Riding in wind?

So this weekend my brother and I went to a show, and were riding through some very high winds. He was on a CBF500, me on my 125. At times, especially uphill and around corners, I felt like it was all I could do to stay on the bike, my arse was hanging off to the left, right hand pushing down to the right, just to go in a straight line. I ended up riding really slowly as a result. He told me I should actually have been riding quicker, but that was the very last thing I wanted to do. Is he correct?

Posted a similar topic recently (elsewhere) and the answers I got back where;

- Grip tank with knee's

- Maintain a 30-40mph speed (basically a constant higher speed, 30-40 really isn't a magic number)

- Relax upper body and arms (weigh no more than a feather, no pushing force completely relaxed)

- Stick either you right/left knee out (whatever direction the wind is coming from)

After that feedback I awoke the next day to see rain and high winds, gripped the tank and relaxed the body and helped, doesn't change the fact that riding a naked 125 in high exposed wind A roads is still scary, avoid unless needed or caught out in it (ie; commute to work.. if a social ride and weather changed return home or wait until better lighted weather).

Corners are a little tricky, I had a wobble and put my foot down when leaving a mini-roundabout on a backroad because the wind tried to take the bike from under me.. expect the un-expected.. also bailed out on a constant bend because the wind was hitting my chest and felt to unsafe, pulled over and took a rest.. and carried on when safe to do so.

As for cars you get the good and the bad.. after I had that wobble I did a shoulder check to see who was behind me, noticed the car dropping back.. although others have tailgated me and overtook, you get both.. just focus on keeping upright.

Don't fight the steering as mad as it sounds the more you attempt to retain a straight line by steering input the more the wind will make it harder for you, resulting in panic etc.. allow the bike to do as it pleases and light inputs only, if the wind is blowing you towards the centre line attempt to return to position 2 when safe.

Err No Mate, if you don't feel like you've got full control at slow speeds what makes him think going faster going to cure it?. The first thing the highways agencies do in strong wind is issue speed restrictions particularly on bridges and exposed areas. Bigger bikes are more stable in high winds but believe me, you can still get caught out, watch out on country roads that are protected by hedges, going by an open gateway can lead to you being hit by a strong gusts that will feel like the wheels are being whipped from under you. Top tip ride in your own comfort zone. Stay safe

Relax on the bike and lower your profile, tuck down if you can. Keep an eye on obstructions on open secions of road and make sure you have a fair bit of spce so if the wind catches you then you wont career into a curb or bank and also if the winds are high enough to warrent you riding in straight line while the bikes leant over then as you go past lorries or hedges ect they will act as a wind break, so you will travel in the direction your leaning the bike. If its twisty open roads lower the speed as being caught by a gust while leant over isnt the nicest feeling and can even sweep the wheels from under you in a way

Thank you guys for all the excellence advice. I hate wind and felt very unsafe. I have to slow down to 30 miles an hour to cope with the wind and I could be holding up the traffic. The stretch of A57 (Sheffield Parkway ) where I have to travel is a dual carriage way but the speed is limited to 50 miles an hour. Even for a normal day, I felt unsafe on any dual carrige way. With practice, I found it a bit easier to handle the bike now and I have to accept that wind is part of the fun of riding a bike for us