Just bought my first bike, anybody regularly riding over Port Hills? (Mushu) [Archive]

Mushu

9th March 2012, 15:08

Hi,

I just, finally, (I'm 27) got off my arse and got my license, and seeing as I had some extra cash so I decided to buy a 2012 EX250k, I love the bike, but I only just found out about this LAMS so that'll kill the resale and the danger of dropping a brand new bike (picked it up yesterday still haven't quite hit 200k's yet) so I figure I should have some fun with it before I start regretting my purchase, lol

I like the bike tho having not had too much to do with bikes except for the occasional ride on a friends, the bike I rode for the 5 months I worked on a dairy farm (Suzuki 125 4stroke) and I did have a thumpster 90cc for about 6 months, so a road bike is pretty new to me. I bought it because I'm not sure what kind of bike I would prefer to ride but I always (like every other boy) wanted a supersport bike (and a Lamborghini). (I know it's not a supersport but I'm the first to admit CBR/YZF/ZXR/GSXR 600+ are way out of my league)

My very first impression - I was suprised how much the power reminded me of the MC22 and an old FZR250 a couple of mates had and I had the opportunity to ride (read: Be a dick and see how fast it would go - in a helmet and tee shirt) because I had heard they were all about torque and no longer need the revs like the old 4cyl 250s but it was nowhere as torqey as most of the 4 stroke trail bikes and road-trails I have ridden, and definatly still loves the revs (just not quite so high - redline at 13,000 as opposed to up to the 18,000 I have seen on some of these 250 4s).

after only 200ks of road riding I have already learned a few things -

-those new quick release helmet clasps are stupid, useless and, with a beard, they are painful - cant afford another new helmet after dropping a stupid amount (for a 250) on the bike- gonna have to shave

-It doesn't take long to realise sport bikes aren't made for comfort - I'm not old and I don't need a Gold Wing with everything heated and all that crap, but I do alot of k's in my cars (50,000k's/year) and I'd kind of like to carry some of that over to my bike - sports tourer in a year when I get my full I think. But that was the point, I have to ride to find out what I like and after its gone I can always say " I used to own a brand new Kwaka Ninja" - I'll just leave out the 250 bit

-It's going to be difficult to ride this bike for a year without pushing it too far (Okay, I was never here for the powerful machines - you'd probly never see me on a H-D, I like to go around corners - lots of them. Fast.) I am the same with cars, I had to cross the line a couple of times in a car (on one occasion my pride and joy met with a guard rail. Hard.) and thats what taught me where the limits are. I can't afford that luxury with this bike. (I know I'll drop one eventually - I'm just hoping if I'm carefull it won't be this one) I may go 'survival bike' for my next one, I like the idea of crash-proofing a bike. You can ride it harder cos if you stack it you just pick it back up and ride off, half the point is to have it looking like it barely runs so u pretty much wont have to worry about theft and in most cases even vandals would just be adding something to its uniqueness.

-ATGATT Not something I'm willing to learn first hand and I have to thank various bike themed forums for this information including this one, I know its kind of obvious but the amount of posts I have found (while trauling forums out of excitement while deciding on, and waiting for, my new bike) from people that say this idea either saved their life or saved them from spending months in the hospital. I have been guilty of riding in a Tee shirt (read above) and I don't think I ever even wore a helmet on my thumpster (about 10 years ago, I like to think I am far smarter now).

Basicly, I am looking for Bikers (either near my level or willing to wait up) who are up for regular cruses up the Port Hills, I make this run almost daily in my cars (The faster I go the more it relaxes me) and would like to have people to ride with (The speed will be alot slower on the bike than it would be in the car - atleast at first)

I will not be racing anybody on the bike - probably ever
If you want to race I have a couple of cages you could take on -timed runs, I won't run side by side with a bike, its way too dangerous.
I wouldn't underestimate them in the twisties - they are some of the most suited cars for it, many bikers have joked about and put down my cars in the past and not one of them had the skills necessary to keep up with me although there is a guy I see up the hills from time to time on some kind of Yamaha -I think- motard who is fast as a bat out of hell - I have his number but I don't want to ask him to ride with me, I'd only hold him up but I do have a new car for him to take on, I have no idea if he is a member on KB

Anyway, Sorry for the monster post
But anybody up for a ride, reply here or PM.

Box of riddles

9th March 2012, 15:40

There's a Wednesday night ride thread somewhere, and I'd be keen to ride over the hills and such after I get some new fairings.

Subike

9th March 2012, 19:04

Every wed night there is a ride from burger king mourhouse, leaving 6.30
We regally take rides around the port hills, coming from different ends or vis the tube.
This is done during daylight saving weeks only.
Sundays the some of the same riders do a day ride from 12pm meeting at mousehouse burger king.
There will continue through out winter as weather permits.
Your welcome to join these rides, as they are just casual rides with no formalities
what you ride is never an issue , just respect other riders

paturoa

9th March 2012, 19:17

If your new to biking then also get yourself into one of the subsidised by ACC rider training courses. You'll learn a whole bunch of stuff the painless way.

EDIT: and welcome

BigAl

9th March 2012, 19:59

You'll get used to the riding position after a few thousand not hundred k and I agree with not being able to beat the double d rings for fastening helmets.

Good luck and give cages plenty of room.

Mushu

14th March 2012, 14:44

almost a week, and almost 1000ks now.

Bikes booked in for the first service on monday (I can't ride too much untill then, I want the service manual to look as good as possible so I can get as much $ as possible to upgrade in a year when *if* I can get a full license)

So, my thoughts now as opposed to 800 km ago:

Hating that helmet even more, won't go with HJC again (I'm not sure what it cost because I bought a whole lot of crap together but it wasn't their cheapest one or anything like that). The clasp is still just as annoying as ever (I did have a shave - it didn't help) and its not even a good trade off because from what I have heard they are nowhere near as strong as the "DD" clasps. The piece of netting that sits under my chin is already falling out and while the visor fogging has improved its still so bad I bought one of those fog off masks, also I don't think the method for changing visors is very good, I have been riding at night with my visor up rather than changing back to the clear one for fear of breaking one/both/the mounting points on the helmet. Thinking about just buying another but with very few places to go to try on atleast different brands so I can get an idea of size, I might have to wait and just keep an eye out.

Riding Position: BigAl, I am starting to see that you are right, everything is becoming a little more comfortable (except the seat :laugh:) but I still think my next bike will be a sport tourer, my dad has ridden bikes since before I was around and he always had sport tourers and I could never understand why untill now - I still want the speed and handeling but I can see a case for giving some perfomance up in favor of a more relaxed position, like I said, I do alot of kays as you can tell -1000ks in 5 days (and I didn't ride for 2 of those days when it was raining)

I'm very quickly watching my abilities improve - the used patch of my brand new tyres on the first day was about 50mm wide (straight roads and very slow cornering), but over the past week I have increased that contact patch to all but the last few mm on each side of the tread. I have also become more confident on the front brake and accelerating through corners. While this is very exciting and allows me to be more relaxed as I have more experience to predict the results of my actions it's also quite scary that I am far closer to the limits of what the bike is capable of.

Boots, the only gear I don't have is boots. I was wondering if somebody could offer an objective (informed) opinion of how important boots really are (I know there are plenty out there that don't wear any gear when they ride - they are fools) and I'd like to know if the riding boots out there offer any better protection than work boots or leather hiking boots.

ducatilover

14th March 2012, 15:30

I didn't find the EX250 to have an uncomfortable position, but I'm not tall and I'm weird :yes:

Enjoy the bike, keep it reasonably safe and welcome to the site.

BigAl

14th March 2012, 15:46

almost a week, and almost 1000ks now.

.....
Boots, the only gear I don't have is boots. I was wondering if somebody could offer an objective (informed) opinion of how important boots really are (I know there are plenty out there that don't wear any gear when they ride - they are fools) and I'd like to know if the riding boots out there offer any better protection than work boots or leather hiking boots.

Later style of boots have crush protection in heels and shins, which can be handy if bike falls on your foot or you go sliding down the road under the bike.

You can still get touring boots that are the more traditional leather but generally with toe caps, depends what prefer and work boots with ankle protection are preferable to shoes.

Subike

14th March 2012, 16:33

Boots
For most of my riding days I have worn work boots,
Good quality ones, not the $49.95 cheap shit
I had a pair of Rossies for a few years till somebody decided they wanted them more than me,
They were good, but crap to walk around in
Have tried the Johnny Rebel, style boots, fucking heals and soles always come adrift, and for get about water resistant.
Current pair are Bata Mammoth steelcaps, that are lace ups, with gusseted tounge and above the ankle.
Agressive tread means no slipping in the mud at rallys,
I slipped a pair of sheepskin liners in, and went to the march hare the first time I wore them
Didnt want to take em off cofortable as, and warm, handles the rain sweet.
Thanks to my employer, they only cost me $40, the difference between std issue for work, and what I wanted.
Pity you are not riding your bike till after it is serviced,
You could have been a welcome addition to tonights ride to Little River

darkwolf

14th March 2012, 18:04

Mushu

16th March 2012, 14:57

I'd be keen to come for a ride through the Port Hills with you. I'm not available for the next few weeks as I'm moving into my first home this weekend and I have a training day run by Mainland Motorcycle School at Ruapuna a fortnight later. But after that I'm keen.

Re: Boots
Be careful what you buy. I can't recommend them enough but ensure they allow proper movement of the gear lever. Though the lever is adjustable, I have had to adjust mine to accommodate my boot to a point where it's not comfortable to change gear when hunched over. If I put it in a position where it is comfortable, I can't get my boot underneath the lever to change up.

If you have a bit of free time, I highly recommend watching and reading Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist II. I watched the video before doing a 2,626KM tour of the South Island in February and my riding came along leaps and bounds over 5 days. Absolutely invaluable. I came across an electronic copy of the book and video shortly thereafter which I carry on my phone for those long stops. You're welcome to stop by and grab a copy but I HIGHLY recommend buying it just purely due to the benefits I received, I felt I needed to pay a fair price.

As has been said, definitely look at the ACC subsidised training courses. The one I am doing at Ruapuna has also been subsidised and I bet it will be as valuable as the video and book.

Flick me a PM if you want to get hold of Twist II.

Definatly would like to have a look at Twist of the wrist, and always up for a ride over the hills, will send PM soon

EDIT: Tried to PM... I do not have enough involvement in this forum (I assume that means not enough posts?)

As far as boots go, I should have been more specific:

I currently own steel caps (Supplied by work) and leather hiking boots and have ridden in both in the past (although not on my current bike) I find both to be a little annoying when changing gears as opposed to my skate shoes and hate riding in steel caps for the same reason.

My question is this: My best bet for riding in at the moment are obviously the hiking boots. Would there be any significant gain (in either safety or comfort) to warrant buying 'proper' riding boots?

I was able to make it to this weeks WNR, Probly shouldn't have (1200ks and waiting to get its first service on Monday) and had a fair bit of fun and a good feed at the pub, shouldn't have come back before everyone though, I had so many dead sandflys on my visor I had to stop and try clean it -with my tee shirt, didn't work very well, I'm going to have to try figure out something I can carry for cleaning my visor (between the sandflys, the lightly tinted visor, the dark and me being stupid enough to try wipe it with my glove it eventually got impossible to see.)

haydes55

16th March 2012, 16:40

We regally take rides around the pot hill, coming from different ends or vis the tube.

What is this Pot hill you speak of? Did you mean to post that you are riding there in this thread (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/134127-Free-the-weed-dope-cannabis-hooch-Fri-4-Feb-outside-Auckland-District-Courts)?

Do you come from different ends to throw off the cops?:Police:

:laugh:

tigertim20

16th March 2012, 17:53

Definatly would like to have a look at Twist of the wrist, and always up for a ride over the hills, will send PM soon

EDIT: Tried to PM... I do not have enough involvement in this forum (I assume that means not enough posts?)

As far as boots go, I should have been more specific:

I currently own steel caps (Supplied by work) and leather hiking boots and have ridden in both in the past (although not on my current bike) I find both to be a little annoying when changing gears as opposed to my skate shoes and hate riding in steel caps for the same reason.

