Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi everyone I am new to this whole thing, 50 yrs old and riding for the first thing...so far so good, but what is good advice to dealing with the wind from semis passing on the highway. I got a little unnerved the other day, got blown around a bit and am sure I was white knuckled....

Hello Bill and welcome to the forum. Don't worry, you'll get use to it.

Yes, you'll get used to it soon enough if you keep at it. I started riding at age 52 and still managed to get 30 years and 400k miles of riding in.

There's not much you can do about it, honestly.

I too, did not start riding till I was north of 50. Wind whether natural or the result of semis can be a bear. My advise is to be relaxed. The bike wants to stay upright and will do so even if it wobbles a bit. Keep loose. You might try practicing by riding in the slip stream of a large truck. Just find a semi and ease up on it until you feel the turbulence. Just move in and out of the zone until you are comfortable with the sensation.

Enjoy.

Hi Bill,

I would like to welcome you to the Total Motorcycle Forum!

There are a lot of people who are starting to ride later in life, or restarting to ride and this is a good place to come for a bit of advice as long as you are a bit patient. I rode for a bit when I was young and just restarted about a year ago at age 52.

Wind from trucks? There are a few different situations such as when overtaking on the highway or when going past a truck that is come over from the opposite direction on a two lane highway. In either case, the situation can get a bit more unnerving if there is a crosswind involved at the same time. What I try to do is to visualize the way the air is moving around the truck and anticipate what the bike is going to do. Also, the turbulence, or dirty air, come over of some trucks is a lot worse than others. Car carriers are particularly bad as are tanker trucks. Experience will help.

In the long run, trucks are rather dangerous as they can kick up objects, have tires disintegrate, and they limit visibility. I try to pass trucks briskly and then stay away from them as much as possible. Also, lots of people get frustrated when trucks are blocking traffic while passing each other on the highway with lots of cage drivers doing stupid things. There are often bubbles of traffic on the highway with large gaps between. When I come up on one of the rolling traffic jams, I just wait and it will get sorted out after a while, and then I will pass the trucks at a brisk pace. If you get mixed up in that mess, then you are riding in dirty air until you can work you way past the traffic and you are also riding close to the trucks along with a bunch of frustrated car drivers. I would rather sit a few hundred yards off the back in the clean air with lots of empty space around me instead of mixing it up with everyone trying to be the first to get past those darn trucks.

Safe Travels,
Richard

I stay as far away from the truck as I can get when passing it. The extreme opposite side of the lane you're passing in would be perfect, but is still turbulent.

Hi Bill, welcome to the forum.

The bike you are riding is pretty stable at highway speed and will survive pretty gusty conditions, which you will probably be getting used to out there in Saskatchewan. The main thing I do is relax and let the bike adjust. And spend as little time as possible in the drag position, unless you are comfortable tucking right up behind them in the pocket that forms there (Which is a risky venture depending on the traffic). The spin of your wheels is a double gyroscope which will actually help to keep your bike moving the way you want it to.

As others have mentioned, it's getting used to it by practice. Keep riding and you will get used to it. Maybe not enjoy it, but get used to it.

dr_bar wrote:I stay as far away from the truck as I can get when passing it. The extreme opposite side of the lane you're passing in would be perfect, but is still turbulent.

Welcome Bill and this is good advice. I'd also add, go by the semi at as brisk a pace as you are comfortable with and *NEVER* match speed next to a semi for any period of time. As a matter of fact, when I'm in the passing lane in traffic and we are all passing a semi, I hold back until there is enough room to the car next to me I can zoom past the semi and not have to sit next to it for any longer than is absolutely necessary.

The other solution is to avoid semis entirely and just ride back country roads. Those are the most fun anyway.

Congrats on being a new old rider!

You didn't say whether passing in the same direction or on a 2-lane road head on.
For same direction, stay as far away as possible and get the pass done quickly.
Learn where the bow wave from the truck is and where the suction part of the wave is (the suction part that wants to pull you into him)
Never, never, never, never, never fly side by side formation with the truck. He can't see you and could squish you like a bug if he changes lanes.

For head-on I'll just duck to pass thru the turbulence without getting my helmet knocked around too much.
If you pay attention to wind direction you'll know whether a crosswind is blowing the turbulence into your lane or not.