Horror movie fog!

[PrincessBandit]

Last night I rode home from Tauranga over the Kaimais through what I can only describe as fog straight out of a horror movie. I left Towelwronger at 5, thinking I'd have plenty of time to get home then head up to Mom's. Weather was great as I left, but by the time I was climbing the hills the fog just came from nowhere!

Could barely see a car in front of me, couldn't even see the area where you pull over for the look out! By the time I was heading down there was nary a landmark to be seen and no cars in front of me to guide me through this stretch of road. Even the turn off to Matamata seemed surreal (and with no visual guide other than the intersection marking it felt like I was in an alien landscape!

Getting into Matamata was no better with still no cars in front to light my way, and (:weep:) my front wheel ended the life of a wee bunny who darted across my path. Riding with visor up to combat the mist and in order to keep some degree of vision meant that my face felt like it was getting friggin sandblasted......

Stopped at the Mobil in Matamata and asked a local if the fog was usually like this and he said "nah, this is pretty bad". Great. Tucked in behind a car leaving the servo and stuck to it's bum like a limpet until Patetonga.

Once out of "the fog" (OMG it was soooooo creepy - I'm glad my concentration had to be fully on the road as my imagination would normally have started to run riot.....) it was just a case of getting through the cold, and once on that familiar stretch past the Thames turnoff I finally could relax a little.

Heated grips - wouldn't be without them! Turned up full, with polyprop glove liners, my hands were still cold, but I'd hate to think how bad it would have felt without mr oxford to keep some blood flowing through my hands!

Anyways, what is the worst fog you've ever ridden through? I would think this was less than 20 feet visibility for me last night. What's your fog horror story?

All the way home was bloody freezing, and actually quite scary (yeah, I'm a sook) while "the fog"

[george formby]

It sucks riding in fog. Another reason why I believe proper bikers wave, the secret cadre, suffering for our passion. It's not all sunshine & sweepers. Freezing fog has to be the worst, visor like the inside of an old freezer, icicles hanging off your nose. eyeballs getting crinkly, bloody awful. It's pishing down up here today but I have the afternoon off & strangely feel compelled to check out how effective that expensive winter riding gear is. BDSM on two wheels.

[p.dath]

That's pretty bad.

We had a bad night about two months ago in NASS when riding through the back country of Auckland on a training night ride. I have a pinlock visor - and still gave up and put my visor up to get more visibility.

But we would still have had more visibility than 6-7m like you had. That would have been terrible.

[AllanB]

Horror movie fog - did any big busted blondes run out in front of you screaming that someone was chasing them?

[oldrider]

All of the above mixed with some of our delicate Southern temperatures equals a hoar frost, really pretty but you can't see that either, until the sun shines again! :cold:

[MIXONE]

Horror movie fog - did any big busted blondes run out in front of you screaming that someone was chasing them?

No because I had already caught her and she was tied up in my bedroom.
The fog in Hamilton was down all day apparently.

[Usarka]

And then there's the paranoia of a car or truck speeding around a corner behind you and inserting itself into your **** as you crawl along trying to see the road through the fog.

[slofox]

No because I had already caught her and she was tied up in my bedroom.
The fog in Hamilton was down all day apparently.

Not yesterday (Saturday) it wasn't. I had a mint ride in the afternoon...

Now today might be another story...

Actually, if ya live in The Tron, PB, you get to ride in fog ALL THE BLOODY TIME!!!! :ar15::ar15::ar15:

[pc220]

Yeah over this side of the hill we only had about a two hour window of daylight between the morning fog lifting and then the evening fog rolling in. Makes me wonder why I would want to live here sometimes.

[Cayman911]

Ahh i had that last week, i had to ride at 6am to get to uni on time. and my god was it not only dark and arctic freezing. it felt like i had no fingers and the handle bar was magicaly floating from side to side lol

there was the fog you described. with my visor down i could see absolutely nothing. with it up i could see just over a meter in front of me. with highbeam. it was freaky i gotta say. driving without seeing.
i did nearly go right through a junction at one stage because i simply could see the red lights or the junction itself. but slammed on the brakes in time because i was going slow. eek

so i have decided next time i wont be riding at all.... and yes i know i should have decided that before i rode

[wysper]

Definitely this year in the 'Tron has been some of the heaviest fog I have ever ridden in. One morning I seriously considered pulling over it was so bad. Caught up to a car and did what you did PB and followed it in to town. A very foggy winter so far.

