Reubix
14th October 2012, 11:17
So I've been swooning over my old brand new Yamaha Scorpio that I purchased a week ago as my first (proper) roadbike. I've taken a couple of jaunts into town but nothing over 20KM at one time. On Friday I had the bike serviced at Freedom Suzuki and went and bought (then later installed) some reflective tape so the bike stands out a bit more. Come Saturday arvo I chucked on a thermal top, T shirt, jacket, motorcycle jacket, and a rain jacket then I was off... Man..
The winds were gusting up to 65KM/H and the rain was damn near torrential. The road was one I had never been on before and sharp corners were something new. On top of that the feckin' hood from my rain jacket acted as a parachute and was pulling my rain jacket against my neck. Lesson learned - I fixed it up after a quick break in Eketahuna then I was off for the rest of the journey (Palmerston North to Masterton). During this time I took it easy on the bike as I knew for a fact I didn't have the toolbox of skills that other riders have... Not yet at least. That and the weather was working against me so taking it nice and easy was definitely the smart move. I got to Masterton and caught up with my mate, from there I made the decision to stay the night as the weather was going to be nicer the next day.
The following morning I chucked on my gear and... It was still wet. Another lesson learned - hot water cupboards don't cut it over 16 hours! So on with the freezing cold gear and off I went... I only got 15 minutes out of town before I couldn't take the pain in my hands anymore. As the gloves were still wet my hands got bloody cold real quick and I wasn't able to operate the controls effectively. So I pulled over and warmed my hands up on the exhaust until I got some feeling back. Stopped in Eketahuna again on the return trip for some much needed breakfast then mustered back over to Palmy. The road was a bit more forgiving this time as it wasn't as wet and cornering came a bit more naturally so my skillset is definitely improving in small steps.
Well it was barking mad weather but it was hellishly fun. I've picked up on where my gear needs to improve (pretty much everything) and also gained a bit of time on the open road. Hopefully next time the Manawatu area plays the game and gives me good weather!
The winds were gusting up to 65KM/H and the rain was damn near torrential. The road was one I had never been on before and sharp corners were something new. On top of that the feckin' hood from my rain jacket acted as a parachute and was pulling my rain jacket against my neck. Lesson learned - I fixed it up after a quick break in Eketahuna then I was off for the rest of the journey (Palmerston North to Masterton). During this time I took it easy on the bike as I knew for a fact I didn't have the toolbox of skills that other riders have... Not yet at least. That and the weather was working against me so taking it nice and easy was definitely the smart move. I got to Masterton and caught up with my mate, from there I made the decision to stay the night as the weather was going to be nicer the next day.
The following morning I chucked on my gear and... It was still wet. Another lesson learned - hot water cupboards don't cut it over 16 hours! So on with the freezing cold gear and off I went... I only got 15 minutes out of town before I couldn't take the pain in my hands anymore. As the gloves were still wet my hands got bloody cold real quick and I wasn't able to operate the controls effectively. So I pulled over and warmed my hands up on the exhaust until I got some feeling back. Stopped in Eketahuna again on the return trip for some much needed breakfast then mustered back over to Palmy. The road was a bit more forgiving this time as it wasn't as wet and cornering came a bit more naturally so my skillset is definitely improving in small steps.
Well it was barking mad weather but it was hellishly fun. I've picked up on where my gear needs to improve (pretty much everything) and also gained a bit of time on the open road. Hopefully next time the Manawatu area plays the game and gives me good weather!