My question is this: My best bet for riding in at the moment are obviously the hiking boots. Would there be any significant gain (in either safety or comfort) to warrant buying 'proper' riding boots?

I was able to make it to this weeks WNR, Probly shouldn't have (1200ks and waiting to get its first service on Monday) and had a fair bit of fun and a good feed at the pub, shouldn't have come back before everyone though, I had so many dead sandflys on my visor I had to stop and try clean it -with my tee shirt, didn't work very well, I'm going to have to try figure out something I can carry for cleaning my visor (between the sandflys, the lightly tinted visor, the dark and me being stupid enough to try wipe it with my glove it eventually got impossible to see.)

without going into details and shit, yes I reckon you will benefit - theres a reason they design boots specifically for the demands of riding motorcycles - its not just about riding comfort, its also about crashing survival

tigertim20

16th March 2012, 17:59

forgot to add.
there is a minimum number of posts you must have before you can use the PM function if i remember correctly

curly

20th March 2012, 19:52

Twist of the Wrist II... I came across an electronic copy of the book and video shortly thereafter which I carry on my phone....

Where'd you get the electronic copy from?
I want to chuck it on my phone.

Asher

20th March 2012, 20:08

If your familiar with torrents (http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/5170151/Keith_Code_Twist_of_the_Wrist_vol.2_DVDRIP)

Although its focused more on racing its defiantly worth the watch.

mossy1200

20th March 2012, 20:41

-It doesn't take long to realise sport bikes aren't made for comfort -

.

funny thing is that one of the most aggresive seat,suspesion,bar height bike i have owned was one of the most comfortable.

Honda SP1

The weight on arms reduced weight on butt and i never got sore.
i found one off the worst for me was Honda Blackbird because once the comfort factor of soft seat wore off(2hrs)the numb turned to pain to the point of making me tired.

I guess everyone wears out in different ways.

current bike MT01 i like because theres room for me to move around and take weight onto legs even with passenger.
It may also be im tall with bad back.I now wear my race back brace when riding as i find the waist(thick)strap seems to take the jolts out that give me back pain after 500+km in a day.

BMWR1200S was the ultimate mile muncher for me.I regret selling it sometimes and wife liked the back seat.

Mushu

21st March 2012, 15:36

funny thing is that one of the most aggresive seat,suspesion,bar height bike i have owned was one of the most comfortable......

As I was told by the first couple people that replied to this thread, mostly my uncomfort was due to the riding position being unfamiliar (I had ridden a few bikes before this one but even the farm bike I had I was only on for 15 min at a time at the most, and the thumpster doesn't count) and my inexperience - fighting the bike takes it out of you

So obviously I have learned much during the last couple of weeks with my bike (just shy of 2000km now) and there is still far more to learn I watched Twist of the Wrist 2 on the weekend and I have just bought the book off the internet, and just watching it I was amazed about all the ideas and information I had figured on my own and been told that is just plain wrong.

Even just after an instructional DVD and a few kays to practice the techniques the amount I relaxed on the bike made a huge difference in both control and comfort. Most of the uncomfort I was feeling before was to do with gripping the clip ons too hard - I think this comes as an automatic reaction after learning to ride a bicycle, you kind of just forget that on a motorbike you don't have to pedal so can (and should) hold on with the legs.

The seat is still solid and painful after a couple of hours but I maintain that it's just part of the trade-off buying a sport bike and I can handle that. Its not really that much worse than the back pain that results from driving my MR2 on anything but a pefect road so I am willing to put up with some discomfort if I can have a bit more fun on it (I have a second cage that is completely standard and very easy and comftrble to drive when I can't be bothered)

Thanks heaps Darkwolf, as I said above, watching Twist of the Wrist II has and will continue to be a major catalyst in my rapid improvement and I know for a fact that I am much safer out there than I was before I watched it
I watched on YouTube though so if you have the means to copy it (or already have a digital copy) I still want to get my hands on it (I'm still not sure if I can PM yet but will try in a couple of days when I can get my post count up

slofox

21st March 2012, 16:47

I learned to ride on the port hills - without the aid of anybody or any books or dvd's (they weren't invented back then...dvd's I mean - we did have books - just).

Only bad experience was when the headlight went out mid-corner one dark night. There was a face on the right and a drop on the left. No fences back then. Near shit me friggin' pants an' all.
Managed to stop without falling off the cliff or ramming the face. Had to push the bugger all the way back to the Sign of the Bellbird to get to a phone.

sil3nt

21st March 2012, 18:36

Sorry but you don't have a sport bike. The Hyosung is more of a sport bike in terms of seating position. The ninja is much more upright. Get a better seat.

gammaguy

21st March 2012, 19:27

i live in the Port Hills

let me know if you feel like a ride sometime.

Mushu

22nd March 2012, 09:49

Sorry but you don't have a sport bike. The Hyosung is more of a sport bike in terms of seating position. The ninja is much more upright. Get a better seat.

I don't have a sport bike?
What would you call it (toy maybe because of the size, but that can't be helped) I know some of the earlier 250 Ninjas were ZZ-R250s which are more like a tourer but the current model is nothing like that.

Next to the ZX6 the EX250 are pretty similar in terms of size and shape. I find the seating position more agressive than the MC22 CBR250 or the FZR250 3LM I've ridden but never having had a full license I have ridden very few bikes over 250cc and most of those were trail bikes or road/trails so not really a basis for comparison.

Not saying you're wrong but if its not a sport bike, what is it?

Also I wouldn't buy any Korean vehicle, I hear they are a nice bike to ride (My brother has one, but I haven't seen it yet) but the build quality isn't very good compared to japanese equivalent, as this is the first vehicle I ever bought brand new I want to do everything I can to ensure quality and reliability. IMO the Kawasaki even looks alot better and I like that most people can't tell its a 250. The dealership I bought it from sell hyosungs too but I decided on the Kawasaki after quite a bit of thought.

I learned to ride on the port hills - without the aid of anybody or any books or dvd's (they weren't invented back then...dvd's I mean - we did have books - just)........

Yea thats more or less how I learned to drive a car, just keep trying stuff untill you find something that works, but that was when I was younger and *more* stupid and as a result, one of my biggest regrets was the fate of my Celica - Late night, wet road, rear wheel drive, young driver, guard rail....... F&^k

This time around its a fair bit more complicated so I'm trying to (as much as I can) learn from other peoples experience, for example how long would it have taken me to realise the effect of supporting my upper body weight on the inside bar while going around a bend? - probably a couple trips down the road on my arse. But with a simple instruction from an experienced rider, I am now aware of it and can feel that I have more steering control mid corner now, I just have to work on changing the habit and was able to skip the whole figure it out for myself part.

i live in the Port Hills

let me know if you feel like a ride sometime.

Yea, I'm up there more or less everyday although I'm not riding in the rain, so today is out (I'll probably go for a drive up there in my Levin though) but it looks pretty good for the weekend so I'll be up for a ride atleast on saturday I'll send PM saturday morning, meet up if you not too busy

sil3nt

22nd March 2012, 12:48

I don't have a sport bike?
What would you call it (toy maybe because of the size, but that can't be helped) I know some of the earlier 250 Ninjas were ZZ-R250s which are more like a tourer but the current model is nothing like that.

Next to the ZX6 the EX250 are pretty similar in terms of size and shape. I find the seating position more agressive than the MC22 CBR250 or the FZR250 3LM I've ridden but never having had a full license I have ridden very few bikes over 250cc and most of those were trail bikes or road/trails so not really a basis for comparison.

Not saying you're wrong but if its not a sport bike, what is it?Take a look at http://cycle-ergo.com/

In terms of rider position the new ninja is much closer to the old ninja than it is to a ZX6R or any other sports bike. The ninja 250 is a sport tourer dressed as a sports bike.

ducatilover

22nd March 2012, 15:33

It's a sports commuter, even then it's marginal.
I'd love to see an MC22 that had a less extreme position as an EX250 (which is essentially the same position as the GPX/GPZ/ZZR and the same size etc etc it's a sport-touring esque position, but it's too small and under powered to be a sports, or touring bike.

They're a good little bike, treat it well.

Mushu

22nd March 2012, 15:34

Take a look at http://cycle-ergo.com/

In terms of rider position the new ninja is much closer to the old ninja than it is to a ZX6R or any other sports bike. The ninja 250 is a sport tourer dressed as a sports bike.

Looks like I've been told,:pinch: atleast it looks like a sportbike lol

Guess it was a long time ago that I rode the FZR and the CBR but it still feels more like those two rather than a ZZR or a XJ (which are the only 2 tourers that I have had a chance to ride.)

In regards to my comfort complaints, I already stated that a bit of time on the bike and some improvement in riding position and riding style pretty much cured it, the seat is quite hard and is a bitch after a few hours but I can deal with that.

Hawkeye

23rd March 2012, 15:10

The seat is still solid and painful after a couple of hours but I maintain that it's just part of the trade-off buying a sport bike and I can handle that. Its not really that much worse than the back pain that results from driving my MR2 on anything but a pefect road so I am willing to put up with some discomfort if I can have a bit more fun on it (I have a second cage that is completely standard and very easy and comftrble to drive when I can't be bothered)

Thing I've found useful when doing long rides is to wear a pair of padded bike shorts under the leathers. Makes a huge difference!

Mushu

12th April 2012, 15:09

Well, almost 5000 kays and still loving it

I am far more comfortable on the bike now, and can ride for hours (Rode chch to kaikora and back on sunday just cos the weather was good) without major discomfort. (Yes, the seat is still quite hard but I dare you to sit in any seat for 5 hours without moving and see if it becomes uncomfortable)

I have noticed I do have problems with my shoulder after riding for long periods, especially on open roads I think, because I tend to get lower to get behind the screen and that puts more strain on my shoulder (result of a dislocation about 15 years ago). Luckily as this is my left arm, I get plenty of chances to rest it.

The important thing is I have improved on the things that I was having difficulty with, I have gotten used to the 'go where you look' phenomina and can now use it to my advantage. I am getting smoother with throttle control and gear changes (I have been having trouble with the transition from engine braking to acceleration during a corner, I'm prety smooth, but not perfect).

I think what I need now is to find an experienced rider who can ride with me to identify anything I might be doing and not noticing and so I can watch up close their lines, riding position etc...

The big problem in this is I have to trust them or it wont work and I pretty much don't know anybody that fits that bill, I know a few that ride but just because they ride doesn't mean they know any better than I do. (I'm sure there are heaps of people out there that got their full license have done less kays than I have, and then there are those that are dumb enough to think they were born with the knowledge, ability and even muscle memory that is required to be a good rider)

I have had a couple of close calls in the last couple of weeks though, I have to be even more vigilant as far as road condition goes. Twice I have had the front wash out during a corner - the second time wasn't too bad, it was on entry to the corner and I was moving slow enough I think I could have caught the bike by putting a foot down if it came to that.

The first time - I still can't figure out how I stayed upright, I definatly did everything right (except see and avoid the patch of gravel in the middle of the lane). I was heading downhill back to town down Dyres pass and the very first corner I managed to hit some gravel with the front tyre just before the point where I would start bringing the bike back upright. Scared the crap out of me as I was pretty close to as fast as I am capable of taking that corner luckily I somehow have managed to beat out the natural want to grab front brake (which would have had me on my arse real quick) and instead grabbed a handful of throttle and after a bit of wiggling around and a second of me waiting for the back to come out over the gravel and high-side me, I managed to get it upright (Interestingly, I think if I had been going slower I would have been in a higher gear and wouldn't have had the extra power available to get some weight off the front).

These 2 situations have robbed me of my cornering confidence a bit, but that might be a good thing coming into winter

CelticSam

12th April 2012, 15:42

I would recommend a call to Mainland Motorcycle School. Mike is great and will help you out. I think ACC are still subsidising courses.

haydes55

12th April 2012, 17:53

The first time - I still can't figure out how I stayed upright, I definatly did everything right (except see and avoid the patch of gravel in the middle of the lane). I was heading downhill back to town down Dyres pass and the very first corner I managed to hit some gravel with the front tyre just before the point where I would start bringing the bike back upright. Scared the crap out of me as I was pretty close to as fast as I am capable of taking that corner luckily I somehow have managed to beat out the natural want to grab front brake (which would have had me on my arse real quick) and instead grabbed a handful of throttle and after a bit of wiggling around and a second of me waiting for the back to come out over the gravel and high-side me, I managed to get it upright (Interestingly, I think if I had been going slower I would have been in a higher gear and wouldn't have had the extra power available to get some weight off the front).

