Intruders-Alert

BT, and if the wind knocked him over, it wouldn't make any difference if he was on a bridge or not. He got blown over.
There are things that scare people, realistic fear or not. Some folks it might be height, other's it might be confined space. Regardless it is generally unfounded fear and the result of absence or infrequent exposure.
It's a cool bridge, so make the ride happen.

BlacktopTravelr wrote:My apprehension comes from me reading an article about an older man, at the time he was older than me, where he and his Harley were blown over while crossing a bridge like this one. He wasn't blown off the bridge, it just blew his bike over and the wreck ended up killing him.

Yup, Good that you learned for the experiences of others! Don't want to ignore what has been learned.

lonerider wrote:There are some real issues concerning wind gusts on bridges. For example, Jacksonville Fl has half dozen or so bridges crossing the St. Johns River and the Intracoastal Waterway and routinely closes them to traffic if wind gusts exceed about 40 mph.

Strong Winds can, and often are, a more potent force to consider when on a Bridge. The fact that there is both wind above AND below allows the Fetch of the Wind to be an Unfettered or Restricted More Potent Direct Force.

Not having any Trees, Buildings, Hills, etc. to Break Up the Fetch of the Wind (and lessen the Force) of the Wind is a pretty big factor in why. Why else do they close Bridges at some very strong "Wind/Storm Events",....but not Roads all around the same area on land.

That is ample good reason to haves Apprehension about Long Bridges because they are different than riding the same distance over a road that's land based.

Designer wrote:

lonerider wrote:There are some real issues concerning wind gusts on bridges. For example, Jacksonville Fl has half dozen or so bridges crossing the St. Johns River and the Intracoastal Waterway and routinely closes them to traffic if wind gusts exceed about 40 mph.

Strong Winds can, and often are, a more potent force to consider when on a Bridge. The fact that there is both wind above AND below allows the Fetch of the Wind to be an Unfettered or Restricted More Potent Direct Force.

Not having any Trees, Buildings, Hills, etc. to Break Up the Fetch of the Wind (and lessen the Force) of the Wind is a pretty big factor in why. Why else do they close Bridges at some very strong "Wind/Storm Events",....but not Roads all around the same area on land.

That is ample good reason to haves Apprehension about Long Bridges because they are different than riding the same distance over a road that's land based.

yes that is correct --try riding as close as you can to the edge to reduce fetch and ride with the biggest plank you can carry to stabilize you.

You will be safe --trust me.

Chicken shit is chicken shit. Wind force applied to a given surface remains the same whether the wind is blowing on land or over water, it's simple physics. A 40 mph sustainable wind is still 40 mph regardless of whether you are riding on a bridge or land based road.

Tbeck wrote:Chicken shit is chicken shit. Wind force applied to a given surface remains the same whether the wind is blowing on land or over water, it's simple physics. A 40 mph sustainable wind is still 40 mph regardless of whether you are riding on a bridge or land based road.

True, but a 20 mph wind on the road, can quickly turn into a 40mph wind on a bridge. Riverbeds, canyons and passes can have much higher speed winds than other areas. Also, it is possible to have really gusty winds in these areas. Steady wind is not a major problem, just a PITA, but gusty winds can be major danger.

Tbeck wrote:Chicken shit is chicken shit. Wind force applied to a given surface remains the same whether the wind is blowing on land or over water, it's simple physics. A 40 mph sustainable wind is still 40 mph regardless of whether you are riding on a bridge or land based road.

Why do you think hurricanes change direction when they hit land?

Fred wrote:
Bollocks land has friction im not even going there with you your too thick.

Why do you think hurricanes change direction when they hit land? Don't bother replying I aint going there.

And what does any of that have to do with the winds on a bridge that is grated instead of paved? It's hard enough to ride on a grated bridge and then to throw in some side wind makes it twice as hard if not more so. [space]

Grated is about half holes. Wind goes through holes [emoji2]

Herb, yep gusting wind can make riding a bit more interesting, but it shouldn't be a big enough issue to keep you from riding a road or bridge. Unless you don't have the confidence in your riding ability. Obviously it's always a good recommendation to know one's limits, and ride accordingly.
All I was pointing out is riding across a bridge is no different than riding any other road. Two wheels,lean, and steer.

old time rider wrote:Grated is about half holes. Wind goes through holes [emoji2]

Quite true. And add that the Wind over and under Bridges is unfettered by things on land such as Trees, Buildings, Hills, and other Objects that break up it's force. Thus it is ONLY wise to think of them differently than roads on land.

So, You nor BlacktopTravelr and lonerider should be intimidated by anyone who casts doubt on such wise thinking when they say they always pause when someone talks about long Bridges with apprehension as an overtone.

You are wise to think riding across a bridge as being different than riding the same distance over a road that's land based,..because,..IT IS.

Tbeck wrote:Herb, yep gusting wind can make riding a bit more interesting, but it shouldn't be a big enough issue to keep you from riding a road or bridge. Unless you don't have the confidence in your riding ability. Obviously it's always a good recommendation to know one's limits, and ride accordingly.
All I was pointing out is riding across a bridge is no different than riding any other road. Two wheels,lean, and steer.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with that.

