Two Californians need advice

[Serafina]

I live in California, and my boyfriend and I are visting NZ for 3 weeks in January. The main point of the trip is to see NZ by motorcycle - er, I mean motorbike(?).

We're trying to decide how to get bikes down there, and as I see it, we have 4 options:

1) rent (hire?) bikes in NZ.
2) buy and resell bikes in NZ (motorcyclebuyback.com?).
3) ship our current bikes to NZ and back
4) buy used bikes in the US and sell them afterwards in NZ.

Note: we're each on our own bike - no passengers.

#4 is looking like the best option so far. Are any of you looking to buy a bike or two that you just can't find in NZ, but is available in the US? What bikes are the most in demand in NZ? We're trying to keep it under $6000NZD each. We do have a friend in Wellington who is willing to help us sell bikes at the end of our trip, too.



Other questions:

You allow lanesplitting/sharing/filtering, right? I'm used to it here in California (safely, of course), mostly at red lights, and on the freeways when traffic is slow (<60kph). Is it about the same in NZ?

You ride on the left side, correct? That'll take some getting used to...

Our tentative plans are to ride the perimeters of both islands, at a leisurely pace, heading inland where the roads are worth it. Any suggestions of the best roads to ride? Any other must-hit spots?

My boyfriend rides a BMW K1300S and a Suzuki SV650. I ride a Triumph Speed Triple (955cc) and a Honda Hawk/Bros NT 650. So, we prefer bikes on the sporty side, but not on the extremely aggressive side. We're trying to decide if we should go dual sport and take some of the dirt roads, or stick to the pavement and ride bikes similar to what we have at home.

Anything else we should know/think about as a Californian rider in New Zealand?


Thanks in advance for any input/suggestions/comments/advice/etc!

[Crazy Steve]

I wouldn't suggest bringing bikes here to sell, the bike market is currently very slow and flooded ! I have seen the same bikes on www.trademe.co.nz for sale for over 24mths.

The SV650 and your Honda would be fine over here as you will find in the North Island there arn't ANY straights that you would be use to...:)

Crazy Steve.

[Sentox]

You allow lanesplitting/sharing/filtering, right? I'm used to it here in California (safely, of course), mostly at red lights, and on the freeways when traffic is slow (<60kph). Is it about the same in NZ?

You ride on the left side, correct? That'll take some getting used to...

Anything else we should know/think about as a Californian rider in New Zealand?

Filtering is legal. Lane splitting is a greyer area, but technically legal (I think) if you can stay within your lane while passing on the right. Be aware that if a cop doesn't like you he can quite easily find some other infraction to pin on you. It's not enshrined in law as it is in CA.

Yeah, the left right. Which is actually the right side, but you know :laugh: At least it's easier on a bike than in a car... you're still seated in the same place and none of the controls move :p

Be aware we have some strange give way rules:

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/3922/3398679.jpg

[Bren]

Having lived in both the North and South Islands I can comfotably say that the roads to do are the east coast of the north and west coast of the south, along with the west coast of the north and the east coast of the south. The whole country is farkin amazing compared to USA. I drove in the USA a few years ago and in all honesty most of it bored me to hell..Great roads but too straight...

The people here are great too....most of us are a friendly bunch, and we dont pack heat....I am sure there would be many people on KB that would be willing to put you up for a night or two on your travels, and if you ever need a place to stay in Kapiti then my wife and I would be only too keen to let you guys use the spare room (-: (oh, it aint a trailer home btw)

[Swoop]

You may find that purchasing and re-selling is easier than shipping your bikes here & back. Tax is payable for bikes that are imported and remain in the country over a certain period.

I purchased a bike off of a chap who came here to do a Southern Cross rally. He purchased from TradeMe and stored the bike at a mates place until he arrived.

Best of luck with your tour!

