"L" plate in Te Atatu- learners yarns

[surfchick]

hello- just telling me learners story. Girl gets bike & all that.
i just started riding- i did the classic thing of falling for a bike i liked & bought it before i had a liscence... anyway I'm street legal now.

NB. first thing i did wrong was buy an open face helmet that was on special (going for a more classic look)- a shoei- nice brand, but with no visor i get nailed by bugs and every spec of dust on the motorway. full face helmet is now on order.

so the first few times i take my baby for a spin i go round the block from home, hoping every turn was a left turn and that i'd never have to stop at roundabaouts in case i stalled..

finally i get the hang of stopping, sort of, and i go for my first night ride. I'm cruising around te atatu north at 9.30 at night hoping it's gonna be quiet, which it mostly is. doing my dodgy almost take-offs, my sort of OK geared slow-to-a-stops and finally i end up at the roundabout in the main street. i spy a car coming from the right, which isn't indicating, but eventually exits before it gets to our que. but the car full of hoons behind me has started to go banana's yelling get off the road you f*ck and the like, (just 'cause i didn't go like a bull at a gate around the round-about)and I'm going- just calmly drive off... hoping to god i don't stall. they taunted me and my "L" plate round a few more roads. still finguring out if I can exact any revenge on my te atatu neaigbours...

That seems the worst bit of the learners process so far- that and parking with the front wheel faced in to a steeply sloping cerb so a can't actually get the bike reversed out of the park. all this in full view of a BBQ party on a deck in ponsonby.

I think it's quite hard core going back to being a learner on the roads after so many years driving a car- and forgetting how much there is to concentrate on when you are actually learning to master the machinery.

anyway- as i say, i'm just learning- commuting to the CBD- and looking forward to getting enough time to take the odd drive to the coromandel...

ps. about the "L" plate on the motorway- I have to go on the motorway to get to work- I wear the "L" plate, but go wahtever speed the slow traffic is going in the left lane up to 100ks. I figure this way i don't cause ques- but the L plate might alert other drivers take a bit of care. vein hope may-be...

[jrandom]

Hello surfchick, welcome and all that.

Do you live in Tatters Norf, then? That makes, um, must be four of us, now.

You'll have to come out for a wee ride sometime.

[Coyote]

ps. about the "L" plate on the motorway- I have to go on the motorway to get to work- I wear the "L" plate, but go wahtever speed the slow traffic is going in the left lane up to 100ks. I figure this way i don't cause ques- but the L plate might alert other drivers take a bit of care. vein hope may-be...
Despite what some people say on here, don't take your L plate off so you can go on the motorway with no problem. If they do get ya, its 400 bucks for no L plate, not worth it. I've been on the motorway a few times but whenever I've seen a cop, I've always slowed down to at least 80kph

Wilkommen to the site :niceone:

[curious george]

Go the Westies!
I used to live down Edergton.

[jrandom]

Despite what some people say on here, don't take your L plate off so you can go on the motorway with no problem. If they do get ya, its 400 bucks for no L plate, not worth it. I've been on the motorway a few times but whenever I've seen a cop, I've always slowed down to at least 80kph

Don't listen to alarumba, he's a big pussy.

[Coyote]

Don't listen to alarumba, he's a big pussy.
Argh, I got ticket for 80 bucks when I though I was doing the limit, I'm not a pussy, I'm just really paranoid

[jrandom]

Argh, I got ticket for 80 bucks when I though I was doing the limit, I'm not a pussy, I'm just really paranoid

She's a chick, dude, she gets ticket immunity on account of not being an ugly fecker.

Anyway, cops tend to be much, much more lenient on 70kph and L-plate licence restriction breaches than they are on speeding, you filthy would-be murderer.

[Coyote]

She's a chick, dude, she gets ticket immunity on account of not being an ugly fecker.

You callin me ugly :angry2:

I'ld rather save speeding for the racetrack... or the country roads :shifty:

[crashe]

welcome....

Hey I am just over the bridge in Tat South..

I do come over that way quite a bit.... on my bike...
Have yet to meet the other KBers over there yet.

So it would be good to meet ya all.

Ride as much as possible... and dont be put off by your local hoons...
They are just jealous that they dont have a bike....

If you need a hand to practise any manouvers (sp) with the bike PM me anytime... (hill starts, the way to park etc etc...)

Just ride at the speed that you are comfortable with... you will soon get the confidence to go faster...

Just tak e care out there.