:crazy: Yikes! I hate gravel! I always go slow around any gravel (even after it says works end). My bikes a motard so should handle it a bit better than most, had a close call on my old bike where the road had be repaired, so half of my lane was old road and the other half was a few inches lower and new surface. came around the corner, saw it half way around, couldn't adjust my line fast enough (I would feel comfortable adjusting my lane faster mid corner now), my wheels ran into the change and dropped into the lower surface, freaky feeling having the bike feel like it is dropping out from under me, then I just carried on. Lucky I was riding like a nana.

Subike

12th April 2012, 18:03

Mushu

13th April 2012, 16:32

Hey fella.
if you are interested, I am going to the sundowner rally sat,
via cheviot, then the leader road to waiau, then back to the huranui camp site.
I ride the little 250 cruiser you met on the wed night ride to little river .
I dont go much over 110kph, because basically I cant lol.
So I will not lead you into anything at sub sonic speeds :scooter:
but you are welcome to tag along with me.
If you have not done the leader road before, its a good one to practice corners on , and hill work.
Oh I been riding for a little while.........

Hi,

I would have come to the rally, wanted to go up there tonight actually, unfortunatly I have heaps of crap I have to do on Saturday (all the stuff I have been putting off so I can ride for the last month since I got the bike)

Actually last weekend I rode to Kaikora on Saturday but I followed the signs and took the inland road, might be worth the ride to check out the Leader rd:scooter:

Incedently I had an interesting experience on that ride, started out heading to Kiapoi at about 4pm once I got to Culverden I had lunch and felt good so I decided to head on to Kaikora.

It got dark while I stopped under the bridge in the photo to stretch my legs:doobey:. The end of inland road is a series of straights with small, easy bends in between and goes for kays and kays, I was doing between 120 and 130 the whole way:headbang:, reeling in a car whos taillights started appearing at the far end of each straight.

After about 15 minutes straight slowly getting closer to this car (by this time its completly dark) I finally notice this is a marked police car :nono: (he was obviously speeding too, still about 150m away - gotta love those reflective stickers) and chop the throttle till I'm doing about 90 but the cop must have been watching my speed because he immediatly dropped to a bit under the speed I was doing and for the next about 2 kays he was slowing down maintaining a slower speed than me to force me to close the gap untill he was doing about 60 on a straight piece of open rd and we were the only 2 cars on that rd (I wasn't going to overtake him, I thought he was trying to get behind me to pull me over. I was also worried about him noticing I was on a 250 and pulling me over for no L plates)

Then, all of a sudden, he pulls over at the entrance to the tightest corner I had seen in atleast 20km - I figured he was letting me past to pull me over. I slowly rode past him, through the corner, back up to 100km/h and checked for disco lights in the mirror. I didn't even see his car, so, one more corner and I opened it up as fast as I could (road got twisty again at that point)

I don't understand it, judging by the way he adjusted his speed so quickly when I backed off, he had to have known how fast I was going so why wasn't I booked for speeding (on easter) and if he didn't pull over at the end to let me past to pull me over, why else would a cop pull over at the very end of a huge series of straights in the middle of nowhere.

He had to be doing a u-turn patrolling an area that would certainly profitable in the way of speeding fines (long straights, mild corners and far enough from the main route that you would feel safe from the police, also I stopped again for 15 minutes further up the road:doobey: and he didn't show)

So if he was patrolling the area why wouldn't he have booked me?

He could have been looking for something or someone - but even so, I would expect the driver took note that there was a vehicle behind with one headlight (I always notice anything with one headlight - Because if its a car with a headlight out, I need to know which one to figure out where exactly the car is) and it would only take 1 more look to realise I was going faster than him (who as I said, was almost definatly speeding himself)

There is always the theory that he had already reached his quota and decided to just drive around and relax for a while

Transalper

15th April 2012, 10:28

....I have been having trouble with the transition from engine braking to acceleration during a corner....You are not supposed to be transitioning from engine braking to acceleration during a corner, you are supposed to have already sorted your deceleration and be back to positive throttle for the turn in.
The whole post sounds like you are at at the edge of over cooking it, I'd back off a bit if I were you, I think you're probably trying too hard.

Definately get in on an advance riding course while they are cheep, only $50 most of them right now.

FJRider

15th April 2012, 11:06

I don't understand it, judging by the way he adjusted his speed so quickly when I backed off, he had to have known how fast I was going so why wasn't I booked for speeding (on easter) and if he didn't pull over at the end to let me past to pull me over, why else would a cop pull over at the very end of a huge series of straights in the middle of nowhere.

He had to be doing a u-turn patrolling an area that would certainly profitable in the way of speeding fines (long straights, mild corners and far enough from the main route that you would feel safe from the police, also I stopped again for 15 minutes further up the road:doobey: and he didn't show)

So if he was patrolling the area why wouldn't he have booked me?

He could have been looking for something or someone - but even so, I would expect the driver took note that there was a vehicle behind with one headlight (I always notice anything with one headlight - Because if its a car with a headlight out, I need to know which one to figure out where exactly the car is) and it would only take 1 more look to realise I was going faster than him (who as I said, was almost definatly speeding himself)

There is always the theory that he had already reached his quota and decided to just drive around and relax for a while

If he was looking for an address (a Rapid number) it would explain why he slowed, and the disappeared. At that time of day ... unlikely to be on patrol. His speed and actions, would be consistant with being on a mission of his own. YOU would be the least of his worries. He might even have been going home for tea.

Don't be so paranoid ... but you can find a Police car on many back roads ... at all times of the day and night. Not initially on a road patrol ... but on some of the "non urgent" missions they do ... the "Hawk" is flying ... (I have found this out ... to my cost :facepalm: )

Fast Eddie

15th April 2012, 13:00

ever seen super troopers?

maybe he was just trying to f%ck with you haha

Fast Eddie

15th April 2012, 13:00

starting right meow..

jimichelle

15th April 2012, 22:50

ducatilover

15th April 2012, 22:58

Yeah man, open it up, coz a HW Patrol Commy will have trouble catching an EX250 :yes:

haydes55

15th April 2012, 23:04

quote ::I was never here for the powerful machines - you'd probly never see me on a H-D, I like to go around corners - lots of them. Fast.
what a stupid comment:brick:
come back after riding a few years, a few different type of bikes :facepalm:
:nya:
Umadbro? Harleys are long, low and wide (can't lean over as far) and heavy. Common sense says they wont corner aswell as a bike designed for roads with 200km of straight roads.
(I feel like there needs to be one of those twitter thingys that say #HarleyHaters)

ducatilover

15th April 2012, 23:12

:nya:
Umadbro? Harleys are long, low and wide (can't lean over as far) and heavy. Common sense says they wont corner aswell as a bike designed for roads with 200km of straight roads.
(I feel like there needs to be one of those twitter thingys that say #HarleyHaters)

Now you'll start that fucking stupid "Yeah, but, like, but, Harleys can corner as good as sport bikes when they have a good rider on them and the sport bike is going slow enough for the Harley to keep up, like,but"

I could out corner anything in a fucking fridge if it was ridden slow enough.

Feck, arse, drink!

Rant over.

haydes55

15th April 2012, 23:15

Now you'll start that fucking stupid "Yeah, but, like, but, Harleys can corner as good as sport bikes when they have a good rider on them and the sport bike is going slow enough for the Harley to keep up, like,but"

I could out corner anything in a fucking fridge if it was ridden slow enough.

Feck, arse, drink!

Rant over.

I can win a drag race against a harley when it's ridden slow enough (Yeah suck on that Harley rider I met at the lights on Te Rapa straight!) :woohoo:

I can see the appeal to riding a Harley though, when I get old and lazy I'll probably get one to roll around on.

ducatilover

15th April 2012, 23:18

I can see the appeal to riding a Harley though, when I get old and lazy I'll probably get one to roll around on.

You'll vibrate right off.

I'll buy a proper cruiser one day, V-4 Honda probably.

haydes55

15th April 2012, 23:24

You'll vibrate right off.

I'll buy a proper cruiser one day, V-4 Honda probably.

Are you a nice enough person to ride a Honda though?

ducatilover

15th April 2012, 23:26

Are you a nice enough person to ride a Honda though?

I've had three, suck my di....um. Never mind. :eek5:

Mushu

16th April 2012, 09:06

quote ::I was never here for the powerful machines - you'd probly never see me on a H-D, I like to go around corners - lots of them. Fast.
what a stupid comment:brick:
come back after riding a few years, a few different type of bikes :facepalm:

Thanks for your input, real helpful...

FYI, the comment was based on my preference in cars, ie. I would never want a V8 and currently own 2 20valve toyotas.
Perhaps I should elaborate, I get very little enjoyment from acceleration on its own, but I love the sensation of completing a series of corners when you get everything right and that usually results in high speeds

I'm not sum squid out there that thinks I'm Rossi, I'm quite careful around the cages but I do open it up a little more when I'm alone on the road. Every single one of us is willing to accept some risk (if you ride, this is you too) so we can ride our bikes. If we weren't prepared to accept that risk, we would be driving volvos, or catching the bus.

Or were you just upset I said I would never ride a H-D, don't misunderstand and think I don't like Harleys, they are impressive in pretty much every way definatly look and sound better than pretty much anything from japan or italy but as I said before I love corners and the way it goes is far more important for me (case in piont. One of the 2 toyotas I mention above is attached to this post. Not exactly pretty but it corners as good as anything else)

You are not supposed to be transitioning from engine braking to acceleration during a corner, you are supposed to have already sorted your deceleration and be back to positive throttle for the turn in.
The whole post sounds like you are at at the edge of over cooking it, I'd back off a bit if I were you, I think you're probably trying too hard.

I know you're supposed to be on the accelerator before you enter the corner. What I was commenting on is that the transition is not as smooth as I would like and in situations like compound corners or negotiating traffic (damn cyclists) if I do end up in a no throttle situation during a corner I would like the ability to open it up without upsetting the bike, and I'd like to have better control over that transition in general.

If he was looking for an address (a Rapid number) it would explain why he slowed, and the disappeared. At that time of day ... unlikely to be on patrol. His speed and actions, would be consistant with being on a mission of his own. YOU would be the least of his worries. He might even have been going home for tea.

Don't be so paranoid ... but you can find a Police car on many back roads ... at all times of the day and night. Not initially on a road patrol ... but on some of the "non urgent" missions they do ... the "Hawk" is flying ... (I have found this out ... to my cost :facepalm: )

Don't think he was looking for an address out there (there couldn't be more than a couple houses on that entire road) It seems like a pretty obvious place to cruise around and hand out massive fines during the easter break.
But who knows, maybe he was looking for something, maybe he was out doing the same thing as me (Just riding around for the ride - I went to kaikora for a service station coffee and then came straight back to Christchurch)

I like Fast Eddies take on it, it would be nice to know there are some cops out there that have a sense of humor for things like that. (I'm not really anymore dangerous to others at 120 than I am at 100 on straight road with no other traffic so don't really deserve a fine, I think)

ducatilover

16th April 2012, 09:21

Thanks for your input, real helpful...

FYI, the comment was based on my preference in cars, ie. I would never want a V8 and currently own 2 20valve toyotas.
Perhaps I should elaborate, I get very little enjoyment from acceleration on its own, but I love the sensation of completing a series of corners when you get everything right and that usually results in high speeds

I'm not sum squid out there that thinks I'm Rossi, I'm quite careful around the cages but I do open it up a little more when I'm alone on the road. Every single one of us is willing to accept some risk (if you ride, this is you too) so we can ride our bikes. If we weren't prepared to accept that risk, we would be driving volvos, or catching the bus.

