Take your time..... schedule doesn't mean much if you don't arrive....

 

reminds me of the signs I used to see on the ski slopes when I was a kid... Know your limit Ski within IT!

Same goes here, ride to the conditions, not your schedule.

And IMHO, if I were retired, I would think I would have plenty of pad on the front and back side of the trip.

Best of luck and ride safe!

 

Understood... the old saying arrive alive... but that leaves me thinking, and maybe you more experienced riders could tell me... in high wind is it better to go slow, or better to go with a little more speed since speed seems to give these big bikes more control? just thinking out loud.

 

Your intuition serves you well.
To a point inertia is your friend.

 

Wind within reason won’t spook you with some experience. A very strong crosswind can present a unique situation you should be aware of. If a strong wind is coming from your left and you are compensating for it and a big old tractor trailer comes along and momentarily blocks that wind, the result can be a shock.
In heavy rain, make sure you can see well enough. Goggles, full face, etc.

 

As Sett said..... basically wind can be a tricky issue..... honestly I believe you learn from riding in it..... albeit very quickly. If you can just ride around in areas close to home by changing directions to get use to how the bike reacts. Riding with or against isn't bad. Crosswinds can be a challenge..... light rain i can handle... there comes a point with rain to pull over!

 

Best way to deal with riding in high winds is to ride in high winds. Experience builds competence builds confidence. As has been mentioned, beware a quartering high wind when a big rig pulls alongside...very exciting.

 

Road Glide. That’s all I’m going to say about this topic[emoji4]


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best advice

 

When riding in any adverse conditions it cant hurt to slow down. Don't go faster.
You don't have to do 30 in a 50 but don't be doing 60 and 65 like you might do if it is a nice day.
If it is raining and blowing it might be time to pullover. Unstable conditions and slick roads=TROUBLE.

 

Let your ass be your guide. If it’s puckered, listen to it! It knows your ability and if you’re riding above your ability your ass will let you know. The good news is that it’s a very accurate judge and it adapts as your ability improves.


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I never worry to much about the wind. On a RG it tends to not be an issue.

On the Ultra Limited other than the unloading of the batwing when something shields the wind (under pass, truck, very large lady) which you will feel real fast and correct, it should not be a problem.

But the rain .... I find the front tires float a little in deeper standing water. So I spend a lot of time driving on the high crown of the road in rain.

And when it is a wash out, I get off the damn road, there is always a place to get a burger and beer and wait it out. And it is way better than waking up in the hospital. So you feel it getting weird, time for a break.

If you spent 3 years with the 750 you already know about wind, and you should know about water, the Ultra Limited is heavier so it will do way better than the ol' 750.

As Silverback says .... the sphincter does not lie! If it is clinched up frogs asss tight (under water tight) might be time to reevaluate.

 

Only thing I can add to some very well written responses is viaducts (over passes) in a cross wind are almost as bad as a big rig, going in, the wind lets up.. fast, coming out, hits ya quick. In high winds, make sure you own the entire lane, you'll need it. Above all as others have said, the name of the game is to get there in one piece.

 

Wind in the flatlands is different than wind in the hills as to how it ebbs an flows. On the flatlands it is a constant until a big rig, overpass or stand of trees block it. In hill country, the wind winds through the hills coming and going based on the ground swells and tree lines, so it tends not to be a constant force, but pokes at you and pushes, then hides till the next time.

 

I would just add that pulling over in a heavy rain is not always an option. It can be dangerous on the side of the road when folks can’t see the lines and maybe not paying enough attention. If you absolutely have to, might should step back from the bike.
Just saying. I’ve been in a downpour on slab when my judgement said safer to lock in behind a truck until an exit.

 

Mag,

I know where you are coming from. I switched from a light 750 to an Ultra Classic. The size, weight and fairing really were far different and when I first rode at speed in the wind or even truck traffic, I was intimidated. The cure is to ride. The more you ride the less it bothers you, plus you learn when to slow down and when you don't have too. I have never (in over 50yrs. of riding) felt comfortable riding in the rain. I just am a lot more cautious, slow a little and pick the driest parts of the road to ride on.

 

I live in northeast Co and go to Wyoming quite a bit we have wind here all the time have ridden in 50-60 mph cross winds on more occasions than I can remember there is really nothing that prepares you for it other than doing It

 

I HAVE A BUDDY THAT IS A NEW RIDER WHICH IS GOOD. THE PART THAT IS BAD IS THAT YOU CAN'T TELL HIM ANYTHING. Can't tell a guy anything that already knows everything. One day there was some rain in the forecast and he said he's have to take the cage. I suggested he get out and ride in a it a bit for the practice. He said, "Why would I want to ride in the rain?" I said because someday you are going to be forced to do it and its nice to have a little seat time. Get to work and there was his cage in the parking lot.

