Highway speed and wind

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flaminllama

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I took my bike out on the highway early Sunday morning for the first time. There was very little traffic and I wanted to practice getting to speed. Everything went fine. What really surprised me was how unstable I felt on the bike (Ninja 250). I'm not a small rider by any stretch of the imagination (~180lbs), but I really felt I could topple over quite easily. Is this normal? How does everyone else deal with this?

Below 80km/hr, I don't feel anything and the bike is very comfortable. Above 80, and I begin to feel a lot of resistance. Is there anything I can do to make it less noticeable?
 
I've found that tucking can help with wind sometimes, though i'm not sure how good of a recommendation this is for a newer rider. I've had this issue to some degree on my 300 as well; though not to a degree that i felt like i was unstable. I've just been blown around slightly in my lane.
 
That's the same feeling I had when I first went out on the highway on my first bike - 250R also. You start to get used to it. Just relax and go with it. The 250r is a light bike and gets thrown around easy. As soon as I moved up to a slightly heavier bike (650R). I noticed the bike is more stable (wider tires, heavier bike, higher windscreen etc) , the wind resistance was alot easier to handle. One of the reasons I moved up from the 250R was the fact that I was exhausted after a 30 min commute to work at highway speeds. Other than that the bike was great.
 
work on body positioning. try to become one with the bike (seriously)
tuck in, make sure your gear is right size to reduce shake and instability. e.g.. if your jacket is even a little loose, then it will catch wind and shake... you will need to tighten the fit best you can by adjusting body and arm positioning.

check tires, to make sure nothing wrong there (psi etc)

but really mostly, it's body positioning. once i figured it out on my bike, riding comfort and stability instantly
became 100%.
 
Certainly lighter bikes feel less stable in the wind, But it is all relative. I felt more wind on my Gf's Katana 600, (in reality no windscreen compared to my 750), but then I moved to my Roadstar 1700 and it felt a lot more stable with even less wind than my 750, (even though I thought at the time I felt very stable on the 750..lol

It has to do with as has been stated your riding position, certainly sitting more upright your going to get much more wind resistance, then when your tucked. But wind resistance is something you will grow more accustomed to the more you ride. You have made a good start, by riding on a quieter Sunday morning continue to build on that experience when there is less traffic and soon you won't notice it as it becomes second nature.
 
I was on the 401 yesterday too on a 250. I also had a lot of trouble with the unstable almost wobbly sensation and couldn't reach my top speed. Yesterday was a gusty day with side and front hitting wind though which didn't help. All I could do was tuck a bit. Easier on calm days.
 
Oh another thing that was different was that I was wearing a backpack. That may have contributed to a sail effect too.
 
I see what you guys are saying. The more I think about it, it was my head/helmet that was being pushed around the most. I guess it's obvious that a more tucked in seating position will lead to lower wind resistance, but it wasn't something I considered before taking the highway.

What is the correct tucked in position? How close is my chest supposed to be to the gas tank? A few inches? A foot? Trial and error?

Is it safe to say that I probably perceived the wind resistance as instability since it was a new feeling and my first time at highway speeds? With correct posture and more experience, it will become less of an issue?
 
for a tuck, trial and error for the situation. you could essentially lay your chest down on the tank, it's just not very comfortable long-term. maybe try some different heights and see what works best for noise/wind.

I know on my bike and helmet, above about 80, anything between fully sitting up and laying on the tank is deafeningly loud. but this varies a lot
 
Another thing to consider, is the type of bike you have (Ninja 250). What I mean is that I found when I was rode my old bike (GS500F) on the highway I was blown around quite a bit (crosswinds, larger trucks, ect.) It was the fairings, acting like a sail panel. Now when I ride on the highway with my current bike (Speed Triple) I don't get the effect, because the bike has no fairings or wind protection at all. All I'm saying, is just be aware of how your bike behaves, and stay safe.
 
The ninja is fine on the highway, many have had their bikes near or at top end without any issues. yes wind does move your head around and severe cross winds will affect you like it does on most bikes. It's all a matter of learning the aerodynamics of the bike while you are on it.
For straight on headwinds you can tuck in by pulling appendages such as arms, legs and head as much out of the wind stream as possible. Pull your arms/legs in and slide back a little in your seat so that you have room to bring your helmet down under the wind blast off the windshield. You will notice a change in the sound of the wind over your helmet.