I'm assuming you have an AE101/111 or two then? They...don't handle.
Mind you, fun can be had in 'em (I had fun in an AE111 BZ-R once)

No need to prove yourself on the webbernet bro, we'll just troll you because we're jealous pricks who secretly have no bikes (shh, don't let on though)

Mushu

16th April 2012, 10:01

I'm assuming you have an AE101/111 or two then? They...don't handle.
Mind you, fun can be had in 'em (I had fun in an AE111 BZ-R once)

No need to prove yourself on the webbernet bro, we'll just troll you because we're jealous pricks who secretly have no bikes (shh, don't let on though)

I own an AE101 but with the superstrut suspension it handles a fair bit better than my old WRX and almost as good as my cousins old WRX STI(WRX was V2 and STI was V3) but thats just my daily driver

The AW11 referenced in the last post (when it was edited) runs the same engine and gearbox as the AE101 but with a LSD a bit of trick suspension (hard as a rock)

Not trying to prove myself, just trying to get some advice to help me improve and find people to ride with cos all my friends think its dangerous or something

ducatilover

16th April 2012, 10:17

I own an AE101 but with the superstrut suspension it handles a fair bit better than my old WRX and almost as good as my cousins old WRX STI(WRX was V2 and STI was V3) but thats just my daily driver

The AW11 referenced in the last post (when it was edited) runs the same engine and gearbox as the AE101 but with a LSD a bit of trick suspension (hard as a rock)

Not trying to prove myself, just trying to get some advice to help me improve and find people to ride with cos all my friends think its dangerous or something

I never felt that the super struts actually handled that well, but, I probably drive funny :innocent:

:love: AW11 + 20V? Now that's a fun package. Got pics?
I've always wanted to buy an AW and make a 7age and drop it in, but I've never got around to it :facepalm:

hammer nz

16th April 2012, 12:23

Mushu

16th April 2012, 14:01

Hi Mushu

I just recently purchased a 2008 250 Ninja that happens to be green and am also riding around on L Plates in Christchurch.

I keep getting texts from my friends saying was that you on so and so street?
Today it was Petersborough street and the other day it was somewhere out in Marshlands but in both cases i believe its you!!

Haha, we should go for a ride some time??

P.S
Nice bike choice!

I think I may have seen you around, or maybe the double that you thought was me, actually my ninja is black but I get the same thing, every one says they saw me in some pretty random places theres even one that comes by my pl quite often and people keep asking why I ride past and don't stop.

I'm definatly up for that ride pretty much anytime.

I never felt that the super struts actually handled that well, but, I probably drive funny :innocent:

:love: AW11 + 20V? Now that's a fun package. Got pics?
I've always wanted to buy an AW and make a 7age and drop it in, but I've never got around to it :facepalm:

The trick to the 101 is to keep the revs as high as possible and be very carful not to let the inside wheel slip too much I find it's the brakes that let it down (and ABS makes it worse). I have also found that the levin seems to be quite dependant on the tyres, used to run Potenza RE01s all round but they discontinued them and the replacement (RE02) are way too expensive for my daily driver so I went for some cheaper tyres (maxxis something) and my cornering speeds in the dry have dropped around 10%, not that it matters on the DD but it hasn't really been up the hills since the tyre change (in the wet the effect is reversed)

the adub, I'm always happy to show that off, pics below.
Like I said earlier, not pretty, but thats not why I bought it (also the plates were the POs and I gave them back when I bought the car)
although its a bit tempremental at the moment, a small electrical drama (that I hope will be fixed by the alternator I just paid $400 for) and a small oil leak and I have to get the (more reliable) Levin sorted first, but hopefully I can get it back on the rd in about a month

Best engine for the AW would be 2ZZ-GE from the latest model celica but good luck finding a LSD for the gearbox, there is atleast one of these getting around NZ iirc a guy from MR2OC NZ forums named Psycho Hamster built it then sold it to a guy called Flying Wedge (I missed out on buying it by less than a week :angry:)

Asher

16th April 2012, 14:14

i could be keen for a blast through the hills sometime

Mushu

16th April 2012, 14:33

i could be keen for a blast through the hills sometime

Maybe someone should start a Ride over the Hills thread

hammer nz

16th April 2012, 14:52

I think I may have seen you around, or maybe the double that you thought was me, actually my ninja is black but I get the same thing, every one says they saw me in some pretty random places theres even one that comes by my pl quite often and people keep asking why I ride past and don't stop.

I'm definatly up for that ride pretty much anytime.

Haha i was sure it was you!
Well if its black i saw you parked in sumner by the park then lol, but i am starting to think there is more ninjas then i imagined floating around Christchurch!

Awesome if its good weather ill be out this weekend and would be keen to explore more of the hills.

Mushu

16th April 2012, 15:12

Haha i was sure it was you!
Well if its black i saw you parked in sumner by the park then lol, but i am starting to think there is more ninjas then i imagined floating around Christchurch!

Awesome if its good weather ill be out this weekend and would be keen to explore more of the hills.

I was in sumner on monday last week, good spotting.

Yea I been seeing quite a few, mines special though I have yet to find anyone else that paid the extra 1k for FI

I'll be up the hill for a quick lap in about 2 hours, but I gotta try get the sparky out to have a look at some stuff so I wont be hanging around too long.

ducatilover

16th April 2012, 15:30

The trick to the 101 is to keep the revs as high as possible and be very carful not to let the inside wheel slip too much I find it's the brakes that let it down (and ABS makes it worse). I have also found that the levin seems to be quite dependant on the tyres, used to run Potenza RE01s all round but they discontinued them and the replacement (RE02) are way too expensive for my daily driver so I went for some cheaper tyres (maxxis something) and my cornering speeds in the dry have dropped around 10%, not that it matters on the DD but it hasn't really been up the hills since the tyre change (in the wet the effect is reversed)

the adub, I'm always happy to show that off, pics below.
Like I said earlier, not pretty, but thats not why I bought it (also the plates were the POs and I gave them back when I bought the car)
although its a bit tempremental at the moment, a small electrical drama (that I hope will be fixed by the alternator I just paid $400 for) and a small oil leak and I have to get the (more reliable) Levin sorted first, but hopefully I can get it back on the rd in about a month

Best engine for the AW would be 2ZZ-GE from the latest model celica but good luck finding a LSD for the gearbox, there is atleast one of these getting around NZ iirc a guy from MR2OC NZ forums named Psycho Hamster built it then sold it to a guy called Flying Wedge (I missed out on buying it by less than a week :angry:)
I could count on my left hand how many Japanese cars with Japanese brakes have impressed me in the slowing down department haha
I've had experience with the RE-01, the RE-01R was a bloody great bit of rubber, especially for the money and it is a terrible shame the 02 is so bloody pricey!
Ran RE-01Rs on an E36, made a huge difference over the mid-range shit it had, not as much fun really though because it didn't slide as nicely (mind you, you got from A-B a shit load faster :D)
I always like the 01R in the wet :Punk:

I think I saw that AW on TardMe ages ago? From memory it's a silver top? Must be seriously fun. I have a mate up here restoring an NZ new F/L N/A one, it's bloody tidy and going to be a beaut when it's done.
2ZZ? Might as well get an Elise :innocent:

Mushu

16th April 2012, 16:26

I think I saw that AW on TardMe ages ago? From memory it's a silver top? Must be seriously fun. I have a mate up here restoring an NZ new F/L N/A one, it's bloody tidy and going to be a beaut when it's done.
2ZZ? Might as well get an Elise :innocent:

When I bought it it wasn't put on trade me (found it on MR2OC NZ) I actually got it from the ex pres of MR2OC about 2 or 3 months ago
and I'm pretty sure he had it for atleast a couple of years, if you look up the old rego [MR24ME] on youtube there are a couple of vids of it at a grasskhana (back when it was white, it is the same car - bodykit gives it away)

I'd love an Elise but I couldn't just have a normal one, it would have to be either a 111R or an Exige

hammer nz

16th April 2012, 17:44

I was in sumner on monday last week, good spotting.

Yea I been seeing quite a few, mines special though I have yet to find anyone else that paid the extra 1k for FI

I'll be up the hill for a quick lap in about 2 hours, but I gotta try get the sparky out to have a look at some stuff so I wont be hanging around too long.

Cant get up the hill tonight unfortunately!
Im not very mechanical minded im just learning all the basic servicing stuff at the moment so when you say FI im assuming that means Fuel injected? If so thats sick man.

Skiwi

16th April 2012, 17:56

My question is this: My best bet for riding in at the moment are obviously the hiking boots. Would there be any significant gain (in either safety or comfort) to warrant buying 'proper' riding boots

I ride in both, I choose the tramping boots for short hops around town or if there is likely to be walking involved, otherwise my motorcycle boots.
As long as the tramping boots are leather and cover your ankles, IMHO they are fine. What you gain in shin protection you lose in foot dexterity :shrug:

Subike

16th April 2012, 18:09

LOL,
You call that a fast corniering car
R O T F L M H O
I had a 1972 P510H SSS that use eat the best of those toymotas,
without the need to go into the dogleg fifth gear,
Now if you dont know what a 72P510H SSS is,
Then slow down on that bike, because you have never been around a corner very fast at all.

jimichelle

16th April 2012, 19:34

ducatilover

16th April 2012, 20:21

I ride in both, I choose the tramping boots for short hops around town or if there is likely to be walking involved, otherwise my motorcycle boots.
As long as the tramping boots are leather and cover your ankles, IMHO they are fine. What you gain in shin protection you lose in for dexterity :shrug:
I ride in both, have come off three times, once in riding boots, twice in steel toes/hiking boots.
I've broken my right ankle in some way shape or form twice, both times without riding boots on :facepalm: just hiking boots or my steel toe babies.

Or were you just upset I said I would never ride a H-D, don't misunderstand and think I don't like Harleys, they are impressive in pretty much every way definatly look and sound better than pretty much anything from japan or italy but as I said before I love corners and the way it goes is far more important for me

no not upset i was suprised that
a- you have an opinon on them and you a have just got your 1st bike and

b- never ridden 1

I've ridden quite a few, there are only two I'd own.
XR1200 and a very early single seat Sporty, in silver with chrome. Because they both look tits!

Mushu

17th April 2012, 09:01

Or were you just upset I said I would never ride a H-D, don't misunderstand and think I don't like Harleys, they are impressive in pretty much every way definatly look and sound better than pretty much anything from japan or italy but as I said before I love corners and the way it goes is far more important for me

no not upset i was suprised that
a- you have an opinon on them and you a have just got your 1st bike and

b- never ridden 1

As far as I'm concerned H-Ds are the V8s of the bike world, developed in the same environment (America) to do the same job: cover long, mostly straight roads in comfort. And near as I can see they do the job very well just like most V8s do.
But I'm not interested in all that torque, the big wide seat and high bars would be nice and comfortable but if I want a nice soft seat I got 2 cages to choose from.

Well, your preferance is obvious.
You are correct, I don't have much riding experience, and I have never ridden one but long before I ever got a car license I knew what kind of cars I liked (my preferance has nothing to do with what they look like its all down to the way they perform) and if I wanted lazy power and a lounge chair to sit on, then I would buy a car that fits that bill so I can have a heater and stereo and coffee too (haven't been able to find a cup holder on the ninja yet). But given that I enjoy high revs, cornering g loads and the sensation of pushing a vehicle hard while keeping everything smooth, I think jap bikes are the way for me (or italian). You probably knew long before you got on your harley that you would love it the same as I did my ninja (didn't even test ride it) and also you probably drive a Falcon/Commodore and if you don't you want 1 (Or something similar). Nothing wrong with it, just that 'everyones different' thing. Alot of my friends and family give me shit about the 'rice burners' I drive, my response is always the same - "Follow me to Summit Rd and say that", nomatter what you think of your Harley there things that other bikes do better.

Plus it would be kind of backward to own the lightest, highest revving cars I can find and then buy a big, very heavy, cruiser of a bike, it really wouldn't make sense. Also I hate chrome which kind of rules out pretty much every Harley I've ever seen. Then there is the money, my uncle has a H-D (don't know what it is, don't care. But I do know what my auntie rides: Ducati Monster) and it cost him something like 30k, for that money I could buy a Hayabusa and a trail bike and still have cash left for new gear.

