Fortnight 1 to 14 August: Where Did You Ride and What Did You Practise?

[Terminated]

Where Did You Ride and What Did You Practise? during the last/next fortnight.

The days are starting to get longer, and daylight saving will be here before you know it.

Last fortnights thread had me going back into 'Buckbuck's Newbie Training Update', and reflecting on the DEE-FAP.

What's a DEE-FAP?.....http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=826048#post826048

With a view to providing some useful information for newbie riders I invite all riders, within this kiwibiker community, to perhaps reflect on some of those learning to ride challenges we have all experienced. If you have a particular topic you may want to present here that you have, or are planning to examine during your riding this fortnight, then by all means take a few minutes to post up your comments.

Where you ride to is also of interest, as are any pictures you take, and any humorous thing that may have occurred. The general theme is nevertheless the riding practice so that newbie riders can perhaps get an insight to the things that can and do happen, and what we endeavour to practise so as to avoid any harm to ourselves and other road users.

The more senior riders are encouraged to post a few lines here that they believe will be helpful to, not only just new riders, but all riders in general.


At the end of the fortnight on 14 August Rosie and Quallman1234 will each choose an entry from this thread.


Their selections will then be copied across to the Newbie Update Blogg.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blogs/viewblog.php?userid=1728

The blogg is intended to provide an insight to the approaches taken to motorcycle riding and I encourage all new riders to seek out an experienced riding mentor to periodically review your progress. As you gain time in the saddle and distance travelled, then plan on taking a professionally conducted advanced riding course.


Heads Up and Enjoy:yes::scooter::scooter::yes::scooter::yes:

[Terminated]

Had ride planned with Stevedee and Ducati Johnnie. Got to Rimutex around 10.45 and I immediately bailed. We decided to go over to Short Straw Cafe in Whitemans Valley via Te Marua and Mangaroa. Wind was a little less there. After a feed and coffee back down to Silverstream.

Steve and Johnnie headed back up SH2 for the Rimutaka Hill, I returned to Stokes Valley.

I would not have felt comfortable on the Rimutaka Hill in the windy conditions today at all. So the alternative ride to Whitemans Valley was a good compromise.

Heads Up and Enjoy:yes::scooter::yes::scooter::yes::scooter:

[Nasty]

Good move buckbuck. I went with TCSMR .. .and had a ball. I am riding the 1990 CBR600 and it was only the second time on the hill .... very different to the virago which handles almost any wind to being on a faully fared bike which moved with the wind. Yes was windy but it reminded me that I ride my own ride and so things at a pace that is safe for me.

Out on the straights back of galdstone had a little fright and pulled over for a breath or two ... mal and Korea didn't mind and stopped with me and then we continued on. This was fantastic .. and encouraging for me.

All up quite enjoyable and challenging ... be safe and ride your own ride guys :)

[jeff]

Yep! went over to the Wairarapa and out to Flat Point. Very windy all the way out there and back. Took the Transalp (because just like Buck Buck it was too windy for me on the hill) and I sat up the back. Good ride through the gravel road, but some corners had quite a bit of gravel on them. They have been doing a bit of logging through there. Had lunch at the side of the road at Flat Point (yes that was us sitting on a pile of old tyres munching our sammies!) Then went back through Homewood across to Riversdale (ice cream stop here) then back to Masterton and home down the main road. Featherston was it's usual self - BLOWING A GALE! Just as well I wasn't on my own bike I would have been blown over at the gas station!

Jeff's theory on the hill is to ride the windy bits with the power full on. Myself I would go for a 40kg bag of cement tied on the back to give me some more weight! (330km round trip).

Chrissie and Jeff

[chanceyy]

Well another couple of first’s

My first organised ride & tackling the Rimutaka Hill .. that is something I have been wanting to do for a while .. :gob:

Well decided that there are a lot of palmy & surrounding area lurkers out there & it can be daunting coming to an established group so the plan was to get some new faces out there & give it a go ..
:yes:
Planned a flowing kinda ride (thanks to the auck crew @ turangi for the idea on how to do this) ;)

So 19 bikes turned out & all skill levels catered for, with no pressure to keep up or worries on where to go, also no pressure on anyone to ride above their own ride :sunny:

Now for my ride day .. after being sick for a few weeks I really really really wanted this ride and have not travelled the back roads of pahiatua for 3-4 months so really wanted to see if I had become smoother & if I could get the corners to flow ..

