Got some "getting used to", to do..

 

Went on a ride towards the state line yesterday. I didnt make it all the
way. It started sprinkeling, the wind was blowing about 20mph, and the
18 wheelers, made me stop after about 20 miles and turn around. Well,
then with the wind at my back, I sure didnt have any problems, but no
sense learning ALL OF THAT, before I even learn enough to pass my test!

But no falls, and no probs, yet again, so I do still feel like I'm
improving ;-)

Just sharing,
Con

 


Poppin.. wrote:

Give the big rigs lots of room as you pass them. A tire might blow out
and hearing that sudden loud BANG! and getting hit by a flying
truckadillo as the tire disintegrates is no fun. I have a truckadillo
mark on the fairing of one sportbike. It cracked the fairing...

Problem with getting out and passing big rigs in the slow lane by
moving over to the passing lane is that cage drivers following you
don't understand that you're struggling with cross winds AND the wind
blowing off the truck.

Impatient cagers will crowd you and some may even try to pass you in
the same lane if you don't ride 20 mph over the speed limit.

A guy on a Harley passed me at 90 mph, between me and the truck I was
passing. He was within two feet of the truck's tires and I guess he
never heard about flying truckadillos...


There's an old Irish blessing about the wind being at your back and the
sun on your face, and that's what the preacher said about Neanderthal
John at his funeral.

(Neanderthal John died on the highway at the scene of a crash where he
was hit head on by a Ford Pinto, after the driver passed out at the
wheel and came through the magnolia bushes on the median strip. John
had no chance to react to the threat.)

But, back to the wind.

Personally, I prefer to ride on days when the wind is blowing no more
than 10 miles per hour, and I have parked the motorcycle and waited for
an hour after sunset to let the wind die down, if it was going to...

The early morning is usually a good time to ride too, at least it is
over here on the Left Coast.

The wind starts kicking up in the afternoon, as the temperature rises
and energizes the air.

I asked several professional racers and motojournalists how they dealt
with severe afternoon crosswinds while going around a turn at 100 mph.
First there was a lot of denial about whether there really was a
problem with the wind, and suggestions that I was just a wuss for
complaining, but they are now claiming that they have "wind balls",
IOW, they have developed a special kind of courage that allows them to
perservere when crosswinds are gusting at 50 miles per hour....

I have been moved clear across the lane, into the opposite lane, by
gusts of wind. You learn to watch the bushes waving in the wind to see
if there is a problem, and crosswinds will blow as you come out of cuts
in hills where the grade passes through hills instead of over them.

There's a deadly two lane local road that saves 15 miles by
shortcutting straight to the next big town. The road is elevated above
farm land and the wind gusts in the afternoon and there are also big
rigs on that road and speeders who won't obey the speed limits as they
pass the trucks.

There's no place to go, except to the shoulder, when an impatient
pickup truck driver takes away my lane...

I stay alert on that road, where there are lots of memorial crosses and
flowers where people have died...


;-)

Learning to ride motorcycles is a steep leaning curve, you have to
learn quickly if you're going to survive without getting hurt in the
first two or three months. That's when a lot of young men get killed,
as they become overconfident of their abilities and try to match the
bravery of their friends.

We just heard about a local youngster getting killed when he tried to
show off for his friends by doing a wheelie. He hit a parked car and
flew through the air and landed on his head and died on the scene.

I know that you're not going to try to show off like that, and you want
to develop your skills gradually and gather experience so you can enjoy
riding.

But there are so many things to be aware of when you go out on the
highway with the four wheelers and the 18-wheelers and other motorcycle
riders who are reckless.

Don't let them influence you. Ride your own ride, even if it means you
arrive at the agreed upon destination twenty minutes later than they do.

 Counting today, I've ridden about 100 miles thisweekend. Most of it on
the HWY. All was fine, today another couple rode with us, with the
understanding that they wernt to come up and scare me. lol  I DID do a
SMALL turn around in the road that made me pretty proud ;-)  I also
encountered a FEW minutes of very hard rain, that I was scared would
mess me up, but it ended, thankfully....  At least my hubby and friends
are staying behind me, keeping other cars off of me, altho a couple have
passed.

I sure dont like that wind tho, and I see why my other half has whined
about it for years. lol I rode today with about 15/20mph, and that was
enough for me. Seems funny that once I get home and get it parked, the
wind dies down and the clouds go away...........?  lol

 


Poppin.. wrote:

 Good to hear you're riding and doing well.

 A couple of tidbits.... Certain wheels seem to aggrivate the problem.
Disc type wheels or aluminum wheels with a lot of side area (as well as
wheels having a high spoke count) are worse, as are bikes with a
high(er) center of gravity and lighter bikes.

 Let the wind blow you but let the bike "blow out from under you". The
side gust will only blow the bike so far and if you are relaxed the
bike will right itself in a second or less. I find people get into
trouble when they fight it, or have a pasenger on  who is fighting it.

 When learning to fly the instructor warns against "fighting" the gusts
and this applies somewhat to riding bikes.

 If anyone is riding in winds that actually cause them to change lanes,
my advice would be to stay home that day.

 Semis are a whole other ball game. I find that truckers tend to be of
two schools- biker friendly and of the mindset that we are all "sucide
jockeys" and should be helped along our way to a proper end.

 

<snip>

We recently had gale force winds across the UK - I found out just how nasty
Honda comstar wheels are!