on highway
pegs offers more sail area for the
wind. Riders should sit with their
feet on the foot pegs or floor
boards and knees against the
tank. Riders can lean forward and
down to crouch behind the wind-
shield. Riding with your elbows
pointed down offers another sail
for the wind. A strong gust on
your arms from the right can
push your elbows to the left
resulting in an unintentional
counter steer of the bike. Riders
can raise their elbows up cutting
down the side wind and increasing
their strength to press on the
handlebars in the wind.
Clothing should fit snug to keep
it from flapping. Riders should not
turn their head far to the side or
up very high in strong winds.
Moving your head into the wind
especially with a full-face helmet
can present another sail to the
wind. Decorations like fringe, rib-
bons, or loose bars and buttons
on our clothing can all catch the
wind. Each item by itself may
seem small but when caught in a
30 mile per hour cross wind they
all add up to catch more wind.
Passengers should follow the
same guidelines as the driver.
Passengers can slide forward
close to the driver to help reduce
wind resistance.
Rider skill is the most impor-
tant part of riding safely in strong
wind. Slow down as much as traf-
fic conditions will allow. Wind
coming from your right side,
pushing you to the left requires
you to lean the bike to the right.
Many riders lean their body to the
right into the wind hoping this will
keep the bike on the road. Leaning
your body into the wind requires
riders to change their riding posi-
tion. The change in position may
offer more area for the wind to
push against.
A body leaned off the bike into
the wind will have to be shifted
back to the other side in a hurry if
the wind should stop. Shifting of
weight can upset the steering of
the bike and lead to a weave or
wobble or even a crash.
Riders must counter steer to
keep the bike straight. Counter
steering is pressing forward and
down on the handgrip in the
direction you want to go. Press
right to go right, press left to go
left. If the wind is coming from
your right side pushing you to the
left, you need to press on the
right handgrip. When pressing on
the hand grip you do not need to
change rider position. Counter
steer as hard as needed to stay
straight. Counter steering allows
you to quickly release the pres-
sure or change to the other direc-
tion without upsetting the bal-
ance and steering of the bike.
Riding in strong wind can be
physically and mentally exhaust-
ing. Counter steering helps reduce
fatigue because it is easier to put
(continue on page 28)
By MIKE Phillips