The only way to know how to deal with the wind is the get out in it and learn to deal with it. Not the end of the world. You really want a wind lesson, I was coming across the Mackinac Bridge on a windy day. I was dealing with the wind ok, my lean was pretty severe but I was handling it. When you get to one of the bridge towers and the wind is blocked you almost fall over trying to adjust back straight, then as soon as you react, back into the wind. But it was a good experience and I can deal with it. Now the bridge deck grate material.....thats a completely different animal all together!! Ride safe.

 

I HAVE A BUDDY THAT IS A NEW RIDER WHICH IS GOOD. THE PART THAT IS BAD IS THAT YOU CAN'T TELL HIM ANYTHING. Can't tell a guy anything that already knows everything. One day there was some rain in the forecast and he said he's have to take the cage. I suggested he get out and ride in a it a bit for the practice. He said, "Why would I want to ride in the rain?" I said because someday you are going to be forced to do it and its nice to have a little seat time. Get to work and there was his cage in the parking lot.

The best time to become proficient at any skill is when you don't need to use it. Then when you need it, you won't be practicing.

 

Stay between two eighteen wheelers to block the wind and hold a newspaper over your head. An umbrella would just blow away. Post pictures or it didn't happen. Oh, and if you get smashed or otherwise mutilated during this, forget my name. :laughing

Seriously, rain suit and take it slow and safe.

 

Make sure you can see what’s up ahead on the road and what’s on the sides of the road that high wind will blow into your lane. If you duck behind a truck and can’t see, you’re screwed. They’ll run over 2X4’s, tires, mattresses, and other crap that will ruin your day.

Doc

 

Take strong wind seriously.

As it's been said already, bring a rain suit, listen to yourself and get off the road if you get worried or before you start to get tired.

Don't play with the big trucks. Big trucks slide in the rain, they get blown sideways and the whole rig can undulate like a snake going down the road, crack like a whip, or tip over.

Tie everything down and make sure there's nothing left open or flapping around on the bike unless it's a flag.

Don't pack your stuff too high or you'll end up sailing the Tradewinds and you'll need to bring some extra beads, trinkets, handmade leather goods, and tobacco for the natives.

Depending on the wind direction, stay as far to the right or left of the lane as possible to give yourself some room. You don't want to get gusted or pulled into another vehicle, a guardrail, off a raised highway, a bridge, up against chain link fence or onto one of those lovely sections of highway 'safety' divider cables AKA cheese slicers.

It doesn't matter what kind of vehicle you have, nothing is windproof. Three times I've had the wind literally instantaneously pick up my bike, one time my fully-loaded Crown Vic with four passengers, and move it over a full lane. So far, four times out of four, dropping back down has never been quite lined up on the road the same as before the lift.

If the wind's really strong but you just can't pull over, try to follow local aircraft VFR and get a room before it gets dark unless you have an instrument rating.

Don't freak out. :laughing

 

You haven't ridden in wind till you ride the Tacoma Narrows bridge during wind gusts.


Anything else is cake. :think

 

No. Thank. You. :bowrofl:

 

Lots of strong crosswinds will make you hate a half helmet.

 

I have ridden in some pretty strong cross winds with no problems. Leaning into it just becomes natural after a bit. Gusts can get the pucker factor going. Riding where there are big buildings/condos that funnel even slight breezes into significant gusts are not much fun.

 

Just ask Tommytailspin about 50 - 60 mph crosswinds we rode in about 6 hours of them last year and then when it got dark we enjoyed a nice rainstorm. What a rush.

 

the wind always blows in kansas but that by god was a windy day in texas!:banana

 

Yup...I’ve been surprised at the wind here in Oklahoma.
It will get your attention and keep it. Like ya said, combined with a heavy rain and its a whole nuthatch animal.

 

The local freeway here has a steep grade through the hills between Simi Valley and San Fernando Valley. The grade rises and crests through a fairly narrow cut in the hills, then rolls off into another steep grade down the other side.

It's shaped like a giant wing or a carburetor venturi so, naturally, the engineers carefully aimed in the same direction as the Santa Ana winds.

When the wind kicks up and blows huge masses of air across the hills and through the pass it obeys Bernoulli's Law by increasing its velocity and very slightly dropping the air pressure. The hills and the freeway only move during earthquakes but anything not riveted to the top of wing or stuck to the bottom of the float bowl gets wind gusts on steroids.

 

Pride Shattered

I remember when I got my Deuce; I busted out down a 2-lane road with no shoulders, 55MPH limit and a cross wind gusting at 35. Thought I was going to have a heart attack. I ended up going about 25 and had traffic snarled til I could get off on a side road and take the back way home.

IMHO I think more speed is better after I got some experience under my belt. That Deuce is violent even in calm winds at 55-60 MPH, and the extra speed definitely takes the sudden swerve out of the wind gusts.

As far as rain..........just slow down is all I have figured out. Good luck.