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klingon's Blog

  1. How to get optimum tyre pressure

    Bumped into MarkW at the Avondale shops yesterday. Was a perfect day for a long ride, but both of us were just running errands.

    I asked Mark to remind me how to determine the optimum tyre pressure for my bike. Here's the formula (so I always know where to find it):

    • Fill tyres up when cold
    • Go for a long ride to warm tyres (at least 20 - 30 mins at motorway speeds)
    • Re-check the pressure when the tyres are hot (using the same gauge)
    • The difference
    ...
  2. Update to the V-Strom incident

    On 10 April I wrote about breaking a friend's lovely V-Strom. He just got it back from the repairers and the damage to the bike cost $8,500. The damage to the car we landed on (a late model VW Golf) will probably be at least a couple of thousand more.

    So the young guy who knocked us off (I think he's about 18 years old) will have a $10,000 debt before he really even gets started in his life. Plus the fines for not having a warrant or rego on his car. Plus whatever he still owes ...
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  3. Another offering to the gods

    Borrowed a friend's cherished V-Strom for the weekend. Had a marvellous day whizzing around North and West, stopped in Helensville for a cuppa, then down Souf to see The Rider's Mum for another cuppa.

    Riding home through Avondale and a young guy opened his car door into us! One minute we're pootling (slowly) along, next minute we're on the ground!

    Coincidenally there was a completely unrelated crash at a nearby intersection within moments of ours. ...
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  4. Offerings to the Gods of Stationary

    Turns out I only break my bike when it's stopped.

    1) Hit from behind by a car when I stopped at a stop sign (bike written off... entire rear end and left hand side were squished... not to mention my fractured ribs, bruising and concussion)

    2) Bolt sheared off from starter clutch and got flung around inside engine. Ended up replacing the whole engine.

    3) Even the tyre developed a slow leak and deflated while the bike was parked at work.

    ...
  5. How to embarrass yourself in front of a truck driver

    I was filtering between two lanes of stationary traffic today, at a red light. There was a light truck in the right lane, positioned all the way to the left of his lane. As I got closer I realised there was no way I was going to be able to get my mirror past his mirror, so I was going to be stuck between lanes when the lights changed.

    But as I came up beside the truck, the driver saw the problem. Next thing I know his mirror was making a whirring sound and folding forward out ...
  6. I think my Volty has had a seizure (1 December 08)

    Rode to Clevedon with some friends on Saturday. Volty ran perfectly well with no sign of trouble. Went to leave the Clevedon Cafe after stopping for coffee and Volty just went "clunk!" when I tried to start her up.

    We first thought it might be the battery so tried starting her with the battery from another bike, with the same result.

    My friend thought maybe the starter had seized, so we removed the starter motor and tried to push-start her. As soon as he let ...
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  7. Thanks Mr White Van Man (29 Jan 09)

    Yesterday I left work early to go to a job interview. When I went out to my bike the back tyre was flat. I rode carefully to the nearest petrol station (in Wairau Road, Glenfield) but as soon as I put air in I could hear it hissing out again! I went inside the station to use the phone book so I could call and explain to the interviewer why I couldn't get there (interview was downtown.) By now I was feeling a bit hot & flustered and not sure what to do next.

    There were ...
  8. Motor-cycle club fined

    An unusual case of Sunday trading affecting many sports bodies came before Mr S. L. Paterson, SM, in Hamilton yesterday, when the Hamilton Motor-Cycle Club (Inc.) (Mr N. I. Smith), admitted a charge of keeping open for transacting business on a Sunday.

    Sub-inspector W. G. Bennett said that on Sunday, November 12, the club conducted a sports meeting at its stadium at Whatawhata and collected an entrance fee at the gates and sold programmes.

    Mr Smith said the object of ...
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