But as you pointed out, I have never ridden one and I will be open to the experience later. If I ride one and enjoy it enough, I will quite happily change my tune and go buy 1 (it would make a lot more sense if I lived in a warmer climate where I can be happy riding everyday - it's too bloody cold here)

Mushu

17th April 2012, 09:05

ducatilover

17th April 2012, 11:20

ducatilover

17th April 2012, 11:26

As far as I'm concerned H-Ds are the V8s of the bike world, developed in the same environment (America) to do the same job: cover long, mostly straight roads in comfort. And near as I can see they do the job very well just like most V8s do.
But I'm not interested in all that torque, the big wide seat and high bars would be nice and comfortable but if I want a nice soft seat I got 2 cages to choose from.

I prefer not to liken H-Ds to V8s, because people seem to think of 510ci Caddys and 308 Holdens when you say V8...when in fact, the configuration means nothing.
I would call them "low tech engines" and that makes it a bit clearer... Just like the 250 Ninja is the Mazda 323 SP20 of the bike world.
You have to remember, way back-when, the fastest cars the normal chap could afford was a '69 SS 302 Comaro etc, now it's moved toward the 4wd-turbo stuff (which is fair enough, a well sorted Evo/STi will run with anything on a twisty road)

I don't like Hardleys in general.

Mushu

17th April 2012, 12:30

I prefer not to liken H-Ds to V8s, because people seem to think of 510ci Caddys and 308 Holdens when you say V8...when in fact, the configuration means nothing.
I would call them "low tech engines" and that makes it a bit clearer... Just like the 250 Ninja is the Mazda 323 SP20 of the bike world.
You have to remember, way back-when, the fastest cars the normal chap could afford was a '69 SS 302 Comaro etc, now it's moved toward the 4wd-turbo stuff (which is fair enough, a well sorted Evo/STi will run with anything on a twisty road)

I don't like Hardleys in general.

When I refer to V8s I'm speaking about the majority of the 'hero' cars from Australian and American manufaturers and not specificly anything with a V8 engine. Obviously there are plenty of V8 vehicles around that don't conform to my 'idea' of V8s (Arial Atom) and some that do conform to my 'idea' but don't run a V8 (Dodge Viper and all the V6 and L6 versions of the American/Australian Cars).

As I stated when explaining why I don't want a Harley, my idea of a V8 has more to do with the environment they were designed for, I like corners, so why would I drive a vehicle that was designed with no regard to handeling. I see my cars + bike as precision instruments where as a V8 is more brute strength.

But I have to say I'm a sucker for the technology, there is things they were doing in japan that the American guys are just in the last few years starting to apply on their vehicles (have Holden thrown out the push-rods on their v8s yet) of course now they are starting to catch up to the heyday of Japans motor industry (or what I consider the heyday - about 1985 to about 1995)

Mushu

17th April 2012, 15:35

Cant get up the hill tonight unfortunately!
Im not very mechanical minded im just learning all the basic servicing stuff at the moment so when you say FI im assuming that means Fuel injected? If so thats sick man.

Yep Fuel Injected, probably not too good of an idea, I'm still amazed by how much I paid hopefully LAMS doesn't hurt the resale too much thinking about organising a ride for tomorrow, will post a map of the route in the WNR thread soon.

Mushu

17th April 2012, 15:54

This is the route I take when I ride the hills (since the earthquakes) and this is the route I intend to post in the WNR a fair bit shorter then the last (and only) WNR I went on, infact we covered half this course on the way out to little river.

If I'm not on my own, Its probably a good idea to stop somewhere (possibly the Wheatsheaf, I've never been inside).

http://quikmaps.com/show/201199

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/142318-Canterbury-Wednesday-Night-Ride?p=1130304376#post1130304376

FJRider

17th April 2012, 16:05

But as you pointed out, I have never ridden one and I will be open to the experience later. If I ride one and enjoy it enough, I will quite happily change my tune and go buy 1 (it would make a lot more sense if I lived in a warmer climate where I can be happy riding everyday - it's too bloody cold here)

You make a lot of comments and claims ... based entirely on your assumptions. Assumptions being the mother of all fuck-ups ...

Without the real world experience of the vehicles you mention ... nobody should actually take your comments seriously, and I'm supprised there has been so little derision of your posts.

Your "if I lived in a warmer climate" comment indicates you dont have the gear, or inclination/attitude to ride in cooler weather. Your loss, not ours ... one less inexperienced dick-head know-it-all on the roads.

Mushu

17th April 2012, 16:46

You make a lot of comments and claims ... based entirely on your assumptions. Assumptions being the mother of all fuck-ups ...

Without the real world experience of the vehicles you mention ... nobody should actually take your comments seriously, and I'm supprised there has been so little derision of your posts.

Your "if I lived in a warmer climate" comment indicates you dont have the gear, or inclination/attitude to ride in cooler weather. Your loss, not ours ... one less inexperienced dick-head know-it-all on the roads.

what did I assume? I have preferances, as I'm sure, do you.
The only vehicle I mention that I don't have experience of is the H-D (and in a later post I mention an Ariel Atom and Dodge Viper) and the only part of my post you quoted was the part that says that I am still open to ride one and will eat my words if I am wrong.
Yes my warmer climate comment does point out that I could do with some more gear but I'd be gone either way if I wasn't stuck here for family reasons and I'm always completly covered in a mixture of denim, kevlar, leather and whatever other textiles Dririder and Shift use, but nomatter what I have if its 5 degrees or less I'm jumping in the cage and cranking the heater

The whole point of my post was to say I knew I didn't want a Falcon/Commodore/Chev etc etc years before I ever drove anything for whatever reason I was able to figure that out and near as I can tell most of my reasons still apply to these bikes

oh, and by the way, you are right, you shouldn't take me seriously - this is the internet, you shouldn't take anyone seriously (I swear I am Valintino Rossi) but thanks for your *constructive* comments

And before you lower yourself to calling me names *too late* read the thread, I'm on here trying to pick up as many skills as I can from those who know better than me (which quite probably isn't you - gods gift to motorcycling, I'm sure)

ducatilover

17th April 2012, 23:36

But I have to say I'm a sucker for the technology, there is things they were doing in japan that the American guys are just in the last few years starting to apply on their vehicles (have Holden thrown out the push-rods on their v8s yet) of course now they are starting to catch up to the heyday of Japans motor industry (or what I consider the heyday - about 1985 to about 1995)

What technology does a 20v offer that's in any way, shape, or form impressive?
If it was technology, then a B/H series Honda would win.
Performance wise too.
I can't think of any modern technology on the 20V, to my knowledge, the twin cam engine was first produced by a froggy outfit called Premier.

I do see what you mean RE the V8's, but I just think it's like saying all 4 cylinders are shit. Just a bit...broad.
Lumbering, low revving heavy cars designed to be comfortable, smooth and you'd be surprised how fast.
I reckon I could pedal a late model HSV faster over any road an AE101 levin goes, don't knock it 'till you've driven 'em.

What are your views on "Euros"?

Mushu

18th April 2012, 08:51

What technology does a 20v offer that's in any way, shape, or form impressive?
If it was technology, then a B/H series Honda would win.
Performance wise too.
I can't think of any modern technology on the 20V, to my knowledge, the twin cam engine was first produced by a froggy outfit called Premier.

I do see what you mean RE the V8's, but I just think it's like saying all 4 cylinders are shit. Just a bit...broad.
Lumbering, low revving heavy cars designed to be comfortable, smooth and you'd be surprised how fast.
I reckon I could pedal a late model HSV faster over any road an AE101 levin goes, don't knock it 'till you've driven 'em.

What are your views on "Euros"?

I agree Hondas engines are techologicly better than Toyotas but they don't have the same reliability and in most cases parts for a decent Honda would be more expensive than for a similar Toyota (Except where superstrut is involved)
Theres a lot more technology in the 20v (5 valves per cyl, VVTi, electronic ignition, Quad Throttles) than there would be in a similar year model Ford (XE/XF) or Holden (VP) but if I were able to afford a brand new car, my tune may be quite different.

I know it was broad, I couldn't think of any other way to describe the group of cars I was talking about.
A lot of my family and friends drive or drove V8s and I have driven all kinds and I can see the attraction, especially on long trips (which can be hell in my cars)
As far as which is faster, its a case of where you are.
You're right a late model HSV could probably beat my AE101 in any conditions, but I have the same motor in my MR2 and I'm pretty sure if I raced it downhill on twisty roads I would have a massive advantage.

My opinion on Euros is that they are a mixed bag, you really can't lump them together. For the most part they don't seem to last as long as their Japanese equivilent and seem to be far more expensive on average.
There have been plenty of awesome cars come out of Europe but in NZ, there don't seem to be that many 'desireable' ones around depending on your price range and your opinion (Alot of people love the BMW E36, I hate them - they are an electrical nightmare, lol).
I have never owned a european car but almost everyone I know that have owned older euro cars (ie. those that someone like me can afford) have had problems (mostly electrical problems) and in most cases the parts are very expensive.
So I wouldn't buy a euro car unless either I had extra money and bought 1 as a project/weekend car or if I somehow find myself in a much better financial position and buy a brand new car I could go european.

ducatilover

18th April 2012, 18:57

I agree Hondas engines are techologicly better than Toyotas but they don't have the same reliability and in most cases parts for a decent Honda would be more expensive than for a similar Toyota (Except where superstrut is involved)
Theres a lot more technology in the 20v (5 valves per cyl, VVTi, electronic ignition, Quad Throttles) than there would be in a similar year model Ford (XE/XF) or Holden (VP) but if I were able to afford a brand new car, my tune may be quite different.

I know it was broad, I couldn't think of any other way to describe the group of cars I was talking about.
A lot of my family and friends drive or drove V8s and I have driven all kinds and I can see the attraction, especially on long trips (which can be hell in my cars)
As far as which is faster, its a case of where you are.
You're right a late model HSV could probably beat my AE101 in any conditions, but I have the same motor in my MR2 and I'm pretty sure if I raced it downhill on twisty roads I would have a massive advantage.

My opinion on Euros is that they are a mixed bag, you really can't lump them together. For the most part they don't seem to last as long as their Japanese equivilent and seem to be far more expensive on average.
There have been plenty of awesome cars come out of Europe but in NZ, there don't seem to be that many 'desireable' ones around depending on your price range and your opinion (Alot of people love the BMW E36, I hate them - they are an electrical nightmare, lol).
I have never owned a european car but almost everyone I know that have owned older euro cars (ie. those that someone like me can afford) have had problems (mostly electrical problems) and in most cases the parts are very expensive.
So I wouldn't buy a euro car unless either I had extra money and bought 1 as a project/weekend car or if I somehow find myself in a much better financial position and buy a brand new car I could go european.

The Tech in a 20V wasn't that "new" though when it came out, the only thing it had going for it was the revs it could pull. (The ED falcon of that era had MPI/EFI, as did the VP, but, I bloody hate them anyway they're shit cars)

I like your arguments :yes: but I have to disagree on the E36 being an electrical nightmare, we've had 3x 325i, 2x 320i and 1x 328i and the only problems were:
The left hand rear brake light clip/holder on the first 325i and a brake light switch in my 320i coupe (full Msport options one that wee one)
The only other issue was one of the heater pipes split on my Coupe, that cost $20 for a brand new pipe and 30min of my time.
Over 300,000km covered in E36's in our family.
But, the 4 cyl ones? God they are terrible cars.

I'll argue that E36 parts are cheaper than the majority of Jap car parts, I've worked on countless E36s and servicing is cheap, every wear and tear part is cheaper than the same part on a 5SFE engined Camry.

