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Old April 6th, 2010, 10:47 AM   #37
FrugalNinja250
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Name: Frugal
Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Join Date: Mar 2010

Motorcycle(s): Several

Posts: A lot.
A couple of weekends ago I was riding with friends in winds of 35-40mph with gusts to 50+. It was brutal. At one point I was leaned over about 20 degrees into a wind from the right front, mostly right, when a 50+ gust hit me. I was doing 70mph on a straight stretch of concrete freeway and the wind made my front tire hop over almost a foot, it was all I could do to keep from low-siding. I later theorized that the vector of the wind on me and my bike essentially made me into a symmetrical airfoil, or wing, and the combined wind velocity of over 100 mph actually generated enough lift that, with the sideforce of the wind, was enough to slip the front tire.

I dropped my speed to less than 60mph and that helped greatly. My riding buddies, all on heavier and more powerful sportbikes, had no problems and left me behind.

There were a few sharp curves where the wind blew me to the ouside of the turn despite my leaning into it, and one elevated highway exit ramp where I was curving to the left but leaned over to the right into the wind. That was all kinds of wrong.
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