Wilsons Sandbox

Good advice there with one exception: the MSF recommends keeping knees in tight against the tank and then pushing forward on the grip in the direction you want to go. That would be push forward on the left grip if you want the bike to move left. That sounds counter-intuitive, but it is a result of the gyroscopic affect of a spinning wheel. Once upon a time I was travelling across some wide open state, like the Dakotas, the wind was from the side and very gusty. I felt like I was on a wave as I pushed forward on the grip on the side the wind was coming from and I just kept flexing with the wind; bigger gust, push harder forward, lighter gust let up on the forward pressure on the grip. In a way I was just kind of bobbing down the road leaning more sometimes and less other times. But my path on the road was fairly straight. Just relax; press when needed and not much the rest of the time and you can get into a kind of flow with the wind. That is when I feel most alive, when I'm in a natural kind of flow with the elements, kind of meditative, and fully awake to everything. To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com From: judjonzz@... Date: Sat, 7 May 2011 23:52:07 +0000 Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Wind Question This question has been discussed at some length at least a couple of times on this forum. To sum it up loosely, ride loose on the bike, with a relaxed grip on the bars. Realize that the bike is going to move around underneath you some, but will self-correct if you don't try to muscle the bars or grab them too tight. Another suggestion that seems to work is to stick out your windward knee into the wind. It will tend to rudder the bike upwind, counteracting its tendency to blow downwind. Also be sure you have a stiff enough rear spring, with sufficient preload. A head wind or quartering wind is going to work on the rider, the windscreen and the load to lighten the front wheel and destabilize the bike. More spring at the rear will counteract this tendency and help keep the front wheel planted. An overloaded bike can be truly frightening in a stiff wind. The destabilizing effect of wind is one more reason to keep your load compact, close to the center of mass, with some weight toward the front and no heavy or bulky loads up high and aft of the rear axle. Buy tank panniers and saddlebags before you even think about a top box.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Marat Valegh wrote: > > Hey all, > > Got a newbie question regarding wind. Last week I went out riding on my 09 klr > in 30mph winds here in Houston. I survived one exit on the highway as the wind > nearly blew me off the road. Even doing 35-40 mph on town roads I could barely > keep it together. Now I am a young strong guy and yet could not hold the bike in > one lane with 30 mph winds! What am I doing wrong here? It felt like the front > wheel was airborne most of the time. I tried everything from riding positions to > having the rpms high, which kind of seemed to help, but it was not enough. I > have been planning taking a trip to Big Bend (10hours from Houston), but now I > am really scared to get on a hwy period. > > What are some tips and tricks for riding in the wind? Going anywhere on long > trips and one would be exposed to all kinds of wind, what do you guys do beside > riding into the wind (which did not work for me btw)? > Thanks to all in advance, > > Marat > 09 Blue KLR > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]