erik
3rd March 2004, 18:54
Monday:
Forget that I'd put the petcock valve to "Off". Get a couple of k's down the road before the engine dies at a roundabout.
In the middle of the day when I was going home for lunch (I've got 3 hours of no classes on monday from 12 to 3): forget to take the disc lock off before I try to wheel the bike away from the kerb. Fortunately, I'd put it right close up to the forks, so it didn't build up any momentum before it stopped. Thanks to the people that've suggested that :2thumbsup .
Tuesday:
Mostly went fine. Except, on the way home on Rata street, just before the Great North road/Titirangi road intersection, I was sitting in stopped traffic, and someone goes past lanesplitting. So I think, what the heck, I might as well too. He's going along ahead of me, and there are a couple of cars that are a bit close together. He slows right down and puts his foot down, but stupid newbie me thinks I can get past there without putting my foot down. I get past the first sidemirror ok, but just clip the second one with the tip of my right handlebar. I kept going a bit and pulled into a space in the left lane and sat there. I think I saw the car go past in the right lane, it didn't look like the driver was angry, and I couldn't see any damage (I only just nicked it).
Wednesday:
Did very little lanesplitting. Spent a lot of time on the way home practicing balancing and riding really really slowly with the other traffic. Was passed by several people lanesplitting (if anyone saw a small black Zeal with a guy with a black helmet and jacket with some blue on it, sitting in traffic on the north western motorway, Rosebank road, and Gt. North road between 5 and 6, that was probably me).
Sitting at the lights at the Rata street, Gt. North road, Titirangi road intersection, someone pulled up next to me on a BMW Dakar dual-purpose bike. When the lights turned green, they continued on ahead, passing some of the slow traffic on the flush median. I continued at a slower pace, with the rest of the traffic, up Titirangi road. The lights at the top of the hill at the Pleasant road intersection were red, and I was the first in the cue. The guy on the Dakar was in the right lane, turning into Pleasant road. As I was sitting there, my engine died, I'd ran out of gas. So I kind of pushed my bike towards the gutter in the intersection and frantically tried to put it on reserve, then get the choke out to help it suck some more gas into the carbs as I started it.
That was a bit silly of me I guess, because the guy I bought it from said it only got about 170km before it hit reserve, and I'd done 188k's since I'd gassed up. But I kind of wanted to find out just how far I could get on a tank myself, so I was asking for it really.
I still haven't had to test the waterproofness of my pants after applying that Gecko Guard stuff, there hasn't been very much rain at all when I've been riding. Just a little bit yesterday evening. I think I'll get some Scotchguard or Watershield and try waterproofing my bag too though, because in the tiny bit of rain there was, it seemed to soak up the water rather than repel it ;).
Even though I was sitting in traffic most of the time today, I think it was my favourite commute. The morning was great, looking at the beautiful blue sky through my clear visor and the cool air after the rain. And the weather this evening was pretty much perfect too.
I was thinking, people here were talking about doing a learner's training day in a carpark or something. Well, I thought maybe one thing that could be done would be to make some polystyrene things on a stick or cone, about the same height as car mirrors, so that people could practice riding between them without hitting them :). Maybe I should just do it for myself... ;)
Forget that I'd put the petcock valve to "Off". Get a couple of k's down the road before the engine dies at a roundabout.
In the middle of the day when I was going home for lunch (I've got 3 hours of no classes on monday from 12 to 3): forget to take the disc lock off before I try to wheel the bike away from the kerb. Fortunately, I'd put it right close up to the forks, so it didn't build up any momentum before it stopped. Thanks to the people that've suggested that :2thumbsup .
Tuesday:
Mostly went fine. Except, on the way home on Rata street, just before the Great North road/Titirangi road intersection, I was sitting in stopped traffic, and someone goes past lanesplitting. So I think, what the heck, I might as well too. He's going along ahead of me, and there are a couple of cars that are a bit close together. He slows right down and puts his foot down, but stupid newbie me thinks I can get past there without putting my foot down. I get past the first sidemirror ok, but just clip the second one with the tip of my right handlebar. I kept going a bit and pulled into a space in the left lane and sat there. I think I saw the car go past in the right lane, it didn't look like the driver was angry, and I couldn't see any damage (I only just nicked it).
Wednesday:
Did very little lanesplitting. Spent a lot of time on the way home practicing balancing and riding really really slowly with the other traffic. Was passed by several people lanesplitting (if anyone saw a small black Zeal with a guy with a black helmet and jacket with some blue on it, sitting in traffic on the north western motorway, Rosebank road, and Gt. North road between 5 and 6, that was probably me).
Sitting at the lights at the Rata street, Gt. North road, Titirangi road intersection, someone pulled up next to me on a BMW Dakar dual-purpose bike. When the lights turned green, they continued on ahead, passing some of the slow traffic on the flush median. I continued at a slower pace, with the rest of the traffic, up Titirangi road. The lights at the top of the hill at the Pleasant road intersection were red, and I was the first in the cue. The guy on the Dakar was in the right lane, turning into Pleasant road. As I was sitting there, my engine died, I'd ran out of gas. So I kind of pushed my bike towards the gutter in the intersection and frantically tried to put it on reserve, then get the choke out to help it suck some more gas into the carbs as I started it.
That was a bit silly of me I guess, because the guy I bought it from said it only got about 170km before it hit reserve, and I'd done 188k's since I'd gassed up. But I kind of wanted to find out just how far I could get on a tank myself, so I was asking for it really.
I still haven't had to test the waterproofness of my pants after applying that Gecko Guard stuff, there hasn't been very much rain at all when I've been riding. Just a little bit yesterday evening. I think I'll get some Scotchguard or Watershield and try waterproofing my bag too though, because in the tiny bit of rain there was, it seemed to soak up the water rather than repel it ;).
Even though I was sitting in traffic most of the time today, I think it was my favourite commute. The morning was great, looking at the beautiful blue sky through my clear visor and the cool air after the rain. And the weather this evening was pretty much perfect too.
I was thinking, people here were talking about doing a learner's training day in a carpark or something. Well, I thought maybe one thing that could be done would be to make some polystyrene things on a stick or cone, about the same height as car mirrors, so that people could practice riding between them without hitting them :). Maybe I should just do it for myself... ;)