Harbour Bridge off-limits to motorcycles (10 July)

[TLMAN]

NZ Police CommCens Alert 17:00 10-07-2007 Auckland City

Location of incident: AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE

Incident Type: HARBOUR BRIDGE UNSAFE FOR MOTORCYCLES

Severe winds have made the Auckland Harbour Bridge extremely unsafe for mortorcyclists. Police have attended two incidents in the last ten minutes where motorcyclists have been blown off their bikes. Fortunately no serious injuries have been incurred.
Police are advising motorcyclists to use an alternativem route or at least do not use the clip on lanes.
Issued By: Inspector Gary Hill


Sorry if this is a repost

[crashe]

Auckland Harbour Bridge closed to motorbikes tonight.


NZ Police CommCens Alert 17:00 10-07-2007 Auckland City

Location of incident: AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE

Incident Type: HARBOUR BRIDGE UNSAFE FOR MOTORCYCLES

Severe winds have made the Auckland Harbour Bridge extremely unsafe for mortorcyclists. Police have attended two incidents in the last ten minutes where motorcyclists have been blown off their bikes. Fortunately no serious injuries have been incurred.
Police are advising motorcyclists to use an alternative route or at least do not use the clip on lanes.
Issued By: Inspector Gary Hill


Ride safe out there on the roads tonight.

[Panther]

repost,

omgwtfbbq

[Disco Dan]

yeah I just got the same one!

..got blown into oncoming taffic along greenhithe bridge on my way to work...

...gotta get back out west from the shore late tonight... *fun*

[WarlockNZ]

Just saw on the news that 2 bikers had been blown of there bikes and the bridge has been closed to 2 wheeled traffic ... damn ... glad i got home early.

[MyGSXF]

Yep.. just been on the news.. :yes: 2 motorcyclists blown off their bikes :shit: but not hurt.. thank goodness!! :mellow:

Take care out there people!!! especially you lot up North!! :Punk:

[Big Dan]

good luck to those in the north hope you all are safe and warm and to those in the south in the icey grip take care and drive safe if you do go out

mother nature is surely giving us a respect lesson by lashing our country

take care and ride/drive safe

BD

[devnull]

There was a tree down on Upper Hrbr Dr on my way home this afternoon.
Police were letting Transit know (this was at 5pm)

It was blocking the entire lane westbound, half way between Greenhithe turnoff and that new roundabout by the bridge

Heaps of crap (bits of greenery) everywhere along the road too (I was a wimp & took the cage to work today)

[crashe]

There was a tree down on Upper Hrbr Dr on my way home this afternoon.
Police were letting Transit know (this was at 5pm)

It was blocking the entire lane westbound, half way between Greenhithe turnoff and that new roundabout by the bridge

Yep this was the police comms email that came in about the tree.


NZ Police CommCens Alert 16:00 10-07-2007 Waitemata

Location of incident: SH 18

Incident Type: Travel Delays

At present a large tree has fallen down on State Highway 18, Greenhithe near the intersection of Shelter Drive.
Efforts are underway at present to remove the tree from the roadway. Motorists travelling on State Highway 18 are experiencing severe delays.
Motorists are advised to consider using an alternative route.
Issued By: Inspector Gary Hill

So riders will have to take the Riverhead/Coatsville Rd route to get home tonight..... until the tree is removed.

[Waylander]

Find a big truck and stay on the downwind side of it.

[Big Dan]

Yep this was the police comms email that came in about the tree.



So riders will have to take the Riverhead/Coatsville Rd route to get home tonight..... until the tree is removed.

how do you get theses comms alerts how easy is it to set it up to get them

[outlawtorn]

I did just that, crossing using the centre lanes, fucking terrifying though. Felt like I was going to come off the bike at one point. Bad winds the whole way home man....might just pull a sickie tomorrow if it carries on like this.