[PrincessBandit]

If I'd had any inkling of what lay ahead on that ride home I'd have flagged Tauranga and come home straight from Thames. In hindsight, I'm glad I did it and managed to get home in one piece even though for at least half the ride I was totally packing myself.

The cold was atrocious (says the softy Aucklander) but worst was how I could not get over how creepy* it was not being able to see a thing. I've stopped at the Kaimai lookout before and to go past it without even being able to see the parking area was unreal. I was very very thankful for the drivers who, without realising it at all, acted as guides for me. The stretch with no vehicles in front was the scariest ride I've done yet.

*creepy: think "The Others" and the awful scene from "The Lovely Bones"

[george formby]

If I'd had any inkling of what lay ahead on that ride home I'd have flagged Tauranga and come home straight from Thames. In hindsight, I'm glad I did it and managed to get home in one piece even though for at least half the ride I was totally packing myself.

The cold was atrocious (says the softy Aucklander) but worst was how I could not get over how creepy* it was not being able to see a thing. I've stopped at the Kaimai lookout before and to go past it without even being able to see the parking area was unreal. I was very very thankful for the drivers who, without realising it at all, acted as guides for me. The stretch with no vehicles in front was the scariest ride I've done yet.

*creepy: think "The Others" and the awful scene from "The Lovely Bones"

Feels really, really good when you get home & get off the bike after a ride like that, eh? Hope you have a little glow of self satisfaction for keeping your s@$t together.

[Genie]

Oh chickie...well done for getting through the pea soup unscathed. Sounds damn nasty. I wouldn't like that in a car let alone cold and alone on a motorbike. Well done

[Kornholio]

Yeah the Kaimais have been quite bad recently for very thick fog esp at night... Travel that road all the time, well done for getting there :)

[hellokitty]

sounds scary! Especially hitting a rabbit, lucky you didn't crash!
Good experience though (says she who has only ridden through tiny pockets of very minor fog during the day)

[Mom]

and actually quite scary (yeah, I'm a sook) while "the fog"

Now that sounds really crappy to me. Completely understand the no show, and very, very pleased you got home in one piece. I am picking you are feeling much healthier than me today too, which is always a bonus.

[Katman]

Anyways, what is the worst fog you've ever ridden through? I would think this was less than 20 feet visibility for me last night. What's your fog horror story?


You wanna try some freezing fog.

[zealchick]

well done:-) I drove a friend home (yes in the car) on Friday night to whenuapai, the fog was really bad too and i was driving at about 50-60kms through it, all the time thinking thank god i'm not on my bike tonight!! although given that i didn't have to comcentrate quite as hard.... my imagination did run a little wild..... was glad to get home:blink:
I was on the nass ride with pdath a month or so back it was pretty hairy

[Blinkwing]

Sounds like the kind of crap weather you pray you never get into.

A friend of mine was riding in another friend's cage .. from Taupo to Auckland. Visibility less than one metre, and it was pissing down, cage had bald tyres. Passenger-slash-friend has stated that it was the worst ever driving experience and he's never getting in the car ever again.

[2wheeldrifter]

All the way home was bloody freezing, and actually quite scary (yeah, I'm a sook) while "the fog"

You may of been riding in the clouds as well PB :)

Has been bad, went over the Kaimai's about 3pm last week and low cloud couldn't see F all... tow truck sitting and waiting... :) as he normaly is in shitty weather.

[2wheeldrifter]

You wanna try some freezing fog.

Rode around the Lake on Thrusday.. shit the wind was cold in your town! surprised NOT lol

[sleemanj]

Not ridden in fog that bad that I can remember not for any length of time anyway, often can get quite thick in the Rangiora area, but only the short sections of low-lying road usually where it "pools".

Certainly however have driven in fog where I couldn't see more than perhaps 3 to 4 meters, notably around the summit road to Gebbies Pass on the Port Hills in chch at night, (so I guess it's more cloud than fog) - longest drive I ever took around the summit, top speed about 30 kmh and totally surreal, no idea where you were, just following the couple of meters of road you could more or less see in front, total white out otherwise. It seemed like a good idea when I started it, about 1/2 way through I realized it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.

