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General Bike Ravings

Biker culture, politics and general issues.

  1. Love/Hate Ducati ownership

    I've written about my love/hate relationship with the Ducati before, but it has reached epic proportions this time.

    Bike has 33,567kms on the clock.
    It is due a chain and sprockets, but thats not the kicker.
    It has had its starter rebuilt (yet only 32k when it was done? shit!) but I have been told that the high compression makes these motors harder on the starter to turn over.

    Now I love this bike to bits, even though I have tried selling it twice, I end ...
  2. My own Mission Impossible

    Ok...lets sort this out once and for all.
    MSL, how I got involved, and what it is, what it means.

    In light of recent events and in the interest of setting a few records straight, I decided to blog the course of history that lead me to be on the ACC MSL Safety Council.

    You all know I was involved with BIKEOI, and thats effectively where my involvment began.
    BRONZ Wellington opened, and grew, and started to get attention from TPTB

    Foxzee called ...
  3. Sigh... bloody Ducati servicing

    Well, after my last blog entry Sissy the ST4 has had very little use (by my standards anyway) having only moved 2,600kms since her 'valve check' was done, oil filters tune blah blah.

    On a run over the Pahiatua Track yesterday we noticed a few fresh spots under the bike, and a big black drip hanging off the paddock stand mount.
    Having asked my 'regular' service agent to look into this issue before, (twice no less) and being told it was 'chain splatter, its nothing of concern' ...
  4. Fully serviced, time to ride!

    I often ask mechanics and other 'knowledgable' folk what REALLY happens if you dont service the Ducati at the intervals they reccomend.

    So the ST4 was just shy her next valve service, but was running pretty horrid, just felt gutless, sounded rattly (more so than usual) and seemed to be using oil faster than I would have expected for a healthy motor.
    Biting the bullet (and extending the overdraft) I booked her in for the BIG one, and lo and behold got informed my valves were ...
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  5. What a ride! What a day! What a gal!

    This Sunday has to be one of the most eventful days I have ever shared with my KB friends, full of drama, fun, and blue skies!

    Took my lady Kelly for a ride to martinborough on the KTM, and arranged to meet carla (aka Quasi) at the summit (Taka's of course) to head on down the hill with

    So we pull up, get helmets off, chat away with a random biker we never met and my mate Matt pulls in with Graheme, a couple of riders I have come to know from the Gladdy circuit these ...