Blocks of wood in the road

[R-Soul]

A tip to avoid my situation...

I was riding over the harbour bridge last Friday going North, when a bloody great big block of wood came out from under the car in front of me. I was looking around at the time, and only looked forward in time to see it going under the front wheel at about 80kph. No time to swerve.

The bike took off into the air, and landed a bit skew, shaking its head wildy and trying to throw me off. Luckily I stood up in the seat when it landed (to soften th landing), and I kept my arms loose, so I could let the bike dampen itself out.

I got control of it, and did not come off. My seat had bite marks on it though. The tyres were still pumped up and it got me home, but the incident muntered both of my rims. Expected damage around $500.

Lessons learnt:
1) ART is crucial - else I would have tried to fight the steering and probably highsided.
2) Give yourself good clearance behind the car in front of you. It was a little difficult because the traffic was acceleratig and slowing all the time.
3) Stay in one of the cars wheel lines - their wheels will clear whatever is going under their car first. I always thought that by giving myself more space to either side of me in the lane, I would have more options. Not so, when it happens fast.

[BoristheBiter]

skills.
I bet you had done it before thinking.

Lucky you didn't hit the one this morning, looks like a few cars did. It was a length of steel in lane 1 just before the Symonds st on ramp (sth bound).
Bike cop was picking it up, looked heavy.

[Akzle]

i swerved around three of them (wood bits), a bag of cement and a dead possum on my ride down today.

in the 60km through auckland, general traffic managed the speed limit twice! and the roads were 20% full! that's a f*ing miracle by auckland standards!

i still don't get, why people (auckland cagers) in the fast lane do 10km under the speed limit, when the left hand lane is empty or damn-near, and only doing 15 under the speed limit.
i think i need to hurry up about that shotgun scabbard.
kudos only to the black ute on 1 for getting the fuck out of the way in good time, and the white hilux on 16, who tried. bitch in the yaris: i hope you die.

i can't believe how much faith auckland bikers have in auckland cagers, (to not kill them) mad bastards.

so... anyone savvy or internettily inclined to set up good-driver.co.nz and bad-driver.co.nz?

[R-Soul]

skills.
I bet you had done it before thinking.


Thre was definitely no time for conscious thought!

What is with all teh crap in teh road lately.
Also, has anybody noticed boy racer types start ot move towards the white line when you are coming up behind them on teh moroway riding in between lanes. No big swerves by them or anything - just real sneaky like. Like they are trying to squeeze you. Like they are trying to lose a side view mirror....

[BoristheBiter]

Thre was definitely no time for conscious thought!

What is with all teh crap in teh road lately.
Also, has anybody noticed boy racer types start ot move towards the white line when you are coming up behind them on teh moroway riding in between lanes. No big swerves by them or anything - just real sneaky like. Like they are trying to squeeze you. Like they are trying to lose a side view mirror....

Shit mate, every time i see you on the motorway I move over.
It must be the hypnotizing paint job on your helmet:lol:

[BoristheBiter]

i swerved around three of them (wood bits), a bag of cement and a dead possum on my ride down today.

in the 60km through auckland, general traffic managed the speed limit twice! and the roads were 20% full! that's a f*ing miracle by auckland standards!

i still don't get, why people (auckland cagers) in the fast lane do 10km under the speed limit, when the left hand lane is empty or damn-near, and only doing 15 under the speed limit.
i think i need to hurry up about that shotgun scabbard.
kudos only to the black ute on 1 for getting the fuck out of the way in good time, and the white hilux on 16, who tried. bitch in the yaris: i hope you die.

i can't believe how much faith auckland bikers have in auckland cagers, (to not kill them) mad bastards.

so... anyone savvy or internettily inclined to set up good-driver.co.nz and bad-driver.co.nz?

Who cares, you're on a bike.
Just treat them like moving chicanes.

[zique]

Thre was definitely no time for conscious thought!

What is with all teh crap in teh road lately.
Also, has anybody noticed boy racer types start ot move towards the white line when you are coming up behind them on teh moroway riding in between lanes. No big swerves by them or anything - just real sneaky like. Like they are trying to squeeze you. Like they are trying to lose a side view mirror....

My mate hated when boy racer types did that,especially when they knew a biker was coming through the lanes.Which is why he carried a thick chain with him to clear out the side mirrors of dick-head cars that deliberately would block him in,in traffic.

[Tigadee]

I got control of it, and did not come off. My seat had bite marks on it though. The tyres were still pumped up and it got me home, but the incident muntered both of my rims.

:yes: Glad you're OK, mate, though pity about your rims...


i still don't get, why people (auckland cagers) in the fast lane do 10km under the speed limit, when the left hand lane is empty or damn-near, and only doing 15 under the speed limit.