[barty5]

any one want a lift to newmarket/city leavin from sunset rd about 645am leave for home around 6 ish safer than taken bike tomorrow

[crashe]

how do you get theses comms alerts how easy is it to set it up to get them

Look at this link to sign up:
http://www.police.govt.nz/news/updates/subscribe.html

[imdying]

The winterless north eh? :rofl: The sub zero mornings are a bit ghey down here, but wouldn't trade with ya :no:

[Big Dan]

cheers

man any off you guys on broadband having problems with it disconnecting due to the weather

[markl]

I went across the bridge about 20mins before it was closed. That was insane and i'm glad they closed it to bikes. I inched my way up with my feet down most of the way and had to stop on several occasions. I don't know if there was an incident at the top but 2 cars had stopped at the crest of the bridge in the two outside lanes and weren't moving. I got of at onewa and took the back roads home.

Stay off the roads people!!

[babyblade250rr]

cheers

man any off you guys on broadband having problems with it disconnecting due to the weather

havn't had any probs with i hug yet but my lights are flickering grrrrr don't gime a power out!!

[TLMAN]

cheers

man any off you guys on broadband having problems with it disconnecting due to the weather



Hell yeah, it keeps disconnecting every 5 minutes or so. P inthe A.

[Big Dan]

havn't had any probs with i hug yet but my lights are flickering grrrrr don't gime a power out!!

where in auckland are you i'm in waterview out west near avondale and it was so windy i can feel my house move and my lights are flickering too if the power goes off i'll be pissed off cause i wont have KB

[Grahameeboy]

Yeah was blown about a bit....guess that was why the following cars held back.....but good on them for doing that....I got to within a foot of the side and I was in the middle as well..nippons definetly a no no.

I bet the ferry was fun....the sea was playing up big time.

[Indiana_Jones]

I went across the bridge about 20mins before it was closed. That was insane and i'm glad they closed it to bikes. I inched my way up with my feet down most of the way and had to stop on several occasions. I don't know if there was an incident at the top but 2 cars had stopped at the crest of the bridge in the two outside lanes and weren't moving. I got of at onewa and took the back roads home.

Stay off the roads people!!

Same here mate.

I thought "OK, I'm off the bridge it might get better now, I'll get off at esmode..." *whoosh!!!!!, slide all over the road* "on second thoughts, fuck that, I'll get off at Onewa!" lol :yes:

-Indy

[Big Dan]

just heard un confirmed reports the harbour bridge is closed to all traffic

[Steam]

BRIDGE CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC!! Wow. Just heard it on TV3 news.

EDIT: Doh! Just beaten to it by seconds.

[Big Dan]

BRIDGE CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC!! Wow. Just heard it on TV3 news.

EDIT: Doh! Just beaten to it by seconds.

just to repeat is un-confirmed

[janno]

BRIDGE CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC!! Wow. Just heard it on TV3 news.

EDIT: Doh! Just beaten to it by seconds.

Hells Bells! Never heard of that before? Wonder how often they've shut it down in the bridge's history?

[discotex]

BRIDGE CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC!! Wow. Just heard it on TV3 news.

EDIT: Doh! Just beaten to it by seconds.

Not surprised when it's over 110km/h winds at Bean Rock on the water with gusts and 30m higher up on top of that.

Would be fun up at the top of Sky Tower right now.

[Steam]

just to repeat is un-confirmed

IMPOSSIBLE! TV3 is the source of all wisdom, they never ever get it wrong.:innocent:

[Big Dan]

19:00 10-07-2007 Auckland City
AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE
HARBOUR BRIDGE OPEN The Auckland Harbour Bridge is STILL OPEN. Media have been reporting that the bridge is closed. This is inaccurate...

[Steam]

My illusions! They are shattered! Need some more illusions please.

[Griff]

Cheers All,

Keep the news coming!
I am still at work and will be riding North when the traffic has calmed down.

[MyGSXF]

Campbell Live.. just said bridge is OPEN again.. motorbikes to ride in the MIDDLE lanes ONLY.. outside lanes are too windy for bikes!! :shit:

take care people!! :yes:

[Big Dan]

My illusions! They are shattered! Need some more illusions please.

i would say sorry for chattering your illusions but i wouldn't mean it so i guess saying sorry is an illusion itself

[Kittyhawk]

There's a reason why my bike is named Storm....

Was out riding today for the hell of it LOTS OF FUN! Talk about really being blown around at times it felt like I was goin sideways!!!

Came home saturated....if my jacket dries Ill be out tomorrow doing crazy weather riding mwwhaahaaha:Punk:

[Indiana_Jones]

Sif, I rode on the outside lol.

