Nooby 17 Year Old Me...

[CB ARGH]

Hey guys and gals,

I'm interested in doing a bit of long distance riding. One thing that has got me stunned is knowing where to go, and how to get there. With technology these days I could easily go out and spend $1000 on a GPS unit, but I don't have that sort of money. How do YOU find your way around? Do you just use the old style and plan using a map? This may sound severely dumb, but how do you read the map and ride at the same time? Do you stop every once in a while to read the map? Etc?

Any help would be great, I'm planning a day trip down to the mount or Hamilton, from Auckland.

Thanks,

STEVE

[Gubb]

Tank bag with a clear window on top, with a map inside.

[fridayflash]

do it the traditional blokes way....folow your nose,wing it,and insist you
know where youre going;)
alternatively,buy yourself a copy of the most excerent[sic]
nz motorcycle atlas,and put it in your map window of your tankbag [if you have one] open to the relevant map page,which you can glance down at
when you need to jog your memory. [assuming youve already been over your
intended route] good luck

[Ixion]

Sun by day, moon and stars by night. Seriously. Work out what direction your destination is , and take your bearings accordingly

It's a small skinny country. If you find your feet are wet, you may have ridden too far.

Hamilton is south. Face the rsing sun, it's on your right .

For the Mount, bear 45 degrees, more or less , around Hamilton way.

[fridayflash]

btw, aucks to the mount via paeroa,waihi etc then over the kaimais
and backroads hamilton then home to aucks would put a smile on your
dial, and be a great first effort,build your confidence etc
just ride safe and watch for rogue cages:shit:

[vindy500]

umm follow the signs....

[Grub]

buy yourself a copy of the most excerent[sic]
nz motorcycle atlas,

Actually, believe it or not, there's a much better set available with a larger scale and therefore more detail. It's the Kiwimaps North (or South) Island complete drivers atlas.

When I got lost in the gravel-roaded forest between Maungatapu and Rotorua and came to a T intersection where the cross road was "No.2 Rd", I knew I was really in the shit. So I finally got the map out (it was a hassle because it was in the backpack) .. the detail of the map was so good that No.2 Rd was there. It had no right to be, but it was.

I'll often look at possible routes using Google Maps (http://maps.google.co.nz/) because you can drag the blue line around and it drops into all these amazing back roads.

Then I take the map, sometimes in a tank bag with clear pocket bu tmostly in the backpack. Why? Well to be truthful, sometimes just wandering is pretty damned cool, especially if you have the time and the urge to just explore.

[James Deuce]

Plan? Are you OCD or something?

[rainman]

All you need to know are the names of some of the towns you should be passing through. Have a decent look at the map before you go (take it with you in case you get hopelessly lost) and just go have fun. Don't panic about getting lost, enjoy the ride, but do watch for hazards - those are quite different out of town than they are in town: cowshit, rogue sheep (ask Toaster), tractors, dodgy road surface, gravel...

And, if you get lost, you can always.... ask for directions. :) The locals are usually friendly around most parts, and there's lots of places to stop for a coffee and a break and check the map if you really have to. This is meant to be fun, remember!

I would hate to ride from here to there if all I got to see was my map.

[The Pastor]

LOL this should be in "biker angles" fourm.


Such a chick type question.

[Nasty]

LOL this should be in "biker angles" fourm.


Such a chick type question.

Don't know any chicks who would ask a group of bikers that question ... so I guess it is in the right place ...

Grub is right about the maps ... I have traveled the north extensively and the map is fantastic ... he hates the tank bag with window .. but it does work .. I don't use a tank bag cos I don't like them. Basically I use the follow the signs and follow the nose methods. I am yet to get lost like the grub :)

[CookMySock]

wises.co.nz for detailed driving directions if you haven't been some place before. Trip times are more accurate than google.

maps.google.com is the same thing but allows you to drag 'n drop a mid-point to change your route - VERY good for organising rides as you can a yank the route aroute big-time and it just re-calcs everything on the fly. Nice. Trip times sometimes quite a bit out - quicker to drive it than google suggests.

Best tool for touring, wises - more accurate. best for route planning, google - more flexible. Though if you can't get a straight answer out of one then try the other.


DB

[Rosie]

The New Zealand Motorcycle Atlas (Hema maps) is very useful. If you are an AA member, their maps are also useful. Mainly because they are free, and you can keep them in your jacket pocket for easy reference, and it doesn't matter if they get trashed.