There was one time I gave up and stopped until the wind died down, but it was not on a bridge.

I and the wife were on my GT550, going south on I-5, East of Fresno. We had been to Oregon and had a bunch of stuff stacked on the luggage rack. The highway there goes along the edge of a bunch of hills. The wind was out of the west, pretty steady at about 40 mph. Trouble is the road has a bunch of cuts and fills. Come into a cut and the wind cuts off, hit the fill and the wind slams you, hit another cut and the wind not only cuts off but hits the other side of the cut and just as you are getting straight it hits from the other side, then the next cut. It was taking both lanes of the freeway to keep going. Came to a rest area and pulled off to relieve some of the tension on my shoulders and the wind tried to blow the bike off the sidestand. Had to turn it so the wind was pushing against the stand. Found a side of the building that was out of the wind and took a nap until the wind died down.

Ok, let's put this to sleep. I know my limits and I know I can ride across that bridge with no problems... as long as the wind stays about the same all the way across the bridge, grated roadway of not. I have found that riding on a grated roadway is different than riding on a paved road. It just take more concentration to ride on the grated road vs the paved road. The other thing would be the time of year when you decide to cross the bridge. I have no idea what the weather is like up there so I would have to check that out and make my plans according to that. I do know it will be most likely late next summer before I can even think about making that trip. [space] [space]

BlacktopTravelr wrote: Ok, let's put this to sleep...

[emoji2] I like riding on grated bridges. I also like the newly scraped roads that feel the same way. Like riding on marbles man. That's fun! [emoji106]

Don't worry about the Mac bridge. I started riding over it in 1965, Still here to tell about it. In windy conditions, they start by dropping the speed to 20 MPH.
If the winds pick up, it can turn into an escort thing. If it's really bad, they close the bridge. I've ridden over it way over a hundred times on a bike, no problem. In the summer you can count on lanes being closed for maintenance, usually means a couple of miles on grating. No big deal, don't have your hands and bars in a death grip, loosen up, the front wheel is gonna wander a few inches back and forth. You aren't going to get into a tank slapper.There may be a small updraft through the grating, but nothing thats going to lift your bike at all. Worst I've seen is a fiberglass camper shell blow off a pickup, but it went over the side. I wasn't on a bike then. I've only heard of a couple of cars going over, probably driver error or mechanical shit, I dunno. It's a little over a couple hundred feet down. Makes no difference, 20 ft or 200 ft or 1000 feet. You are gonna be O.K.. it's a safe bridge.

In fact I'll ride with you.I still have a bike. I can meet you in Superior at the docks. Watch some ore being loaded. Bring money. Or put up another "Go Fund Me" page. Not sure how your last one worked out. Do you want to ride, or no?

Yooper, I have to wait till next summer to make that kind of decision, but if left up to me hell yea I wanna ride it. Thanks for asking to ride alone with me.

Yooper wrote:Don't worry about the Mac bridge. I started riding over it in 1965, Still here to tell about it. In windy conditions, they start by dropping the speed to 20 MPH.
If the winds pick up, it can turn into an escort thing. If it's really bad, they close the bridge. I've ridden over it way over a hundred times on a bike, no problem. In the summer you can count on lanes being closed for maintenance, usually means a couple of miles on grating. No big deal, don't have your hands and bars in a death grip, loosen up, the front wheel is gonna wander a few inches back and forth. You aren't going to get into a tank slapper.There may be a small updraft through the grating, but nothing thats going to lift your bike at all. Worst I've seen is a fiberglass camper shell blow off a pickup, but it went over the side. I wasn't on a bike then. I've only heard of a couple of cars going over, probably driver error or mechanical shit, I dunno. It's a little over a couple hundred feet down. Makes no difference, 20 ft or 200 ft or 1000 feet. You are gonna be O.K.. it's a safe bridge.

Geeez cant you get a roll on roll off ferry instead sit and have a cup of tea, save petrol.

Wind is unpredictable. One moment you can be riding along in peaceful contemplation, then round a bend and get hit with a high velocity gust almost knocking you for a loop. The environment plays a big part. In a city like Chicago the wind gets funneled between high rise buildings with increasing velocity until it hits an unsuspecting rider with full force tropical storm velocities. Same with bridges. A bridge over a deep canyon will funnel wind in unanticipated speeds and cause havoc with a rider who has no experience with it. Michigan's Big Mac has a reputation of causing problems for the uninitiated, so if it's your first time over use extreme caution!

Wind is wind and controlling your bike is a skill. If you aren't comfy doing so, park it. Nobody is going to make anyone ride beyond their comfort zone, but for Christ sake just call it what it is, you aren't comfortable with riding across a large bridge.

Herb, yah we hit some wind in the Badlands one time, towards the end of a long hot day so we found a hotel. Worst ride in wind was coming back from AK. At one point it sounded real similar to what you described. Actually rode into a approaching tornado. Stuck out holding the bike on it's side stand.

Yooper, thanks for chiming in.