Motorcycling and An Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

Objective - With the Mentor's review completed on Sunday I proceeded to review my original training circuit in Stokes Valley for an hour and practice slow control including figure eight and u-turns. Also going up and over Holborn Drive and importantly here focusing on the left bends - I was able to appreciate my Mentor's remarks about how I was staying out quite wide unnecessarily so - I was able to find better and safer lines to take going up and over this part of the valley.

Parking lot training [Harcourt Werry Drive] Took the seven icecream lids [get some tennis balls and cut them in half instead of lids], and practised the counter steering and worked on one of my Mentor's tips:
Use only your right hand, no brakes, and get a feel for the bike. I did several runs up and down weaving in and out using only my right hand, then re-run the exercise with both hands must say it was quite a good experience and very intuitive feeling.

In the parking lot I started to take some long sweeping curves to get a good feel for lean and yes the heels of my boots both left and right touched the deck fleetingly so, and a smile came to the face. I immediately did several more runs concentrating on speed looking through curve and feeling for lean angle and centrifugal force.

Proceeded down to Alicetown and then back through the Lower Hutt downtown region for some traffic awareness etc.

Thursday 13th
Recall I got my motorcycle on the evening of 12 May so here it was the second month anniversary. Also I have recently booked for a Bike Maintenance course which will be held after dark and across [over the Haywards] over at Linden. So for this anniversary ride I planned on a long afternoon's ride:

Rimutaka's an excellent run up to the top and concentrating on my lines and accelerating from the apex to the exit point and remembering the blind left curves. Focused on countersteering, natural lean with the bike and keeping head level level though looking through corner.

Going to and from the Rimutaka's I was not exposed to high traffic volumes and generally stuck to my regulation limit and was prepared to look way ahead for a pull over area when several cars started to build up behind me. No sweat and felt very much in control.

So with the bike maintenance course coming up at the end of the month I decided to take a run over to check out the location etc. So it was from the Rimutakas down to Moonshine across to Fergusson [avoiding the River Road] coffee at McD's Silverstream then off down the motorway up the Haywards and down out to the inlet. I've done this run a few times now and my preference is for the Whitby side of the inlet there seems to be good flowing road lines as compared to the other side. Once my experience builds up more then I reckon I will probably say the other side is better.

Good flows SH1 from Paramata to Porirua exit. Once in the Porirua, good traffic flow and some good 'exercises' in general road traffic conditions. Proceeded down to Linden found the address and then carried on to Tawa and Johnsonville [all off the motorway]. Back on the motorway out of Johnsonville and down the gorge, a good run and felt good, would not want to do that in the wet though and heck any diesel you could be toast. Had a smile on my face as over in the far lane was this motorcycle cruising down using only his right hand and left resting on his thigh.

Pulled over in Lower Hutt and adjusted the clutch cable it came very sloppy on the trigger.

To top off the days riding I went back out for an hour or so for some night time riding and reviewing the posts today it was very good to recap some of the feedback pointers raised. I look forward to getting out at night for several hours over the next few weeks before the bike maintenance course.

So all in all though distance travelled in this update reads 247m actually 170km were completed on the Thursday.

A good second month anniversary with Golf November Two Five Zero....that's one small step/ride for BuckBuckNo1.


This update comes with a few wannabe and newbie insights:

Each time I go out I ask myself:
"Where do you want to go today?"
"Why do you want to go there?"
"What do you want to achieve?"

I believe it was once remarked about a famous explorer:

'He didn't know where he was going.
When he got there he didn't know where he was at.
When he got home he didn't know where he'd been.'

Being a newbie there is one thing for sure I treat the motorcycle with respect, the road code, and all other motorists the same way. Never loose your cool, pull over if needs be, don't look for blame, look at yourself and ask what did I learn from that.....