I'm biased though

Mushu

20th April 2012, 12:43

The Tech in a 20V wasn't that "new" though when it came out, the only thing it had going for it was the revs it could pull. (The ED falcon of that era had MPI/EFI, as did the VP, but, I bloody hate them anyway they're shit cars)

I like your arguments :yes: but I have to disagree on the E36 being an electrical nightmare, we've had 3x 325i, 2x 320i and 1x 328i and the only problems were:
The left hand rear brake light clip/holder on the first 325i and a brake light switch in my 320i coupe (full Msport options one that wee one)
The only other issue was one of the heater pipes split on my Coupe, that cost $20 for a brand new pipe and 30min of my time.
Over 300,000km covered in E36's in our family.
But, the 4 cyl ones? God they are terrible cars.

I'll argue that E36 parts are cheaper than the majority of Jap car parts, I've worked on countless E36s and servicing is cheap, every wear and tear part is cheaper than the same part on a 5SFE engined Camry.

I'm biased though

I disagree, the tech may not have been new but its pretty exotic. The 5 valve head and individual throttles are extremely rare and variable cam timing wasn't as common in the early 90s, plus the block design is (rumoured to have been) taken directly from the Cosworth BDA engine and the head, inlet manifold and airbox were designed by Yamaha (I have a Silvertop, they did a far better job of this on the Blacktop from the AE111.) It would be extremely hard to find another 1600 that makes as much power (except for the Honda B16R). Although european manufacturers are the first to come up with most of this tech (EFI was invented in Germany, Pugeot Used 5 Valve Heads in the 1920s and Cosworth is English) the japanese seem to always be the first to employ new technology and make it reliable enough to be used for decades (The newsest car I ever had was 16 years old at the time)

You mentioned bias, I am definatly biased toward the 4AGE. After alot of fun in a couple of old 16v corollas when I was younger and watching Initial D I was hooked. (Wish I could get my hands on a Formula Atlantic 4AGE) All I wanted was a 20v AE86, but because of the price of a GT-Apex AE86 I went with the front wheel drive AE101 (GT-Apex) as my daily driver and then, when I had some extra cash, bought the AW11 as a toy.

And I am Biased against the E36 because of two I worked on quite close to gether a few years ago, I'd wound up chasing electrical faults in them for days, 1 was a 4 cyl with shorting problems (in several places) and the other was was a 6cyl convertable and had fuelling problems, neither one was easy to diagnose (or work on) and the second one required a few bits that I had recently replaced on my RA65 Celica (Fuel pump, filter and fuel pressure regulator) and the prices were alot higher for the BMW (Admittedly, the fuel pump on the Celica was cheaper to change with a higher flowing one that is physicly the same, I think it came from a XR8 Falcon). Admittedly though, if they were as bad as my (limited) experience has lead me to believe there wouldn't anywhere near as many surviving as there are.

Subike

20th April 2012, 13:10

If you take modern engine design and tec
look very hard at it and think
Why have they done all this
It is to comply with fuel emmission standards,
Take a very strong crank, block, cylinderhead configuration from any manufacturer
The feed it as much fuel as you can
and have an extraction system to remove the waste as efficently as you can
Forget about the pollution that come out of it
or that it will consume fuel like a drunken kiwi biker on a rally.
Where would you start?
With a modern motor? of something like a hemi headed twin cam from the 70"s
Remember back then fuel emissions were not a consideration, getting power /torque were
Put it in a chassis that works well,
Add a set of rubber that grips
And a driver who is not an idiot
then hit the hills and have fun.
The XK120 the DB4 the AC Cobra the Prince Skyline GTR were close to this

Mushu

20th April 2012, 13:11

Well, I suppose it doesn't matter how many times I told myself I wouldn't, I dropped the damn bike

No major damage to me or the bike, but there will need to be parts replaced and I have quite a sore foot (but to put it in perspective, I can't remeber any time I came off a pushbike and didn't have far more injuries than I have now.)

I could write a long story with a hundred excuses in it but that would kind of work against this as a learning experience so all I will say about the accident is that I had chosen a bad line around the corner and was surpriesed by something and over-reacted.
I actually came off when I was stopping as changing my line had me on the edge of the road so I was going very slow - less than 10kph.

I am very pissed off with myself as it all boils down to becoming complacent not taking due care.

But seeing as I'm on here to get some benefit of others experiences (and argue with randoms) I will pass on what I learned from this experience -
ATGATT, I had said in a few earlier posts that I don't ride without gear but sometimes skimp on the shoes and pants, I was wearing the pants at the time and I think they saved me a bit of skin, but I was wearing DC skate shoes, and they are leather and quite well padded so I think offered some protection but given how sore my foot was yesterday I think if that had have been a crash and not just a slow drop my foot could be in pretty bad shape.

Leather boots minimum from now on, I think. (Well, in a couple weeks when I get the bike fixed)

Asher

20th April 2012, 13:32

Mushu

20th April 2012, 13:55

Good to hear you arent banged up too bad.

When i stopped to wait at the top of the pass and you never came i thought it might have had something to do with that 4x4.
He wasnt too far off getting me; driving in the middle of the road around blind corners.

I'm glad you said that, I know that bit is kinda tight but I did think he was a bit further over than was necessary.
Doesn't change the fact I should have been prepared for it though, it's not uncommon for that to happen up there.

I have no Idea how it broke the peg mount though, I didn't hit the ground very hard (the bike landed on my foot too, I can't see how it broke the peg but not my foot), made it a bitch to get the thing home, but that and the indicator are the only things that need replacing for it to be rideable again but I might stay off it untill I get the fairing replaced too.

hammer nz

20th April 2012, 15:09

Glad to hear you are okay man!
Sad about dropping the bike but it happens!! don't beat yourself up too much.

When your back up and running let me know and ill come out for a welcome back ride!

Mushu

20th April 2012, 16:05

Glad to hear you are okay man!
Sad about dropping the bike but it happens!! don't beat yourself up too much.

When your back up and running let me know and ill come out for a welcome back ride!

Yea, it sucks, but I'll get it fixed and take the lesson.
I'll be back, I hear its a 3 week wait for the fairing so it might be a little while.

Also.

I'm wondering if there's anyone out there that may have upgraded to aftermarket parts that may be willing to sell me the original parts like front brake lever, right peg mount, right indicator stalk, muffler. If anyone got any of these parts laying around(that should be interchangable with anything since '08, or '10 for the muffler) PM me, I may be able to take them off your hands.

Ender EnZed

20th April 2012, 16:09

it would be extremely hard to find another 1600 that makes as much power (except for the honda b16r).

4g92-mivec

Mushu

20th April 2012, 16:39

4g92-mivec

I never thought that high of the 4G92 I was able to beat one of those in a drag race in my very lightly modified gemini years and years ago, probably a crap driver though.

But the 4G92 Lancers/Mirages I have come across don't seem to be as fun to drive as the Levin/Civic but thats just me, but they may have been faster, seat of the pants dyno is highly subjective.

I have a bias against mitsis tho, I think. (not as much as subaru)

Transalper

20th April 2012, 17:42

....sounds like you are at at the edge of over cooking it, I'd back off a bit if I were you, I think you're probably trying too hard.....

Well, I suppose it doesn't matter how many times I told myself I wouldn't, I dropped the damn bike....

Well done.
'nuff said. :facepalm:

Mushu

20th April 2012, 21:10

Well done.
'nuff said. :facepalm:

Thanks for that, really helpful..... and I suppose you've never come off, or even come close.

It was my fault, and your welcome to think what you like, but it really had very little to do with the speed I was travelling at the time.

It had more to do with my poorly chosen line (turn in too early) and the fact that I over reacted when I was suprised by a Land Cruiser half in my lane, (read back about a haf dozen posts, Asher was 5 or 6 seconds infront of me)

If I were in a car I would be pissed at the other driver and proclaiming my innocence (there is no way I would have got a car through the space that he left) but on a bike you have to be ready for anything, anybody that has ever come off a bike (unless they were directly hit by another vehicle doing something illegal) is themselves at fault, you can make assumtions about others driving skill when you have a ton of steel protecting you, but on a bike you're better off assuming that everyone is out to run you off the road and around every corner is a 4x4 waiting ready to flatten you.
Unfortunatly I didn't follow my own advice on that corner and in that instance was not lucky.

I didn't buy my bike cos its faster than my cars (its not) and I'm damn sure I'm not Rossi.
I bought it because I love my cars and I love travelling, and I would like to do it from a different perspective.

No where on here was I trying to sound like a squid and plenty of people on here have crashed bikes, why don't you go give them your wonderful advice?

So why the hate toward me? I was honest, haven't tried to put it on anyone else, and I shared what I learned.

Transalper

20th April 2012, 21:47

I wasn't planning to lecture, I'm trying to cut down on lecturing hence the four word post, but since you seem to be all defensive and wanting maybe I will.
Fallen off several times myself, had simply tried to wake you up a bit with my lessons learned several posts back as I have indeed done for others so no I'm not picking on you. Unfortunately not many of you newbies seem to get it without actually coming off yourselves. Really can't say if I would have been any different but I didn't have anyone at least trying to wake me up back when I was learning and I paid the price so yes I do speak up occasionally as I seem to have done quite a bit recently in the current WNR thread.
Had you backed off a bit as I suggested your bad line would not have been such an issue, neither would the oncoming vehicle stealing your lane or the surprise it gave you, and yes it is a public road blah blah so expect it any time as you have just said yourself again.
Imagine if there was a cyclist mixed up in the equation too, even less room for error.
We all hate the guy coming the other way using our space but that is a fact of life we can't control just as my earlier words had no influence on what you did on Wednesday - other than to annoy you when you read them apparently, same with today.<_<

Subike

20th April 2012, 21:55

wow there young fella
you are on the end of a wooden spoon
OK, you binned, heck me too on a brand new bike that had only done 155kilometers
I got shit for it,
But I laughed and let it be water, didn't respond to the taunts, unless I knew the person personally.
Transalp was not being nasty,
he has seen many many riders on the same road you had you experience on, have that same experience.
The difference here if there is one, is your blog leading up to this incident.
this is a thread about getting your knee down by a north island rider you should read,
The story is similar to yours, but the ending is so different.
Me thinks you should read it

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/132965-Progression-of-a-total-motorcycle-noob/page6

skinman

20th April 2012, 21:57

just to make you feel worse. I had a stationary lie down with my bike the other day, ended up fully under the bike with the entire weight of the bike on my ankle. total damage was broken indicator & I had not a scratch because I have the right boots for the job. By the way my bike weighs about 250kg ish. could have been broken ankle material.
Get All The Gear, especially as you appear to do a lot of k's at speed.
Sooner or late your going for a slide & it will hurt a lot less if it only costs money to fix the bike.
We dont say this for fun, most of us have learnt the hard way.
I had an off at under 50k & still slide far enough to have done real damage if I'd been wearing jeans & T shirt instead of protective gear.

By the way
welcome & have fun but be careful out there

ducatilover

20th April 2012, 22:51

I disagree, the tech may not have been new but its pretty exotic. The 5 valve head and individual throttles are extremely rare and variable cam timing wasn't as common in the early 90s, plus the block design is (rumoured to have been) taken directly from the Cosworth BDA engine and the head, inlet manifold and airbox were designed by Yamaha (I have a Silvertop, they did a far better job of this on the Blacktop from the AE111.) It would be extremely hard to find another 1600 that makes as much power (except for the Honda B16R). Although european manufacturers are the first to come up with most of this tech (EFI was invented in Germany, Pugeot Used 5 Valve Heads in the 1920s and Cosworth is English) the japanese seem to always be the first to employ new technology and make it reliable enough to be used for decades (The newsest car I ever had was 16 years old at the time)

The BD series motors were nothing new.
People have been making mega HP out of small motors for a looooong time. Look at bikes...BRM V16s, H16S etc etc. 5V heads are not that special, individual throttle bodies? Meh, Lucas had done that in the dark days.
The new tech is the VVTi, MAP sensors and knock sensors. Nothing special, all designed for emmisions. None improve performance.

Nissan did the SR16VE which to my knowledge was the most powerful Jap 1.6 n/a ever made? 139kw at a million RPM.
I do like a good 4AGE too though.

