My first mini tour..........and the dreaded CROSS WINDS!!!!!

rocco · Post by **rocco** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:02 pm

Hi all again,

Saturday morning hopped on my Gpx250r and rode away.

Completed a 400km roundtrip.....yes I know it doesnt classify as a tour but I went through a few country towns and for me it sooooooooooooooo exciting.

Stopped at places and admired views etc.

Traffic was good except for one invisible force....THE WIND.

I was being bombarded by a fairly strong crosswind on a stretch of road that made me tremble for a bit but i stuck it out and counter steered into it. At times it felt like the bikes wheels were going to be sweeped off the roads surface. Is this possible?

Read somewhere that putting your knee out into the crosswind has a good chance of helping. I will admit it scared the shit out of me and I know it must stir up some of the members on the forum.

Would you guys/gals have any advice for novices as myself to survive crosswind attacks?

Cheers Beers,

The Roc ( bitten by the tour bug)

kellz · Post by **kellz** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:08 pm

great stuff

ok well i find not much works on a 250.
i try to lean down into the tank, but kinda feels gimpy other wise i lean into the wind and keep the visor down.

it hurts alot when its up, the amount of debris is crazy.

Kishy · Post by **Kishy** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:08 pm

400km is not a bad trip dude

Cross winds can be a bit daunting. Once I was leaning
into it & it suddenly changed direction & hit me from the
opposite side so for a coupla secs I was leaning the
wrong way

When I come across those situations I will usually slow
down to the road limit; & yeh, using ya knee does help

rocco · Post by **rocco** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:20 pm

i highly recommend to riders in the forum if you dont tour or ride out of your town or city to give it a go.

To hop in the car and complete the trip would have been.

A-boring...not as exciting

B-costly in petrol

C- did i mention boring???

I met another gpx rider along the way and also a zzr250 matured rider.

Friendly folk with tips and stories.

I was wearing my gear and pulled up to a pub to take a leak.

Got off the bike, removed the helmet and walked in..........I kid you not , there were about 7 blokes drinkin away and they all looked at me as if i was an alien just in from mars. It felt like a scene in the X-FILES where scully and mulder walk into a quiet country town pub and they are all zombied like the the twilight zone.

LOL..........QUICK LEAK AND OUT THE DOOR!

Till now I have felt like a dog in the back yard.........riding aorund town just gets damn boring after a while...you cover practically every street and its all the same...getting out past the city limits means your out in the wild just you and your private jet between your legs.

As i am a newbie, if any newbies read this enjoy the experiance........have gotten advice from here from many friendly members. I should have gotten my license years ago!!!!!!

Thanks for the tips.

Roc

Kishy · Post by **Kishy** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:26 pm

kellz · Post by **kellz** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:51 pm

rocco, i had my licence 3 weeks, and made the journey up to do putty road and wisemans and old pacific hwy
was the best thing i ever did, learnt more in that 800km's that i did in the whole 3 weeks where i had already covered 3000kms of local roads.

get out there adventure, make a turn and take a map, enjoy the freedom you get on a bike.

Sulli · Post by **Sulli** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 11:15 pm

After 30 odd years of bike ridin (me)
It's good to see that the younger generation realise what they have been missing
Xbox and playstation don't replace what you can do yourself
get out and enjoy its there for the taking

Neka79 · Post by **Neka79** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 11:57 pm

Kishy wrote: Rocco

I can give you a fairly comprehensive list of biker friendly pubs

Mate, meeting riders on the road is how I met 99% of the fellas I ride
with.

I see a group; I'll tag along & at next lights ask em if they mind. When
they stop, I have a chat with em, exchange numbers & hook up with em
another time.

mate..ive never wandered into a pub, leathers & lid and NOT been bombarded by pleasant ppl asking questions & wanting to know how my ride is.....i think every1 has this deep passion for biking..they just dont kno it...

Sulli wrote:After 30 odd years of bike ridin (me)
It's good to see that the younger generation realise what they have been missing
Xbox and playstation don't replace what you can do yourself
get out and enjoy its there for the taking

amen dude!!...i dont own an xbox or PS2 (got a PS1 i havent played in 8 yrs)...

as for u Rocco...wind sucks..ive had a few encounters where im leaning into the wind so bad, that when it drops i run across the road dramatically....not much u can do.... i try to either get down on the tank under it, or just put up with it...
u will notice when u get a slightly heavier bike it takes less of a pounding.... just persavere, and learn..

Kishy · Post by **Kishy** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:16 am

Neka79 wrote: mate..ive never wandered into a pub, leathers & lid and NOT been bombarded
by pleasant ppl asking questions & wanting to know how my ride is.....i think every1 has this deep passion for biking..they just dont kno it...

2 rite Neka

Plaz · Post by **Plaz** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:08 am

Rocco, good stuff mate, welcome to the fold, now you've started every half decent day you'll be wondering why am I at work???

Gunna make the pilgramage to the GP?

rocco · Post by **rocco** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:13 am

i want to

prob not on the bike

may take the boring car

gotta convince the mrs to come with me

cheers

Buck · Post by **Buck** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 2:15 pm

How did you feel comfort wise after the 400km?

The more fairing(s) you have and the lighter your bike is the more it will
suffer in a crosswind . I find its not when the crosswind is there that real probs come up it is when it goes away
quickly when a RT or BDub passes,
or is seriously gusty to start with.
According to a tee shirt I once saw it appears you are contemplating leaving your indicator on.

Adjust your speed until you stop urinating works for me.(It shouldn't
be scary, slow until you are happy with the control.)
Sounds like your hooked.
Take your camera on the next safari Mr Livingstone.

MickLC · Post by **MickLC** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 2:32 pm

The old GPX250 is a shocker in cross winds. When and if you upgrade to a bigger bike they will be less of a problem.

mohawk miss · Post by **mohawk miss** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:17 pm

ZZR250's also get blown about by big winds.

I just dont ride if its going to be really windy.

But I hate the wind

. If its windy at night I cant sleep. Weird, but hey......

John H · Post by **John H** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:42 pm

Hey

re crosswinds - you're more likely to have trouble if you're trying to stabilise yourself with your arms (ie, grabbing the bars hard, tensing up your shoulders, etc.) Try pressing your knees hard against the bike, use your lower back (not your arms) to position your upper body and you'll find it easier to stay in control.

I reckon you'll also find the more experience you get with crosswinds, the easier it gets to deal with them. But if you're in trouble, just knock off a few kays and you should be back in control again.