[CookMySock]

Sounds like you have done your research. I'd buy something locally and drop it on trademe afterwards for $1 reserve. So you may loose a few $$ on it, but overall I think you will be better off. If you buy right, chances are you will recover most of your money, or even make a few bucks on it. :niceone:

So take your time buying and buy at a good price. Don't be afraid to significantly low-ball them.. The opportunities are there right now. Arrange to store the bike with the seller (until you arrive) as part of the purchase price.

Have a great trip, and while you will find our roads great entertainment, they can also be really dangerous so don't become a statistic please.

Steve

[AllanB]

2 Californians one cup .......

I've seen that video :sick:

[Crasherfromwayback]

. The whole country is farkin amazing compared to USA. I drove in the USA a few years ago and in all honesty most of it bored me to hell..Great roads but too straight...


Couldn't agree less! The roads I used whilst in the States were THE most amazing roads I've EVER ridden! Through Yosemite National Park, and down the Pacific Coast has to be done in your lifetime.

[clint640]

If you have a local friend to buy & sell the bikes for you then that's not a bad option, otherwise that would eat into your already limited riding time.

Don't worry about lanesplitting rules, stay out of the few largish cities we have at rush hour & you'll never need to.

With 3 weeks you will have to go more than a leisurely pace if you want to see more than the perimeter of both islands - the roads aren't straight & there is lots to see along the way. Doing all the coast roads is a good base plan though. The only place I'd deviate from that rule is SH1 south of Christchurch - the inland scenic route is much nicer. I wouldn't worry about getting a dual purpose bike with only 3 weeks, you won't run out of great paved roads in that time, do the dirt stuff next trip! The NZ Motorcycle Atlas is good, it has a guide to all the best rides & other useful info for touring NZ.

Keep us posted on here as to your travels & you will more than likely be able to meet up with a few local riders for a beer along the way.

Cheers
Clint

[Serafina]

Filtering is legal. Lane splitting is a greyer area, but technically legal (I think) if you can stay within your lane while passing on the right. Be aware that if a cop doesn't like you he can quite easily find some other infraction to pin on you. It's not enshrined in law as it is in CA.

What's the difference between filtering and lane splitting? They're synonyms here. It's actually not explicitly legal here in CA, it's just not illegal, and it's accepted. Cops will (try to) pull you over if you're doing it dangerously.


Be aware we have some strange give way rules:

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/3922/3398679.jpg

Hmm... That first picture would be what I would expect, but that second one is interesting. I'm always on the lookout for drivers pulling in front of me, but I'll still keep that in mind.


I drove in the USA a few years ago and in all honesty most of it bored me to hell..Great roads but too straight...


Couldn't agree less! The roads I used whilst in the States were THE most amazing roads I've EVER ridden! Through Yosemite National Park, and down the Pacific Coast has to be done in your lifetime.

Hahaha... you really cant generalize "USA roads" at all. As Crasher points out, we have some amazing roads in Northern California - twisty mountains, Redwood forests, wine country vineyards, the Pacific coast all the way up to Oregon and Washington state are gorgeous too. Just stay off the freeways. ;) I'm headed here (http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/MosquitoRidge.htm) next week. But sure - if you're in Texas or Kansas or most anywhere in the middle of the country, there are definitely some boring straight roads that aren't worth a look.


The people here are great too....most of us are a friendly bunch, and we dont pack heat....I am sure there would be many people on KB that would be willing to put you up for a night or two on your travels, and if you ever need a place to stay in Kapiti then my wife and I would be only too keen to let you guys use the spare room (-: (oh, it aint a trailer home btw)

Thanks so much for the offer!! :)


With 3 weeks you will have to go more than a leisurely pace if you want to see more than the perimeter of both islands - the roads aren't straight & there is lots to see along the way. Doing all the coast roads is a good base plan though. The only place I'd deviate from that rule is SH1 south of Christchurch - the inland scenic route is much nicer. I wouldn't worry about getting a dual purpose bike with only 3 weeks, you won't run out of great paved roads in that time, do the dirt stuff next trip! The NZ Motorcycle Atlas is good, it has a guide to all the best rides & other useful info for touring NZ.