Needless to say the smile pretty much said it all .. I had an absolute blast .. road most of it myself but it was great knowing there were others behind me & a tail end Charlie so could concentrate on wot was infront of me rather than ahh fark I am being left behind ..

Still overcooked one or two corners but that was ok I Knew the mistakes I made & worked on making the next corner better :love:

After lunch the taka hill loomed & must admit I was feeling a mixture of trepidation & excitement, the hill certainly has a reputation & demands respect or it will spit you out without a second thought ..

But this would have to be the highlight of my ride I deliberately waited til all the other riders left .. apart from bonez who kindly offered to go TEC I certainly felt no pressure with him behind me & warned I would prob be slow .. but I found my niche .. kept Betsy in 3-4 gear & did not change up or down stable speed and the corners flowed fantastically really felt good about the ride & my ability to corner more smoothly

By the time we reached the summit I was really buzzing & smiling but also not getting above myself as we still had the down side & paikakariki hill to come so knew it was not time for any complacency. :innocent:

Had fun with another kber on the windy bit by Te marua & he passed me on the straight but I passed him (in a safe overtaking manner) on a sweepy wide turn .. totally relaxed & grinning from ear to ear. :dodge:

We managed to slightly hit a white line covered in rain on the paicock hill & felt Betsy give a wee sideways flick but totally did not bother me .. also aware of others accidents on this hill treated it with the respect it deserved & slowed down as well again tried to get the flow going .. but as I was the 3rd rider behind the leaders realised that I had some real experienced riders behind me .. so a wee bit conscious about this .. however no comments on cornering eventuated & experiencing this more should hopefully ease the incompetent feeling one sometimes feels .. :scooter:

Other than the driving rain which I have experienced before the ride was totally a success & look forward to some more great times ahead .. :shutup:

Today I have a smile that will not leave & a feeling of yeah that ride rocked …:done:

[KoroJ]

I think I prefer the wind to the rain. Spent yesterday riding http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blogs/viewblog.php?userid=9500&entry=239 and today cleaning up the mess, (but there wasn't much wind at home in Ngaio).

I learned: my low beam sucks; 5.5 hours in the saddle is manageable; I didn't waterproof my gear properly after washing it; I need to tuck my gloves into my jacket; I need to ride Napier - Opotiki again.

[Renegade]

man if i knew you guys were all going over the hill i would have continued my ride instead of just heading out the hutt and back from town, but yeah windy out on that motorway.

[disenfranchised]

On the n00b friendly ride Maverick organised on the 5th.
On the way back with Felix leading the slower pack, he gave us some really good tips about tackling blind and tightening corners, which we got to put into practice stright away :eek:

Keep it wide, and at a speed you can control until you can see the exit, then roll on the throttle to exit.

Thnaks to his helpful hints everyone had a nice smooth and safe ride home

[James Deuce]

Went over the Z750 with a fine tooth comb yesterday, during the process of a decent clean.

Issues:

1. Linkages and pivots dry on both the rear brake lever and the clutch lever.

2. Exhaust leaking at the connector pipe/collector join.

3. Pack rack mount loose.

Resolutions:

1. Pulled levers apart, chain lube on ball joints and lever pivots.

2. Vibration had made the link pipe clamp loosen off. Reseated the join and tightened clamp.

3. Pulled rear end to bits to make accessing bolts easier. Cleaned bolts and put back together with the last dribbles of my Loctite.

Moral of the story: Check stuff when you clean your bike. Make sure everything works as it should.

[babyblade250rr]

On the n00b friendly ride Maverick organised on the 5th.
On the way back with Felix leading the slower pack, he gave us some really good tips about tackling blind and tightening corners, which we got to put into practice stright away :eek:

Keep it wide, and at a speed you can control until you can see the exit, then roll on the throttle to exit.