I know, aye? Pisses me off so, that I go around them honking and/or giving them a look like "WTF!"...

And they are either texting or talking on the phone, OR not doing anything and yet oblivious to the 10 cars held up behind them... :facepalm:

[jellywrestler]

3) Stay in one of the cars wheel lines - their wheels will clear whatever is going under their car first.

both blindspots so you've got to weigh up the odds of trading that off, also if they swerve and you don't you get it anyway...

[Berries]

so... anyone savvy or internettily inclined to set up good-driver.co.nz and bad-driver.co.nz?
Nice idea. I seem to recall that the last one a couple of months ago went down like a paedophile at a five years old birthday party.

And what is ART out of interest?

[BoristheBiter]

Nice idea. I seem to recall that the last one a couple of months ago went down like a paedophile at a five years old birthday party.

And what is ART out of interest?

Advanced Rider Training by AMCC at Puky

http://www.amcc.org.nz/advanced

[ontoit]

Good skills to stay on the bike.

Yesterday a mate going to work had a wheelbarrow fly off a truck which was coming towards him and bounced in front of his car, just missing the windscreen, went over his bonnet. On a bike that could have been messy. :( What is it with people today, I was taught to always secure a load.

All i had today was two herds of cows to avoid, one around a sharp corner and the crap on the road.

[unstuck]

If you are following behind a cage, then your going too slow.:headbang::headbang:

[FJRider]

If you are following behind a cage, then your going too slow.:headbang::headbang:

Dam right ... !!! :niceone: if you were in front ... you would have seen it much sooner ... :devil2:

Only a bit of wood anyway ... I've seen a double bed (complete with mattress and blankets) upside down on a road near here once ... :killingme

If you used the two second rule while following ... you would have had plenty of time to change your line. Obviously following too closely ... your fault.

[sootie]

I have been hit by significant objects several times while crossing the Ak harbour bridge.
I reckon the odds are about one significant strike every 500 crossings.
Then there are all the ones I did manage to avoid by seeing them early enough .....
Welcome to the world of Ak road riding! LOL

[sootie]

If you used the two second rule while following ... you would have had plenty of time to change your line. Obviously following too closely ... your fault.
Nice idea FJ but it just doesn't work on the AK harbour bridge. Any gap like that, and you get overtaken & the gap is filled in usually with some further safety issues for a bike.
I estimate I have made 2000 crossings over the bridge in heavy traffic. I could not begin to count the objects I have seen lying on the road. Short lengths of 4x2 from builder's utes are about the most common. I bet other riders will back me on this.
By the way, I was once hit by a tennis ball sized rock which came at me sideways from a truck. A truck tire squeezed it out like an orange pip. I did see it coming, but too late & just took it on the leg - All OK, but a nice bruise.
My worst one was a bumble bee (I think) which hit me on the cheek; hurt like hell & filled my eyes with water. Just what you need at 80 kph with close traffic on all sides.
I am a bit more careful with visa position now days, but even a good strike on that in heavy traffic is scarey.
As I say, welcome to road riding in peak traffic around Auckland - usually no problem, but every so often you need to expect something to come at you from out of left field with almost no warning.

[FJRider]

Nice idea FJ but it just doesn't work on the AK harbour bridge. Any gap like that, and you get overtaken & the gap is filled in usually with some further safety issues for a bike.


And you think it's a coincidence that I chose to live (and ride) in the south island ... about as far away from a proper motorway as is possible.

And the following distance laws are in force on Auckland Harbour Bridge ... as they are anywhere else. Ignore them at your own peril. And live (if you call it living) with the results if you do ...

Sorry .... but you'll get little sympathy from down here ... about Auckland motorway "hazards" ..

[sootie]

And you think it's a coincidence that I chose to live (and ride) in the south island ... about as far away from a proper motorway as is possible.

And the following distance laws are in force on Auckland Harbour Bridge ... as they are anywhere else. Ignore them at your own peril. And live (if you call it living) with the results if you do ...

Sorry .... but you'll get little sympathy from down here ... about Auckland motorway "hazards" ..

You are all heart FJ! LOL

[FJRider]

You are all heart FJ! LOL

Don't get me wrong ... it's a rat-race down here too ... (But the rats down here run a lot slower)


Auckland traffic problems ARE a major source of amusement for south island residents ... please continue ... :killingme

[sootie]

Have to go out FJ, but I have a nephew down in Dunedin who refuses to drive in Ak, but has told me that everyone should give up driving (cars even) by the time thay are 70.
He is never going to live that down! :) :) :)

[ProTuned]

Lessons learnt:
1) ART is crucial - else I would have tried to fight the steering and probably highsided.


