Drafting

[xs11jack]

I am coming home from visiting a sick friend and found I-70 thick with semi's. I got to thinking, ya, I know, dangerous, that one might get close enough to a semi trailer to draft and save on gas. I was several bike lenghts back and the buffeting was fierce. I just didn't have the nerve to try it. So, has anyone here tried it? Did it work? Not? Let me know if you have.
Ole Jack

[Cobia]

I have and it wasn't that scary. Just don't do it with those car transport trailers.
I was riding home one day and had a steady 25 - 30 mph wind perpendicular blowing accross the highway. When I was protected by the tree line on the side of the highway, I was OK. But when I came to clearing it forced me into a 15 degree lean just so I wasn't blown into the adjoining lane!!
When I came up on one of those twin decked car transports the buffeting was the pits. The front of the bike was almost hopping every which way. But when I snugged up behind a regular semi, 25' to 30', not only did the buffeting go away, but the side forces of the wind seemed to diminish.
It wasn't a comfortable location to be in and I used it only to make progress up the line of traffic until I could pass and move up to another drafting situation.

[BA80]

It does work but being that close to the back of the trailer is too dangerous. One little flicker of brake lights and your anal oraface will pucker up and swallow the seat.

[Cobia]

Very, very true. But that's why I mentioned that it was momentary until I could get around the semi. It would be foolish to ride there for more than a minute or so..

[natemoen]

Mythbusters did this one with cars drafting semi's. They foud that yes it does work in perfect conditions but since you end up constantly adjusting your speed to match the semi and stay in the right spot you end up getting worse mileage. And the following distance is WAAAY to close.

[TopCatGr58]

Well,

Back in the late 80's when I had to ride my bike 24/7/365 to work and back, 35miles one way, even with my snow suite and such, I would freeze terribly in the 30 degree weather at 60mph. So...I learned I could snug in behind a semi for the 10+ miles of highway stretch portion of the commute. Yes, I had to get within a few feet of the rear, but on a limited access highway the semi's were not very likely to be hitting the brakes, and not freezing was more preferable than my concern of stopping in time! My motive wasn't for gas mileage.

I've learned a lot since then, and don't do that anymore!

T.C.

[3Phase]

I've learned a lot since then, and don't do that anymore!

+1

When I was 22 with eyes and reflexes to match I used to draft logging trucks flying down out of the mountains to Fresno at 70 or 80 MPH, four or five feet behind the ram-shaped buttress on the back of the big steel beam that makes the spine of the logging trailer frame. Why? I have no idea why. It seemed like a good idea at the time but mostly because the fresh-cut trees smelled great and it was a little cooler and a lot quieter... yeah, I know.

One fine day I got behind one that didn't have working brake lights on the trailer but I didn't know it. I heard the compressed air come on and saw the brake levers on the air cans start to move so I braked too with plenty of room to spare, at least a foot, from the front tire. I went around and let the driver know his brake lights weren't working, got a grin and a thumbs-up ack from him, and we both went on our merry way to Fresno but I stopped drafting trucks.

[yamahansolo]

Its not worth it. This year at the 85 / 985 split we had a fellow 35 yo( I'm 35) biker get hut with flying retread of a tire this knocked him off the bike and he was ran over by another semi! So be careful with trucks.

[GLoweVA]

Back in the mid '80s in High school, I had a Yamaha 50. I can't remember what year or style. (I was a little street bike with one cylinder) So, I had to ride her to school everyday and that little bike tried its hardest to get up to 55, but most times couldn't make it that fast. So on the highway, I had no choice but to draft a truck or two just to be able to keep up with the speed of traffic.
(I was 15 and new to riding, but I felt confident that my light bike and quick reflexes could stop in time)
Only had the bike 1.5yrs until it got stolen. (boohoo)
Then I got my Gradma's AMC Pacer.
(that's a whole other story about my high school days)

[jwhughes3]

sounds dangerous

Prob would have done it 10 years ago but now only after careful application of ETOH...

John

[BA80]

Then I got my Gradma's AMC Pacer.
(that's a whole other story about my high school days)

Ahhhh... the G doesn't stand for "Garth" does it?

[Special Ed]

About drafting

Yeah, when I was "young and dumb and full of..."you know, and I was riding small bikes I would draft just to be able to get up to highway speed. Not only was the buffeting very unpleasant, but the one thought that kept going through my mind: what if there is something in the road that the truck passes over, but is right in the middle of the road for me to run over with no time to see it or react.
With a 90+ hp bike that gets better gas mileage than most cars on the road there is little reason to engage in the practice of drafting. In my humble opinion.
Special Ed

[fredintoon]

I am coming home from visiting a sick friend and found I-70 thick with semi's. I got to thinking, ya, I know, dangerous, that one might get close enough to a semi trailer to draft and save on gas. I was several bike lenghts back and the buffeting was fierce. I just didn't have the nerve to try it. So, has anyone here tried it? Did it work? Not? Let me know if you have.
Ole Jack

Hi Jack,
drafting works great. If you are going for a bicycle speed record being sucked along a foot behind a train on a special board-filled track. I think the guy got up to ~90mph.
Get close enough behind a semi for it to work on the highway and you are gonna end up as a 200 foot long smear of forensic evidence.

[STEPPENWOLF]

Stay away from trucks..have you ever been behind or beside one when a tire blows...sounds like a shot gun in your ear plus the rubber can kill you...I lost a wheel once and was lucky it rolled across the interstate and ended up on the side of the road and nobody got hurt and I didn't even know it fell off till a call on the cb told me.
Truck blew a tire last year as he was passing me in my work truck,it hit the front and blew up into the windshield and then over the top,I blew a tire last year on my truck which is a small 6 wheeler,tore off mud flap,licenese plate and tail light.
Stay away from trucks..they are the best drivers around but..things happen.

[TopCatGr58]

See the Mythbusters episode video!

Discovery Channel took that season's videos off their website, but I found it here:

http://tubeplus.me/player/1168226/MythBusters/season_5/episode_11/Big_Rig_Myths/%22

Yes, Exploding spinning tires can KILL, both bikers and car drivers!

T.C.