Depending on how navigationally-intensive the route I'm taking is, I'll look at the map, and make note of the next 3-4 important navigation points and repeat them to myself a few times, so I remember them. After that, I stop, look at the map, and figure out the next 3-4. On main highways, there are lots of signs, so looking at the map every time I stop for fuel is enough. On complicated routes through back roads or city centres, I may need to stop fairly frequently because of the number of road names etc I need to keep track of.

[NOMIS]

I never take a map to where im going, never get lost.. some people have such bad snese of direction. take notice of your surroundings. jeez.
lol

I dont get it theres road signs ever where.

[Ixion]

Because following the road signs will invariably take you down the boring main roads. Where everybody goes.

What biker wants to ride on main roads?

Real roads don't have signs

[raftn]

We go away a lot, my partner often asks where we are going , to which i reply "no idea" where ever the road takes us. You are never far from a town and or city when you travel around Nz, and after all its the journey not the destination that interests me. Saying all that i often just take a note of the towns i will pass through and follow the signs, but dont be afraid to take to getoff the beaten track some times...it can make for a great adventure!
Where ever you go enjoy the ride, cause thats whats it s all about! As that advertising sloagn says........"JUST DO IT"!

[sels1]

. One thing that has got me stunned is knowing where to go, and how to get there. STEVE

You know that big lumpy thing in the middle of your face? point it in the general direction you want to go and then just follow it. :)
(And reading the road signs help)

[CB ARGH]

You know that big lumpy thing in the middle of your face? point it in the general direction you want to go and then just follow it. :)
(And reading the road signs help)

Pimples suck at giving directions, dork. :Pokey:

Cheers guys, I think I'm going to take a week on leave from work and just go wherever the weather takes me. As long as I've got a map to get back home and a bit of spare cash I should be fine. Anybody know of a list of things to bring when going on a long ride?

Churr!

STEVE

[Coyote]

So long as you have enough fuel to travel across the whole island, does it really matter? Just keep going in one direction until you see a helpful road sign.

Course you're 17 and you probably only have the cash to get half the way to your destination :p

[mstriumph]

Hey guys and gals,

I'm interested in doing a bit of long distance riding. One thing that has got me stunned is knowing where to go............

Hi Steve and welcome aboard!!

.... i'd say that deciding where you want to go would be a distinct advantage when it comes to figuring out how to get there ..........:confused:

[CB ARGH]

Course you're 17 and you probably only have the cash to get half the way to your destination :p

With an $8000 student loan too :yes:

The idea has hit a speedbump... the bike's going to take longer than expected to get back on the road... Just found out that I have to replace the two front discs... FARK

[motorbyclist]

umm follow the signs....

yeah, auckland to hamilton/taurange is easy along main highways


alternatively, i like to get onto Google Earth and look for the nice windy roads that look to be sealed, and sketch/print a quick map showing the general area and where to turn....

[kiwi cowboy]

Pimples suck at giving directions, dork. :Pokey:

Cheers guys, I think I'm going to take a week on leave from work and just go wherever the weather takes me. As long as I've got a map to get back home and a bit of spare cash I should be fine. Anybody know of a list of things to bring when going on a long ride?

Churr!

STEVE

:innocent:ya bike :whistle:ya skid lid and riding gear :2thumbsup:hug:

[CB ARGH]

:innocent:ya bike :whistle:ya skid lid and riding gear :2thumbsup:hug:

:gob: Ohhkai

[kiwi cowboy]

:gob: Ohhkai

:devil2::devil2::devil2: was just a thought:devil2::niceone:

[Pedrostt500]

If ya want to get off onto the back roads Kiwi Maps do a very good North Island and South Island map books that have most country road names, there are also map books for small towns for both Islands, not certain but I think some tank bags have a clear map pocket on them.

[NighthawkNZ]

Hey guys and gals,

I'm interested in doing a bit of long distance riding. One thing that has got me stunned is knowing where to go, and how to get there. With technology these days I could easily go out and spend $1000 on a GPS unit, but I don't have that sort of money. How do YOU find your way around? Do you just use the old style and plan using a map? This may sound severely dumb, but how do you read the map and ride at the same time? Do you stop every once in a while to read the map? Etc?

Any help would be great, I'm planning a day trip down to the mount or Hamilton, from Auckland.

