Highest winds driven in?

Duporth

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Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Messages
431
Location
Australia
Bike
2021 BMW R1250GS
As I read these posts the comfort I take from all the discomfort experienced by fellow ST'ers, is that no one was blown off their bike, even in extreme conditions.
This says a lot to me and sets an operational boundary I learn from.

D
 
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
400
Location
Paris, TN
Bike
'99 ST1100
STOC #
8606
I tried to ride from Paris TN to Washington D.C. as the eye of Hurricane Harvey was passing through. I turned around after 50 miles and decided to try again next day. The weather reports indicated high wind advisories of >40 mph.
 

drrod

Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 4, 2006
Messages
1,716
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Bike
'04 ST1300
STOC #
8313
Southern Alberta is known for high winds. One one occasion, I blown across 2 lanes and most of a shoulder, by a gust, when the bike was already leaned over nearly far enough to scrape the peg feeler. I was only a couple of feet from going into the ditch. I have no idea the speed of the wind, but the news reported gusts to 120kph (75mph) in the region that day. Fortunately it did not last too long but I had run out of ideas as to what I would do if there was oncoming traffic and I got hit with a gust at the wrong moment. If I had been on my V-Strom, I would have had to get off and lay the bike down and wait it out. It is a bit of a kite in the wind. My friend was on his RT and was not doing much better.
 

DavidR8

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Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
1,220
Location
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Bike
2013 BMW R1200RT
STOC #
8968
Southern Alberta is known for high winds. One one occasion, I blown across 2 lanes and most of a shoulder, by a gust, when the bike was already leaned over nearly far enough to scrape the peg feeler. I was only a couple of feet from going into the ditch. I have no idea the speed of the wind, but the news reported gusts to 120kph (75mph) in the region that day. Fortunately it did not last too long but I had run out of ideas as to what I would do if there was oncoming traffic and I got hit with a gust at the wrong moment. If I had been on my V-Strom, I would have had to get off and lay the bike down and wait it out. It is a bit of a kite in the wind. My friend was on his RT and was not doing much better.
Yup I'm from southern Alberta and I can recall times when the wind blew so hard against the side of the car I wasn't able to open it.


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Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
34
Location
Wisconsin
Bike
1998 ST1100
Road plenty of high winds in the Dakotas, but the worst for me was back in the late 70's. I was a kid headed out to see the great out west. I was someplace in Colorado, and I saw a dust devil coming across the open fields. Being from Wisconsin (dumb), I thought it would be fun if I sped up to ride thru is as it crossed the highway. Bad move... it tossed me back and forth pretty good. Didn't crash, but learned real quick that it was a stupid idea.
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
423
Location
CA desert/Montana
Bike
2009 ST1300
STOC #
326
I used to commute on my ST1100 on I-10 from the low desert east into Banning, CA (riding past all the windmill farms). I had a roof tile that would rattle at around 45 mph (my estimate). Rattling tile - take the truck. No rattle - ride the bike. I'm sure I rode in 50-60 mph winds on occasion. Really tricky when riding by bridges/overpasses. No wind to 50 mph in a few feet. =8^0 I learned to make sure no vehicles were next to me as a couple of lanes of wind drift were all too frequent.
 

docw1

Bill Rankin
Joined
Dec 3, 2004
Messages
1,255
Location
Muscatine, IA
Bike
2012 ST1300A
STOC #
4332
Coming home from work one day to my small community, a big black cloud was right over my town. Wind was calm all the way, but as I got within a few blocks of home, I could see horizontal rain just ahead. The rest of the way was mainly city blocks with a stop sign at each intersection. As I approached one stop sign a wind came and blew me over. Without the forward momentum and gyroscopic stabilization of the wheels, it's not so sturdy at a near stop. A near-by good samaritan helped me get it upright in the wind and rain. Another block and another stop sign and it happened again. Able to get it up by myself and get the three blocks to home through driving rain and hail. Weather report put some of the winds at 70 MPH.
 

Highway STar

Jock of all trades
Site Supporter
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
469
Location
Toronto
Bike
2012 Victory Vision
STOC #
8770
Gusting 45-50 mph cross-winds coming up the Niagara peninsula from Fort Erie. With two up the bike was a bit more stable but I was more nervous cuz we were being pushed sideways out of our lane. Because it was so gusty the bike was changing angle of lean frequently and rapidly so it was all over the place. This was a the end of a long ride from OH-STOC so I was tired and didn't enjoy it at all.