Also my old man heard on the radio that someone on a motorcycle had pullover on the bridge as it was too windy for them!

-Indy

[Griff]

Thank you for your updates.
Just crossed the bridge going north at 8.30pm
Yes the wind is frisky.
Anyone considering the run, do what I did:
1. Leave Rucksacks + Bags at work (Keep your profile low).
2. Hug the Tank, Head down, elbows in, Knees against tank coming over the Bridge & beyond.
3. The bridge isn't really an issue, the wind gets a lot stronger near Oteah Valley.
4. Keep your speed up. (It increases the Gyroscopic effect of your wheels), Slow speeds (Below 80kph and you will get blown about a bit).

Buy a GSXR-600.

[xwhatsit]

Well that was an exciting day's riding...

On the road most of the day, around the city. The 5.00 commute from CBD to Remuera got a bit hairy -- my lovely predictably handling motorcycle seemed to take up a liking to suddenly swerve sharply whilst travelling in a straight line.

Are cars difficult to handle in heavy winds? Because all the Remuera old folks seemed to be scared to do over 40kph, which made things a bit troublesome for me (anything under 50kph is extra hairy in winds like these). They also seemed to enjoy travelling partly in one lane, partly in another, much to my distate and fist shaking.

Just got home from work, wind was a bit quieter -- took the pedestrian bridge instead of Mangere Bridge though, lol. That said, by the seaside the wind was quite consistent and I think going over Mangere Bridge on the motorway would've been easier actually.

Fun, in a slightly scary way lol! I like weather like this, keeps the posers off the road :D

[Kittyhawk]

Buy a GSXR-600.

*stares at ground* I already got one...and its not fast enough:shutup:

[Shadows]

Not surprised when it's over 110km/h winds at Bean Rock on the water with gusts and 30m higher up on top of that.


110kph? That's just a wee zephyr. We roll our ciggies in higher winds than that. You jafas need to grow some nuts.

[SARGE]

HTFU and just nail it ..


btw .. if anyone needs a ride in the morning ,, i have to be a Lunn rd, Mt Wellington (off Marua rd) at 0745.. leaving Mt. Roskill at 0700 an heading down Dominion to Greenlane/ Ellerslie .. i have to cage it in tomorrow because i have stuff to carry in and home again

[Gremlin]

Now I really am annoyed I didn't go over it for fun... I wanted dinner instead. The ride home along back streets was boring as, even in the exposed bits.

Gotta love the 200kg cb900, weight is positioned low, wide bars make for accurate control... *sigh* missed opportunity at fun on the bridge :mellow:

[sAsLEX]

Are cars difficult to handle in heavy winds?

I would prefer to ride in bad weather than drive my car. A little Suzuki jeep, largish square body sitting nice and high and only weighing 900 odd kilos I suppose , gets blown around on still days let alone windy ones.

[Devil]

I took a VStrom 1000 over the bridge just a few minutes before it was closed. Fucking panicking car drivers doing 40km/h made for a few hairy moments, but as soon as I spotted a gap and got to 80km/h+ all was well with the world... untill I was slowed down again...

[Unit]

Any news about the bridge crossing this morning? And the prilly has a hell of a fair on it, will catch the wind like a big sail, fortunately its a solid heavy bike and solid power to rely on

[Devil]

The bridge is fine today.

[Unit]

The bridge is fine today.

Awesome glad I can get that far but will stay off the clipons I think. Im definately going to give it a shot to get home today, I believe my crew are sick of takeaways for the past week Ive been away.

[ZeroIndex]

Now I really am annoyed I didn't go over it for fun... I wanted dinner instead. The ride home along back streets was boring as, even in the exposed bits.

Gotta love the 200kg cb900, weight is positioned low, wide bars make for accurate control... *sigh* missed opportunity at fun on the bridge :mellow:
Notice the only people really complaining have big 700 - 800 cc cruiser bikes? Those probably aren't the best for a windy setup... Relaxed = lots of wind...

[vifferman]

Same here mate.

I thought "OK, I'm off the bridge it might get better now, I'll get off at esmode..." *whoosh!!!!!, slide all over the road* "on second thoughts, fuck that, I'll get off at Onewa!" lol :yes:

-Indy
Yeah, that bit of motorway between the bridge and the HP HQ is really bad in strong nor-easters.
Our power went off at 7:30, and was still off at 8:20 this morning when I left. I was warmer on the bike than I was at home!

[vifferman]

Notice the only people really complaining have big 700 - 800 cc cruiser bikes? Those probably aren't the best for a windy setup... Relaxed = lots of wind...
It's those big wheelbarrow handlebars: too much leverage when they're holding them tight and trying to counteract every little movement of the bike. :Pokey:
Be OK if they rode pissed.

[ZeroIndex]

It's those big wheelbarrow handlebars: too much leverage when they're holding them tight and trying to counteract every little movement of the bike. :Pokey:
Be OK if they rode pissed.
I know the feeling, with my mx-bars on my FZR... I'd hate to ride with apehangers over that bridge...

[Devil]

I would have thought a cruiser woudl have been ok. I think I had it worse on the VStrom. Tall, high CoG. You cant duck down much!

Had worse though, on the Himitangi Straights. 60kt sidewind. I managed to travel about 200m at one point, on a 45 degree lean, in a straight line. hah.

[vifferman]

I know the feeling, with my mx-bars on my FZR... I'd hate to ride with apehangers over that bridge...
Heh heh... that reminds me.
A couple of years ago, I was riding over the bridge. It obviously wasn't a windy day, because coming the other way was this guy: I could see him from a long way off, as his handlebars were so high, he was at full stretch to reach them, like he was saying, "I surrender! Please don't shoot my ugly mofo arse!"

Come to think of it, those apehangering handlebars were a brilliant safety feature. I mean, if a dozy clown like me could see him from a couple of hundred metres away (and when I say "see", it's more like: "Ohmyfarkingawdwhatthehellisthatcoming?doIneedtorun offthesideofthebridgeincaseit'sdangerous?!?"


So maybe it was a GoodThing.

But not in this CrazyArseWeather.

Meh... i'm still not awake (after having had two cups of swill, and my eyes blearily open since 5am), so I'll post some more crap.

I was waiting for the WifeAccountantPorcupinePillionist last night for PHARKIN AGES so I went and parked down at the waterfront at Takapuna. It was freaky. The waves were like 15 feet high, man, and the car was boogeying there on the spot, just biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to leap into the air, spin around two or three times, do a backflip, then crash onto its roof in the middle of the road. There was some crazy toothless courier dude parked next to me in his van. Dunno what he was doing (polishing his knob, while getting off to the crazy weather?) but every so often he'd glance over at me as if to say, "Kewl, huh? Freakin' windy, eh? My van sucks arse, dunnit?"
And then there was this OtherGuy (we'll call him "ThisOtherGuy") who pulls up in his van, runs around to the side door, opens it up, gets out a coat, puts it on, stands there bravely facing into the wind and wind-blown spume (like wind-blown sperm, but not as sticky, and a bit grittier and saltier), and after ..ooh... 2 or maybe 5 milliseconds, decides he's a wimp, and leaps back in his van. Sadly, it didn't blow off the road into a pohutukawa tree, burst into flames, explode and shower CrazyToothlessCourierVanDude with burning ThisOtherGuy bits and toasted spume.
Sucks, dunnit?
But then mebbe it would've sucked more if it had, because I didn't have a camera to capture the moment for prosperity and posterity. And the CameraInMyHead has got a faulty memory card, so I would've forgotten it after a few microseconds.



Yeah, the wind winds me up a little bit.

[Griff]

Awesome glad I can get that far but will stay off the clipons I think. Im definately going to give it a shot to get home today, I believe my crew are sick of takeaways for the past week Ive been away.

Clipons were fine this morning.
If it gets that windy again, just avoid driving at low speeds.
(Give those guys at Snapit something to more moan about)

[Blackbird]

Hello VifferIan - you sound just like little kids who go crazy in this weather, hehe. It's affecting our cats too :yes:

[Swoop]

My illusions! They are shattered! Need some more illusions please.
Helen Clark is a woman. Parekura Horomia is anorexic. Hone Harawira is an excellent ambasador for trans-Tasman relations. Happy now?

Also my old man heard on the radio that someone on a motorcycle had pullover on the bridge as it was too windy for them!
Sure it wasn't a jumper? Not good in those winds. Leap off and next thing you'd be back on the bridge!

