Adverse weather riding

Got caught out in a proper summer storm yesterday, driving rain with strong gusts of wind. Sitting at traffic lights trying to gauge the level of dampness in your pants. You know the score.

Being from the UK I'm not unfamiliar with/averse to such conditions, but this time the wind really caught me by surprise. The bike just did not feel stable, and in the upper position the touring shield made the situation much worse. Cranking it down helped reduce the sail effect but of course it left me getting even more soaked.

Basically it just seemed weird that a modern touring bike was so thoroughly upset by the weather.

Truth be told I have no idea of the actual wind speed was because I was focused on getting home, warm and dry. It could be that the conditions were exceptional and that the wind would have pushed any bike off its line. But I was expecting a big old piano like the FJR to feel way more stable than it actually did, and it's not like the conditions I rode through made the news or damaged property.

Any thoughts? Be interested to hear from you guys given I'm relatively new to the bike. Still loving it and wouldn't switch from the fantastic YCC-S setup either, but interested if there's something I could be doing to mitigate the instability.

Good tires and maximum visibility is all I can suggest. When I'm in heavy rain I try to get behind a vehicle with bright taillights so I can see which way the road goes, and I turn on my emergency flashers to be seen by others. I don't know of any motorcycle that is not affected by the wind. You just have to be vigilant and alert for changes in wind direction so you can react quickly.

I would suggest keeping a fairly relaxed grip - the natural reaction to gusty winds is to hang on too tightly.

In my (all too considerable) experience of horrible conditions, the bike will basically steer itself, gusts tend to feel much worse than the bike's overall reaction. Fighting the minor movements will tend to destabilise the bike, making things worse.

As always, look up to where you want to go, not too close; that's where the bike will track overall, albeit moving/wobbling sideways a foot or so. The bike's behaviour is affected by luggage and passenger in windy conditions so may react a little differently, but not ridiculously so.

Of course, if the rain/spray is so bad you can't see where you want to go, all bets are off.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, I find keeping the speed up generally helps. I find it more controllable at 50 than at 30.

The only other point I will make is that I always try to keep dry. If ever I think there may be rain, I ensure I am wearing waterproof gear. The distraction from being wet (or, usually for me if it does happen, cold and wet) is considerable, potentially very dangerous.

A friend and I got caught in probably the worst wind I've ever ridden in this past Spring going southbound somewhere around the Indiana-Kentucky border. I was surprised how hard I had to battle and during the 20 or 30 minutes during that stretch I played with different techniques trying to make things easier. Trying to maintain the speed limit at 70 mph just didn't work and backing it down to about 55 seemed to help although I then had to keep watching my six the whole time also. It definitely took it's toll on my arms and shoulders. My friend on his HD Ultra admitted that he started thinking about not being able to finish that stretch. We were back maybe a week or so when I saw the below video posted somewhere, maybe a Revzilla ad or the like.

I wear Goretex gear so I'm always ready for rain.

I've discovered that the best thing for me when it is windy and rainy is to adjust windshield so that the air stream clears my helmet visor, if screen is too high the visor stays covered longer and visibility suffers. The Pinlock shield really helps keep the fog away as well.

I agree that speed is your friend for stability in wind.

I don't like following another vehicle in rain, I want to be able to see all that I can and don't want some unknown yayhoo controlling my destiny.

I find my FJR to be extremely stable in the wind. My RT was very good, but the FJR is better. My very un-aerodynamic body gets blown around, but the bike doesn't seem to know there is any wind.

And that guy in the video still stayed on the left side of the left lane, not very smart.

ThwartedEfforts said:

But I was expecting a big old piano like the FJR to feel way more stable than it actually did, and it's not like the conditions I rode through made the news or damaged property.

Any thoughts?

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The FJR isn't stable so much because it's big, it's because it's been well-sorted aerodynamically and think they've done an extraordinary job from side-to-side. I'd look to see what your tires and tire pressures are set to. They have a HUGE impact on stability. Smaller variable might be head steering head bearing torque. You also don't say whether you have a top case or not...if you did HUGE variable.

That video shows the real fun. Based on the lean angle it wasn't even that strong a crosswind. But passing a semi on the downwind side treats you to a turbulent wake possibly emerging from a relative calm area. And the nature of the wake varies with how the tractor is set up.

A few years ago I was traveling South down I82 approaching the Columbia River with a wickedly shifting, gusty crosswind. One of the big challenges was the wind kept pushing the front of my helmet (including my favorite head) back and forth and was trying to blow my precious bod off the bike. Passing a semi around a curve was a real battle (they were keeping their speed somewhat down to keep control). The bike (a Honda NT700) handled it pretty well, given that I was able to keep myself more or less in place.

In addition to the good things others have posted, I find the strong choppy, gusty 3/4 winds to be the most annoying. The strong head, tail or direct cross winds not so much. Slick surfaces add some level of concern, but I have found remaining relaxed on the controls, keeping the speed up, and let the bike do what it does best works for me. The more I ride in the wind, the more confident I get and the more comfortable I ride. When I had the 07' FJR, I would most often lower the screen and tuck down a bit to reduce the wind resistance and capitalize on the FJR streamlined fairings. I didn't find the FJR to be any worse than the many other designs I ride. The weight at speed with good traction tires (proper inflation) certainly help and removing the top case when not needed for certain rides also helps a bit, but even then I think the FJR is quit handy in some extreme windy conditions. On the other hand, here in Arizona during the monsoon, if I get caught up in one of those 12"+ of rain an hour gushers with 50-60+ mph winds, I'm pulling over and taking a break. The good thing is they don't last long and then it is usually clear sailing.

