Went for a longer ride last night.

[Rosie]

Met up with the Mr and a friend after work and headed for some back roads. Apparently yesterday was 'take your haymaking equipment on SH 30' day, so we had several tractors etc to pass along the way. The others zipped on ahead, leaving me to struggle past everything at 80-ish (the bike has plenty of power, I was just a bit nervous and didn't want to go too fast). I caught up with the others, and we escaped down a side road towards Waikite valley, where we wouldn't find so much traffic. I took the twisty bits of road fairly slowly, but my confidence increased as the ride went on. We stopped at the Waikite hot pools for an icecream, and for the life to flow back into my hands. The vibration from the bars was making them go all strange and tingly. I'm sure I'll get used to it. Nic had places to be, so she went back to Rotorua via SH 5, and we went back along Tumunui road, which meant coming back along several k's of the highway. I managed to get myself to 90 (the evil lying speedo said 110), but still got passed by a bus :doh:
I was a bit tired when we got back, after nearly 80k's of riding, but I'm feeling a lot more confident on the bike now. It was a nice loop, a mixture of straight sections of road and little twisty bits, and not too much traffic.
My nice new teknic jacket was really comfortable, but I noticed that one of the domes has pulled out of the fabric, so it will have to go back to the shop, and I'll stick to riding around town until I get it sorted.

[DemonWolf]

Good writeup.. and good stuff. Build your confidence nice and slow.. and riding to your limits.

[Leong]

We stopped at the Waikite hot pools for an icecream, and for the life to flow back into my hands. The vibration from the bars was making them go all strange and tingly. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Good to have a reason to go for a ride eh! I still get the tingly right hand quite frequently, but much less than before. And as for the haymaking equipment perhaps spoiling(?) your ride, I found about 5km of my favourite roads had been resealed on my ride yesterday and there was gravel everywhere!! :ar15:

You didn't say whether you enjoyed your ride.....I hope you did, and I'm sure with more riding will come confidence and enjoyment!

[Str8 Jacket]

Hey Rosie, good to hear! I lived in Rotorua for almost 15 years so I know the roads that your talking about, sounds like your doing really well! Keep getting out there and evrything will get easier and easier! BTW, my KR speedo tells lies too, I think its something like 10-11% out.... In saying that I did 30kph (on my speedo) past one of those ACC speedo things and it said I was doing 35k's so go figure?!

[Rosie]

Good to have a reason to go for a ride eh! I still get the tingly right hand quite frequently, but much less than before. And as for the haymaking equipment perhaps spoiling(?) your ride, I found about 5km of my favourite roads had been resealed on my ride yesterday and there was gravel everywhere!! :ar15:

You didn't say whether you enjoyed your ride.....I hope you did, and I'm sure with more riding will come confidence and enjoyment!

I think I enjoyed it, I was too busy concentrating on what I was doing to really notice. Passing the tractors was only about 10 minutes of a 2 hour ride, so it wasn't too bad, it just made me a bit nervous, being right at the beginning of my first proper ride on the open road. And Nic saying she would ride behind me, then zooming off into the sunset as I pictured myself being impaled on a hayrake if I stuffed up my overtaking.