About to ride up From Brydon, Oamaru to Christchurch (Thurs this week)

[.produKt]

Have bought another CBR250RR.
A nice one which will garner a 'Just picked up a mint one!! pt2" :P

Anyone got any tips for me? I've loaded my mp3 player up with relaxing music, (Will only have 1 earplug in.....
have got ear plugs if the wind noise gets a bit much, (and im not listening to music)
got high vis vest,
decent gear (Oxford OX2 helmet, Spakl racing gloves, spakl pants and a Project for Safety touring jacket)

I am concerned about the distance. I am busing down to Dunedin to pick the bike up, then riding down to Brydon to stay the night in a hotel, then leaving in the morning.
Making sure i rest well, eat well and in a decent frame of mind.

Still. I'm quite scared of the trip :(

[The Baron]

Sounds like a great trip. One you will look back on and say - remember the trip home after picking up the CBR - wow what a trip!

You sound like you are in the right frame of mind already - you can do it. Have fun.

[HenryDorsetCase]

ditch the MP3 player, wear the earplugs, and do the scenic route back NOT up SH1. the road between timaruvia and churchur is the most boring road in Noo Zild and is heavily policed.

[.produKt]

Well fuck me. Now that's a scenic route :blink:

[Taz]

Just do it. Embrace your fears. It ain't very far.

[.produKt]

The fears are much more real thank you\I think.
I wrote A cibby off on boxing day on a corner :S so Leaning into a corner and trusting that the grip is there is my biggie.
Bike has decent boots on it. Michelin pilots, or p-zero's or something like that (classified listing has expired on retardme, so can't double check)

My other issue is stamina. Don't have too much of it.
Those two issues is whats causing the panic.

[neels]

Take your time, ride conservatively until you get used to the bike, and stop to take a picture or two and stretch your legs whenever you see something interesting. If you're not in a hurry then the scenic route is a really nice ride.

[kit]

Take it easy, ditch the mp3 and take the senic route. Much more fun and plenty of corners to gain a little bit of confidence + normally good rd conditions too.

[.produKt]

Thanks heaps for the advice. I am curious why you say ditch the mp3 player?
I would probably just have had the ear plugs in the helmet somewhere. Was never keen on having em in my ears as that makes me more akin to some scooter riders i've seen :P

Stopping to take photo's of various things sounds nice too.

I'm quite excited now :D it's like my first mini adventure.

Me. The bike.
Corners.
And the wind in my helmet :P
Bliss.

[Berries]

the road between timaruvia and churchur is the most boring road in Noo Zild.
You've got that right, find any alternative.


I'm quite scared of the trip :(
Stick to SH 1 then. Seriously, it isn't a long trip, and you are more at risk of dying of boredom on SH 1 than anything else. Shit, the highlight of the trip is Ashburton. Need I say more ?

[.produKt]

Nope, You needn't say more. :)

Am staying in Brydon, Oamaru for the Thursday night, seein'g as i'll be awake from 6am Thursday, arriving in dunners 2pm and picking up bike 5pm or after.
Will take h\way 83 from Oamaru then ;)

[neels]

Hmmm, I'm thinking that Brydon, Oamaru has been confused with Brydone, southland. If you're heading north from Oamaru on Friday then SH1 might be a better option, maybe turn off at Winchester and go inland via Geraldine and Mayfield and then follow the signs to Rakaia to avoid the passing lane madness between Timaru and Christchurch.

Of course, seeing as you're already down there you could stop off at the march hare rally at waimate on the way through, or at least wave at all the bikers heading south......

[scumdog]

ditch the MP3 player, wear the earplugs, and do the scenic route back NOT up SH1. the road between timaruvia and churchur is the most boring road in Noo Zild and is heavily policed.

I agree - ditch the sound system.

It's a distraction you don't need when riding a new bike on unfamiliar roads etc.

[sleemanj]

On the chance you check here before you leave tomorrow. CHECK THE BIKE REALLY WELL AND PAY ATTENTION TO IT DURING.

I picked up an XV250 bike from Motueka once and rode it back to Chch that afternoon, it all looked sweet, ran perfectly, rode well etc etc. The one thing I didn't check, was the level of battery fluid.

At the first overbridge coming into Christchurch, just as it got dark, KABANG and everything went dead.

Immediately I realised that the sulphur I could smell when I filled up at Culverden was not in fact just the sweet fragrance of Culverden, but was the last remnants of the battery acid being boiled away and everything had just majorly shorted out.

Pushed it up the bridge and down the other side into Kaiapoi, knocked on some strangers door and scrounged some water (surprisingly, not many people have battery acid on hand, so had to make do here) disassembled under the light of the sole pathetic street lamp available, and managed push start it, on one cylinder, the other's ignition was toast.

Worst bit... as I was suiting up to leave the guy's place I bought it from, he said something like "do you wanna check the water in the battery", I said something like "nah, I'm sure it's fine or it wouldn't have started first go, would it".

[.produKt]

Against advice, i've had to use the mp3 player.

The Oxford OX2 helemt is next to fucking useless an d the windnoise is utterly devastating =\

With the mp3 player in, i can still here the bike, and a bit of wind noise aswell as some tunes, and i did really well from Dunedin to oamaru :)

[.produKt]

Back home, Safe and sound =)

It rained from Oamaru till Rolleston :S
I feel sorry for the 200+ bikers and trikers i saw heading to Waimate today :P, oh and me too, i got . a bit damp :S

Cheers for the tips and advice n such!