Here are two Heads Up events:

Scenario:
1. Proceeding down the road with an oncoming car wanting to turn right across your
line........did you forget to turn your indicator off coming straight through and off the last roundabout. Remember if you are proceeding through the roundabout [not going off to the left, or around and off to the right] you still need to indicate [left blinker] as you are proceeding straight through off the roundabout. Okay with me so far, then you’re proceeding down the road and there is that car wanting to turn right.........T-bone on the menu?

2. Winding inner city suburb, going up the hill and approaching blind left bend - do you feel lucky........If you play poker you could shoot for an open ended straight, an inside straight, a full house. But before you went any further though, you thought that you may call and raise but, but, but, decided to throw your hand in. Was it the right decision? You watch the table play out and see the royal flush being laid down to win. The narrow winding roads in town are cramped with parked cars everywhere and to meet a truck around the bend that is already over the centre of the road because of the parked cars will be more than a royal flush your up against. Remember what the Mentor said pay extra care on those blind left bends, don't leave yourself hanging out there wide because you never know what may be coming at you.


Scenario Discussion:
In the first case I noticed the lady driver pointing at me then she held up her right hand above the steering wheel and proceeded to dab her index finger and thumb repeatedly together ['you've got your blinker on]. You know when you get that pit in the bottom of your stomach...and say to yourself 'you dumb ass - that lady driver is more alert and careful than you are now wake up to yourself'...fortunately she could see I had no intention of doing a left turn [my left blinker being on]and she had the presence of mind to give me the blinker warning sign with her hand.

[Heads Up] Doing the right thing coming off a roundabout is fine but remember to cancel out the indicator, and of course after any left and right indicator turn remember to cancel out the indicator.

On the second case, well there was a truck in the middle coming down the winding road as I rounded the bend, I was in good position not too much lean on not out too wide coming off the apex and toward my middle side - I was able to immediate push the left grip further and counter steer away from approaching danger.

[Heads Up] Survival Instinct - practise your counter steering so it becomes your immediate go to reaction. Being confronted with a truck and immediately going off the throttle and or immediately emergency braking were not options either case would have left me hung out to dry.

Saturday 15th
Where: over the Haywards and around the inlet.
Why: weather was overcast and fine misty rain with moderate wind - you choose to experience these conditions before you let the conditions catch you out.
Achieve What: Building your experience up, through wanting to [self determination] rather than being confronted with weather conditions you have not practised in.

The Haywards is a notorious stretch and cars often travel too fast for the conditions. Being out there with the L-plate could be considered a target waiting to be taken out.

Having travelled over the Haywards hill several times there are several bail out areas if the traffic is building up going up [from SH2] or down[out to SH1], I have pulled over a couple of times more as a courtesy than a fear factor.

As I said previously the inlet is a good ride around - as luck would have it traffic volume was high heading back to the Hutt Valley along the Whitby [note there were the slips on SH2 that day so traffic from the city obviously did the long route] and to a crawl around Judgeford.

[Heads Up] Choose your weather conditions and also look at the weather forecasts before heading out.

Sunday 16th
Where: Up to Caltex Upper Hutt then into town and around the bays
Why: To meet up with any KB'ers and say 'Hi' then into town to enjoy the ride.
Achieve What: Mainly a casual ride, but also to be mindful of extreme traffic conditions around Oriental Bay and out to the airport. [The motorway at 70km can have its moments so live in the rear view mirror and stay calm and alert]

[Heads Up] Enjoy your casual ride. I had not been around Shelley Bay for a long time and to do it on a bike was something I always thought about. Relax enjoy the ride but always be strategic.

Monday 17th
Where: Wainuiomata out to the coast
Why: Time to take on the Wainui Hill [and I have never been out to the coast]
Achieve What: Riding focus was going over the Wainui Hill and particularly coming down the Hutt side. Achieve good control [throttle, brake, and suspension] and counter steering and lean on the winding bends coming down and mindful of any traffic in your space immediately behind and in your blind spot.

[Heads Up] Like the weather conditions choose your time to go out and take on something that may be on the edge of your comfort zone, and literally choose the right time of day 1pm would be better than morning or afternoon peak.

End Part 2