| Author | Message | ||
     Angelwild327 |
I went for a ride this weekend, on some long and desolate roads...except for a few cars and trucks...it was my first time going over 100mph...shhh... Anyhow, I noticed, as I don't usually go that fast, that the suction or whatever you call it, that occurred when I pass large trucks is pretty forceful and a bit scary. Reflexively I would just sit all the way up and let off the throttle a little and it seemed to help when going past, but I just wondered if there is anything else I should be doing. I felt like such a bare-knuckled hooligan, as Erik calls it, going that fast on my lightning...flat down on the airbox... ok, no lectures on speeding...it's not my usual style. HUGS Angela | ||
| 12r |
Sounds like your weekend ride was good ! The windblast when you meet a truck coming the other way is inevitable, just brace your neck, tighten your grip on the bars slightly and ride through it. When it comes to overtaking one of these muthas, drop back to widen you field of view, then gas it and go in the shortest possible time. Don't get too close to the truck; if you can feel the suction and bow wave as you pass, you're too close. Safe riding  | ||
| Angelwild327 |
I was passing trucks in the same direction.. 2 lanes on each side of the road..so maybe I should start out riding a little further over in my lane, away from the truck?? | ||
| Bomber |
riding further away form teh truck will lessen the force you describe -- be prepared for it anyways, as it will still be there -- it's a lot like riding with a crosswind, then going into a tunnel -- you've just got to be prepared to lean, and then NOT lean, if I'm making any sense slowly a bit can't hurt, either ;-} | ||
| Dbird29 |
Angela, Being born and raised in Kansas has taught me all about windy riding. You just need to relax and be ready for the blast. Think of it like a water skier crossing the wake, be prepared and execute. I like to ease into the lean before blasting away. DBird | ||
| 12r |
so maybe I should start out riding a little further over in my lane, away from the truck?? For sure if you have the luxury of two lanes going in the same direction, stay away from the truck. Even if the traffic is flowing well, I like to drop back as I approach any large vehicle then pass it cleanly in the shortest possible time. Similarly if the traffic is bunching up, I never ride alongside a large vehicle. 40 tons of Spanish cabbages is going to win every time. | ||
| Jlnance |
I just wondered if there is anything else I should be doing. Sounds like you handled it pretty well. Do scoot away from the truck and don't ride beside them. Thats more to avoid getting run over than avoiding the wind blast though. If you ride much on interstates, you will get used to the wind blast pretty quickly. | ||
| Swampy |
Be aware when riding near trucks that occasionally the tires blow throwing chunks of rubber. Minimize your time riding behind/beside trucks. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Thanks for the help everyone!!!...I guess it just takes getting used to...on the interstate it doesn't seem the same, I guess the dynamics are different in a 6 or 7 lane highways (each direction) with concrete walls on both sides as opposed to a country road wide open on either side...great tips though  | ||
| Seth |
When I want to get my CDL, the instructor told us that the low pressure area under a trailer can be low enough to suck a traffic barrel in (not too sure about a Lightning  ). I've never seen it but I still give trucks a wide berth when at speed. | ||
| Betzy |
Congrats on a great ride! I love Coming up to trucks and shifting down to third and rocketing by them... The suction or blast is less I find when your on the throttle. Be safe and ride "your" ride.  | ||
| Cowboy |
What are you rideing that you need to go to 3rd. at 100 MPH | ||
| Sportsman |
Thank you swampy. A 30 lb hunk of anything can come from under a truck at anytime. It truly frightens me when a bike will start riding in the vacume behind me. Suicidal and he doesn't know it. Just gas it and go. This applies to cars too! It should be taught in cop school to ignore a burst of speed to get to a safe zone away from any truck. | ||
| Kootenay |
