Blown off road - totaled GSA

[going south]

Like the OP said I love this bike, 12GSA.. it is also the biggest SAIL boat/bike I have ever ridden in the wind,
at the end of the day riding through NM, AZ, UT, I am whipped...
and in need of a traffic :...

[SocalRob]

I have a Scott's damper on my GSA and it has totally calmed the bike down on windy days. I will try the trick of lowering my windshield all the way the next time I am on a windy ride.

[mikegc]

Wow, SiouxsieCat, I'm so sorry about your machine but glad you walked away! Troidus said a "mouthful" about Great Plains riding and I got a real lesson out there a couple of times. On May 7, 2007, I left Denver, CO on my '07 K12 GT heading fo Hays, KS. The wind was really blowing out of the SSW and, after crossing Pena Blvd, it really picked up. I found out from a trucker at a rest area, it was gusting to 65 mph. Frankly, I was terrified. By the time I got to Hays around 5:30 PM, it had died down. About 4 hours later, Greensburg, KS, some 90 miles south, was devastated by an F5 tornado.

Two years ago, I left Van Horn, TX heading west with a 30-35 mph (my estimate) wind out of the SW. The temp was 70°. Crossing the mountains just west of town, I saw this:


There was no rain, just wind. When I entered that cloud of dust, the temperature plummeted to 40° in less than five miles and I had to slow to 35 mph as the winds gusted to 70 mph (El Paso weather report that evening). My '09 GSA didn't like that and neither did I!

Mike

[High Country Herb]

Man, I'm glad you walked away from that. Bummer about the GS.

We have a mountain (foothill) pass here with bad gusty winds. The danger comes when passing 18-wheelers who are slowly climbing hills. I almost rear ended one when I was blown into his lane just before overtaking him doing 3 times his speed. I nearly lifted the rear tire getting on the brakes.

That was on a Ninja. My Honda XL600R didn't do any better loaded with gear, but my Aprilia Dorsoduro is noticeably better, especially with saddlebags and top box mounted. I suppose the 410 lb supermoto has the advantage over the 320 lb Honda dual sport, but can't figure out why the bags help. The Ninja was just a sail.

It must have been really bad to blow the GS around.

[yellow 1150GS]

Last summer my wife and I rode home on an 1150 GS to Cleveland, Tennessee from Clarksville, Tennessee during a "high wind advisory" where the winds were gusting up to 65 mph. Found the only way to make decent progress was to ride the back roads. Interstate was impossible. Winds were steadily over 40 mph and you were forced to ride leaned into the wind. It was tough going through road cuts and underpasses and coming out into the open and back into the wind. Near Lynchburg, Tennessee we stopped at a gas station and met an older couple on a new Goldwing. The wife was hysterical and refused to get back on anymore that day. Seems they had several near misses of almost getting blown off the road. She even threatened to ride the bus instead of getting back on the bike.
I didn't realize how much work it had been trying to stay on the road until I woke up the next morning. My back and shoulders were so sore and tight from fighting the wind. Thank goodness for the wide handlebars on the GS. Can't imagine what it would have been like trying to ride a sportbike with the narrow bars.

[kag]

Originally Posted by SiouxsieCat

Got blown off the highway today in KC. Went into the median, which wasn't so bad until I hit the crossover for emergency vehicles, then things just tumbled forward in the air. Was doing about 60 in a 70 zone. Walked away, but the windshield / cockpit was gone and the aluminum cases were crumbled messes. Undoubtedly a write off. Since it's my only vehicle, I'm crossing my fingers I can get settled with insurance and take delivery on an identical bike with a week or two. I loved that thing.

I live about 100 miles west of you and the wind does howl at times. I ride 300+ days a year to work and back (50 mile r/t) and can certainly relate. However when the winds are really up I switch from my Buell Ulysses to my Harley Ultra with full fairing and it slices right through it. But out on the interstate it does get very tough even then sometimes

[stromsurfer]

Originally Posted by baloneyskin daddy

He was gettin blown and ran into the median.

