[NSRCA-discussion] Weather Vane or Crab

[Doug Cronkhite]

Believe it or not, if the bike is leaning INTO the gust, then you're 
doing it. You're more than likely doing it without even thinking about 
it. I've raced quite a bit in fairly high winds at Willow Springs here 
in CA, and what you're describing happens so quickly that you might 
think it's caused by the wind, especially if you've been riding for awhile.

-Doug



Eddie Batchelor wrote:
> Ok
> Let me ask a question that may be related to this thread   or is it ?
> I have NO aerodynamic training and my limited knowledge is only what I've
> been able to absorb from discussions with Nat   - so I have no idea how to
> explain what's happening.
>
> I used to ride motorcycles. I have owned two, a Yamaha XS1100 tourer and a
> Honda GoldWing 1500 SE.  BOTH bikes when hit by a gust of crosswind on the
> highway would lean into the gust, a lot! It was not me and it was strong
> enough to scare me silly the first time it happened. After some riding
> experience I learned to expect it and just relax because resulted in a self
> correcting motion.
>
> Is there any correlation to what is being discussed in this thread or am I
> talking about a totally different phenomon. My first thought is that the
> bike could be compared to the airplane  EXCEPT the bike isn't airborne it is
> still in contact with the ground.
>
> Until reading thios thread and rethinking all I've read I had believed the
> airplane reacted the same as my bike but I wasn't considering the fact the
> airplane is no longer in contact with the ground like the bike is.
>
>