I hate riding in a crosswind....

[Psychotic Bovine]

...but I cannot imagine how bad it is when driving a rig loaded with sailboat fuel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPiyrQTqSNk

Saw a blowover in person a couple of years ago.  Thankfully it happened on the opposite side of the highway from me and thankfully the driver was ok.

[0leman]

I lived in WY for 20 some odd years.  This state has a lot of real windy area.  Two really stand out in my mind.  The road between Casper and Rawlins  and the road between Cheyenne and Laramie.  Train tracks run close to the road between the later area.   Box cars have been know to blow off the tacks in this area and Semi's have been blow over.  I have seen several Box Cars laying on their side when driving thru there.

The strip north of Rawlins gets really windy.   I a rode north on this road on my CB750 not long after I got it (it was  basket case) up and running.  I didn't really notice the SW winds being so strong.  But when I came back home I couldn't do more than 30 mph while leaning over 20 degrees into the wind.   On this stretch of road, I have seen semi's fighting the wind driving 40 mph (normally they did 70 mph plus) while their air-ride cabs were leaning really far over.  Glad was going the other direction.

Then there is a stretch of road between Carson City an Reno.  They close that road every so often to keep Semi's/RVs/high profile vehicles from being blown over.   I have driven that road during those closures in a SUV fighting to keep her straight.  Glad when I was off that section.

[Avanti]

I pulled off of Interstate 80 in Nebraska with a 10 foot high 40 foot long empty enclosed trailer a few ago because of high side winds. A local man's advice was to stay put until it rained. He said if I did not get blown over I would at the least get my rig sand blasted. I deiced both where expensive propositions and stayed put.   

[f6john]

Very tiring on a bike. I've only had one experience with a strong crosswind in a rain storm. Wouldn't want to do it again.

[Jess from VA]

High winds in a lightning storm is real exciting on a sailboat in the middle of Lake Erie too. (at night)

It blew up so quick we could not get sails down, and it put the top of the mast in the water and flooded the cockpit.  Someone had to go about 4 feet underwater to untie the jib sheet lines, then crawl up to the mast and release the halyard.  Then up to the bow to pull it down against the wind holding it up.  With big waves crashing over the boat laying on it's side.  And the life jackets and life lines were down below, and you couldn't pull the hatch cover to get them or it might flood the whole boat.  It was supposedly an unsinkable (28' Viking) boat packed with styrofoam and a self bailing system, but it's not the kind of thing you want to test in the middle of the lake beyond any sight of land.

Having the aluminum mast in the water made it less likely to get struck by lightning sticking straight up.  So there was that.    

If semi's are blowing over, I'm pretty sure I'm not riding at that point.

Now a big tail wind could give you 45-50 mpg.

[scooperhsd]

Big winds is exactly why I'm not riding yesterday or today.

Kansas comes from an Indian word meaning "People of the South Wind" or something like that. Not quite hurricane strength, but bad enough for the NWS to issue High WInd Warnings for the area.

[Psychotic Bovine]

Big winds is exactly why I'm not riding yesterday or today.

Kansas comes from an Indian word meaning "People of the South Wind" or something like that. Not quite hurricane strength, but bad enough for the NWS to issue High WInd Warnings for the area.

Our Kansas fleet drivers were talking about it yesterday.

[Willow]

Big winds is exactly why I'm not riding yesterday or today.
...

I rode yesterday.  It was windy and it was a challenge at times but the temp and absence of precip was too much to pass up.

[baldo]

I saw on the Weather Channel this am....109 mph gusts in Grand Prairie, TX and similar speeds elsewhere. Those are freakin hurricane force!

[scooperhsd]

Yeah , we get it ALL out on the Great Plains - Plus we're known as Tornado Alley starting shortly.

[DirtyDan]

Never made it across Nebraska without seeing an 18 wheeler or 2 blown of the interstate

I came to dislike wind MORE than rain.......

Sometimes

Dan

[Psychotic Bovine]

Never made it across Nebraska without seeing an 18 wheeler or 2 blown of the interstate

I came to dislike wind MORE than rain.......

Sometimes

Dan

Yeah, I will ride in the rain all day.  Crosswinds (and headwinds) just tire me out.
Rain, if my rainsuit retains it's integrity, isn't that bad.
Snow, however.....

[Psychotic Bovine]

I saw on the Weather Channel this am....109 mph gusts in Grand Prairie, TX and similar speeds elsewhere. Those are freakin hurricane force!

That's some serious wind.  Even rocks get uprooted at that wind speed.

[baldo]

I go over this twice a day to get to work. There have been some instances when it's been closed due to high winds. When it's real windy, I start out hugging the curb and end up riding close to the center line. It's two lanes each way with zero separation, with everyone doing 50 + mph. ....