Been doing too much slab riding lately, and the other night between Phoenix and Los Angeles the highway was mostly semi's and me. Way too much time to think about the difference in turbulence between trucks that run trailer side skirts and those who don't.

FedEx and Walmart trucks slide right on by, but some trucks from major carriers really blow the bike around. ( Worst turbulence of the trip was from a flatbed trailer loaded with bales of cardboard for recycling. It and my bike were both all over the place.)

Are some of these carriers missing out? Or are there other factors at play here?

+1 on what mcatrophy posted. I will say I was fairly impressed on how much drier I was in a downpour compared to being on a "naked" bike like my current Triumph. Stay loose and be smooth as hell with with shifts and braking. ABS a plus to have here. Getting your visor in the wind too a good idea.

I remember being on a much smaller bike (TS-185) and getting hit with a fierce side wind. The bike actually was slightly leaned over while still going straight. Trust the bike, and try to relax for sure.

The reason it is so windy in the plains states is so motorcyclists will get some wear on the edges of the tread on their tires.

Thanks for all the replies. As ever it's another reminder of the lasting usefulness of forums...

Reading my post back, I think this all stems from my expectations being a little too high. I'd not encountered poor weather on the FJR since taking delivery of it, and I guess I was thinking that, because it does literally everything so much better than anything else I've sat astride, it'd eat up the wind and rain as if they weren't there.

But what Eagle Six described is what I hit last week: very strong, very choppy wind that came out of nowhere and caught me off guard, tugging sharply at my clothes, the screen and the bike itself at random moments, not to mention a good soaking from the rain cooped up inside it all. There was literally nothing in the forecast, something I always check before setting off, and to add insult to injury I later discovered that had I left the office 15-20 mins later the route home would have been dry, as it has been ever since.

Next time I'll try and relax a little more. I was definitely waiting-for-it-to-end kind of tense

Incidentally: no top box!

RichDoyle said:

That video shows the real fun. Based on the lean angle it wasn't even that strong a crosswind. But passing a semi on the downwind side treats you to a turbulent wake possibly emerging from a relative calm area. And the nature of the wake varies with how the tractor is set up.
A few years ago I was traveling South down I82 approaching the Columbia River with a wickedly shifting, gusty crosswind. One of the big challenges was the wind kept pushing the front of my helmet (including my favorite head) back and forth and was trying to blow my precious bod off the bike. Passing a semi around a curve was a real battle (they were keeping their speed somewhat down to keep control). The bike (a Honda NT700) handled it pretty well, given that I was able to keep myself more or less in place.

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As you know, the Columbia River gorge is famous for the nuclear winds. It is not unusual to have very high winds in that canyon and it is the birth place of wind sailing..If you have never ridden the Columbia River gorge take the old road and stop at the several nice water falls. The Bonneville dam is an interesting stop. Off topic, there are several good brew pubs in Hood River. Don't ask me how I know.

I bought my FJR in Kalispell, MT in June 2016 and was on my maiden voyage home to the central Oregon coast determined to make it in one day. All went well until I got near The Dalles on I84 which is the beginning of the Columbia River Gorge and wouldn't you know the famous gorge west wind was doing its thing. The previous owner had installed an after market touring windshield that was absolutely the worst windshield I've ever seen on a motorcycle! I was down to 45 mph and still couldn't handle it so I called it quits at Hood River and yes, I agree, HR is a great place for some barley therapy. First thing I did when I got home was order a Cee Bailey which made all the difference. Shame Cee Bailey no longer makes motorcycle products.

Suggest trying SR14 on the Washington side when navigating the Columbia gorge. Oh, next day I got into Portland and stuck for two hours in traffic so I turned around and rode back to The Dallas and down US97 which was better than I5 anyway. This was a fun two days and my first ride on an FJR. It's just got better ever since especially after the RDL saddle.

Ive driven thousands of miles in heavy rain and high wind. Rain where cars were pulled over to the shoulder. The bike is quite stable. With proper tires, and yes, even with a big screen raised up. With bad tires, its a nightmare even on wet pavement. I, too, had some concern when my fjr was new and the blustery winds of my first winter made the bike feel as if it was doing odd stuff.

For a bike that wants to be a sport tourer, the wind protection on the FJR is sorely lacking.

In a century long past, I was riding my ST1100 with wifey down the East side of Vancouver Island. Lots of rain and standing water as we drove along sort of slowly in traffic through one of the towns (Courtenay, maybe). The bike felt strange, like I had a low tire. So I pulled into a strip mall to check things out. Frau dismounts, I dismount, put bike on side stand and this absurd amount of water comes pouring (pouring, I tell you) out from underneath the seats. "WTF did that come from?" thinks I. It had to be a gallon of water collected in there.

Those of you passingly familiar with this bike know that the fuel tank lives entirely under the seats and has a relatively flat upper surface. But the volume of this water surpassed all reason. It turned out that there was no low tire issue; in fact no issue at all that I could detect and when we departed the sensation was gone. Maybe it was just my imagination? fatigue?, maybe an early mini-stroke? Who knows? But the recollection of all that water being deposited down the side of the bike still leaves me in wonderment.

Road imperfections or winter crosswinds can mimick a flat perfectly. TPMS is the best $99 I’ve spent on the bike. I start the day and enjoy the trip knowing that, whatever I encounter, tire pressures and temps aren’t the problem. While it’s nice to know pressures before I leave, and nice to know of a flat before I face a handling problem, selfishly I want to know about a pressure problem early, before it causes damage to the tire and delays my trip.