The primary remedy, IMO, is a heavier bike. My fairly light CB450K3 floats around like a butterfly in the wind, my slightly heavier Suzuki S50 was not much better, but my 900+ pound Valkyrie Phat Girl is relatively immune, unless pulling a trailer. A fairing could help, depending on a lot of factors, or work like a sail.

 

I agree 100%. 85mph on a CB450K is scarier than 140mph on a CBR600R. When I ride mine it makes me think about how we are soft, pampered, spoiled bikers with amazing machines. The guys riding in the 1960s/70s, or the people who still ride cruisers, were/are truly the gladiators of their time.

I tried a Duke 690 once. It only weighs like 350lbs but will go 135mph but at 100mph it feels like the CB450K. Felt like it was going to blow right off the highway on a $9000 bike. You gotta have balls of steel the ride lightweight bikes, bikes with no brakes, bike you cant really lean. There's so much out there that is just not very road worthy when you think about it.

 

I have found that any bike will get blown around a bit. Heavier bikes less so than lighter ones. The fairing really just makes it less exhausting for the rider. A constant 70-80mph wind blast will really wear you down after an hour or more. I spent many years being too cool for a windshield. When I finally got one, I was like "oh dear, I waited way too long to get one of these..."

cheers, mike

 

Fairing
The best riding motorcycles are designed in wind tunnels, with the rider onboard in a normal riding position.

If you can keep it above 140kph in the rain on this one you will stay mostly dry:

your helmet and feet get a little wet, hands are well protected from wind rain and stones.
... best motorcycle mirrors ever.

 

No mirrors could be as good as those dual purpose mirrors

 

That fairing and mirrors are similar to what are in my BMW R1150RT. I rode it in the rain today and got wet only when I was sitting still.

There are two kinds of wind-blown being discussed in this thread: wind blast caused by your motion through the air at 60+ mph; weather-produced wind. The latter can be gusty and at cross direction to your path of travel.

Fairing and windshield help with the first. Heavier bike helps with the second. Also there are some techniques to help with riding in a cross wind. One is to swing your windward knee outward. I've tried this and it really does help.

 

The type of fairing also plays into this. A fork mounted fairing will be affected by cross-winds much more than a frame-mounted fairing.

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My first time on the freeway isn't memorable for the wind as much as thinking how close I was to the wheels of big trucks when they would pass. Thinking here I was out in the open and could touch them made me quite nervous.

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It was speed that got me. First time I got above 45mph I thought I just had to be going above 90mph. But yep, second was those HUGE 18 wheeler truck tires. I'm still leery of them to this day. Cops could get me for speeding because I waste no time getting by one or I'll slow way down to let one go back quickly, depends on situation.

 

My RS is best suited to comfortable one up consistent high speed riding. Slices wind far better then most because of the power weight and low drag coefficient. I use a tiny bit of counter-steer to tilt the bike into the wind and then don't follow through with my body. End up riding in a straight line and torso stays out of the air turbulence. It's a real autobahn bike.
MV Agusta lol if I don't crouch serious tight and low to the tank the air pressure against my chest will make the front wheel very light at high speed. A large tank bag to lay on might actually help with that if you are traveling distance on your crotch rocket.

 

Concourse is one very good for keeping you dry, don't know about wind

 

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My first time on the freeway isn't memorable for the wind as much as thinking how close I was to the wheels of big trucks when they would pass. Thinking here I was out in the open and could touch them made me quite nervous.

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I LOATHE riding on the freeway, I avoid at all costs unless I don't really have a choice on trips or need to make up some time.

 

Guys, try riding a CB300R on the freeway in traffic in Miami (some of the worst drivers in America) when you've been riding but a couple of days. I was doing a whopping 66 mph, the bike is revving at 7,000, and the shift light is going off even though I'm in 6th gear.

As for the wind, I went out this morning and got my first taste of riding in the rain and wind. Not fun. The crosswind was strong and there were times when I felt like I could lose control. My solution was to drive slow. Also, leaning the bike on wet roads was intimidating. I was going around a roundabout at about 10 mph. Car behind me was not happy.