[KUGO]

I go over this twice a day to get to work. There have been some instances when it's been closed due to high winds. When it's real windy, I start out hugging the curb and end up riding close to the center line. It's two lanes each way with zero separation, with everyone doing 50 + mph. ....

Holy Crap!  Only thing worse would be if the bridge were just metal perforated grating, like some around Illinois that I hate with a passion, especially on windy days.

Nearly 30 mph steady winds today (central IL), with gusts past 70.  And there has been more "gust" than "steady".  NOT a riding day for me.

[sandy]

Big winds is exactly why I'm not riding yesterday or today.
...

I rode yesterday.  It was windy and it was a challenge at times but the temp and absence of precip was too much to pass up.

If it wasn't for crosswinds, Kansas riders wouldn't wear out their sidewalls. I use to live there, I know.

[old2soon]

            Some years back-Holly Farms of Texas was Still H F of Tx.-I had emptied in Denver and headed south on I-25 to git another load. Scale is I believe at Castle Rock on I-25 and as I started down the hill towards the scale a mobile home had the center section of it's roof blown off and slung across the I along with the insulation. When I weighed I got the red light along with the sign driver report inside. Scale man told me to NOT pass the next exit and their was an Arco truck stop there and I was to shut down there NO EXCEPTIONS. As I was grabbing gears comin out of the scale gittin back on da I. Shifted into 8th about 45 M P H and the truck felt weird. Looked in my mirrors and I had daylight under the right side trailer wheels!  I reached for my dash and turned on the jake brake-engine brake-and eased off the throttle and put on my 4 way flashers got down to about 30 M P H or so and found a spot to park at the Arco. That cursed truck rocked and rolled all night like i had 3 fat girls in there with me.  But in the A M we were released to go bout our business. B T W-that was an empty 48 foot long reefer trailer. RIDE SAFE.

[..]

Years ago driving a small empty box van after making  a delivery in northern England. The Toyota box van was 4 cylinder, 1,600 cc and had load space over the cab. Short wheelbase, tall body. Think miniature U Haul moving truck.

I was overtaking a semi as we came onto a high bridge over a valley. As I started to clear the semi the crosswind caught me and the left side wheels came off the ground. This caused me to remove my foot from the gas (no fricking duh). The van slowed and was protected once more by the semi. I guess the semi was fully loaded because it kept going straight.

On 2 wheels I have been blown from the right lane into the left lane.

On 2 wheels I have had to lean way off the bike to keep it upright and straight.

[DIGGER]

3 yrs ago I was on my Valkyrie headed South on Hyway 6 between Hempstead Tx and NavasotaTx on a 4 lane hyway with a wide grassy middle between North and South lanes running 70 mph in a very strong crosswind.    I was in the left lane and was passing an 18 wheeler in the right lane.  The 18 wheeler was blocking the cross wind and when I passed the 18 wheeler a very strong gust hit and pushed me off the hyway and into the knee high grass at 70 mph.    I just knew I was going down but managed to ride it out thanks to an early life hobby of riding bucking bulls.....ha.    All was well and I pulled back up on the pavement and stopped to check my drawers and to pull long stems of grass caked up around the engine.    Pretty scarry ride.

[Oss]

No $hit about the winds in the southwest in March and early April

I had thought the stretch between Limon and Denver was bad, and it was but on the trip xcountry in 2014 every day afternoon winds hit 50 going back east from southern calif till I got to Carrville )sp?? but the worst was near Gallup NM (91 as I got off and hid in a room in the lee of the wind at a motel) and also near the windmills on 10 near palm springs

Never doing that ride that time of year again

[cookiedough]

wind gust much over 50 mph and no way would I attempt to do it again even on the heavy valkyrie.  fighting it tooth and nail leaning hard over to keep it going straight then winds die down again 20 mph no more leaning over until another 50 mph wind gusts makes it no fun at all.  If that much wind,  stay home or take it on 4 wheels.

I pulled my 25 foot enclosed trailer once in higher 30+ mph winds with my 1/2 ton truck and although made it no issues,  it felt like my steering wheel was broke shimming it back and forth on hwy. all due to the winds shifting my bigger enclosed trailer side to side.

[MarkT]

If you don't like crosswinds on a Valkyrie do not get a Gold Wing.  They are FAR WORSE.  I delayed a cross country ride on the wing across Nebraska on I80 in huge crosswinds.  Had to be very quick with the counter-steer to stay on the pavement.  Wife on the back.  I said this is not only no fun and tiring, it's dangerous.  We pulled off at a truck stop and waited the wind out for 3 hours.  By comparison the Valk is much less affected.  This might be due to the streamlining of the wing, big fairing and the low ground clearance so side wind can't escape.

[shortleg]

 When we had Inzane in S.D. A few years ago going along interstate 80 was
Real rough, spent much of my time leaning this way or that way.
   And when passing a truck it was death defying .