Hope your pride heals after your crash bro, keep your chin up! :yes:

Transalper

20th April 2012, 22:56

...
this is a thread about getting your knee down by a north island rider you should read,
The story is similar to yours, but the ending is so different.
Me thinks you should read it

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/132965-Progression-of-a-total-motorcycle-noob/page6
Thanks Subike and wow, thanks for that link.
I went back to page 1 and read it from the start. Quite a progression, you can see the potential to end as it has from a page or two away.

Mushu

21st April 2012, 00:20

what I have been trying to say is I wasn't going quickly at all around that particular corner I know the area pretty well and that area can be quite slippery and littered with twigs and leaves because of the bushes that hang over the road (I hadnt considered untill after that this would be the reason he was over the center). The biggest problem was me going way too far off line by over reacting to the car and then fixating on the ditch, I wound up in it.

I do appreciate that any speed makes the problem worse and with enough less speed my bike would still be shiny, probably the reason I got a bit defensive is I had considered my speed and the avaliable grip before I came into the corner, that speed would have been perfectly fine with a decent line. I hadn't considered an oncoming car at all let alone 1 in my lane, if Id been prepared I wouldn't have had a problem at all.

As far as an obstical in my lane, I wish there was one. I would have seen it earlier, it probably would have been smaller and not heading toward me and because of the bushes I was prepared to deal with a stationary object (I remember looking at a stick in the oncoming lane while I was dusting myself off and picking up the bike that was about a foot long and an inch thick)

Like I said, I have been honest here, I didn't want all the details of this stack up on the forum because it was stupid and embarassing. But I did see some merit in posting enough to put across what I learned about wearing boots since I had previously stated different and enough details to try avoid having to explain what happend to everyone that heard I had binned it.

It's not that I don't open it up and see how far I can crank it over around corners, I have made it clear on this forum that I do. But there is a time and a place for it, and that is a corner you can see clear around and has a known good surface not a skinny, dark, thin overgrown piece of road with an elevation change and a solid rock wall on the outside.

But nomatter how experienced you are or how good you are, you can't presume to be able to diagnose my riding over a forum. Even if you were on that WNR I went on to Little river that was a couple days after I got my bike (only about 800ks iirc) now 5000ks later I may have learned a thing or 2 (or picked up new bad habits).
This thread is called 'anybody riding over the hills?' incase thats not obvious that is an invitation I put out hoping a more experienced rider than myself would come on a ride and give me some constructive advice, shit, my mum tells me to slow down.

I go as fast as I perceive to be safe given the conditions sometimes that allows me to open it right up sometimes I'll be going far slower than the guy infront of me. Usually I'm right, I wish I was perfect.

Mushu

21st April 2012, 00:46

wow there young fella
you are on the end of a wooden spoon
OK, you binned, heck me too on a brand new bike that had only done 155kilometers
I got shit for it,
I laughed and let it be water, didn't respond to the taunts, unless I knew the person personally.
Transalp was not being nasty,
he has seen many many riders on the same road you had you experience on, have that same experience.
The difference here if there is one, is your blog leading up to this incident.
this is a thread about getting your knee down by a north island rider you should read,
The story is similar to yours, but the ending is so different.
Me thinks you should read it

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/132965-Progression-of-a-total-motorcycle-noob/page6

well, I can't say I'm laughing but it is water, and I will deal with it, fix the bike, get back on it and learn from my mistake, you are right, I shouldn't bite back but that is half the point of internet forums isn't it, every1 loves a flame war.

I have realised I left out that it was a right hand corner, I realised the way I described it if it were a left corner it would sound like I was running wide going too fast, it was a right hand corner with my wheels about a foot in from the centerline and my head just on my side of the line, when I say I over reacted I mean I stood it up and went slightly left, reducing my braking area but still decided to brake rather than turn (I think as a result of the scare of a huge 4x4).

The thread u linked is a good read, but I think I'm missing the parallel if there was meant to be one. Except the fact we were both learners with a love of over researching things.
For a start, he seems a bit underexperienced to be riding on the road at all (so far I have only read till his first crash -its getting late, ill read if I have time tomorrow) remember I said I worked on dairy farms and have some experience of dirt bikes and thought I was bare minimum experience to ride in traffic.

Edit:
So I finished reading the thread, definatly something every confident rider should read to make sure they don't get too confident on the road.

But I hope you weren't seriously drawing a parallel between me and him, right from extremely early on he was a fucking idiot even the first time he binned it it was solely because he overcooked it and he went off pretty hard, my bike is only cosmetic damage and despite the fact I didn't get my foot out from under the bike till after I sat up it doesn't hurt much at all now except the light scrape on my heel. This is because I was barely moving when it actually went over.

If at any point through his videos he had have come across a car across the center like I did he would have been dead.

I always leave available grip for emergency situations and would never dream of pulling that crap on a bike, that is a death wish, I'm glad he got the opportunity to learn from his mistake.

That's why I have my MR2, wait till the middle of the night and you can go up to summit rd and drive as fast as you want, there wont be many cars and you can see the lights from miles away. It's really not worth the cost of going all out on a bike on the road. The bike is there to enjoy I'm far more interested in smooth than fast.

Subike

21st April 2012, 09:00

The thread u linked is a good read, but I think I'm missing the parallel if there was meant to be one. Except the fact we were both learners with a love of over researching things.
For a start, he seems a bit underexperienced to be riding on the road at all (so far I have only read till his first crash -its getting late, ill read if I have time tomorrow) remember I said I worked on dairy farms and have some experience of dirt bikes and thought I was bare minimum experience to ride in traffic.

Edit:
So I finished reading the thread, definatly something every confident rider should read to make sure they don't get too confident on the road.

But I hope you weren't seriously drawing a parallel between me and him, right from extremely early on he was a fucking idiot even the first time he binned it it was solely because he overcooked it and he went off pretty hard, my bike is only cosmetic damage and despite the fact I didn't get my foot out from under the bike till after I sat up it doesn't hurt much at all now except the light scrape on my heel. This is because I was barely moving when it actually went over.

.

and you are experienced?
I have been riding fast bikes and have driven even faster cars since I was 13
thats 41 years of road usage.

I am a learner.

In that time I have never learnt how to accurately predict other drivers actions
I have never learnt how to read every road surface perfectly every time

The comparrison to the other thread is there for all to see.

Your EGO

ducatilover

21st April 2012, 11:06

In that time I have never learnt how to accurately predict other drivers actions
I have never learnt how to read every road surface perfectly every time

I don't know anyone (except Katman) who has managed to either.

Shit happens, you live and you might almost learn :yes:

Mushu

21st April 2012, 11:09

and you are experienced?
I have been riding fast bikes and have driven even faster cars since I was 13
thats 41 years of road usage.

I am a learner.

In that time I have never learnt how to accurately predict other drivers actions
I have never learnt how to read every road surface perfectly every time

The comparrison to the other thread is there for all to see.

Your EGO

I have an ego, sometimes it leads me to do stupid things, so do you, tell me yours hasn't ever landed you in strife. But that guy is all ego, no brains.

Never said I am the most experienced rider, but I did say I had some experience before I got out on the road, a few months of riding daily on and around a farm and about 50 hours of trail riding. It was the same for driving cars, started in a paddock and learned a few skills there that helped me a lot later.

I agree that I still have a ton of stuff to learn and have never tried to deny it (the book twist of the wrist 2 arrived on Wednesday, I found out when I arrived home with my broken bike)

I'm still a bit pissed with myself for doing it and I'm not looking forward to paying for it, so the last thing I need is someone I never met proclaiming he has the answer to everything, or some1 else who's telling me I'm just like some fool that thinks the road is his personal racetrack.

Subike

21st April 2012, 11:55

I have an ego, sometimes it leads me to do stupid things, so do you, tell me yours hasn't ever landed you in strife. But that guy is all ego, no brains.

The amount of times I have gone home with my ego damaged from doing stupid shit would fill a book.
Not only from driving episodes, but all areas of life
And agree with you its how you learn, find your limits, experience life
There is even some video footage on this site of this.
Yup have broken cars and bikes "being the man"
Have woken up after a night out to view the damage my ego did to my pride and joy and basically cried.
All I want to see is you get to my age and still be alive to tell the stories to your grandchildren.
And hopefully give some advice to the next young fella who's ego is getting him to push the limits to far with over confidence and bravado.

Zedder

21st April 2012, 12:09

Sorry to hear about your incident but that's the way it goes with bikes. Yep, learn from it and move on, that's a good attitude, at least you and the bike aren't too smashed up or written off.

Most Kiwi Biker members are deeply into their interest of bikes and it comes with a certain amount of sensitivity to "doing it right" which is totally understandable and may be why they react the way they do sometimes. The odd "slanging match" online happens but doesn't need to be more than that unless someone is really out of line.

Keep on biking.

Mushu

21st April 2012, 12:25

The amount of times I have gone home with my ego damaged from doing stupid shit would fill a book.
Not only from driving episodes, but all areas of life
And agree with you its how you learn, find your limits, experience life
There is even some video footage on this site of this.
Yup have broken cars and bikes "being the man"
Have woken up after a night out to view the damage my ego did to my pride and joy and basically cried.
All I want to see is you get to my age and still be alive to tell the stories to your grandchildren.
And hopefully give some advice to the next young fella who's ego is getting him to push the limits to far with over confidence and bravado.

Yea, I've had a night out and woken up to a broken car in the past along with countless other times my ego has lead me astray.

I'm not tryin to make any enemys here and I agree that in any situation less speed will lessen the problem. I'm just trying to point out there are other factors that need to be considered, and it is important to be in control of your reactions, over reaction can be costly. (I thought I had control over that but the 4x4 was truly unexpected and scared me.)

I bit back because the "I told you so" comment from transalp was not helpful at all, I think it would have been far more helpful for some one to see my riding, and comment on what they see rather than just percieve a problem on an internet forum.

This was the reason I came to little river on the WNR and met you Subike (I wanted to come to Hurinui with you aswell but had way too much to do at home, I would still like to go for a ride sometime, once the bike is repaired) and the reason I started this thread.

jimichelle

21st April 2012, 14:01

could write a long story with a hundred excuses in it but that would kind of work against this as a learning experience so all I will say about the accident is that I had chosen a bad line around the corner and was surpriesed by something and over-reacted.
I actually came off when I was stopping as changing my line had me on the edge of the road so I was going very slow - less than 10kph.

but im pretty sure my harley can go abit quicker than 10kph

how about less trying to go around cnrs at speed and just concetrate on riding i would feel a lot safer knowing theres one less idiot riding on the port hills

Subike

21st April 2012, 14:59

Yea, .

I'm not tryin to make any enemys here and I agree that in any situation less speed will lessen the problem. I'm just trying to point out there are other factors that need to be considered, and it is important to be in control of your reactions, over reaction can be costly. (I thought I had control over that but the 4x4 was truly unexpected and scared me.)

.

You will have to go a long way to make any enemy's on here Musha

Only one has ever done that.

Skidmark!

ducatilover

21st April 2012, 17:43

but im pretty sure my harley can go abit quicker than 10kph

Come on, don't be silly mate.

jimichelle

21st April 2012, 19:13

Come on, don't be silly mate.head wind down hill:yes:

ducatilover

21st April 2012, 19:32

head wind down hill:yes:

Sounds like one of my bikes :facepalm:

Fast Eddie

21st April 2012, 20:54

and you are experienced?
I have been riding fast bikes and have driven even faster cars since I was 13
thats 41 years of road usage.

lol.. do you actually own and ride a keeway 250?

good lord man, you should head back 41 years and follow a better path of progress and evolution.

u shouldnt be driving fast cars at 13. thats a big boy toy. not for you

Subike

21st April 2012, 21:02

lol.. do you actually own and ride a keeway 250?

good lord man, you should head back 41 years and follow a better path of progress and evolution.

u shouldnt be driving fast cars at 13. thats a big boy toy. not for you

well, I want to ride my XS 1100 1.1
but I also dont want to get it impounded for the third strike of driving with the wrong class of licence
so the keeway was the choice ti get my licence on.
And thinking that I like trying the underdog,
Me thinks Keeway, every one says Chinese bikes are crap, lets see if it will last 2 years on me riding it.
So far, 4000k in the past 6 weeks, nought has broke.
And its fun, which is what I want, something that is fun.
As for driving since I was 13, the blessing of being bought up on a farm with three elder brothers.
Their cars were available to play with, then I found out the road was more run......life started away from moms apron strings

Fast Eddie

21st April 2012, 21:18

why are you putting yourself through 2 years of riding that thing when u can go from learner to full in 9 month when ur over 25.