So a possibility of flying off the harbour bridge if you were in the outer lanes then.. seesh.. Ive always had a little bit of me thinking about the chances of that happening when riding across it, the barriers aren't that high either.

[swbarnett]

I have been hit by significant objects several times while crossing the Ak harbour bridge.
I reckon the odds are about one significant strike every 500 crossings.
In my daily commute actoss the bridge over the past 12 years I've not had one. I must be well overdue...

[sootie]

In my daily commute actoss the bridge over the past 12 years I've not had one. I must be well overdue...

You actually amaze me! What about the odd Warehouse hubcap rolling down between the rows of cars, chemical spills or sports balls?

I would comment though that I think the Police had a blitz on unsafe loads maybe 15 years ago, and builders vehicles in particular have looked safer since then. I used to try & not follow behind one of those just in case.
Come to think of it, there has not been as much building lately either.
(I have not been commuting the bridge for 7 years now.)

Anyway, how do I join your bridge crossing group rides?

[G4L4XY]

I was heading over to Tauranga one time on the Hyo, was following a trailor full of firewood. The load wasn't as secure as it should've been and after not too long I decided to hang back should a piece fall off the trailor....minutes later whad'ya know a piece of wood does come off and slides along the ground. Should I have been tailgating or following any normal distance I would've got owned

..my 2c :)

[sootie]

I was heading over to Tauranga one time on the Hyo, was following a trailor full of firewood. The load wasn't as secure as it should've been and after not too long I decided to hang back should a piece fall off the trailor....minutes later whad'ya know a piece of wood does come off and slides along the ground. Should I have been tailgating or following any normal distance I would've got owned

..my 2c :)
Good for you! Very sensible.
Making very good time up the southern motorway towards Ak on a Sunday last summer when a huge 4WD pulled out in front of me blocking the fast lane. What bothered me was the two push bikes retained vertically on to the roof rack by only wheel clips. I think he had the vehicle floored because he gave up that speed after 5 minutes.

In the meantime I had calculated that the force on the retaining clips was around 2 times what it would be at the legal speed limit. (If you know any aerodynmics you can work out what speed that was.) I chickened out & dropped back rapidly. If a bike had broken loose it was certain death for me. The adjacent lane was full & there was nowhere to dodge.

How good are these roof rack fittings & bike clips?

[G4L4XY]

What really gets me all riled up is when people cut you off when your in the "fast" lane on the motorway and then they take all day just to pass the car and then they dont even pull back into the other lane, it's like they do it just to fuck you off :tugger:

[sootie]

What really gets me all riled up is when people cut you off when your in the "fast" lane on the motorway and then they take all day just to pass the car and then they dont even pull back into the other lane, it's like they do it just to fuck you off :tugger:

Agreed, but you do have to remember that you may be riding a bike with about 6 times the power to weight ratio of the car trying to overtake. This is why I like powerful vehicles - it is not so much about going fast, it is more about being able to climb hills well & overtake cleanly & quickly when you want to. It is far less stressful than trying to urge your vehicle to get up & go!

The 4WD I was describing just did not have any more power, and should not have been in the fast lane at that speed with that load. I don't get too upset with minor speeding in or on a vehicle obviously designed for the job, but I like to think I would not have tried to go that fast in that 4WD. Not the viewpoint of our law I know.

[BoristheBiter]

What really gets me all riled up is when people cut you off when your in the "fast" lane on the motorway and then they take all day just to pass the car and then they dont even pull back into the other lane, it's like they do it just to fuck you off :tugger:

The worst bit is after they take all day to pass the car, you try and undertake them and they speed up WTF's up with that.

[sootie]

The worst bit is after they take all day to pass the car, you try and undertake them and they speed up WTF's up with that.

So, you have been a perfect gentleman up to that point; and this is where you lift the front wheel & show them what you really have got (politely of course!) :innocent:

[FJRider]

So, you have been a perfect gentleman up to that point; and this is where you lift the front wheel & show them what you really have got (politely of course!) :innocent:

I'm not saying that lifting my FJ's front wheel is easy (or possible for that matter) but it can give a good demonstration of a motorcycles ability to overtake ... 80 to 140 and back to 100 km/hr in as long a time as it takes to say it ... !!!


You guys and guyess's up norf are simply spoilt. More than one lane in each direction ... and you moan about limited chances for overtaking ... get real guys ... :devil2:

[BoristheBiter]

So, you have been a perfect gentleman up to that point; and this is where you lift the front wheel & show them what you really have got (politely of course!) :innocent:

I drive the AKL motorway everyday, of course I'm the prefect gentleman.

Until i get to work to hear the abuse on the answer phone (got to remember the ute has my name and number over it)

[sootie]

I drive the AKL motorway everyday, of course I'm the prefect gentleman.

