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View Full Version : GaaaahH!! Fruggingfog!



vifferman
10th July 2008, 09:00
I *hates* fog.
It looked like it was going to be another beautiful day here in D'Auckland, but while I was making my breakfast, the outside world disappeared.
WTF?!?
So, I took off the tinted visor, polished up the clear one with the pot of RandomGoopyStuff from the cupboard, unplugged the charger from the CakeMixaah!! girdered me loins (and me lions) and reluctantly headed off into the WhiteSoupOfDoom.
Within milliseconds (if not sooner), I was blind!
"Aaarrrrgggh!" I said to the inside of me helmet, and opened the visor.
"AAAAAaaaaaarrrRRRghhhh!!!" I said to the WhiteSoupOfDoom.
And then a few seconds later, I reached the OuterBoundaries of the WhiteSoupOfDoom.
WTF?!? :crazy:
So.
Now I'm riding in brilliant (if rather anaemic, heat-wise) sun, my visor's open, and it's 2 degrees above freezing. :argh:
I *hates* fog. :angry2:
I druther ride in torrential rain.
Or squelchy mud.

However (but!) one bright point (apart from the sun in my eyeballs) was that I found out why my bike was Being Weird.

The backpack.

Rode with the tankbag on today, and there was no feeling of instability, or random weaving, at 110km/h.

Now I just got to work out iffen it's aerodynamics (suckitup), or weight balance (drop the fork tubes a few mm).
Hmmmmm.....
(Things that make you go "hmmmmmm" - and fogs' not one of 'em)

Qkchk
10th July 2008, 09:05
Get up earlier before the fog rolls in.... :rofl:

Qkkid decided he was going to thumb a ride into work with me this morning................. mumbling something about 'sick of sub-zero temperatures, getting cold, sore neck.... mutter,mutter...' luckly as it was only 1 degree on the Northern this morning.

Swoop
10th July 2008, 09:45
There is a simple fix for this technical problem.
Stay in bed untill 9am.:whistle: (insert spudflip icon here)

mowgli
10th July 2008, 10:00
Now I just got to work out iffen it's aerodynamics (suckitup), or weight balance (drop the fork tubes a few mm).
Trying filling the backpack with light stuff, but to the same volume, and take that for a spin. That should tell you whether it's Newton or Bernoulli ruining your ride.

vifferman
10th July 2008, 10:44
Trying filling the backpack with light stuff, but to the same volume, and take that for a spin. That should tell you whether it's Newton or Bernoulli ruining your ride.
It's snot weight - the backpack is sitting forwards on the seat, and usually weighs less than 10kg (or whatever a pair of shoes, lunchbox, sweatshirt and spare visor weigh).
I can't be positive things were better this morning, handling wise, as I was concentrating on the Frog and traffic, but it seemed to be better.

I'd even considered (but ruled out) the effect of having flushmount confirminators as opposed to the proper DumobEaredMonstrosities, which possibly have some minor stabilising effect due to sticking out so much and being angled down, a bit like the winglet thingos on ZZR1200 fairings.

vifferman
10th July 2008, 10:47
Get up earlier before the fog rolls in.... :rofl:
Yesssss....
I was awake at 6:00ish, but decided it was the vifferbabe's turn to have first shower for a change.
The fog was smallish at 7, but by 8 it looked like it was covering the whole world. Turned out, of course, that it had just rolled up the valley below our house.

mowgli
10th July 2008, 10:52
Does the shimmy get worse or settle down at speeds above 110kph? Perhaps in the cold, foggy conditions you were more gentle with the wrist and got to/through the shimmy zone without spilling your breakfast?

Blackbird
10th July 2008, 10:52
Ya big girl Ian :2thumbsup. Lovely day here in the Coro. We had Atmonauti (Dan), the Canadian guy who is touring the country on his XT 400 stay with us last night and he's just set off up to Port Jackson where he's intending to camp for a couple of nights and walk the track over the Moehau Range. To Nova Scotians, this is apparently like summer:lol:

Geoff

vifferman
10th July 2008, 10:57
Does the shimmy get worse or settle down at speeds above 110kph?
It starts at about 110 - a vague feeling of instability, and the bike wanders a bit. Haven't tried extended periods at higher speeds, because that would be naughty...


Ya big girl Ian :2thumbsup.
I don't mind the cold - I just hate fog.
At least with rain, the visor's easy to clear. The fog just sticks to it, and the crap I decided to try on both sides (cause I put too much on the rag) was a bad idea. Add sunstrike to that, and there were times I was riding by feel. :eek5:
I don't think I ran anything over...

rat biker 08
10th July 2008, 11:11
You can move .
Or wait till the fog gets blown away:2thumbsup:lol::lol:

vifferman
10th July 2008, 11:17
You can move .
Or wait till the fog gets blown away:2thumbsup:lol::lol:
Move? Not yet.
Can't afford to change houses just yet. Besides - where else would we find a 3-storey, 4 bedroom house, with three bathrooms, four toilets, a lovely bush view, in a neighbourhood where you can accidentally leave the garage door open all night and not have anything nicked, that's 15 minutes from the CBD, and that's worth $400k more than we paid for it in 1999?
Wait?
Yeah, that would've been a good call. Ferkall happening at work - my PC's being bad, and I'm waiting for a fix. Pity KB's a bit boring today....

Rockbuddy
10th July 2008, 11:24
Yesssss....
I was awake at 6:00ish, but decided it was the vifferbabe's turn to have first shower for a change.
The fog was smallish at 7, but by 8 it looked like it was covering the whole world. Turned out, of course, that it had just rolled up the valley below our house.
you shouldve had a shower with vifferbabe, got away earlier

klingon
10th July 2008, 11:37
That fog looked stunning coming over the bridge. Couldn't see the water, just fog below. Looked like you could have bounced on it like a big fluffy mattress. Meanwhile I'm riding along in the sunshine up above. Marvellous.

vifferman
10th July 2008, 11:37
you shouldve had a shower with vifferbabe, got away earlier
That's not quite right; it would've been "had a shower with vifferbabe, been reaalllllllyyy late for work".
And the last time I was reaalllllllyyy late for work, I got awarded 35 bonus points and $150.

sunhuntin
10th July 2008, 15:28
my ol bike had ICE on the seat, topbox and tank bag this morning. was thinking its good im not a guy... id be shrunk to nothing if i was, lol. talk about cold arse. couldnt feel my fingers at all. minor fog and sun in my eyes. ick. but, its a lovely day!