Thnaks to his helpful hints everyone had a nice smooth and safe ride home

yep me went on this too great ride good learning curve!!:rockon:

[yungatart]

Mstrs and I (along with others) are supporting Stickchick on the great learning curve of riding a motorcycle.
So with that in mind we headed off yesterday avo fo a short ride with her.
For me it was totally different. I have always been the most inexperienced rider on our rides, the one who lacks confidence and is the slowest.
Yesterday, I got to ride TEC for SC and help her out. It is quite a change when you have to focus on your own and someone else's riding. SC put huge faith and trust in me, and I was not going to let her down. I remembered back to my early days and didn't want to overload her with info, but rather give her 1 thing to help her improve her skill level and confidence. I chose telling her to keep an eye on her mirrors. She rode beautifully, so much better than I did at her experience level. Well done!!
For myself, I practised my counter steering, (man, that is soo much fun), keeping my head up in the corners and looking for the exit, and late apexing the corners. It is exciting to see progress in my riding and fine tuning the basics.
It is also great to be able to help out a new rider and pay forward all the hours that people have put in to my riding.

[Rosie]

I've been on a couple of short trips around the city today, and yesterday evening. I've been practising hazard detection - keeping an eye on what is going on around me, and trying to react appropriately if the situation looks a bit dodgy (adjusting my position in the lane or covering the brakes, for example).
I do very little city/suburban riding, so I'm making a point of doing a bit more, to improve my skills.

[quallman1234]

Well another couple of first’s



Other than the driving rain which I have experienced before the ride was totally a success & look forward to some more great times ahead .. :shutup:

Today I have a smile that will not leave & a feeling of yeah that ride rocked …:done:

I pick chanccey as my selection for this week, for having a good at the rimutakas and enjoying the expirence. And not to mention enjoying the expierence of touring :).

Good to see you again :sunny:

[Rosie]

Mstrs and I (along with others) are supporting Stickchick on the great learning curve of riding a motorcycle.
So with that in mind we headed off yesterday avo fo a short ride with her.
For me it was totally different. I have always been the most inexperienced rider on our rides, the one who lacks confidence and is the slowest.
Yesterday, I got to ride TEC for SC and help her out. It is quite a change when you have to focus on your own and someone else's riding. SC put huge faith and trust in me, and I was not going to let her down. I remembered back to my early days and didn't want to overload her with info, but rather give her 1 thing to help her improve her skill level and confidence. I chose telling her to keep an eye on her mirrors. She rode beautifully, so much better than I did at her experience level. Well done!!
For myself, I practised my counter steering, (man, that is soo much fun), keeping my head up in the corners and looking for the exit, and late apexing the corners. It is exciting to see progress in my riding and fine tuning the basics.
It is also great to be able to help out a new rider and pay forward all the hours that people have put in to my riding.

I choose yungatart for helping out a newer rider, as well as working on her own technique. I'm not used to following other riders, and find it takes a lot of concentration, even if they are an experienced rider. I've never been out riding with someone less experienced than myself, but I imagine that would require even more concentration.

Also, taking a systematic approach to cornering, identifying exit points etc is something that I should be working on myself. I'm taking the afternoon off work and going for a ride, and plan on working on my cornering technique.

Rosie.

[Terminated]

Thanks Rosie and Quallman1234 for your selections this week and to Rosie and Quallman1234 congratulations you will be our selectors over the next fortnight.

The selections this week do have a theme ‘personal improvement’. The joy and pleasure in riding, seeing the progress we have each individually made, and also the progress we see in others.

This week I posted an entry regarding my own transition/s moving up from the GN250, however along the way I maintained vigilance:

“Buck – Where Are You Riding?
Buck – How Are You Riding?
And Buck – Why Are You Riding Like That – Right Now?”

I endeavour to maintain a constant discipline when riding and if things start to fall outside the norm I ask myself those three questions. The key point being self discipline, ride within your own comfort zone, and be patient.

Refer to: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=55460


I choose yungatart for helping out a newer rider, as well as working on her own technique. I'm not used to following other riders, and find it takes a lot of concentration, even if they are an experienced rider. I've never been out riding with someone less experienced than myself, but I imagine that would require even more concentration.