Keep us posted on here as to your travels & you will more than likely be able to meet up with a few local riders for a beer along the way.

Thanks for the advice, we'll definitely keep that in mind when planning our route. And thanks for the offer - we'll definitely keep you all updated on our plans and see if we can meet some of you as we go.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Hahaha... you really cant generalize "USA roads" at all. As Crasher points out, we have some amazing roads in Northern California - twisty mountains, Redwood forests, wine country vineyards,


And now that I've been to Laguna Seca to see the GP there...I can add that you've got an awesome racetrack too! By the way...I work for a large motorcycle dealership here in NZ, and would be more than happy to look at a buy back deal on a couple of bikes for you!

Pete

[Stirts]

or stick to the pavement and ride bikes similar to what we have at home.

Anything else we should know/think about as a Californian rider in New Zealand?

Yeah, you are not really allowed to ride your motorbikes on the pavement here ...pedistrians get really pissy. ;)

EDIT:
Oh yeah and hope you have a great trip :) Try and get your hands on one of these http://www.aucklandmapcentre.co.nz/default,324,new_zealand_motorcycle_atlas.sm this a farken awesome book IMHO...Alternatively just harass the locals when you get here

[Sentox]

What's the difference between filtering and lane splitting? They're synonyms here. It's actually not explicitly legal here in CA, it's just not illegal, and it's accepted. Cops will (try to) pull you over if you're doing it dangerously.

Ah sorry. By filtering I mean when the traffic is stopped (e.g. traffic jam, red light); splitting is when the traffic is moving.

I think splitting in general is more frowned upon here. I know the CHP is more encouraging about it. I believe the text from the CHP's website is something like "Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible under California law but must done in a safe and prudent manner." Plenty of people do it over here (in Auckland notably) but you may get unlucky with the cops even if you're being sensible.


Hmm... That first picture would be what I would expect, but that second one is interesting. I'm always on the lookout for drivers pulling in front of me, but I'll still keep that in mind.

Note that the second one will hardly ever arise in reality. Most T intersections are controlled by a stop or give way that takes precedence.

[firefighter]

Hmm... That first picture would be what I would expect, but that second one is interesting. I'm always on the lookout for drivers pulling in front of me, but I'll still keep that in mind.

It's an un-controlled intersection, so ya give way to your right, so the person on the right has right of way. If it was a controlled intersection, then obviously whoever is at the stop/giveway gives way. Most intersections are controlled, usually it's only little obscure ones that are'nt. Most people do'nt give way properly at them anyway!

One good thing, we do'nt have those fucken stupid four-way stops, instead we have round-abouts.....much better.

Oh, and you ca'nt turn left at a red light (obviously the opposite of your free right turns), you have to stay there until the light goes green or you get a green arrow. (unless it actually is a free turn, it will be marked)

Other than that it's all pretty easy.

[Serafina]

And now that I've been to Laguna Seca to see the GP there...I can add that you've got an awesome racetrack too! By the way...I work for a large motorcycle dealership here in NZ, and would be more than happy to look at a buy back deal on a couple of bikes for you!

We have more than a few awesome racetracks. Infineon/Sears Point (http://www.infineonraceway.com/) is absolutely amazing, and only ~30min away. Not including Laguna Seca, there are another 3 racetracks within a 4 hours drive, making 6 total. I've done 3, 3 more to go (will be 4 down, 2 to go after this weekend!). Havent ridden Laguna yet, since they're fairly expensive and most trackdays are during the week.

And thanks for the buyback offer - which dealership do you work at? I might PM you if/when we get to that point.