Still a bit windy for Auckland standards. Wellytown folks think it is a gentle breeze.

[ZeroIndex]

Heh heh... that reminds me.
A couple of years ago, I was riding over the bridge. It obviously wasn't a windy day, because coming the other way was this guy: I could see him from a long way off, as his handlebars were so high, he was at full stretch to reach them, like he was saying, "I surrender! Please don't shoot my ugly mofo arse!"

Come to think of it, those apehangering handlebars were a brilliant safety feature. I mean, if a dozy clown like me could see him from a couple of hundred metres away (and when I say "see", it's more like: "Ohmyfarkingawdwhatthehellisthatcoming?doIneedtorun offthesideofthebridgeincaseit'sdangerous?!?"


So maybe it was a GoodThing.

But not in this CrazyArseWeather.

Meh... i'm still not awake (after having had two cups of swill, and my eyes blearily open since 5am), so I'll post some more crap.

I was waiting for the WifeAccountantPorcupinePillionist last night for PHARKIN AGES so I went and parked down at the waterfront at Takapuna. It was freaky. The waves were like 15 feet high, man, and the car was boogeying there on the spot, just biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to leap into the air, spin around two or three times, do a backflip, then crash onto its roof in the middle of the road. There was some crazy toothless courier dude parked next to me in his van. Dunno what he was doing (polishing his knob, while getting off to the crazy weather?) but every so often he'd glance over at me as if to say, "Kewl, huh? Freakin' windy, eh? My van sucks arse, dunnit?"
And then there was this OtherGuy (we'll call him "ThisOtherGuy") who pulls up in his van, runs around to the side door, opens it up, gets out a coat, puts it on, stands there bravely facing into the wind and wind-blown spume (like wind-blown sperm, but not as sticky, and a bit grittier and saltier), and after ..ooh... 2 or maybe 5 milliseconds, decides he's a wimp, and leaps back in his van. Sadly, it didn't blow off the road into a pohutukawa tree, burst into flames, explode and shower CrazyToothlessCourierVanDude with burning ThisOtherGuy bits and toasted spume.
Sucks, dunnit?
But then mebbe it would've sucked more if it had, because I didn't have a camera to capture the moment for prosperity and posterity. And the CameraInMyHead has got a faulty memory card, so I would've forgotten it after a few microseconds.



Yeah, the wind winds me up a little bit.
haha, funny random story... I thought only I thought like that...

[discotex]

110kph? That's just a wee zephyr. We roll our ciggies in higher winds than that. You jafas need to grow some nuts.

The poor buggers riding over the bridge would have been in 150km/h+ gusts.

Peak Wellington wind isn't any worse than Auckland - it's just windy more of the time.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandInBrief/NaturalEnvironment/3/ENZ-Resources/Standard/3/en

You kids like to talk it up to appear hard but we all know you're Absolutely Positively Pussies :bleh:

[Grub]

Police are advising motorcyclists to use an alternativem route


And that would be how ..... ?

D'oh ... I got it ... around the top of the harbour. Was building mental images of Vespas entering the harbour at Bayswater ridden by chicks in flatties, short skirts and a snorkel

[Shadows]

You kids like to talk it up to appear hard but we all know you're Absolutely Positively Pussies :bleh:

Hehehehehe

[slinky]

We don't have the high winds that often - so naturally we are going to talk about it when it comes along. That don't make us pussies.

[more_fasterer]

Next thing we know, you welly lot will be telling us to start building our houses on cliff faces :dodge:

[vifferman]

:angry:
Power is still off, after 22 hours!
And according to our neighbour, the fixit chasps have no idea when it'll be back on. Apparently, a big pine tree fell over up the hill from us, taking out ALL the power lines, and they're having BIG problems with it. Was supposed to be on at 1 PM, but the latest is 6.
Or 8.
Or tomorrow.
Or .... ?

140 houses without power in our area (Chatswood).

Yay! Cold house! No lights! No heating or food - apart from semi-defrosted raw stuff :sick:

[TKDSKIP]

We got a bit of wind (but not 90 knots) in the Bay, but this moring I took the old Cortina to work. On the way home I saw a 450HP ERF and B-train blowen off the road through a barrier and into a drain. :shutup: Some days it pays to DRIVE.