Also, taking a systematic approach to cornering, identifying exit points etc is something that I should be working on myself. I'm taking the afternoon off work and going for a ride, and plan on working on my cornering technique.

Rosie.


Mstrs and I (along with others) are supporting Stickchick on the great learning curve of riding a motorcycle.
So with that in mind we headed off yesterday avo fo a short ride with her.
For me it was totally different. I have always been the most inexperienced rider on our rides, the one who lacks confidence and is the slowest.
Yesterday, I got to ride TEC for SC and help her out. It is quite a change when you have to focus on your own and someone else's riding. SC put huge faith and trust in me, and I was not going to let her down. I remembered back to my early days and didn't want to overload her with info, but rather give her 1 thing to help her improve her skill level and confidence. I chose telling her to keep an eye on her mirrors. She rode beautifully, so much better than I did at her experience level. Well done!!
For myself, I practised my counter steering, (man, that is soo much fun), keeping my head up in the corners and looking for the exit, and late apexing the corners. It is exciting to see progress in my riding and fine tuning the basics.
It is also great to be able to help out a new rider and pay forward all the hours that people have put in to my riding.



I pick chanccey as my selection for this week, for having a good at the rimutakas and enjoying the expirence. And not to mention enjoying the expierence of touring :).

Good to see you again


Well another couple of first’s

My first organised ride & tackling the Rimutaka Hill .. that is something I have been wanting to do for a while ..

Well decided that there are a lot of palmy & surrounding area lurkers out there & it can be daunting coming to an established group so the plan was to get some new faces out there & give it a go ..
:yes:
Planned a flowing kinda ride (thanks to the auck crew @ turangi for the idea on how to do this) ;)

So 19 bikes turned out & all skill levels catered for, with no pressure to keep up or worries on where to go, also no pressure on anyone to ride above their own ride.

Now for my ride day .. after being sick for a few weeks I really really really wanted this ride and have not travelled the back roads of pahiatua for 3-4 months so really wanted to see if I had become smoother & if I could get the corners to flow ..

Needless to say the smile pretty much said it all .. I had an absolute blast .. road most of it myself but it was great knowing there were others behind me & a tail end Charlie so could concentrate on wot was infront of me rather than ahh fark I am being left behind ..

Still overcooked one or two corners but that was ok I Knew the mistakes I made & worked on making the next corner better.

After lunch the taka hill loomed & must admit I was feeling a mixture of trepidation & excitement, the hill certainly has a reputation & demands respect or it will spit you out without a second thought ..

But this would have to be the highlight of my ride I deliberately waited til all the other riders left .. apart from bonez who kindly offered to go TEC I certainly felt no pressure with him behind me & warned I would prob be slow .. but I found my niche .. kept Betsy in 3-4 gear & did not change up or down stable speed and the corners flowed fantastically really felt good about the ride & my ability to corner more smoothly

By the time we reached the summit I was really buzzing & smiling but also not getting above myself as we still had the down side & paikakariki hill to come so knew it was not time for any complacency.

Had fun with another kber on the windy bit by Te marua & he passed me on the straight but I passed him (in a safe overtaking manner) on a sweepy wide turn .. totally relaxed & grinning from ear to ear.

We managed to slightly hit a white line covered in rain on the paicock hill & felt Betsy give a wee sideways flick but totally did not bother me .. also aware of others accidents on this hill treated it with the respect it deserved & slowed down as well again tried to get the flow going .. but as I was the 3rd rider behind the leaders realised that I had some real experienced riders behind me .. so a wee bit conscious about this .. however no comments on cornering eventuated & experiencing this more should hopefully ease the incompetent feeling one sometimes feels ...

Other than the driving rain which I have experienced before the ride was totally a success & look forward to some more great times ahead ...

Today I have a smile that will not leave & a feeling of yeah that ride rocked …


This post will be copied to the Newbie Update blogg:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blogs/viewblog.php?userid=1728

Yungatart and Chanceyy will be your selectors for the fortnight ending 28 August.

Heads Up and Enjoy:yes::scooter::yes::scooter::yes::scooter: