Can't wait!

[Mossyman]

Hi! Hoping to move out to Dunedin in October 09. Bringing the bikes with us (My 'Blade, Wife's CBR6 and Sons motocrosser). Can't wait! Are the police as picky as thy are in UK? i.e treating you like a rapist for having loud exhausts and small no.plates? :bash: Wife's been offered a job (Nurse) and I'll be looking (not too hard!) for a job to keep me in tyres and petrol! Laterz!!:rockon:

[BirdXX]

Get your wrists into shape. You won't be getting much wind on your chest to support you on the 'blade. It's a bit slower going down here...

...that said, the people, scenery and empty roads (most places) sort of makes up for it!

[triple-bee]

we will be getting there about the same time as you (christchurch) have u been for a look yet, we only got back a few weeks ago and i loved the place :niceone:

[CookMySock]

Are the police as picky as thy are in UK? i.e treating you like a rapist for having loud exhausts and small no.plates?Nah they generally leave bikers alone, unless you are repeatedly doing dangerous/noisy/irritating stuff in the same place - someone will complain and then out comes the fine tooth comb and they will get you for something. Just keep your bike paperwork legal and don't blap your loud exhaust right under their nose, and if they do stop you just be respectful and they frown and let you go.

Do be careful on our roads - they look like fun but they are deadly in all sorts of ways. Obstacles just appear out of nowhere here, and like most bikers I think you will probably be out-riding your stopping distance - that kinda comes with the territory unless you just want to slow down and cruise.. :sleep: Probably not..

Welcome.

Steve

[Ms Piggy]

Hi! Hoping to move out to Dunedin in October 09. Bringing the bikes with us (My 'Blade, Wife's CBR6 and Sons motocrosser). Can't wait! Wife's been offered a job (Nurse) and I'll be looking (not too hard!) for a job to keep me in tyres and petrol! Laterz!!:rockon:

Hey Mossyman (you may not want to post info here) my sister is a nurse down in Dunners at the public hospital - is that where your wife will be? My sis rides too and I know there are loads of other Dunedin & Southland riders here.

[98tls]

I would say that the cops are pretty mild here compared to the UK,ive been a member on the TL forum for years,plenty of English guys on there and from there comments i would say you will find it pretty easy going here,you will love it down there,heaps of good riding,i am just up the road so sing out when you get here and pop up the road for a brew.

[thepom]

Nah the cops here are ok mostly,I,ve been let off once and nabbed on the other but as long as you treat them with respect you ll be ok,they do the job they re told,if its to raise revenue by catching speeders then thats what they do,especially on bank holidays but riding around this place is just out of this world,you need an off road bike too cos its just a hoot too...:cool:

[426crasher]

Hi! Hoping to move out to Dunedin in October 09. Bringing the bikes with us (My 'Blade, Wife's CBR6 and Sons motocrosser). Can't wait! Are the police as picky as thy are in UK? i.e treating you like a rapist for having loud exhausts and small no.plates? :bash: Wife's been offered a job (Nurse) and I'll be looking (not too hard!) for a job to keep me in tyres and petrol! Laterz!!:rockon:

Great place and your going to be on the right island for the scenery. The cops here are not too bad but they are eager to give out tickets for speeding. It ook me a year or so to adjust to the lower average speeds but now i don't have any issues with it. Loud cans are legal here but they are cracking down on stupidly loud ones. Use your common sense on speed and pipes and you should be ok. Number plates are all uniform size and you can't buy aftermarket small ones. Having said that bike rego's are only 2 numbers and 3 letters so they aint massive to start with. It's a bit more of a cruiser place than a race rep place really. Move and enjoy.

[colsan1]

Having come over with my bike last year i would say you dont know
how good you've got it in the UK until you get here.
Give me a gatso camera anyday. Police here in the waikato are everywhere.
Marked and unmarked cars, i see camera vans every day.
The traffic flows so slowly it drives me mad.
In the uk on any sunday you would find plenty of guys playing, average speeds of around 85 to 100 (mph)
and plenty of times you could go out and really give it some with speeds often well in excess of 140mph.
Lets not forget how easy it is in the uk to get around fast on the motorways, numerous times i've done 200+ mile runs and
just sat at a steady 120(mph) all the way.
I'm sure others on here will tell you otherwise but the roads here are not upto prolonged high speed riding.
their are way to many cops about, car drivers are dangerous and often unpreditcable and the roads themselves are in very poor condition.
you have got to slow down and end up almost cruising along which is BORING (you see one volcanic cone you've seen em all)
on a good day on what they call a motorway you might find traffic travelling at all of 120kmh.
Guys at work think they have done well if they get to 160kmh, shit i thought i was being sencible in the uk if i kept it under that for the whole ride.
Seriously consider selling your bike and buying here, the cost of shipping and customs payments and getting a compliance test on the bike
and another on the brakes and then registering it just aint worth it.
i brought mine and wouldnt do so again its not cost effective and bikes here are in much better condition than back in the uk.

[smoky]

I driven on every continent in the world, lived in the Uk for 6 years, so heres my view;


Nah they generally leave bikers alone, unless you are repeatedly doing dangerous/noisy/irritating stuff in the same place - ..... and if they do stop you just be respectful and they frown and let you go.

WTF... let you go! In who's world do you live in, just goes to show how we all see things differently. Cops here absolutely suck here compared to the Police in the UK - the police in the UK actually use common sense, cops here just look for any chance to pull you, lecture you, fine you, even bending the truth when it suits them, very arrogant and would never admit to making a mistake...... bla bla bla


Do be careful on our roads - they look like fun but they are deadly in all sorts of ways. Obstacles just appear out of nowhere here, and like most bikers I think you will probably be out-riding your stopping distance - that kinda comes with the territory unless you just want to slow down and cruise..

Well it's not as bad as riding around stone walled, hedge-rowed lanes in the UK, but we don't have the big open motor-ways you'd be use to.


Having come over with my bike last year i would say you dont know how good you've got it in the UK until you get here.
Give me a gatso camera anyday. Police here in the waikato are everywhere.
Marked and unmarked cars, i see camera vans every day.
The traffic flows so slowly it drives me mad....Lets not forget how easy it is in the uk to get around fast on the motorways ........ the roads here are not upto prolonged high speed riding. their are way to many cops about, car drivers are dangerous and often unpreditcable and the roads themselves are in very poor condition.....
on a good day on what they call a motorway you might find traffic travelling at all of 120kmh.
The other side of the story; Colsan sounds a bit homesick and finding it a bit difficult adjusting to here, if you ask me.
Right about the over Policing of traffic, we are one of the most policed country in the world, rather than provide good roads the Government seems bent on reducing everyone to a crawl to avoid accidents.


Guys at work think they have done well if they get to 160kmh, shit i thought i was being sencible in the uk if i kept it under that for the whole ride..

I don't know who he's been riding with - Sounds like he's been a highway motorway rider - doesn't like the challange of roads with corners on them.
I would think going 120 - 160 on some of our coast roads, thru the forgotten highway, or country roads would be far more enjoyable than 160 - 200 on a dead flat motor-way with no corners??? But he's an English man - who knows what he's on about?
And I assure you cruising at 160 + is well within reach, if that's what you're into.

It's different thats all

[colsan1]

But he's an English man - who knows what he's on about?
l

Rumbled :yes:
but not homesick, the roads might be poor but life in NZ still beats the uk.
shame its full of kiwis :whistle: :chase:

[FJRider]

Rumbled :yes:
but not homesick, the roads might be poor but life in NZ still beats the uk.
shame its full of kiwis :whistle: :chase:

Then you obviously haven't seen ALL the roads.... would be better here if there wasn't as many poms... :innocent:

And Mossyman... you will love it in Dunedin... :wari:

[smoky]

And Mossyman... you will love it in Dunedin... :wari:

What is it with these POMS - so many of them head to the South Island, it's bleak, cold and isolated. Once he's ridden around the Otago peninsular a couple of times - then it's hours of boring straight roads before you find another road with corners to ride around.

All the actions up this end of the country man

[Jantar]

..... Once he's ridden around the Otago peninsular a couple of times - then it's hours of boring straight roads before you find another road with corners to ride around.

Huh? Man, you've obviously never ridden otago's roads. Its only SH1 that's got any straights on it at all. In fact most roads have so many twists that there are only 6 (non highway) roads in the whole province that have sufficient straight length for sprints.

Mossyman. Once you arrive here there are plenty of us who are prepared to show you around, and it won't be on straight roads. But be warned, tyres only last half to 2/3 the distance down here that they do in the north Island, and less than half of what you would expect in most places in the world.

[FJRider]

Huh? Man, you've obviously never ridden otago's roads. Its only SH1 that's got any straights on it at all. In fact most roads have so many twists that there are only 6 (non highway) roads in the whole province that have sufficient straight length for sprints.

