Getting used to Southwest Wind

I moved to Az about a year ago and find it hard to contend with the wind here sometimes. I have ridden through heavy wind lots of times when I lived in IL, KY, and TN, but out here in NM and AZ its a whole other animal. Most of the time the regular loosen your grip on the bars, tuck your elbows in some, and weight the pegs works for me. But, at times there is a heavy cross wind where its blowing from the left and the right simultaneously and it feels like my bike does not want to handle. It feels like the rear is fighting the front and if I don't keep a firm grip on the front it will tank slap. At these times when I try anything I have done previously in cross winds the bike does not want to comply. how do you AZ/NM guys do it?

I have set the sag and the bike handles like it is on rails since jamie Daughtery built my forks and 929 shock. My tires are in good condition with no abnormal wear or flat spots(pr2). I am at a loss I know the fairings don't help, just wondering if there is a technique I can apply.

Sounds like you have all the tricks down, I can't see where you have anything left to do but park it into the wind until it's over, or just ride it out. if someone can come up with something different I'd like to hear it as well.
I was in NM in the late 70's and got caught in a East wind while heading south on I-25 and it got to the point I had to "try" and stop, and point into the wind.
I tucked behind the plastic for about an hour, till it subsided before moving on. all the plastic was sand-blasted.
Once coming East over the hill from Vail on I-70 a gust almost blew me off the seat. Point is there are some times you just can't keep riding.

Another thing to look at is the steering head.  If the bearings have a flat spot and/or the preload is way too high ("how tight they are" in laymen terms) it can affect you 'on center' response.  Typically if these problems are severe enough you would have trouble keeping the bike in a clean straight line.  FWIW, I just changed my steering head bearings, and while it wasn't a flagrant problem, I figured that at 120,000km they had to be worn out.  I really notice the difference, a much improved feel and very smooth (All-Balls tapered bearings).

Food for thought.

Brian

Counter-intuative(sic) stay loose and go with the flow.
two years ago running through western Nebraska I had to stick my right leg out behind me to act as a rudder to keep on the road. I was really concerned when the Weather Channel storm chasers passed me on the road and then I found out that I had ridden through documented 83 mph winds. The heck with the lowest temps that you have ridden through, try 83 mph winds!
That being said, you have to view a trip like piloting a small aircraft,sometimes you just can not go! Motels sometimes have happy hours!
It is also what you get used to. Many years living on the Texas coast taught me to run in 50-70 mph winds and not worry about it. I found that if you stayed loose on the controls and moved around with the wind and did not try to fight the wind you have better control. Just my two cents worth.[image: SDC11591.JPG]

I just slow down a bit so I have more reaction time and space if I get hit with a big gust. :tour:

I am going stop fighting the wind and apply the rest of the tricks as well. I am coming up to 30k on my 4th gen so I think the steering head bearings should get a little attention, I already have a kit handy to put in.

Some good info here

I've learned not to fight the wind too much.
It also seems easier to take high winds at higher speed.  Probably the gyroscopic effect helps.
The high winds are causing havoc on bridges.  There, the wind is pretty constant until I pass the supports, behind which there is no wind.  If I lean into the wind and then it dissappears abruptly, it causes violent swings, which can be quite scary.  So in situations when the wind isn't steady, I make sure that I go with the flow.  During steady wind, I lean into it a little.

I you fight the wind to much it lead you to out of balance to your bike... avoid accident as well..

I've ridden is some very strong cross winds. I got caught in Iowa/Missouri last weekend between tornadoes. And I have ridden through dust storms in S.D.  I have discovered that if you hang off the bike into the wind, i.e. put your upwind cheek off the saddle toward the wind, you effectively get to stand the bike up from where it would be if you did nothing. For most of my life I raced sailboats. And I learned to read the wind. If you are in a crosswind and a wind block occurs up wind, you must anticipate the change from wind-effect to no effect when you pass into the wind shadow of the obstruction. Be ready to get back on your seat until you pass out of the wind shadow, then you must get back off the seat and stand the bike up to preserve lean angle. My experience in variable gusting wind is to lean off more than necessary so if a gust does hit you, the bike still has available lean angle to survive the gust.

To clarify, my experience in cross winds it the wheels seem to move out from under me. That's fine until the lean goes beyond the tires traction / lean limit. By leaning up wind and standing the bike up (more) you effectively add to the allowable lean angle. So far I've not encountered cross winds that chased me off the road. They were 50 mph over the weekend during my ride.

I have to add that the technique also requires pressure on the downwind handlebar. Guaranteed to build strong shoulders (and/or destroy weak ones).