Thanks,

STEVE

Random riding... whats down this road then... oh never been down this road either...?? :D

Then again I use a GPS

[Skinny_Birdman]

Touring on a CBR 250? That takes me back... I take my wallet, wet weather gear, a sweater, the aforementioned Hema NZ Motorcycle Atlas and a small toolkit and tubeless tyre repair kit. But seriously, like everyone else says, don't waste your money on GPS for touring NZ on sealed roads. There aren't THAT many roads, and you can use the money you save to buy brake discs. There now, Birdman has solved your problems. :banana:
Good luck with the touring and the ginormous student loan.
Cheers
A

[CB ARGH]

Touring on a CBR 250? That takes me back... I take my wallet, wet weather gear, a sweater, the aforementioned Hema NZ Motorcycle Atlas and a small toolkit and tubeless tyre repair kit. But seriously, like everyone else says, don't waste your money on GPS for touring NZ on sealed roads. There aren't THAT many roads, and you can use the money you save to buy brake discs. There now, Birdman has solved your problems. :banana:
Good luck with the touring and the ginormous student loan.
Cheers
A

Cheers mate,

Yeah just got told that I'm gonna be given a payout of all my annual leave since I'm switching to full time to get the bike on the road. It's about $550 worth of annual leave that will be paid out. ALL of it, will be going into getting the bike on the road. Yuss!!

I will be looking into a tank bag. TradeMe generally stocks shit, but to be honest I don't know what to look for. Yeah.

[sels1]

Pimples suck at giving directions

Your nose, young fella, follow your nose!! The traditional adventurers tool.

And make sure your phones charged up, and has enough airtime for a few calls (in case of emergency)

[Coyote]

With an $8000 student loan too :yes:

The idea has hit a speedbump... the bike's going to take longer than expected to get back on the road... Just found out that I have to replace the two front discs... FARK
I'm at $5000, but have $3000 left on my bike loan and owe the parents $500. I'm winning :p

That sucks. Had to replace the disks on my VFR soon after getting it. Got some cheaper ones which arrive warped, at least I know one of them is very much warped. I got another one for free which will hopefully sort that one, hopefully the second disk is fine. Don't blame the guys I got them off, think it was the shipping company that must've dropped the box.

[CB ARGH]

Oh crap that would suck. :mellow:

[Biggles2000]

Hi
You dont need a GPS, it can only tell you where you are. And don't worry about being on a 250. It will still get you a speeding ticket on the open road. The NZ Motorcyclist atlas is brillant cause it lists out all the great riding roads and what to look out for on them. Apart from that get your @ss in the saddle and go exploring, trust me, you will never know what you will find. Love the dog.

[Grub]

Anybody know of a list of things to bring when going on a long ride?

Steve you don't have to take much but there are some things I don't feel comfortable without ...

- Tyre repair kit ... worth every cent!
- At least the bike's standard tool kit
- One set of warm clothes
- A set of A4 sized and one set of 'sandwich' sized Glad Ziplock bags

That's pretty much it. Wear more layers on the bike than you think you need because even if you're too warm when you start the wind-chill factor will just keep cooling you. If you're unlucky, they all get soaked but the wind won't cut through and make you freezing. When you get to a backpackers, you have a nice warm set. In the morning, even if it didn't dry completely, put your damp gear back on ... don't get your dry gear wet.

Put everything in the ziplock bags - maps, clothes, phone, camera, snack bars, torch etc .... they can just about float in water and still keep the contents dry.


I will be looking into a tank bag. TradeMe generally stocks shit, but to be honest I don't know what to look for. Yeah.
Agreed ... you have to really be able to try a few. We went to all the bike shops one Saturday and tried different ones and then looked at Tardme to see if we could get at a decent price. A few things to check out
- Not too big for your tank?
- Will it wrap around a small 250 type tank? Some have quite a stiff bottom.
- Do the magnetic flaps contact metal so ti gets a proper grip?
- Are there enough magnets to keep the tank there at 110kmh (Nasty's Tardme one flew off and planted itself in her face)
- How high is it, does it allow you to bend over the tank comfortably when running at 100kmh and leaning into corners? (mine on the CBR600 doesn't - it's too deep)
- Will you be able to fit a chamois under it to stop it scratching the tank (you must do this)

One of the things I discovered was that I was getting 'stone chips' in the top of my tank. I couldn't figure it out for ages ... (duh) I carried extra tools in the tank bag and every time I hit a bump they'd bounce too and their sharp edges would have a go at the paint through the bottom of the tank bag (duh!)