Mossyman. Once you arrive here there are plenty of us who are prepared to show you around, and it won't be on straight roads. But be warned, tyres only last half to 2/3 the distance down here that they do in the north Island, and less than half of what you would expect in most places in the world.

And being the modern country that we are... some parts down here have broadband... :gob:

ONLY those who live here know some of the secrets... :yes:

[triple-bee]

What is it with these POMS - so many of them head to the South Island, it's bleak, cold and isolated. Once he's ridden around the Otago peninsular a couple of times - then it's hours of boring straight roads before you find another road with corners to ride around.

All the actions up this end of the country man




we like bleak cold and isolated, u cant,t fart over here without somebody smelling it there is a lot to be said for wide open spaces
:sunny:

[smoky]

Huh? Man, you've obviously never ridden otago's roads. Its only SH1 that's got any straights on it at all.

Just having some fun - was down there a couple of weeks ago, came up around the Catlins, Samsons hill, we did the road out to Middlemarch (where a local guy on a ST Ducati went flying past us and missed the next corner - wrote his bike off) then down thru Mcraes Flat. We also rode the MountainTrack road.


But be warned, tyres only last half to 2/3 the distance down here that they do in the north Island, and less than half of what you would expect in most places in the world.

Is this an Urban myth? I found no difference and got real good milage out of my tyres down there? I talked to a Roading Engineer from Opus - he assured me there is no difference between the coarseness of the chip in the North to South?

[colsan1]

Its the coarseness of the women you need to worry about ;)

[FJRider]

Is this an Urban myth? I found no difference and got real good milage out of my tyres down there? I talked to a Roading Engineer from Opus - he assured me there is no difference between the coarseness of the chip in the North to South?

You believe ALL that Jantar tells you... :gob:

[YellowDog]

Well I would agree on the speed thing. In the UK you can sit on 150kph all day and the cops will leave you alone. You need to watch your self at over 160kph, but the odd burst isn't generally a problem.

You will be surprised how the illusion of 100kph seems faster than 62.5mph in NZ. The terrain is a great deal more hilly and you certainly feel the benefit of a powerful engine.

I have not had any problem with the NZ police, but the I generally stay below 120kph and have never been over 150kph for a prolongued period. The only thing that is a bit sneaky here is that they are allowed to hide cameras and camera vans to catch you out.

Great riding country. Like Scotland, but greener and with toilets that work.

[YellowDog]

Hi! Hoping to move out to Dunedin in October 09. Bringing the bikes with us (My 'Blade, Wife's CBR6 and Sons motocrosser). Can't wait! Are the police as picky as thy are in UK? i.e treating you like a rapist for having loud exhausts and small no.plates? :bash: Wife's been offered a job (Nurse) and I'll be looking (not too hard!) for a job to keep me in tyres and petrol! Laterz!!:rockon:
BTW: Don't worry too much about finding work.

Letting your woman support you seems to be pretty common in NZ.

[Jantar]

...Is this an Urban myth? I found no difference and got real good milage out of my tyres down there? I talked to a Roading Engineer from Opus - he assured me there is no difference between the coarseness of the chip in the North to South?
Its no urban myth. From my own experience of extensive riding in both islands I get considerably more tyre wear in the South Island than in the North Island. There are many other comments on here from North Islanders touring down south who are suprised at how much quicker their tyres wear in the South Island.

However your Opus engineer is correct as to the courseness of the chip, but how about the sharpness due to the different rock types? Or how about the fact that there are many more roads in the North that use a smooth seal rather than a chip seal? Or the greater range of road surface temperatures experienced in the south? Or maybe just the higher average speeds obtainable in the South? There are many differences apart from simple chip size.

[FJRider]

What is it with these POMS - so many of them head to the South Island, it's bleak, cold and isolated. Once he's ridden around the Otago peninsular a couple of times - then it's hours of boring straight roads before you find another road with corners to ride around.

All the actions up this end of the country man

bullshit... take a peek at my last thread. A sunday arvo ride... BORING ????

[smoky]

bullshit... take a peek at my last thread. A sunday arvo ride... BORING ????

If you bothered to read the thread you would see I was just having a laugh

[smoky]

Its no urban myth. From my own experience of extensive riding in both islands I get considerably more tyre wear in the South Island than in the North Island.