[tl_tub]

When I started out on my learners a wee while ago I rode with my L plate on, though took it off after about 4 months because people would do anything to get around you when they saw the L. Almost no one would stay behind even if I was already going 10kph over the speed limit. When I took it off there was an instant improvement to the other drivers attitudes. This was in the great city of Wellington though, so probably different to smaller towns.

I was actually stopped at a checkpoint one day (when I had the L plate on) and the female officer asked ME what the restrictions were for a learner bike rider. Weird. :confused:

[Big Dog]

Send me a pm if you want to borrow a book about bike rider saftey actualy written in nz by a author authorised by the ltsa and acc.

The Bikers Bible, by (forget first name) Allardice.
Excellent book written as a basic guide for beginners but also good for medium experience riders looking to upskill. Good quality stuff.

I also live in TA NTh let me know if you want some tips on "Survival tactics in the suburban environment".

[Joni]

Hiya...
Another one.... Tat North! :2thumbsup
Plenty of us around, if you need help there will always be someone...

[surfchick]

"Do you live in Tatters Norf, then? That makes, um, must be four of us, now."



yeah- i live on the peninsula- i've seen some other 250's tootling about on the main drag. definitely super keen for some riding buddies. my flatmates are sick of me going on about riding...

[Big Dog]

"Do you live in Tatters Norf, then? That makes, um, must be four of us, now."



yeah- i live on the peninsula- i've seen some other 250's tootling about on the main drag. definitely super keen for some riding buddies. my flatmates are sick of me going on about riding...
You wanna try my new workmates hearing about the bike I bought but don't have yet at a job I have only been at for three days. lol

[John]

Ah the bikers bible, good read.

But seriously riding with the L plate is way to dangerous for me anyways, had mine on for a week took it off after people started tailgating me so bad it was unbelievable, most tossers that did that found themselves getting there cars jabbed with some carbon knuckes or given the "big finger".

I have had a ticket for 180$ or abit more forgot actually, but nothing will make me put my plates back on except the restricted test.

[Kwaka-Kid]

how many in tatters N? Im also there alot of the time :D

As is Old_fart... i think youll find there must be closer to 8 or more of us. Quite funny for such a small place... So tell me.. heading into Tatters from the motorway.. going up main drag almost to challenge station on right, turn right into that street... Where the new estate stuff is kinda... who loves those S's?? Cmon!!! I bet you all do them too! i always do and thru the back down to my small sideroad that links to mainroad.... ahh those S's..

[jrandom]

who loves those S's?? Cmon!!! I bet you all do them too!

:o :whistle: :innocent:

I *always* feed it the berries through there. I thought I was the only one...

[GN1NiteStnd]

Hey yeah I no wot you mean. Riding home from work (10pm with exemption) this car passed me in a 50km area and i was going 50! :angry2: I swear my speedo must be 5ks slower than everyone elses!

Are there any Hastings Learners out there? There are plently of full/restricted motorcycliste eg modified slower version of a firestorm living down my street, and a couple of harlyes round the corner. But what about the learners? Are we a dieing breed?

[crashe]

how many in tatters N? Im also there alot of the time :D

As is Old_fart... i think youll find there must be closer to 8 or more of us. Quite funny for such a small place... So tell me.. heading into Tatters from the motorway.. going up main drag almost to challenge station on right, turn right into that street... Where the new estate stuff is kinda... who loves those S's?? Cmon!!! I bet you all do them too! i always do and thru the back down to my small sideroad that links to mainroad.... ahh those S's..

Ummm NO I havent ever thought of going around the new estate area..
But thanks for the idea thou....
Me on my cruiser, cruising the streets...lol.

When I come over the bridge into your neck of the woods, I tend to go just to my destination.....lol.

So now Im going to have start cruising those streets a bit more to see if there are any other twisty roads over there.

[jrandom]

So now Im going to have start cruising those streets a bit more to see if there are any other twisty roads over there.

Er, yeah... let's have a KB Te Atatu Chapter meet, loosen our header bolts and do 'laps' up and down past the shops on Saturday morning...

:p

[surfchick]

i wish i'd read your li'll s-bend advice before i tottled off to work this morning. guess I'll be taking the long way off the peninsula tomorrow morning.

what is a pm?

[jrandom]

i wish i'd read your li'll s-bend advice before i tottled off to work this morning. guess I'll be taking the long way off the peninsula tomorrow morning.

Meh. Just come down SH22 on Saturday for some *proper* motorcycling. There will probably be another feckless learner coming with me, so you'll have someone to feel inadequate with. :cool:

Unless it's raining.


what is a pm?