More importantly is learn how to handle crosswinds and not stiffen up. The most extreme side winds that you hit regularly is the combo of strong sidewinds combined with passing through the wind shadow of a truck since you go from no wind to the combined wind from the truck and cross wind occurring that day. Be prepared to counter steer and then relax your steering as the wind pressure drops I find leaning my head into the wind in gusts helps.
Just relax and be aware of where the wind is coming from and what vehicles/buildings can make the effect worse and be ready to counter as necessary, soon it will be something you don't pay that much attention to.
 
Also, try not to have a death grip on your bars, tuck in a bit and relax. If your gripping your bars to tightly all that turbulance you feel will transfer into your frame making your ride very twitchy. If you let your front wheel track a bit on its own you'll find your ride to smooth out.

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Yesterday was not particularly windy so I don't think you should have had any problems... If you feel like you can't let go of the bars at 100kph then I think there is something wrong with the bike.

Definitely check your tires having correct psi - too high or too low can both cause this feeling.

If psi is as recommended for your bike, then check that there is no play in the wheel bearings or steering bearings.
 
I posted this very question this season as I'm a first time rider as well...

I may be just 15lb shy of your weight and have a ninja 300...The first few times I went above 80, I thought the winds would just blow me right out of my bike!

THERE IS NOTHING THAT WILL UNSETTLE A BIKE GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE AT SPEED...unless you do something to change that situation...

I used to go at 100 and try to do the "wave"..found it extremely difficult... It takes a lot of effort to change the bike's direction...The bike just wants to go straight and it will keep doing so unless you as the operator do some thing else..

Give it a few more tries...you'll love it!
 
I can remember the feeling of instability I first felt when I ventured onto Highway 401 on my little 165 cc POS. That was in 1961, so you can see I have had some time to reflect on the circumstances.

Yes, crosswinds can make you feel unstable, but you can reduce their effect by crouching down. Do not worry about looking like a turtle; turtles have managed with a very humiliating image for millions of years. At least you do not look as odd as two turtles making little turtles.

Anyway, try to relax. Your bike resembles my CBR-250R, and I ride it on 400 and 401 a lot, sometimes doing 500 kilometers in a day, which is not really a long distance. If you cannot yet feel comfortable on expressways, try some of Ontario's secondary highways. They cover the province and offer a lot of scenery. If you are going to Niagara Falls, you can get there easily enough without using the QEW, and you will learn about little cities like Grimsby and Thorold.

As with many skills that matter a lot, practice is important, and should not be rushed. If something scares you at first, do something else that approximates it, and approach the larger highways via the smaller ones.

Then ride down to Florida, and see where summer spends the winter.
Our leaves do not turn colour, but the license plates sure as heck do!
 
flaminllama said:
I took my bike out on the highway early Sunday morning for the first time. There was very little traffic and I wanted to practice getting to speed. Everything went fine. What really surprised me was how unstable I felt on the bike (Ninja 250). I'm not a small rider by any stretch of the imagination (~180lbs), but I really felt I could topple over quite easily. Is this normal? How does everyone else deal with this?

Below 80km/hr, I don't feel anything and the bike is very comfortable. Above 80, and I begin to feel a lot of resistance. Is there anything I can do to make it less noticeable?
Click to expand...

the bike to light for the highway !!!!! 600 and up for the hwy
 
sonicboom said:
the bike to light for the highway !!!!! 600 and up for the hwy
Click to expand...
Dont listen to this squid-ish reply
Take it slow. I weight 130lbs on a cb 550. Ive tried the bike in the highway and it really comes down to your posture. Play around and see what position is comfy and ideal for you.

Like what has been said. Small steps and before you knownit, its second nature.
 
sonicboom said:
the bike to light for the highway !!!!! 600 and up for the hwy
Click to expand...

1. Rubbish! I also ride my 125 on Interstate highways and 400 and 401 and DVP, etc. I keep up with traffic, because the traffic creates a following wind which assists my little engine. I have the same model bike as the 125 which went from Key West to Deadhorse Alaska and back to Key West in June 2011, then went 1500 miles in one day, yes 1500 miles on a 125.

2. Please put some care into your spelling and capitalization and punctuation, so we can read your posts easily.
 
In addition to the advice already offered, I would also recommend wearing ear plugs when you go on the highway. In addition to saving your hearing, the wind won't seem as strong if you can't hear it.
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