Right now where im at its blowing a steady 40mph wind and im thinking back to last year in feb. i took a trip to tucson and there was wind advisories. i had just gotten on the road and they shut it down but seeing as how i was already out they couldnt stop me. that day it was blowing steady at 50 with gusts around 75 and i had a little over 200 miles to go. now i've heard that riding a klr in the wind is like carrying a 4x8 sheet of plywood and brother let me tell you. now im used toriding in the wind because it blows like that here every spring but that was the first time i went under that heavy of a wind and i was getting blown all over the road. and twice i was actually blown off the road onto the shoulder. and i was riding as close as possible to the far line of the 2 lane westbound and getting blown clear across both lanes. it was border line insanity and more than once i considered giving up and pulling over, but being dumb and young and with the "i think i can' attitude i eventually did make my way all the way to tucson. now the only reason im telling this story is to hand out a few things i learned when it comes to driving in the wind that day.

# 1 throttle
when its blowing you so hard that you are going sideways doing 65 and you arent tensed up, back off the throttle eventually you can manuever the bike easier and get back on track then you can power back into it.

# 2 semi's are your friend.

moving along at a good clip and coming up behind a semi is always a little iffy and very shaky, however thier slipstream with keep you sucked in and stop you from getting blown out of a lane.

# 3 you have to relax

stiffening up in wind is no good. you are a sail the bike want to keep going forward, let yourself get blown around, as soon as you stiffen up you become hard fixed to the bike and get blown around.

anyway i hope this helps some people who are afraid to go out on a windy day. its good to do it regardless sometimes because you may end up getting caught in it someday and its good to know how to ride in it if it comes up.

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desert bowling.

I disagree on 1 and 2.
A two wheeled vehicle relies on gyroscopic forces to stay upright; the faster you go the more gyroscopic force you have, therefore the more stable the bike will be against wind inputs.
Around a truck is the worst place you can ever be. Your visibility and visibility of you approaches zero. Trucks are also far more affected by wind which can cause them to shift lanes, even flip. Truck tires also are far more pron to blowouts and losing recaps than any other vehicles on the road.

indeed the gyroscopic affect your talking of is correct. but with a 70mph wind blowing on your side you can throw that out the window. your a ragdoll bro. and as for semi's it isnt safe but, it is a way out. like i said it was borderline insanity. like riding around while a tornado is in town. if that helps describe it better.

This bike just plain sucks riding in the wind.

I've done 60+MPH wind gusts in a snow storm, and yeah, I had to slow down, because it is really hard to feel the difference between being blown away and having the tires slide out, especially when your hands and feet are going numb. Otherwise, once the wind is gusting over 50, I just peg the throttle, loosen up on the bars, and clamp my knees on the tank.

I rode home in similar conditions yesterday. Don't mind the crosswind except when vehicles alternately block then don't block the wind. My biggest issue is gravel. Gyro or no, with a 40 Mph crosswind, gravel is not your friend. I took the long way choosing the long ride into a headwind on gravel over the short ride with a side wind.

Recently mounted a KTM front fender after rashing up the OEM in a gravel drop. Riding in gusting 40 mph winds the last 2 days can tell a definate improvement. Still blows around some but much less of a pucker factor. Already replaced OEM handguards with Barkbusters.

Have to agree with Scrapper, riding in the wind is not fun but Semi's can be your friend. Many of them ride and if you somehow let him/her know you're going to jump in their slipstream a lot will act as a windbreak for you. Slower going but I followed a semi going 60 up the 5 for two hours coming from SoCal and boy was it a life saver. Was blown around like a rag doll before that.

Gusts to 54 MPH in Central Illinois yesterday. Not the most fun I've ever had on a bike. Wind blows....

Mac