Until i get to work to hear the abuse on the answer phone (got to remember the ute has my name and number over it)
Paint the ute up like a block of wood - you seem to be OK to do what you like then! :killingme

[kiwi cowboy]

[QUOTE=FJRider;1130402094]Don't get me wrong ... it's a rat-race down here too ... (But the rats down here run a lot slower)


OR ride yamies with special attraction to fj's i understand:bleh::msn-wink:

[FJRider]

Don't get me wrong ... it's a rat-race down here too ... (But the rats down here run a lot slower)


OR ride yamies with special attraction to fj's i understand:bleh::msn-wink:

Cry me a river ... oop's ... you already have ... :lol:

Quote me properly if you don't mind ... :rolleyes:

Fast bikes in slow races are always fun ... :innocent: (honda riders do it the other way round)

[kiwi cowboy]

Cry me a river ... oop's ... you already have ... :lol:

Na dount know that song.

Quote me properly if you don't mind ... :rolleyes:

I did I did:msn-wink:

Fast bikes in slow races are always fun ... :innocent: (honda riders do it the other way round)

Thats me on me race bike but thats a suzi-maybe i shouls get the onda on the track NOT wife would kiil me

[FJRider]

Thats me on me race bike but thats a suzi-maybe i shouls get the onda on the track NOT wife would kiil me

Go on ... you have to die of something. But increase your life insurance first. So no matter where you die accidently (by your wife or by honda) ... SHE will be well off ...

[Akzle]

Thats me on me race bike but thats a suzi-maybe i shouls get the onda on the track NOT wife would kiil me

holyrunonsentencebatman!

[kiwi cowboy]

holyrunonsentencebatman!

i cloud awlyas wirhgt lkie tihs:devil2:

[kiwi cowboy]

Go on ... you have to die of something. But increase your life insurance first. So no matter where you die accidently (by your wife or by honda) ... SHE will be well off ...

Yeh Na tried that recently but got a letter saying due to my recent past they cant offer me any:laugh::tugger:

[R-Soul]

:yes: Glad you're OK, mate, though pity about your rims...



I know, aye? Pisses me off so, that I go around them honking and/or giving them a look like "WTF!"...

And they are either texting or talking on the phone, OR not doing anything and yet oblivious to the 10 cars held up behind them... :facepalm:

Thanks - although I am all sorted now. Spectrum motorcycles sorted me out with a set of second hand rims -I preferred this to having them fixed. New ones would have meant the bike is written off, or me waiting months for rims from Japan.

[R-Soul]

Shit mate, every time i see you on the motorway I move over.
It must be the hypnotizing paint job on your helmet:lol:

I KNOW!



I think I am onto something here with this helmet. Even if I got a nice new carbon fibre one, I would do the same to it. I already have a plan for what its going to look like. Spirals - really hypnotising!

[R-Soul]

Nice idea. I seem to recall that the last one a couple of months ago went down like a paedophile at a five years old birthday party.

And what is ART out of interest?

Advanced rider training days. I recommend the hell out of them. And any time spent on track.

[R-Soul]

Dam right ... !!! :niceone: if you were in front ... you would have seen it much sooner ... :devil2:

Only a bit of wood anyway ... I've seen a double bed (complete with mattress and blankets) upside down on a road near here once ... :killingme

If you used the two second rule while following ... you would have had plenty of time to change your line. Obviously following too closely ... your fault.

yes probably- and because I was look ing away when it came out. But it was heavy traffic over the birdge - no place to pass, and moving in "waves" like pressure pulses, so you get too close when they barke, you brake and then they speed up again...

I have started giving a lot of extra room between myself and cages. But that is an invite for other cages to move in. :nono:

[R-Soul]

I have been hit by significant objects several times while crossing the Ak harbour bridge.
I reckon the odds are about one significant strike every 500 crossings.
Then there are all the ones I did manage to avoid by seeing them early enough .....
Welcome to the world of Ak road riding! LOL

I have been corssing teh bridge almost every day for about the last four years on a bike - never hit a thing!

[sootie]

I have been corssing teh bridge almost every day for about the last four years on a bike - never hit a thing!

Well, I can only tell you that in 20 odd years of largely crossing the bridge by bike, I have been personally hit by a lump of 4x2, hit by a tennis ball sized rock squeezed out by a truck tyre in the adjacent lane, had a bumble bee invade my visor, seen hub caps rolling between the cars, and had to negotiate chemical & oil spills. I have also chosen to ride across in wind gusts of around 160kph (they close the bridge now days for that!) So far I have managed to stay sunny side up, but I am not too cocky about this after these incidents.

I do think the bridge is a safer place now days, perhaps because of more police & driver attention to safety, but you need to be aware that very occasionally it can hold nasty surprises for a motorcyclist. Go Well! :) :)