wind?

[Otus]

Just wondering how much wind it would take to push over a tourer  parked on a flat surface?

[Jack B]

My Tourer did a tip over in a parking lot once. I just finished putting my stuff in the saddlebags and the bike rolled forward and tipped. I was thinking maybe the side stand wasn't locked in. That was the only time in 14 tears that bike was tipped.

[R J]

Just wondering how much wind it would take to push over a tourer  parked on a flat surface?

I'd say it would have to be almost Hurricane volume.

I might add, this is based on the stock lean position of the Valk and that it is not parked in gear.

If it is in neutral, the wind from behind could roll it forward enough to put the kickstand up.

I guess that leaves no guess work on how I park MGM, in GEAR, preferably LOW.

[Pappy!]

Tire lose air?

[Otus]

Tire lose air?

No, I was just debating on going somewhere on the bike but didn't want to come back outside to find her laying on the ground.

[Bighead]

If you can ride in it,it isn't strong enough to blow your Valk over.

[Woton]

Ok, an (I'll try to make it quick) story...

Last summer BikerGirl and I were riding US 101 on the Oregon Coast and came up onto Cape Blanco lighthouse near Port Orford  We love lighthouses, and these lovely little ones on the Pacific Coast are so picturesque.  Weather was a bit foggy, but the winds were not bad.

There was a several mile access road from 101 to the lighthouse parking area, and we kind of noticed the winds seemed to be picking up as we approached the point.  Crossing a small knoll to where the ocean should have come into view we saw nothing but fog and the winds hit us from the right side like a freight train.  All we could do was sit there - gripping the handlebars with both feet planted on the ground - literally afraid to move. 

Well, after appreciating the powers of Mother Nature for a minute or two it was time to do...something - and here's the "bike lean" part of the story.  I decided to keep the kickstands down and just walk both bikes around a half-circle to point them back toward 101.  Did mine first, got off the Valk and stepped away.  When I did so the wind caught the Valk and, had I not grabbed it, absolutely WOULD have thrown it over high-side. 

So, I had BikerGirl come over and keep mine from falling while I walked hers around.  Her Stratoliner weighs about 50 lbs more and leans more on the kickstand.  Fortunately, it would stand against the wind by itself where the Valkyrie would not.  We switched positions, mounted the bikes, and carefully got the heck out of there.  Sunny with almost no wind back on US 101!  ???

Worst wind we have ever experienced in our lives!  I felt like Jim Cantore on the Weather Channel!  Now, I know the Valk casts a big profile - that's one reason it is such an eye-catcher.  But, I would never have expected wind to blow the Big Girl up and over - high side from the kickstand.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Back in the day when we had the annual Cheaha Mountain Valkyrie Rally in Alabama several bikes blew over during storm's . Seems we had bad storms and tornado warnings damn near every year on the mountain.... I miss going to Cheaha every spring I was hoping someone else would step-up and take this ride over after RedValk stopped doing it. Same as the annual ride to Florida for " Dragons On The Beach " no one stepped up  


Long Live The Dragon

[John Schmidt]

I'm with RJ, don't park the bike in neutral is a good start. I've watched so many riders do that on all kinds of bikes, and some did it on sloped surfaces. That's really asking for your ride to take a dump by rolling forward off the sidestand....and it doesn't take much movement to do it. A lot less wind is needed to cause the bike to roll forward than to knock it over sideways. Don't believe me? Put your bike in neutral on the sidestand, then grab the handlebars and see how easy it is to roll it off the sidestand. Now, still on the sidestand in gear....trying lifting the bike sideways to the right to replicate a wind coming from the left. The wind to knock if over sideways has to be quite steady as well as fairly strong. But to roll it forward only takes a short gust.

[Oss]

Depends on your speed. At under 30mph a 50plus wind is downright unpleasant
at 70 wind speed I am off bike hiding in the lee of the wind
I can tell you at 90 even if you are sitting on bike she will want to move and you won't want that

[SpidyJ]

Well we must know the weight of the bike to calculate the downward force vectors for each wheel,  the exposed surface area of the bike (Interstates will be easier to blow over), the direction and  speed of the wind to calculate the side force vector exerted on the bike.......blah, blah,blah.

 

[Bighead]

I rode through Nebraska,Kansas and Wyoming summer before last and had reported wind of 70+ (not fun) but winds didn't turn my bike over  ???

[Otus]

About the only time my bike is ever in neutral is if I'm warming it up, and if where it is sitting is questionable I'll just sit on it. I did try pulling it from the side while it was on the side stand, it would be a hell of a wind to do that. When I got where I was going I parked on a slope with the kickstand on the downhill side to put a little more lean on it. We were having a little bit of a wind advisory with some pretty good gusts.

[rocketray]

Playing the wind can be fun on a bike but once with some 10mph extra speed  I came thru the" canyon" cut into the hillside on I-30 coming down into the floodplain for Dallas and was going thru the windcurl from a semi-truck that caused me to have to turn into the semi---but coincidently just as I broke thru his wind blast going around him leaning heavily I broke into the open floodplain where there was a 45mph wind coming from the right    which caused me to turn directly across in front of the semi and across to within a foot of the concrete retaining wall divider before I could break the turn back to the right--the trucker had locked his brakes up and I never been so scared in my life.....watch those artificial and authentic canyon winds!!

[Jess from VA]

Add a cover to a bike with a tall rear (trunk or tall sissy) and it becomes much easier to blow over (sailboat effect).

My 750 honda with sissy blew over several times under its cover on the centerstand on Maxwell AFB flightline parked outside my Q.  Of course it's lighter than the Valk, but when it goes over it ends up flat on it's side leaking fluids.   

[flatsixrider]

Back in the day when we had the annual Cheaha Mountain Valkyrie Rally in Alabama several bikes blew over during storm's . Seems we had bad storms and tornado warnings damn near every year on the mountain.... I miss going to Cheaha every spring I was hoping someone else would step-up and take this ride over after RedValk stopped doing it. Same as the annual ride to Florida for " Dragons On The Beach " no one stepped up  


Long Live The Dragon

I remember those storms well and do miss the fun up on the mountain.  

[Chrisj CMA]

Just wondering how much wind it would take to push over a tourer  parked on a flat surface?

Cheaha wind...........I think it was less than 70mph saw it happen