Sailboats can tack into the wind. Can a cross wind increase your speed/save gas?
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Short answer, no. -
Cap'n, I'm not so sure. The problem would be to find a way to accurately measure it. Turbulence would probably overwhelm any theoretical advantage. (It's a know fact that you can make a side wind help you on a bicycle.)Comment
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without a sail at an angle to your bike it wouldn't do anything. If it was a boat and you were side to the wind with the sail parallel to the boat it would just blow you over. Max speed is with the wind side to and your sail at a 45 degree angle. Not sure how it would apply to a moving motorcycle, but even on a sailboat you move at a percentage to windspeed. I'm making a wild assumption here that on your motorcycle you'd be going faster then windspeed. I'm still going with no.Comment
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Must have attended Michigan!Comment
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An 80mph crosswind from a thunderstorm can blow down an small Aspen that brushes your pillion on it's way down and cause one to ride right up to the walkway between the fancy shops in Jackson Hole for shelter and cause the store manager to briskly walk out only to turn around as you pull off your helmet and look directly into his eyes.
Crosswinds. I didn't check the effects on mileage that day.
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Head wind: 10 to 2 o'clock.
Cross wind: 2 to 4 and 8 to 10 o'clocks.
Perpendicular cross wind: 9 and 3 o'clocks.
Tail wind: 4 to 8 o'clock.Comment
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On a bicycle it's always a head windComment
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I'm going to tell the cop that gets me for speeding that it was that wind if this is true.Comment
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The correct answer is NO. In fact a crosswind (hitting at 2-4 or 8-10 o'clock) will actually decrease your speed/gas mileage.Originally posted by wildbears View Post
Why?
With a two wheeled vehicle the crosswind will prevent the vehicle from traveling in a straight line and thus increase distance traveled between points A and B.
IOW, the crosswind results in the vehicle swerving towards the leeward side, which is then corrected to keep heading to point B.
In a lighter wind, this swerving from side to side may be imperceptible.
And even if the vehicle could maintain a straight line of travel, there would be additional energy expended to keep the vehicle upright to include frictional losses at the tire/pavement interface as the front and back wheels would not be perfectly aligned. And the reason for the latter is a little puzzler-within-a-puzzler.
Note that all of the above holds for a four wheel vehicle but perhaps to a lesser extent.Last edited by wildbears; 05-31-2022, 07:12 AM.Comment
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