subject: Safe Riding In The Wind [print this page] Riding motorcycles is an exhilarating experience. Learning to ride safely is very important to ensure that one does not get into an accident. When riding, there will always be different weather conditions that will affect the handling of the bike. Understanding the effects of the varying weather conditions play an important role in safety.
Riding in the wind is one factor that will never be avoidable. When riding, it is important to understand that everything that hits you will hurt more. Dust can sting; rain will feel like little pebbles hitting you in the face. These discomforts can easily be reduced or eliminated simply by wearing a full face helmet with a shield.
The biggest inconvenience dealing with the wind when riding is known as wind wobble. While a little bit of wobble is normal and usually riders will automatically compensate for it without conscious thought. When riding in windy conditions, the wobble becomes much worse. Again, the rider has to compensation by constantly counter balancing the wobble.
When dealing with side winds, many riders learn through experience how to handle the bike. The rider stays lower to the bike, reducing wind resistance, which helps stabilize the bike. Gusting winds however cannot really be planned for. These are the winds that strike quickly and stop just as quickly. The best way to deal with this condition when riding is to slow down first. Secondly, maintain a good grip on the bike. Crouch lower toward the tank. Usually these winds will strike when crossing a bridge or something of that nature. The worse thing a rider can do is to over correct resulting in a crash because of the over correction rather than the wind.
Also remember when riding a bike in the wind, the rider can become much more tired than normal riding because they must constantly readjust the balance of the bike. Make sure that there is ample time to take short breaks while riding in the wind to ensure that the rider has plenty of strength to continue to maintain the balance. Another helpful tip to keep in mind when riding in heavy winds is that a heavier bike will not be as affected by the wind. Lighter bikes tend to be thrown around a lot more by the wind than the older, heavier models.