It should be taught in cop school to ignore a burst of speed to get to a safe zone away from any truck. Sadly, however... In my neck of the woods (literally!), a lot of the trucks are either hauling wood chips (and trailing a blizzard of 'em) or logs (and trailing chunks of bark, twigs, and gravel). Best get around 'em quick! | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Here's something to remember, truck drivers live by their mirrors, if you can't see his mirror he can't see you! Buells aren't the only vehicles that have blurry mirrors either. Don't forget blind spots, & always try & let the truck driver know you're there before you go blasting by, pullout well before you get up behind so he can see you (headlight on helps) we're not all homicidal maniacs & many truck drivers are bikers too. If there's one thing I hate worse than anything else on the road, it's knowing that there's some dumb sob sat right behind me & I can't see him, it's stupid & dangerous. Another small thing to do when passing trucks is keep an eye on the front wheel, that first movement can give you the extra time you need to brake, swerve, or whatever. Lastly, a fully freighted rig is generally over 40 ton, the driver won't notice another 600lb either way, if you know what I mean. I had a mercedes sedan hit the back of my rig in Belgium, I was at a stop light & he was doing 40mph. I didn't know til somebody got out of their car & knocked on my door to tell me. Be safe, be aware, anticipate. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
I definitely try to get past trucks as quickly as possible. Last year, sitting at a stop light, I was rear-ended by a semi, well, there was a jaguar in between us...thank god I was in my truck...but the truck driver was coming up to the light at about 35-40mph and for whatever reason just didn't stop..so I'm definitely aware of the mishaps...especially the tires blowing and the mirrors being their only view of what's behind. Again, thanks for all the advice...I guess the best bet, is to just get around them as quickly and as far over as possible...and letting them know you're there by getting into their mirror view. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
You're welcome, I'm always happy to pass on any benefit of my experience good or bad. Most people ignore me but hey I'm used to it after over 40 years  | ||
| Punkid8888 |
Just yesterday I was riding home from work on a 2 lane road that was posted at 55mph but everone does 65, anyways, I was a ways back (400ft) from this work truck hualing a trailer and I was gaining on him but slowly. I noticed this thing fly out from either under the trailer or on the trailer and it looked like a smaller peice of plywood. I first rolled off the gas and watched it in front of me fall and settle on the ground (still like 100ft away from it) and when I finally ride by it I noticed it was a 12X24 inch by 1 inch thick peice of GRANITE, it probably weighed 50 to 75 lbs, that would have killed me if It had hit me. Then I noticed a couple other peices further down the road so I dont think it came from that truck but somehow when he ran it over it kicked it up in the air 5 or 10ft. You always gots to be prepared for the most random of events | ||
| Skyguy |
I once responded to an accident involving a truck that tossed a retread right through the window of a following car. Good thing the car had a back seat as it made finding the ladies head a bit easier than having it blown out of the rear window and bounce off into the under brush. Trucks are freaking dangerous. | ||
| Ratyson |
Be aware when riding near trucks that occasionally the tires blow throwing chunks of rubber. Minimize your time riding behind/beside trucks. That tire shrapnel has a lot of force behind it as well. I was riding next to the rear wheels of a tractor trailer one day going down I-75 in atlanta, I was in a ford explorer sport doing the standard 80mph cruise. Then all of the sudden KAAA-BOOOOOOM. He blew out the entire side wall. The side wall hit the side of my explorer and literally forced me over to the left from the momentum of it. I ended up pulling over the first chance I got, and it looked like I was in a Nascar race... I had a big black ring just behind the passenger side door. Had I been on a bike, death probably would have been calling me. So, I ALWAYS think of that as I am passing big trucks... I definitely get around them as fast as possible.} | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
In over 30 years on the road, I have NEVER seen so many blown truck tyres as in the US, I don't know if it's due to inferior tyres, or inferior road surface, or the fact that we have different rig configurations, but it's a much rarer occurence here in Europe. | ||
| Cowboy |
At what speed do you guys run ? What is your average distance? What average WT.? What is road temp.? Do you guys run team.? | ||
| Paw |
Angela, move as far to the right in your lane to minimize the wind blast from large vehicles. Works great at any speed. If it still a problem and it still scares you then it would be a good idea to slow down. | ||
| Cowboy |
Hi Mr. I guess tyres are better than tires.HE HE Ours are color black Yours are colour black I supect that we cheat hard on Wt and speed also run a lot of team drivers non stop can build a lot of heat. Out side of that cant figer | ||
| Hans |