Somebody in an earlier post mentioned "with high beams", maybe it's an illusion but in fog I always use the lowest beam possible, otherwise it just whites-out reflecting back to you. In the car if it's really bad I'll use fog-lamps only if it has them, no main beams, I don't know if it's the amber colour or the fact that they are closer to the ground (in the MX5 they are practically on the ground), but always seems to give much better visibility.

[CookMySock]

Woah you sucked in a big dose of HTFU there PB. Well done! :niceone:


Steve

[doc]

You wanna try some freezing fog.

Sibling rivalry

[nodrog]

Yes my first ride with the freindly Tauranga crew was on Saturday at 2.30pm over to the Oakorory Hotel, brilliant sunshine in Tauranga. Got to the top of the Kaimai ranges and it was 20m visibilty at best, and it didnt get much better at the hotel. I could not believe how cold and dark it was on such a beautiful day.

Thankyou.

[Katman]

Sibling rivalry

Well, there was no point using the "my cock's bigger than yours" line.

[CookMySock]

Well, there was no point using the "my cock's bigger than yours" line.:blink: You don't have a cock?


Steve

[doc]

Well, there was no point using the "my cock's bigger than yours" line.

:gob: Oh forgot about the strapon

[Grubber]

Worst i have ridden in was a fast trip (mercy mission, wife in hospital) home for South island. Got off boat in Welly around 9pm and road through the night back to Aucks.
Was around end of July and hit the fog about Tirau. Yuk. Pea soup with about 3 metres in front and all the way back as far as Mercer. Minus 4 at Hamilton. Brrrrr.
Used to do plenty of fog in South Island years ago when i lived there but it was the cold icy roads that made for a hard ride down the in the Winter.
Sometimes wonder when it is we're suppose to stay at home and stop trying to be invincible hairy arse d bikers.

[Goblin]

Well done PB. Have to agree that fog is the worst riding condition for me. Visor down you cant see, visor up, your face and eyeballs freeze and you still cant see.
Worst fog I ever ride through is Reporoa fog! Ive even seen a hoar frost through there. Was too cold to stop and take pics.:cold:
Most memorable was the Kawerau Gorge down Alexander way. We had to keep stopping every few kms to thaw the ice buildup on our visors, fingers, levers etc. :cold:

[insomnia01]

Went to Boyds in Hamilton on Saturday morning & it was thick as hell from Te awamutu all the way there, once I got to Hamilton it was lovely blue skys & sunshine got me bits sorted then turned around to ride home in more fog !! it was very much the same again on Sunday :(

[rocketman1]

Yes we have had some good fogs this winter.
Nothing as bad as they used to have back 35 years ago.We went to a party out Gordonton, the fog was so thick we could not find the driveway to turn up. It was 10m/hr stuff then you were head out window looking for white line in middle of road... Arggh! yeah you girls dont know your alive..fog that was just thick mist....!!!!

[Smifffy]

You wanna try some freezing fog.

Or a felching frog?

[Smifffy]

well done:-)
I was on the nass ride with pdath a month or so back it was pretty hairy

Altogether TMI

[zealchick]

Altogether TMI

hmmmm i reckon someone needs to 'Get a Life"

[pete376403]

Leaving Wanaka early morning heading to Brass Monkey, just past the airport the road goes down into a dip, freezing cold thick fog and we were riding about 25 -20kmhr, could only just see the taillight of the bike in front. If the lead guy had gone off the road we would have all followed liike lemmings

[PrincessBandit]

Worst i have ridden in was a fast trip (mercy mission, wife in hospital) home for South island. Got off boat in Welly around 9pm and road through the night back to Aucks.
Was around end of July and hit the fog about Tirau. Yuk. Pea soup with about 3 metres in front and all the way back as far as Mercer. Minus 4 at Hamilton. Brrrrr.
Used to do plenty of fog in South Island years ago when i lived there but it was the cold icy roads that made for a hard ride down the in the Winter.
Sometimes wonder when it is we're suppose to stay at home and stop trying to be invincible hairy arse d bikers.

Lol, sometimes a rider's just gotta do what a rider's gotta do.....
I was just thankful that there was no ice (apart from my runny nose!) as part of the deal. Couldn't imagine how bad it would have been without thermal everythings under my leathers.