I like lamp

ducatilover

21st April 2012, 21:23

And its fun, which is what I want, something that is fun.

IMHO that is more important than anything

FJRider

21st April 2012, 23:25

why are you putting yourself through 2 years of riding that thing when u can go from learner to full in 9 month when ur over 25.

I like lamp

Not anymore. They changed the rules. The age bit got dropped. Same rules for ALL learners now.

gammaguy

22nd April 2012, 01:27

what did I assume? I have preferances, as I'm sure, do you.
The only vehicle I mention that I don't have experience of is the H-D (and in a later post I mention an Ariel Atom and Dodge Viper) and the only part of my post you quoted was the part that says that I am still open to ride one and will eat my words if I am wrong.
Yes my warmer climate comment does point out that I could do with some more gear but I'd be gone either way if I wasn't stuck here for family reasons and I'm always completly covered in a mixture of denim, kevlar, leather and whatever other textiles Dririder and Shift use, but nomatter what I have if its 5 degrees or less I'm jumping in the cage and cranking the heater

The whole point of my post was to say I knew I didn't want a Falcon/Commodore/Chev etc etc years before I ever drove anything for whatever reason I was able to figure that out and near as I can tell most of my reasons still apply to these bikes

oh, and by the way, you are right, you shouldn't take me seriously - this is the internet, you shouldn't take anyone seriously (I swear I am Valintino Rossi) but thanks for your *constructive* comments

And before you lower yourself to calling me names *too late* read the thread, I'm on here trying to pick up as many skills as I can from those who know better than me (which quite probably isn't you - gods gift to motorcycling, I'm sure)

Be careful coming on here seeking truth and enlightenment.

Fonts of "knowledge"are only too happy to impart their wisdom with a casual tippy tap of a keyboard.

real experience,real skills and real roadcraft are only learned by getting out there and riding with people who actually know what they are doing.

yes...even if it is below 5 degrees.Harden up and get out there,the skills you learn may save your life one day.

Nzpure

22nd April 2012, 07:32

Not anymore. They changed the rules. The age bit got dropped. Same rules for ALL learners now.

Nah it still there brah! I got through on that. Depends if he's on his restricted yet or not. October it changes and they drop the over 25 clause.
However he sounds like a bit of a balls to the wall rider so mabye thats a good thing lol.
I was reading the thread and just skipped to the end when he started talking about his wee little mr2 being and ORSOME cornering machine and that v8s are shit around corners Cause SLAMMIN you wee jappa so the suspension so low and hard it gives you hemroids makes it handle better LOL.
Followed my father in-law to akaroa the other day he was riding my HD. He's been riding for 30 odd years now and he smashed out the corners on it lol, Never seen a harley take corners like that in my life lol. Im embarrased to say that while im still getting used to the busa i wasn't going to push it and i couldn't keep up with him lol!

Nzpure

22nd April 2012, 09:05

Nah it still there brah! I got through on that. Depends if he's on his restricted yet or not. October it changes and they drop the over 25 clause.
However he sounds like a bit of a balls to the wall rider so mabye thats a good thing lol.
I was reading the thread and just skipped to the end when he started talking about his wee little mr2 being and ORSOME cornering machine and that v8s are shit around corners Cause SLAMMIN you wee jappa so the suspension so low and hard it gives you hemroids makes it handle better LOL.
Followed my father in-law to akaroa the other day he was riding my HD. He's been riding for 30 odd years now and he smashed out the corners on it lol, Never seen a harley take corners like that in my life lol. Im embarrased to say that while im still getting used to the busa i wasn't going to push it and i couldn't keep up with him lol!

Lol thats what you get for not reading entire thread haha that wasn't directed at you subike my bad.

Fast Eddie

22nd April 2012, 11:10

as far as I could read on the internet.

anyone doin their license before Oct I think will be fine to do 6 month learner phase then 3 month restricted with defensive driving course completion..

I believe the NZTA website still reads that info.. I checked last week or week before as my gf just sat her learners round end of january and I think she could have squeezed in a full before oct when we were reading up on it. Except shes not 25 (yuss)

torican

27th May 2012, 23:12

Mushu

4th June 2012, 01:46

Hey man.... would love to tag along as well if you need anther addition.. I too am just an l plater so wont be going too hard. Would have pm'd but I don't have enough site activity yet!! I'm based in St Martins

I wasn't riding for a while, I dropped the bike a few weeks ago and between insurance and how hard it is to source genuine parts it took forever but I have it back now. I'm not really planning on riding up there too much for the next few months as its only going to get more slippery up there, I probably won't be able to help myself every now and again but I'm trying not to. (The cars get more fun to drive up there as it gets more slippery, the MR2 is really fun after they put the grit down)

his wee little mr2 being and ORSOME cornering machine and that v8s are shit around corners Cause SLAMMIN you wee jappa so the suspension so low and hard it gives you hemroids makes it handle better LOL.

You're right its too low, it's slammed actually - very little throw in the suspension. It would have been fine for its intended purpose (previous owner had several MR2s and a couple of more practical vehicles, I'm pretty sure the car I bought from him was his track car so has been set up for smooth, well maintaned roads.)

If I had the money to swap the suspension to coil overs I would, I would run the exact same setup as the guys out there that run these things in rallys, it would be ORSOME on a gravel road if I had the suspension to cope. But it is currently drivable (as long as I stay away from earthquake affected roads) and still handles well, you just have to pay attention to the road surface (much like on a bike, but you only have to look for bumps and potholes)

But my advantage isn't in how low the car is (its actually a disadvantage as you obviously know). My advantage is in the cars weight - about a tonne, have a look at the AE86 and why they became so popular, the AW11 is a very similar car with the added advantage of a mid engine layout. (In case you didn't know - mid engine is very good for driving fast, that's why 90% of the fastest cars out there have there engines in the back)

Mushu

29th November 2012, 23:22

Another 6 months of riding -right through winter, even managed a little riding in snow.
Got some proper boots, a slightly better helmet (although after 6 months of near daily use the lining is starting to work loose from the shell and the the padding around the cheeks isn't as tight as it used to be) some other new gear and 2 new bikes.

I went up to Whangarei a couple months ago and rode back on my new (to me) R6. I know I may not hold the correct qualification to ride this machine and some may disagree with that but I figure I can kill myself pretty easy at 150ks on the little ninja so the difference isn't that big as long as you have respect for the bike and think further ahead to keep every thing smooth as possible. Of course I don't intend to use the R6 everyday for a few reasons.

The ride back from Whangarei was awesome, I was quite apprehensive when I went to pick the bike up especially when I found out the first 200 meters I had to ride was down a twisty dirt road. I expected the bike to be uncomfortable as hell and near impossible to ride because of all the things you hear about the ergonomics of sports bikes but I happily rode almost non stop (fuel stops only) to Taupo where I slept and happily made almost non stop to Wellington and almost non stop again from on the boat to Christchurch (the ferry doesn't count as a rest cos I get sea sick and I just made it in time) it wasn't like a lounge chair as I imagine a gold wing would be but I never had a problem with sore wrists or anything but my ass going numb, I did have shoulder problems but this is more to do with the bag I was carrying and the result of a old injury. I thoroughly recommend the ride if you have the chance but it was kind of ruined by the fact I was in a rush to get back because my sister was leaving for Australia I wish I could have taken a bit more time.

I decided there was no point having a proper sports bike like the R6 and something else so similar in appearance and capability (in terms of what it can do, not how fast it can do it). I decided a dirt bike would be a good idea, I figure a bit of riding on dirt would give me a chance to learn some more skills, I can't see how it could hurt and ever since I watched Long Way Round I've liked the idea of adventure touring so I thought a DR650 was a good compromise, what I really wanted was a XR650 but couldn't find a good one but I found a DR650 with motard wheels and a few other extras.

So currently I am looking to set up everything for the DR so I can take it long distances and camp but I may need some help from someone who has this kind of setup.
There is a lot of stuff to sort out, luggage, camping gear, spares and tools for the bike, maps/gps, long range tank (I have a spare, brand new standard tank I may be willing to part with) and anything else I might need.

Sent from my XT535 using Tapatalk 2

Glowerss

30th November 2012, 10:20

You sound like grantman 2.0. 9 months riding and on an R6 already. Hope we don't find you under a logging truck one day.

Mushu

30th November 2012, 11:06

You sound like grantman

Possibly, and feel free to say I told you so... Grantman was an idiot on the road and that is why he flipped his 250 off the road and then meet with a logging truck on his 600.

But my justification is I try not to ride like a tool, this is why I quickly decided the R6 isn't for everyday use, it inspires hooliganism.

My rush to upgrade was also due to my plans to ride across Australia next year, after hearing about Nick Sanders riding an R1 across the world I thought it might be good for my trip. The R6 was a kind if test and training and although I don't see me having a problem on an R1, I also think I could manage more weight so I am considering that I would enjoy the trip more on smallish sport tourer.

How many people out there started on 2 stroke 250s and the people who just ride whatever they want, less than half the people I know who ride have a license at all and all but 3 of them are on their learners, I am the only one who owns a 250 at all. Although my grandmother who wouldn't have the coordination to ride a scooter holds a full class 6, would you be okay with her riding the R6.

If it makes you feel any better I am currently looking for leathers so I can look into some riding at Ruapuna and I'd like to do a track based course that would allow me to use the R6 for the course if possible, there is always more to learn....

Mushu

25th March 2013, 13:29

Its been over a year now, my riding has recently become less of a daily occurance, I got a puppy a couple of months ago so I take the cage alot so he can come along but I still ride the R6 when I leave Dog at home (not the dog - I named him Dog)

I feel now that I have about 10000 ks on the R6 I am qualified to address the Grantman comments, the big difference between he and I is that the licensing system gave him a little plastic certificate that said he was capable of riding any bike he chooses, he took it very literally and never thought he may need some time and training to get used to the bike, I, on the other hand, bought my R6 knowing I may not have the skills to use its full performance and so went about training myself in whatever way I can to improve my riding, I still cannot use the full performance of my machine but I am also aware of how much I can use.

One year of trying to be critical of my own riding and I have learned alot, I have even been in a position to teach a few things to a few people, including a couple of 30+ year veterans who have always just ridden without really thinking about it too much. Most of my family ride (I was always trying to be different and be a car guy) and I was surprised that the book (twist of the wrist 2) I had given my brother in law to read had been passed around almost everyone and even the long time veterans picked a few things out and improved their own riding and thus safety on the road.

The DR has been on loan to a friend of mine for about 2 months now but I have kept it unregistered so he wont ride it too much. But before that I had taken it off road a couple of times, thought I broke my leg on Christmas day at the Waimak, actually it still hurts sometimes, been down worsley spur a couple times and spent hours riding the riverbed that goes from oxford back to the waimak. But I'm looking to do a far more epic ride just cant find one, something that allows me to ride for a couple of days without seeing a road. Of course I shouldn't be doing this kind of thing alone but doing it in a large group doesn't appeal to me at all. But I have definately learned a few things thanks to that bike which is what I was going for.

Still unsure about what I will use for my Australia trip, which is coming quickly, about 6 months away currently I have been looking at Honda Transalp or Yamaha Tenere since I will be on my L license in Australia for this trip, and I'd like to keep the cost of the bike down to about 5000AUD but any suggestions of suitable bikes would be appreciated.

My other big want is to find an actually good rider that I can trust to critique my riding, there seem to be a couple on here but most seem to be in the north Island. There are plenty around with time in the saddle but it often doesn't translate to skill, and everyone thinks the are qualified to dole out advice but atleast 50% of that seems to be bullshit. It seems I may have to give in and give Dan Ornsby some more of my money (I'll have to call him and ask if I can use my R6 on one of his courses even though I don't hold the appropriate license. No sense using a trail bike on a road craft course, it wont necessarily carry over to the R6)