Private Message. We can send each other email-style messages on the forum. There's a link to your PM page in the upper right-hand corner of the screen when you're looking at KB.

[Joni]

I better get my arse into gear and sort that West Auckland dinner so we can all meet...
:2thumbsup

[vifferman]

what is a pm?
Yeah, what that random j said. If you want to send someone a PM, then click on their name, and select the "Send a private message to..." option on their page.

[surfchick]

I better get my arse into gear and sort that West Auckland dinner so we can all meet...
:2thumbsup

that's the go- or if dinner's a pain in the arse- there's always the classic
bar & grill there at the back of woolworths- if you can handle the odd mullet and vegetarian food to run away from. definitely a carniverous eat...

[flyin]

welcome to the site and all! I rode with an L plate for the first time today cos it was already on the loaner bike i was provided by the wonderful dudes at TSS, and it was really weird, everyone looked at me like i was about to fall off, or they just had to be passing me....... fair few people didnt like being passed by a L plate wearer, and the looks i got when doin (slightly mad) filtering on the m/way WOAH woulda thought theses cages had seena ghost.... get no reaction doing the same thing on my, much louder ZZR,
got into town and i could feel the cagers disrespecting me because of the plate, scary, twas as though "they knew better than to let an L plate rider filter to the lights" Fark knows?!?!?

i know i dont wanna put one on my bike till I go see Mr T in Tawa about my CBTA restricted..... 5 days till im eligible :niceone:

[surfchick]

fair few people didnt like being passed by a L plate wearer, and the looks i got when doin (slightly mad) filtering on the m/way

-te he he-sure it's worth wearing it just to confuse them! my lovely L plate is bent kind of backwards under the seat- displayed ingeniously inside the back part of a CD cover... ready for me to convert to a kung-fu throwing star next time those local hoons make fun of me styles. that is when i figure out riding with one or no hands...

i just figured out what cages are- cars seem to be to motorcycles what skid lidders/shark biscuits & goat boaters are to surfers.

[flyin]

skid lidders.... hehe trippy sounds right tho, the dumbarse fullas that get in the way of people who know how to use the road (wave) properly however seem to make up a majority that gets the support of the powers that be..... bastards..............

riding with one or no hands will come naturaly as you learn not to hold on with your arms/hands, sure operate the controls but balance and stability on the bike come from your core (belly) and use of ones legs (ie shifting weight to/between the pegs...... read up!!)

once confident with the one handed technique, you may feel inclinded (like many fine members of this site) to start your very own "wingmirror collection", any biker will recognise the experiences gained and lessons learned when they see a wingmirror on ones shelf that appears to have been removed witha degree of force....

[vj paul]

Another westie here,massey thou.Got a couple of months left with the L plate and i dont let to many people pass me.

[Joni]

that's the go- or if dinner's a pain in the arse- there's always the classic
bar & grill there at the back of woolworths- if you can handle the odd mullet and vegetarian food to run away from. definitely a carniverous eat...
Will let ya know.... should be the next two weeks or so! :spudwhat:
We were thinking the Thai place... you keen?

[surfchick]

Thai- that's the go- i've had their takeaways...yummy
let us know what night you thinking for the westie session.

[Joni]

Thai- that's the go- i've had their takeaways...yummy
Yeah the food is pretty good!!!
Will make a plan... my bad... been a little hectic!

[surfchick]

what you reckon bout a spot of dinner sometime this week or next week westie crew?

[Bangbug]

So what's an "L" plate?
And who stops for cops?
:devil2:
My bike is getting a new clutch :( and they havn't got the right clutch pack yet :( I miss it sooooooooo much! :drinknsin ahhhhh better

K. go hard people.

:Punk:

[Bangbug]

How the hell did my post end up here?
:devil2:
HIM he did it!
Oh well

Dinner?
Did some1 say dinner?

I'll be up in aucks on my bike, look out for me!
Go the Black power ranger~!

[Bangbug]

This is the right forum! k. so. like i said up there.
I like people who pull over.
I like to lick their window as i pass as a gesture of gratitude.

[FROSTY]

Dinner--did I hear dinner? food-mmmmmmmm :niceone:

[Sutage]

Im west auckland too, titirangi :niceone:

hoping to buy a bike very soon, saved up for ages !

[Joe Blogs]

My insurance company warned me if I take my learners plate off on my Learners then I will NOT be insured. So I kept it on intill I got my restricted.