Yeah, you are not really allowed to ride your motorbikes on the pavement here ...pedistrians get really pissy. ;)

Hah - pavement as opposed to dirt roads, didnt mean sidewalks. :P



Oh yeah and hope you have a great trip :) Try and get your hands on one of these http://www.aucklandmapcentre.co.nz/default,324,new_zealand_motorcycle_atlas.sm this a farken awesome book IMHO...Alternatively just harass the locals when you get here

You mean like you? ;) Thanks for the rec.


I think splitting in general is more frowned upon here. I know the CHP is more encouraging about it. I believe the text from the CHP's website is something like "Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible under California law but must done in a safe and prudent manner." Plenty of people do it over here (in Auckland notably) but you may get unlucky with the cops even if you're being sensible.

Yep, that's what it says on CHP's website (http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html), but that's the extent of it. Lanesplitting/sharing/filtering isn't in the law/vehicle code anywhere. Some people still believe it's completely illegal, and everyone else has a different idea of what exactly is ok and what's not. Here's a huge thread in the Bay Area Riders Forum (BARF) (http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154980) that covers it, and you'll see that even riders are confused about the specifics.... drivers even more so.

I think it's mostly accepted here because traffic can get really bad since it's so dense here (it's explicitly illegal in every other state except CA). If traffic is flowing, there's really no need, so the "filtering = ok, splitting = not" thing makes sense for NZ. Splitting (not filtering) cuts my commute time down to ~35 min when it might be up to 60-70min without it. I also feel really unsafe riding on the freeway here with the normal flow of traffic if it's less than ~65kph, because cars trying to change into my lane tend to not see me, and think I'm a gap in traffic, and merge right into me. If I'm splitting, I'm much safer because cars don't merge into other cars nearly as often.


One good thing, we do'nt have those fucken stupid four-way stops, instead we have round-abouts.....much better.

Hahaha... oh good. I do like roundabouts a lot more than 4-way stops - I wish we had more of them here (there are a few, but they're rare)


Oh, and you ca'nt turn left at a red light (obviously the opposite of your free right turns), you have to stay there until the light goes green or you get a green arrow. (unless it actually is a free turn, it will be marked)

Ooh, good to know. What does a "free turn" marking look like? Or is it obvious?

[marty]

You ride on the left side, correct? That'll take some getting used to...

!

unfortuntaely it can't take 'some' getting used to - there are multiple events here in recent memory where tourists used to riding/driving on the RH side have been killed/have killed unsuspecting riders/motorists as they forgot what side they had to be on.

please don't be the next ones (although if you're not here til January you won't be)

[Serafina]

unfortuntaely it can't take 'some' getting used to - there are multiple events here in recent memory where tourists used to riding/driving on the RH side have been killed/have killed unsuspecting riders/motorists as they forgot what side they had to be on.

Good point, though I really just meant "getting used to" as in it'll feel really weird for a while first. I'll definitely be thinking about it constantly, as well as all the other traffic rules that will be flipped from what I'm used to. I have to watch for people turning right in front of me at an intersection, for example.

[marty]

And filtering/lanesplitting is really only going to be relevant in rush hour Auckland (and maybe Wellington) traffic. NZ land mass = 167000km2 & 4 million people, California = 260000km2 & 37 million.....more people live in LA than all of NZ.

[marty]

i've driven heaps in US and Europe - the LH and RH intersection turns are probably the hardest to get used to - I always remember it in the US/Europe - turn left-turn long, turn right-turn tight. It's the opposite here!

[peasea]

Allow equal time for both islands. While I'd be happy to tell you the South Island is the better place to be, you really need to see both to be able to judge for yourselves. If you'd like some sensible tips on what to see and where just drop me a PM. We'd also be able to meet up with you and show you around our locality in the top of the South Island, depending on your travel dates. I'd advise you to run over our local Road Code and always be prepared for rain. Enjoy.