Have also ridden solo through one of those black-sky, end-of-the-world thunderstorms and I didn't enjoy that either. I probably should have sat that one out somewhere but I was younger then and still immortal.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
15
Location
Whitewater,Wisconsin
Bike
98 ST 1100
Traveling north on I 25 out of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The electronic road signs warned of 50 - 60 mph cross winds and cars pulling trailers and semis were advised not to travel. It lasted about 90 miles. It was brutal.
This June while traveling the northwest coast of Newfoundland. The roads followed the shore and the wind coming off the ocean was brutal, plus rain and fog. The wind seemed to change direction in a instant. It would be blowing from the right, go through a cut in the hills brace for the wind from the right and bam, it slaps you hard from the left! That was a long day.
 

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
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Nov 20, 2005
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9,499
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Cedar City, Utah
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12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
STOC #
5901
Many years ago, my brother and I were riding north on US395 just north of Lee Vining when we got hit with a cross wind that blew my magnetic tankbag so hard that the leftside magnet came off the fuel tank. It also blew the bike over to the edge of the road. I had to scramble to get the tankbag off my right arm and regain control of the bike! :eek:4:

Since then I added a strap that connects the front of the tankbag to the riser!
 
Joined
May 21, 2017
Messages
92
Location
21557
Bike
07 ST 1300 A
Years ago in North Dakota on an 83 Goldwing I rode all afternoon into a 60mph wind coming at me at about a 1 o'clock position. Instead of 45 mpg I got 27 mpg. When I got perpendicular to the wind on an exit it almost blew my helmet off. It was hanging on by the chin strap. I bought gas at an old fashioned single pump acros the street from the Sportsmans Bar, Grill, and Gas. But my worst wind experience was going through a scenic area in north Arizona with steep canyon cliffs that kept turning the wind on and off. That was a white knuckle ride.
Terry
 

ST13Fred

Fred
Joined
Dec 26, 2004
Messages
510
Age
75
Location
Proctor, WV
Bike
2015 Motus MST
I hit a left to right crosswind while on I-77N before the tunnels going into WV that threw me into the next lane, came up under my full face helmet and knocked the 1-peice lens out of my sunglasses!
It scared the be-Jesus out of me as I did not understand where all the bright light came from until I realized the lens was gone. I was lucky no one was to my inside.
That section of roadway is on an elevated plateau with large distant views on either side. That burst of wind had to be 60+ MPH.
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2004
Messages
829
Location
Medina, Tennessee
Bike
2021 Tracer 9GT
STOC #
375
50-60 mph cross winds on I-70 in eastern CO and western KS on the ST1300. It was awful. They have all of those windturbines out there for a reason.
 

BakerBoy

It's all small stuff.
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
5,454
Location
Golden, Colorado
STOC #
1408
50-60 mph cross winds on I-70 in eastern CO and western KS on the ST1300. It was awful. They have all of those windturbines out there for a reason.
Yup, can be a nasty area. Done that in rain and tumbleweeds, which turned into hail and snow while maintaining the crosswinds!
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
440
Age
61
Location
Brookfield,WI
Bike
2015 K1600 GTL E
I've ridden in some crosswinds before where the bike was leaned over like in a normal turn just to keep going straight, maybe 40-50MPH, I dunno exactly, we get a lot of strong winds in the desert. The full coverage bodywork on the ST1100 is like a sail in a crosswind. My favorite wind experience was about an hour outside Vegas on US95 where I rode through an invisible "dirt devil". There was no dirt in the devil to make it visible, it was just a big cyclone of wind that threw my bike sideways for a couple seconds, then when I rode through the eye I was vertical again, only to get thrown sideways in the opposite direction when I hit the other side of the cyclone.
That is just messed up. Did you have stop to change your pants?
 
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Messages
65
Location
San Antonio, TX
Bike
05 ST1300 Burgundy
STOC #
8958
60 mph. Going with the wind, I couldn't feel any air at 60. Used to live in the Texas Panhandle. Crosswinds will eat you for lunch.
 
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