 

If you have halfass tires then wet is nothing to worry about, it's pooled water causing hydroplaning is something to worry about.

I'm not saying you should do knee scraping, but normal riding should be no problem.......unless your normal is knee scraping

I do know this, I keep good tires, and I still slow down.....not 10mph...... I slow down on wet roads in my car or truck

 

The first time I rode on a 55mph road, there was no traffic and I felt like I was going 1000mph!! 😱 The first time I rode on a 65mph highway, I was death-gripping the bars but blaming the handling on the rain grooves--typical noob.

 

Heavier bikes handle wind better than lighter bikes, but gusty winds can make riding a lot less fun on any bike. My Goldwing which is over 900 pounds and has a huge fairing still was a scary ride for me one day last week when the wind was gusting unpredictably and at about 50 mph. Best to take a break and wait for the winds to subside, or ride on secondary roads and at lower speed.

 

Yeah, I had a day like that on my NINJA 1000, which probably weighed 550 pounds with all my stuff in it. I was passing a semi and it felt like I was going to get blown off the road. 😱

 

My faired, 300lb R3 gets moved around easily by wind. On really gusty days its a fight to keep her on the freeway.

 

Wait till you hit a drawbridge with 100 feet of steel grates.

 

on full knobby tires in the rain

 

Glad to know it wasn't just me. It's frightening but worth it. I will NOT be taking this bike on the freeway on really windy days.

 

Been riding a long time, and i know how terrifying it can be, but you cant ride scared my dood! Learning to ride in wind and all types of conditions, will make you a stronger, and more confident rider. Also, i learned that sticking your knee out into the wind helps somehow.

 

Been riding a long time, and i know how terrifying it can be, but you cant ride scared my dood! Learning to ride in wind and all types of conditions, will make you a stronger, and more confident rider. Also, i learned that sticking you knee out into wind helps somehow.

ya it slows you down on one side.

 

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Some of you riders have been on the Mackinac Bridge, I'm sure, with its 14 sections of steel plate girder deck spans positioned 200' over water with lots of traffic. I did not find it fun last time there either.

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Yo Ron I looked up the Mackinac.

I can see where you're coming from.

Growing up in Maryland we had the Bay Bridge.

 

No matter how many times I rode it, it always had my full attention when riding it......

 

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It's not the height or the traffic, it's the steel plates that grab your tires and tell you where they want you to be.
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Bridges with solid decks are easy, I've ridden over the George on both levels many times. it's just another road, though if you get stuck in traffic it's interesting to feel the whole bridge rise up and down with wind and load, it moves a lot more than I would have expected for something so massive. The pavement is in poor shape though, lumpy and wavy with a lot of plated holes, it's a rough ride from NJ into the Bronx.

 

One bridge that got my full and undivided attention was the Buffalo Skyway, it doesn't look like much, just a bypass for the downtown but it's high, it's busy and narrow, and the day I was crossing it there was something like a 40 mph crosswind with higher gusts.
The wind was brutal, and there was no slowing down with a couple of semis coming up fast behind us.
That bridge is known for wind, it closes a lot due to windy conditions that blow cars and trucks off the bridge!

 

The Peace Bridge to Canada and the two Grand Island bridges can be fun as well.

 

We have several overpasses that are quite high and the winds up there are brutal. Try doing it with 2 3x5 flags flying leading a group of PGR or American Legion riders. Takes an idiot to do it. I are one. 🙄

 

Here are a few highway bridges I regularly ride/drive over. I just try to forget how high they are and pretend it's just another road.

The last one has a steel grate deck and goes across the Ohio River. I haven't tried that one on my motorcycle yet.

 

Imagine doing the bridge to PEI on a windy day, that must feel like a small kite in a big wind.

 

We are just lucky we can't feel the bridges moving under us while we are moving. If we could Max's boots would be totally covered. I don't mind the Bay Bridge as long as I am not on the span opened to two way traffic.