Wind from larger vehicles.

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Awox · #1 Unread post by **Awox** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 1:10 am

Okay guys, I am forced to ride my motorcycle along a highway at night atleast sometimes. So I want to ask before I am forced into experimentation too.

Say a truck goes flying pass me travelling at 90km/h (while I am doing the limit - 60km/h) how much will this impact my balance if my bike weighs roughly 250kg with me on it, any at all?

I used to ride my bicycle on the highway all the time and being passed by trucks on a windy day was definately hard to deal with if it was unexpected.

Mintbread · #2 Unread post by **Mintbread** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 1:12 am

Duck.

brbolin · #3 Unread post by **brbolin** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 1:42 am

Skrunch down, and move more towards the center of your lane...that's what I do on my bike. I live in an area FULL of coal semis and such, so meeting three or four in a three mile strip isn't uncommon.
You'll get hit with the "wake" a second or two after the truck goes by...just be ready for it.

Nibblet99 · #4 Unread post by **Nibblet99** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 2:07 am

The best one is when you're both doing 100km/h in opposite directions.... fisrt time on a naked bike, It took me so completely unawares, it almost winded me

sapaul · #5 Unread post by **sapaul** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 2:45 am

DO NOT go tense. You need to be relaxed, your bike responds better to gentle controlled imputs, not stiff armed panic. Learn to ride them and be confident enough that if you do get blown around you can control your machine.

Awox · #6 Unread post by **Awox** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 4:28 am

Many thanks!

Ducking/scruntching seems to make sense and I'm glad I asked here before having to figure it out for myself. The Pacific Highway which runs right up the east coast of Australia splits my city (Coffs Harbour) in half, and due to expensive banana plantations and other things like this to the west of the city there will NEVER be a bypass.

So.. there's quite a bit of truck traffic. A few of them go flying through the highway assuming they'll hit green at the six sets of lights needed to pass through town, four of which I go through. Oh, before you ask. I am forced to transport myself because it is a midnight-6 shift.

bennettoid · Fri Oct 28, 2005 5:51 am

Its not necessarily bad. Big dump trucks can give off a 5-10 degree heat signature which in cold weather can be a blessing. Sometimes, if I'm sure the driver knows I'm there, I'll ride right up next to them.

Spiff · #8 Unread post by **Spiff** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 7:49 am

Awox wrote:due to expensive banana plantations and other things like this

I'd be worried more about hitting bananas that fell off of those trucks!

Awox wrote:A few of them go flying through the highway assuming they'll hit green at the six sets of lights

Remember kids, traffic signals timed at 50 kph are also timed at 100 kph!

#9 Unread post by **Sev** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:04 am

Another thing you can do is move to the outside of your lane. Because well the wind is most powerful close to the disturbance. And try not to anticipate it our steer out of it to much because you get blown away, and then sucked into the vaccuum behind. So just go with it and pretend like you intended to do that wiggle. It gets easier with practise.

Shiv · #10 Unread post by **Shiv** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:39 am

I'd be worried more about hitting bananas that fell off of those trucks!

Eh just surmount them at a 90 degree angle and you should be fine.

Basically what everyone else said. The further you lean in the more aerodynamic you become and the better you slice through that wall of air that the Dole truck just created.

Just don't lean too far in to where you can't see where you're going...or it becomes a risk.