[Zapf]

Now I really am annoyed I didn't go over it for fun... I wanted dinner instead. The ride home along back streets was boring as, even in the exposed bits.

Gotta love the 200kg cb900, weight is positioned low, wide bars make for accurate control... *sigh* missed opportunity at fun on the bridge :mellow:

makes it good for the... a*hum... today hur! luckly I invested in crash bungs

[Shadows]

:angry:
Power is still off, after 22 hours!
And according to our neighbour, the fixit chasps have no idea when it'll be back on. Apparently, a big pine tree fell over up the hill from us, taking out ALL the power lines, and they're having BIG problems with it. Was supposed to be on at 1 PM, but the latest is 6.
Or 8.
Or tomorrow.
Or .... ?

140 houses without power in our area (Chatswood).

Yay! Cold house! No lights! No heating or food - apart from semi-defrosted raw stuff :sick:

Damn my laptop needs a battery like yours!

[Chrislost]

Thank you for your updates.
Just crossed the bridge going north at 8.30pm
Yes the wind is frisky.
Anyone considering the run, do what I did:
1. Leave Rucksacks + Bags at work (Keep your profile low).
2. Hug the Tank, Head down, elbows in, Knees against tank coming over the Bridge & beyond.
3. The bridge isn't really an issue, the wind gets a lot stronger near Oteah Valley.
4. Keep your speed up. (It increases the Gyroscopic effect of your wheels), Slow speeds (Below 80kph and you will get blown about a bit).

Buy a GSXR-600.

somthing werid but coming over the bridge last night my bike seemed to lean into the wind and i wasnt doing anything (that i remember) to make it do that :S
dam GSXRs

[kiwi cowboy]

The winterless north eh? :rofl: The sub zero mornings are a bit ghey down here, but wouldn't trade with ya :no:

sub zero?try -15+ down here snow frozen but still wouldnt trade with u guys up north:yes:

[Zapf]

Damn my laptop needs a battery like yours!

never know, he might be running it off his bike :innocent:

[Holy Roller]

Back in the 80s, boy that makes me sound old, a fellow pusser got blown into a car when crossing the bridge and lost his little toe. That would be some story to tell now...
The old XR250 used to get blown around heaps on the bridge, not nice when it is not a common occurance.:scooter:

[swbarnett]

somthing werid but coming over the bridge last night my bike seemed to lean into the wind and i wasnt doing anything (that i remember) to make it do that :S
dam GSXRs

Subconsciously staying loose and letting the bike bend with the wind.

[swbarnett]

Yay! Cold house! No lights! No heating or food - apart from semi-defrosted raw stuff :sick:

My apologies to the vegetarians among us but there's nothing quite like a nice bit of raw beef.

This came from my Dutch mother-in-law. No cooking required and very nice (quite rich):

Beef Steak Tartar (for two)

300gm Mince (very fresh and lean)
Dutch Mayonaise. Calve is good - available from the various Dutch food stores or Milford Woolworths (or is it foodtown now?)
Tomatoes
Cerebos sweet gherkins (and a bit of the juice)
Shallots (or onions it that's all you've got)
Celery Salt
Pepper

Dice everything fairly fine, mix thoroughly to taste and serve with leaves of lettuce and firm bread or crackers.

[sAsLEX]

:angry:
Power is still off, after 22 hours!
And according to our neighbour, the fixit chasps have no idea when it'll be back on. Apparently, a big pine tree fell over up the hill from us, taking out ALL the power lines, and they're having BIG problems with it. Was supposed to be on at 1 PM, but the latest is 6.
Or 8.
Or tomorrow.
Or .... ?

140 houses without power in our area (Chatswood).

Yay! Cold house! No lights! No heating or food - apart from semi-defrosted raw stuff :sick:

hmm wonder if you will get a refund for being without power that long, claim you require a breathing app that runs on electricity?

[vifferman]

Yay!! Power was back on last night (after 26 hours of being off :shit: ) We had to buy dinner last night though.
But.... no hot water this morning. Apparently some people in our area (us?) have no hot water, and others STILL have no power!
But at least the sun is shining, and after a great ride to work, I'm warm again. But the two slackards who were still asleep when I left for work are in for a nasty shock when they jump in the shower...