[Wannabiker]

"Ooh, good to know. What does a "free turn" marking look like? Or is it obvious?"[/QUOTE]

A "Free left" turn is usually given its own lane and marked with a "give way" sign. Turning traffic gives way to pedestrians crossing the road you are turning on to.

[marty]

and you CAN'T use a red light as a give way (so that would be a kerb-crawling left turn - like a kerb crawl RH turn in Cali.) Red light is stop.

[Bren]

I am still of the belief that the roads over there are terrible....Great tarmac but boring as hell....well I guess thats the midwest....I never got to drive up the Pacific coast...thats next trip...

Anyways have a great time over here when ya get here

[Paul in NZ]

The people here are great too....most of us are a friendly bunch, and we dont pack heat....I am sure there would be many people on KB that would be willing to put you up for a night or two on your travels, and if you ever need a place to stay in Kapiti then my wife and I would be only too keen to let you guys use the spare room (-: (oh, it aint a trailer home btw)

Yup - come to Kapiti and you will get treated nice... Stay at Brens but we do a mean BBQ and Raumati South is the place to hang out foe cafe's and artiste's... (if you are a hopeless romantic, rudderless hippie, retired circus freak, goat botherer or Llama breeder)

Hell, if the weathers nice we will send you out in the kayaks for a fish... (you catch it you clean it rules apply)

[Crasherfromwayback]

And thanks for the buyback offer - which dealership do you work at? I might PM you if/when we get to that point.


I'm at Wellington Motorcycles. www.motorcycle.co.nz pmcdonald@wmcc.co.nz

Pete

[Bald Eagle]

Yup - come to Kapiti and you will get treated nice... Stay at Brens but we do a mean BBQ and Raumati South is the place to hang out foe cafe's and artiste's... (if you are a hopeless romantic, rudderless hippie, retired circus freak, goat botherer or Llama breeder)

Hell, if the weathers nice we will send you out in the kayaks for a fish... (you catch it you clean it rules apply)

What he said, can't beat the coast

[MSTRS]

What does a "free turn" marking look like? Or is it obvious?

Usually, they are marked as 'Free Turn' or 'Give Way' and are seperated from the straight through lane/s by use of what we call traffic islands (curbed, raised areas).

People here have just as much trouble understanding the splitting laws. This practice is covered by the rules governing overtaking. Which say you may pass the vehicle in front of you if...
You are allowed to cross the lane marking into the oncoming lane (not allowed when a yellow line is used for the lane marking)
There is a clear lane on the right (on a multi-lane road)
There is sufficient room on the right between the vehicle you are passing and the lane marking (known as lane-sharing)
There is at least 100m clear road in front throughout the manoeuvre

What goes 'wrong' here is that some riders pass on the left side of the lane :nono: , or at too great a speed differential or when the traffic is moving at more than 60kph (I think - there will be a tolerance by the cops on an acceptable speed).
Probably much the same situation as you have in CA?

I too extend a welcome to stay at ours if needed. We are on the east coast of the North Island.

[firefighter]

Ooh, good to know. What does a "free turn" marking look like? Or is it obvious?

Yeah, it's just written as a give way. Pretty straight-forward. You will know when you are at one. If it does'nt say you can then it's not a free turn. They are pretty far and few between, because drivers here struggle enough without adding in such a sensible idea!

Edit. What MSTRS said is probably clearer.

[Smifffy]

I am still of the belief that the roads over there are terrible....Great tarmac but boring as hell....well I guess thats the midwest....I never got to drive up the Pacific coast...thats next trip...

Anyways have a great time over here when ya get here

Driving from Monument Valley down through Az to Phoenix was an awesome trip. Yes roads were hella straight for the most part, but def not boring.

[SPman]

Comparing Mid west/desert area roads with the West Coast and Appalachians, is like comparing the Canterbury plains with the Coro loop......

[Pixie]

You may have seen this thread further down the first Coming and Going page:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/98782-10-000km-4-weeks-2-islands...

Lots of info and maps to inspire you.