Mr_Grumpy is right. Can`t even remember when I saw for the last time a broken tire along the roadside. International transport is an export product for us. Well regulated, almost over regulated. Cheating on working time and speed is not easy with those writing devices. Overloading doesn`t pay: The risc of being catched is too high and that costs lots of time. The roads are very well maintained and there is no need to leave the pavement on highways: Less chance of picking up nails. The weather is seldom hot. Good, but older, trucks are sold, far before the end of their technical life: You don`t see anymore black exhaust smoke when speeding up. Modern trucks have all tire pressure monitoring: Soft tires (and so heat building) are easily spotted. Trucks are riding with team drivers and stop only for loading and unloading. However: The distances are smaller than in the USA. But after one hour or two hours full speed, the heat of the tires is stabilized may I suppose. Hans | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Paw... are you saying, if I'm passing a truck who is in the right lane, and I'm on his left and in my own lane, I should be as close to the truck as possible when I pass??? | ||
| Danny_h__jesternut |
100 MPH ??? You were going 100 MPH ??? What the??? COOL!  If you twist your right wrist jest a bit more you should easly see 130.  | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Hans has said it all for me. | ||
| Paw |
Angela i thought you were talking about on coming trucks if you are pass them going in the same direction stay as far left as possible. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Danny, yeah that was me..100mph...I thought about what it would be like going faster, but ya' know..that's not my ride just yet... when I'm comfortable with that, I'll get there.. but it was fun. Thanks Paw...I was hoping that's how you meant it! | ||
| Bomber |
Grump -- you guys in Fortress Europa use retreaded tyres as much as they are used here in the Home fo the Free and Flying Rubber Debris? perhaps therein lies the difference? | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Yeah we use retreaded tyres, but the majority of European rigs run 4x2 cabover units with 45' triaxle semis with the axle bogie set well forward from the back, also the vast majority are on air suspension & running big single tyres rather than twins. Max weight is 40-44 tonnes, with max axle weight around 8.5-9 tonne. All this go's to reduce tyre loads significantly, especialy when manouevering. This coupled with speed limiters set at 90kmh or 56mph to those who've not gone metric, makes life a lot safer. Another thing we have to comply with are extremely tight safety standards imposed by the European Union, on vehicles & components. If you think Californian emission regs are steep you should see the new Euro4 standard, & Euro 5 is in the pipeline. We've all got satelite tracking & coms & gsm phones now, so the boss knows where you are & what you're doing & what you've done, the old days of the professional truck driver are about gone, these days you're just a pos machine to drive the vehicle, sad but true. Anyway, as we truckers say when it all go's wrong, JFLGP, (job's f'd lets get p'ss'd) | ||
| Pwnzor |
There are retreads, and there are better retreads. I don't use retread anything on my rigs. New all the way across. Never had a blowout on any of my combination vehicles. My straight trucks have had a few but they go into a lot of construction zones so they pick up nails on a regular basis. | ||
| Cowboy |
Christ if I read Mr G. right they are running only 56 MPH Almost any interstate rig that I have contact with Is running at least 80 MPH and most is able to run well over 100 MPH. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I know it, I rode thru Kentucky in the rain last year on the "superslab". You could see the pucker marks on the seat when I got off the bike! | ||
| Hans |
With us, we have no self driving truck owners: Only fleets and employees. The employees are paid to follow the rules. Trucks are allowed 50 MPH, speed limiter is set at 56 MPH and they are doing miraculously 60 MPH but that is the upper limit. Don`t need to arrive as fast as possible: Just in time is as good, as it can be. Late is disastrous. Factories have no (expensive and big) buffers of parts or basic materials anymore. Production units are totally dependent of timely delivering of materials. Safe and well timed makes the quality of satisfying transportation. Our trucks are young: In their first life cycle. After that cycle they are sold mostly to the former "behind the iron curtain states." After that second cycle they are traded in. All electronic gadgets and motor management will be build out and swapped for sturdy mechanical devices. Then they are shipped to Africa and sold there for their last life cycle. (I have no personal experience, only interest) Hans |