Extensive means.......?
I've only done three trips on bike own South Island, never noticed any difference, in fact the last ride I got considerably more milage out of my tyres in the South Island than I do in the North Island - so from my extensive experience it's the other way around


There are many other comments on here from North Islanders touring down south who suprised at how much quicker their tyres wear in the South Island.

well - that settles it then...! KB never gets it wrong.
Auto suggestion would never come into it on KB either - we're all so scientific here.


However your Opus engineer is correct as to the courseness of the chip, but how about the sharpness due to the different rock types? Or how about the fact that there are many more roads in the North that use a smooth seal rather than a chip seal? Or the greater range of road surface temperatures experienced in the south? Or maybe just the higher average speeds obtainable in the South? There are many differences apart from simple chip size.

Well..... I don't think so personally, the chip used in both Islands are the same grade, don't believe everything you're told, I found as many smooth sealed roads down south as I do in the north, unless you think we all ride on the Auckland Motorway? Higher average speed in the South? Why would that be? I wouldn't of thought you'd want to ride at a higher average speed than what I tend to ride at up here - even if you were riding across the Nevada Dessert

But we all have our own truth

[FJRider]

If you bothered to read the thread you would see I was just having a laugh

When we ride the roads and highways of Central Otago... and think of the north islanders, WE laugh to...

[smoky]

When we ride the roads and highways of Central Otago... and think of the north islanders, WE laugh to...

Thats cause the corners are so far apart you get bored easily
When I ride I never have time to think about others in South Island
Actually while I was down there a couple of weeks ago I'm sure I saw a guy on a motorbike wearing sandals and long socks, that wasn't you was it?

[Pixie]

Its no urban myth. From my own experience of extensive riding in both islands I get considerably more tyre wear in the South Island than in the North Island. There are many other comments on here from North Islanders touring down south who are suprised at how much quicker their tyres wear in the South Island.

However your Opus engineer is correct as to the courseness of the chip, but how about the sharpness due to the different rock types? Or how about the fact that there are many more roads in the North that use a smooth seal rather than a chip seal? Or the greater range of road surface temperatures experienced in the south? Or maybe just the higher average speeds obtainable in the South? There are many differences apart from simple chip size.

Roads up here don't even use chip - just highly polished tar

[FJRider]

Thats cause the corners are so far apart you get bored easily
When I ride I never have time to think about others in South Island
Actually while I was down there a couple of weeks ago I'm sure I saw a guy on a motorbike wearing sandals and long socks, that wasn't you was it?

The speeds we travel at... the corners do seem close together.

We do have time to think of those poor unfortunate sods in the neither... sorry northern (same thing) regions. When we stop..... never for long though. More roads to ride...

I dont wear long socks... and the strap broke on my sandals a while ago.

[martybabe]

Roads up here don't even use chip - just highly polished tar

Ain't that the truth, you eengleesh boys are gonna find the road surfaces, or lack there of,take quite a bit of getting used to, it does vary according to region and season but the state of the roads will keep your speed down as much as anything else.

The good news is the (roads) take you to some wonderful places. Pretty much ten minutes out of any town off the main highway, you'll have it all to yourself and rumour has it some of the roads lead to race tracks where you go as fast as you can go.

Don't sweat the bitchin, It's different but it's wonderful. Come on down!

[Jantar]

Extensive means.......?
I've only done three trips on bike own South Island, never noticed any difference, in fact the last ride I got considerably more milage out of my tyres in the South Island than I do in the North Island - so from my extensive experience it's the other way around......

Extensive means: Around 250,000 km in the North Island over 15 years and 500,000+ in the South Island over 25 years, including numerous trips to the "Other Island" from which ever I was living in at the time. ;)

[triple-bee]

So u dont get out much then :crazy:

[Mossyman]

Thanks to everyone who replied, only just worked out where all this stuff is (what a numbty!). Speak soon - Mossyman xxxxxxx

[Mossyman]

Will do - there's always time for a brew!

[tigertim20]

Hi! Hoping to move out to Dunedin in October 09. Bringing the bikes with us (My 'Blade, Wife's CBR6 and Sons motocrosser). Can't wait! Are the police as picky as thy are in UK? i.e treating you like a rapist for having loud exhausts and small no.plates? :bash: Wife's been offered a job (Nurse) and I'll be looking (not too hard!) for a job to keep me in tyres and petrol! Laterz!!:rockon:

Hey mossyman, there are heaps of friendly bikers down here in dunedin, we do regular rides and maintenance evenings and stuf. check out www.southernrider.co.nz its a South Island specific biker forum, and heaps of Dunedin Riders are regular posters on there, itll get you in touch with some of the local bkers!