Ducati Monster Forum

Anybody else find themselves out in this gale today? 

I had to ride down to Cupertino from San Francisco for work today.  It's a 50 mile trip one way.  I didn't start out with a full tank, so I filled up after my meeting before heading back.  I only took 2.5 gallons.  That was 2.5 gallons for 115 miles traveled--50 of which were on the freeway with this wind at my back.  I got 45 miles to the gallon!!!!   :o 

On the way home I nearly pulled over.  I've never been afraid of riding in the wind before, but I got blown pretty hard a couple of times cresting some of the hills on 280.  Very unnerving.  I actually tried to follow trucks and cars to get into their draft.  I was in a full tuck and doing maybe 70 or 80 indicated. 

Getting hammered all the way down in Ventura County. Have to watch out for flying tree branches. :o

Nothing scarier than an involuntary lane change caused by a good gust...

Yes, I had trees throwing things at me left and right, got hit by branches quite a few times on my way home.

Last night Pescadero Rd was covered in branches, there were some corners I had to basically play hopscotch through.  There's probably still a bit of crap on the road, people might want to wait a couple days before hitting the twisties.

It was really fun last night as I was riding two up through the city with my wife. Even at low speeds there were a few blasts that seriously knocked us around  :o A little adrenalin rush before dinner is good for the appetite 8)

Yeah, the Richmond bridge on a Vespa was definitely no fun. Just kept telling myself to be loose at the elbows and on the grips.

At least you weren't out fishing!

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/peninsula&id=6762016 (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/peninsula&id=6762016)

I've found that slightly slower speeds add significant stability in high winds.

Sometimes.  Usually there's a "sweet spot" and it has more to do with rpm than with speed.  At 65 the wind was knocking me around pretty good.  5 mph faster and I was cutting through it much better.

Those ARE slightly lower speeds. ;)

Very true. But you end up getting whiffed by trucks on narrow bridges. [bang]

Also, I've found that putting more weight over the front wheel helps (tuck down, but don't scoot your butt back).

I'm a wuss, so I don't ride in the wind...I just do other things in the wind.  :o

yeah, i was stuck in foster city for 2hrs at starbucks b/c they closed down the SM bridge last night. big rig and boat both stopped traffic... unfortunately this  morning was more of the same b/c they were still f'ing around with that boat...

commuting to belmont for p/t work over the bridge is definitely not worth it.

damn this recession!

Still a little breezy tonight, but not bad at all.  That was a good thing.  I didn't have on much for gear.  Came straight from jury duty and went to work and then went out.  It was chilly on the way home, and I got a lot of looks in my pink pants on the bike.   :P

We were at the Code Superbike School at Laguna Seca Tuesday and the wind was CRAZY.  Almost worse trailering the bikes back home after.   [roll]

Track school was really fun, though - and I didn't crash!   ;D

I rode up and around Mt Tam this morning, and the roads were niiiiiiiice  ;D

I seriously thought I was gonna blow into a car on tues on the lower deck of the BB. I saw this thread after I'd started one last night about lanesplitting...a little redundant oops. In any event, at least nobody blew away!



I think that's what I'm trying to figure out because it seems when I'm going slow(lower rpm's) I feel like I'm being knocked around harder. I'm glad to hear somebody else say that and I'll try to my be in my "sweet spot" when riding in the wind-- barring any gnarly traffic.

To further validate how nutty last Tuesday was, I saw some funnel cloud formations that day (but no touchdown tornadoes) in San Benito and Merced counties.  Hail too.

Caltrans trucks were out in full force yesterday clearing the peninsula roads, far better today here as well. [thumbsup]

really?!   :o

I've found that the winds are harsher on my fully-faired bike than on the Monster. But it's still disconcerting to go sailing on land...I find myself singing that Styx song, Cartman-style, inside my helmet ;D

I just realized that when the Weather Channel announces a "small craft warning" they are talking about US!   [laugh]


 :o dear me I got some lateral movement on the 280 just now.





Ya but you do that all the time.   [laugh]

I also got blown about on my bicycle on 35 and 84 this afternoon.

We've had this blow for a while now.  And I'm hearing something about rain coming in over the weekend.  I'm displeased with this imperfect weather. 

Tell me about it! The world's comin' to an end! Bad juju in the air.

Ah, but perfect weather for gear-shopping. I need new gloves anyway--going to Scuderia on Friday.

egh-hemmm. Speaking of gear, that would be what's-her-name from Dainese moving down here from Portland of all places bring this crap weather.
You need to have a talk with her and set some shit straight about what to bring and what not.  [cheeky]