Jumping in windy conditions.

jtomasik
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jtomasik
Edited Date/Time 1/27/2012 2:26pm
I'm a late bloomer on riding tracks with bigger jumps. Cross winds always spook me. Yesterday, it was a bit windy (20-25mph gusts). On the bigger jumps which had cross winds, the wind would noticeably push the bike. So, I went back to a track with smaller jumps, and I began practicing pushing the bike in mid air to offset the effects of the wind. It seemed to work, but I'm not sure how effective it'd be on the bigger jumps. Should I expect that it's possible to push the bike against the crosswind with much success?
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jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/6/2008 3:17pm
4/6/2008 3:17pm
Er, ok. So, let's say I'm not quite up to speed of scrubbing jumps. While I'm stuck in the air, with too much height between me and the ground, can the bike be muscled around to minimize the effects of the wind?
ACMYERS
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ACMYERS 4/6/2008 3:49pm
4/6/2008 3:49pm
Buy a four stroke. They are heavier and less likely to be pushed around (even though they are down 12hp).
jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/6/2008 3:51pm
4/6/2008 3:51pm
Ha! Funny, Myers. No, the thumper would get pushed around too, and when it lands crossed up, it punishes the crap outta me. With the lighter front end of the smoker, yeah, it gets pushed around, but when it lands, it's no huge deal to muscle through it and keep right on riding.
ACMYERS
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ACMYERS 4/6/2008 3:54pm
4/6/2008 3:54pm
jtomasik wrote:
Ha! Funny, Myers. No, the thumper would get pushed around too, and when it lands crossed up, it punishes the crap outta me. With the lighter...
Ha! Funny, Myers. No, the thumper would get pushed around too, and when it lands crossed up, it punishes the crap outta me. With the lighter front end of the smoker, yeah, it gets pushed around, but when it lands, it's no huge deal to muscle through it and keep right on riding.
Just thought I would throw that in there. just be carefull sometimes the wind is not worth the risk.

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jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/6/2008 3:58pm
4/6/2008 3:58pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:33pm
That reply is unacceptable. :-) I've seen lots of guys getting big air in windy conditions, and they seem to be able to control the bikes well. Yes, it appears many do scrub, but not all, if I remember right.

I'm wondering....am I on the right track? Or is the only way to fix it through a scrub? Like I said, it seemed to control the bike well on a smaller jump that launched me about 25 or so feet (flat landing) with about 6 feet of air. If I didn't do anything, I could feel the bike push, but if I muscled the bike in mid air, it felt controlled. I'm just wondering if that's enough for the bigger 75 ft. jumps.
worm
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worm 4/6/2008 3:59pm
4/6/2008 3:59pm
paging

OZY

Evil
jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/6/2008 4:05pm
4/6/2008 4:05pm
mxsentenceforlife wrote:
You need to stick to the trails Grandpa.
Kissing

I feel the love.

Laughing
wildbill
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wildbill 4/6/2008 4:32pm
4/6/2008 4:32pm
do a mini scrub and turn your front wheel towards the wind, stay loose on the bike and panic rev the living shit out of it and you should be ok.
mike868y
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mike868y 4/6/2008 4:34pm
4/6/2008 4:34pm
I hate riding in winds, soo sketchy
jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/6/2008 4:36pm
4/6/2008 4:36pm
All I was doing was pushing the front wheel down into the wind.

Eh, I guess I gotta work on the scrubs, too.
mxsentenceforlife 4/6/2008 4:40pm
4/6/2008 4:40pm
jtomasik wrote:
All I was doing was pushing the front wheel down into the wind.

Eh, I guess I gotta work on the scrubs, too.
Maybe take a riding school .
jdub347
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jdub347 4/6/2008 4:44pm
4/6/2008 4:44pm Edited Date/Time 4/6/2008 4:57pm
I was told by a buddy (local pro) to never try to lean into the wind, as doing that can cause the bike to be blown out from under you. In semi windy conditions, I would crank the on the bars on the face of a jump and whip the rear into the wind....that helped, but when it got really bad, I would pack it in.
jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/6/2008 5:09pm
4/6/2008 5:09pm Edited Date/Time 4/6/2008 5:36pm
Hmm. Makes sense. I guess I just wasn't airborne enough to feel the bike blowing out from under me when I was trying my approach. So, lemme make sure I got this straight...you want me to turn the bars down and away from the wind (so the front wheel is upwind of the bars), and push the back into the wind. Right?
`ol Ger
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`ol Ger 4/6/2008 5:30pm
4/6/2008 5:30pm
It can be dangerous. I've come close to the edge jumping in wind. My youngest son looped out his KX80 jumping into the wind over a 60' double.
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jdub347 4/6/2008 6:19pm
4/6/2008 6:19pm
jtomasik wrote:
Hmm. Makes sense. I guess I just wasn't airborne enough to feel the bike blowing out from under me when I was trying my approach. So...
Hmm. Makes sense. I guess I just wasn't airborne enough to feel the bike blowing out from under me when I was trying my approach. So, lemme make sure I got this straight...you want me to turn the bars down and away from the wind (so the front wheel is upwind of the bars), and push the back into the wind. Right?
Yep, that is what I do...
Big Lenny
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Big Lenny 4/6/2008 7:46pm
4/6/2008 7:46pm
This you j?..

jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/6/2008 7:51pm
4/6/2008 7:51pm
Wile E. Coyote....suuuuper geeeenius....

I like the way that rolls out....

Pit Row

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huck
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huck 4/7/2008 8:11am
4/7/2008 8:11am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:33pm
Hey Scott...

I am having a bit of trouble with the coating unit on a Heidelberg printing press...are you an expert on those too??

Adam43
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Adam43 4/7/2008 8:17am
4/7/2008 8:17am
Riding in wind is a sketchy deal. There isn't a whole lot you can do other than stay loose on the bike and be able to make any corrections needed.

Wind will affect you less if you hit the jump faster and carry more airspeed. This is why scrubbing or keeping the bike low are effective against the wind, because they allow you to travel the same distance at a faster speed.
bsm121
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bsm121 4/7/2008 8:42am
4/7/2008 8:42am
haul ass and scrub it.

FLvet
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FLvet 4/7/2008 8:56am
4/7/2008 8:56am
And Scott last rode?
Robert
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Robert 4/7/2008 9:17am
4/7/2008 9:17am
Do you even ride?
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Suns_PSD 4/7/2008 9:50am
4/7/2008 9:50am
ACMYERS wrote:
Buy a four stroke. They are heavier and less likely to be pushed around (even though they are down 12hp).
I ride both and the 2 stroke is dramatically easier to handle in cross winds than the 4 stroke.

Maybe it's the big holes near the cylinder allowing air to pass thru or just creating a surface that is too rough for the air to grab as well?

Maybe it's cause the 2 strokes are lighter?
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txmxer 4/7/2008 9:57am
4/7/2008 9:57am
I hate jumping in the wind. Gusts are the worst. I've had that feeling of the bike rolling out from beneath me due to a gust...just not worth it.

bogdan912
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bogdan912 4/7/2008 10:01am
4/7/2008 10:01am
The major thing with jumping in wind is balance. You can do things to minimize the push you get from side to side but sometimes its best to let it push you and take off farther to the left/right depending on the wind. When you try to counter act the wind you can get in an uncomfortable position which is pretty much un-recoverable and you will just be along for the ride.
jtomasik
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jtomasik 4/7/2008 10:29am
4/7/2008 10:29am
jtomasik wrote:
I'm a late bloomer on riding tracks with bigger jumps. Cross winds always spook me. Yesterday, it was a bit windy (20-25mph gusts). On the bigger...
I'm a late bloomer on riding tracks with bigger jumps. Cross winds always spook me. Yesterday, it was a bit windy (20-25mph gusts). On the bigger jumps which had cross winds, the wind would noticeably push the bike. So, I went back to a track with smaller jumps, and I began practicing pushing the bike in mid air to offset the effects of the wind. It seemed to work, but I'm not sure how effective it'd be on the bigger jumps. Should I expect that it's possible to push the bike against the crosswind with much success?
I think what bugs me is that the push isn't even across the bike. The front end seems to get affected most, so the front end seems to go away first. I appreciate the suggestions here.
1
blankplate 4/7/2008 10:39am
4/7/2008 10:39am
BogDan has a good suggestion. I used to ride a buddy's supercross track out in a pasture and winds were always a problem. We would just takeoff from the right and let the wind blow us to the left. The trick was right at the apex, turn the front in down and away from the wind.
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RetVet 4/7/2008 6:51pm
4/7/2008 6:51pm
huck wrote:
Hey Scott...

I am having a bit of trouble with the coating unit on a Heidelberg printing press...are you an expert on those too??

huck, what kind of issues are you having? Is it coating weight, coating appearance, tension problems, a bad smoothing bar, a worn out anilox? I don't know, you have to be more specific.
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Tiki 4/7/2008 8:58pm
4/7/2008 8:58pm
You missed Racetown today. You could have practiced all your windy jumps. It was blowing like a mofo.

I hate jumping in the wind, thats why I stick to the ground.

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