Too friggin funny.

[longwayaround]

I live just east of the rockies and ride in 50-100k/hr wind almost daily in the spring and fall...you would think practice makes things easer but not the case. Gusting wind is the worst, you have to prepare for the bike to lean, jump and skid around, which is not always predictable and is exhausting trying to manage. Glad you are ok and I admire your spirit. Get back on and ride another day. Cheers.

[revmaaatin]

I feel your pain.
I too have been blown from one side of the road to the other by 'gust'...but never into the ditch.

After reading the entire thread, I have one Q.

What did you learn from all this?
If you could have one do-over, what would you do differently?

ie, would your ride further to the R/L side of the road?
(it is unclear to me which lane you were in, which side of the lane you were in, ie Right side of the left lane, and which side of the road you departed.)
Would you go faster, go slower?
Would you have used a parallel road/route to I-435? ( I see you have given that some thought, perphaps with more trees nearby? A road with a 55mph speed limit; going slow on the interstate has its own dangers = rear-ended. yikes.)

Did you stand up on the pegs as the bike departed the highway?

any Comment about your riding gear?
and lastly,
If you are a MSF graduate, did you find any of the training useful for surviving this faceplant?

[t6pilot]

Glad your ok
Had the same experience with my 1200gs, didn't like cross winds or gusts at all traded for super pig k1600gt it doesn't know if winds are blowing or not, not affected at all

[Josephvman]

Wow, glad you're okay!

My '05 R1200GS was terrible in the wind, and central Texas has a lot of wind. I was never able to sort it out and ended up getting rid of the bike because of it.

Yesterday it got pretty gusty on the way home from our ride, and I was on my Multistrada. I've noticed that when I switch that bike into Touring mode it handles the wind far better than Sport mode, so softening the suspension helps. It also helps to lower the windscreen all the way.

[lrgart]

Originally Posted by stevie88

Fuck mother nature. You need to eat more pie.

Pecan is best for this!

[lineareagle]

Originally Posted by troidus

For those of you with not much Great Plains experience, subtle changes in terrain can make a big difference in felt crosswind. If the wind is particularly brutal, pay attention to the undulations ahead of you on the windward side. If you're in an area of relative calm because of a parallel rise upwind of you, beware if you see a perpendicular road cut coming up, especially for an underpass. When you get to it, you'll get a concentrated wind blast that can mess up your whole day. The same holds true for breaks in hedgerows, Jersey barriers, and other things you normally might not think about in less windy areas. The Flint Hills can be especially unpredictable, because there are curves and elevation changes that cause felt wind to vary substantially from one mile to the next.

In addition strong winds can create a vortex effect as they pass over an object. In other words you will feel the wind coming from the other side, then when you pass out of the shadowed area you will be slammed from the prevailing wind.

You get a similar effect when passing trucks in windy conditions.

I totally agree riding in wind sucks, riding on an interstate in wind sucks even more. I never ride interstate in strong cross wind, well I seldom ride interstate period, hate them.

[mr. matteeanne]

Originally Posted by astroguy

My now sold F650gs was the only bike that ever did this. It was a strong wind gust coming into my front right. My front tire slipped sideways 2" or so then immediately straightened up. Scared the hell out of me. Sold it and bought a bike that is 100lb heavier!

It is easy to be fooled into over correcting. Knees against the tank, light grip on the bars and remember the centrifugal force wants to keep the tires going strait is the best you can do. But once the wind is so strong it slides the tires out from underneath you all bets are off.
We get some great storms in the PNW, and at least once a year a Harley rider bites it and says "The wind".

[LuciferMutt]

Glad you are OK. Sorry about the bike. We have frequent high wind warnings in NM where the gusts are pushing 60MPH. Today is going to be such a day

I will not ride on days like that. Way too dangerous. Having a bike as your only vehicle though sort of cancels that option. Have you ridden in high winds before?