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Dedicated to the memory of our Mentor, Uncle B.

Originally Posted by Lissa

This week I pick Steam's post as the winner.. for a varity of reasons.

I love the fact you have a ginny as well.. takes a special type of person to handle one. Also the fact you really do seem to love it. Cornering I can relate too... and going over the Takas.. awesome even after you crashed! I havent done that as yet myself. Well done!

My sunday ride... just the usual to Gladstone Pub. Still practicing my cornering, which I am being to really enjoy now i am getting use to how my bike handles.

Originally Posted by Steam
I practised keeping the same line around corners, because there were lots of riders who were passing me, because I'm a slowpoke.
It felt unnatural staying on one side around the corner. It's the first time I have tried to not use all the lane.
Big bikes whizzing past, ZOOM, ZOOM! Those experienced guys sure lean over a lot.

That was on the Rimutakas.

And I went over the Rimutakas for the first time ever!
I saw the scratches on the side of the road are still there from 4 months ago when I had my crash.

I stopped at the top and looked at all the nice shiny huge expensive bikes, and reflected that they could buy about 20 of my old bike for the price of one of theirs.
All the tourists with their cameras came and took pictures of my bike, and ignored all the fancy 1000+cc ones!

Then I went to Lake Wairarapa, or Lake Ferry, that was a nice deserted road.
And then back into town, around all the Bays, and home.
Oh, and I now drip oil, there's a leaky seal near my clutch/stator cover, a tiny stream of oil, about a teaspoon an hour. Annoying!

Originally Posted by klingon
I pick Girlygirl's post as a good example of cornering practise - slow in and planning your exit. It takes a lot of restraint to learn to go slower, but it's worth it in the end.

Keep up the good work, GG.

Originally Posted by girlygirl
Set out from home (Waiuku) this afternoon, headed to old Gt Sth Rd, onto Bombay > Ridge Rd > State Highway 22 through to Rangiriri turnoff > down to Rangiriri (refreshment break) onto State Highway 1 up to Mercer > back road over to State Highway 2 > Lyons Rd > Hunua Rd > Clevedon (another refreshment break) then back home via Drury.

Today for me was about decreasing my speed into each corner and looking for the exit point.

At first it was a little annoying (it felt waaaay too slow coming into the corners) but as I perservered through half of the ride I started to get into the rhythm and I ended up a heap smoother from the straights to corners and I didn't brake at all for a corner on the second half of my ride.

I will note that I deliberately chose a mixture of roads I know, roads I don't know and roads I don't know well.


Originally Posted by girlygirl
I have chosen Pritch008's post for two reasons.

Firstly:
The use of a mantra is something that I use regularly (especially the first couple of rides after a track day > "ride the road Gg, race the track!")

Secondly:
The use of weighting your outside foot when cornering.



Originally Posted by pritch008
I'm a believer in the psychology of sport and I regularly do this still.

If going on a trip (or sometimes even a biggish Pie & Pint) I create some little "mantra" that I can repeat to myself along the way: "Touring not racing", "Smooth and safe", or a similar little phrase that adresses whatever is perceived as the problem of the moment. On reflection, I think both of those may have been composed to eliminate some marginal overtaking manouvers....

Because we (I anyway) can only concentrate on a few things at a time, I'm only currently working on two things: constantly checking that my elbows are bent (and wrists down), and weighting the outside foot when cornering.

There are two main reasons for the elbows thing, steering corrections from a horizontal forearm are more direct than from an arm at 45 degrees or whatever, and if that arm is also relaxed, unwanted steering inputs from the road surface are not transmitted through the rest of the bike.

Weighting the outside foot makes your body move with the bike as opposed to your moving the bike around underneath you, something that countersteering encourages. It also helps the bike remain stable if the road surface is less than brilliant as is so often the case in this country.

So as the weekend progresses, and in between showers, I'm hopefully beating a track up and down a winding section of SH3 (New Plymouth - Mokau) running in my new bike and cementing in a couple of new elements of riding style.

Ride safe.

Originally Posted by Steam
I choose Matt because um... he's a learner and he's learning lots and going on first long rides, and he's not concerned with going fast or being cool, instead developing skills.

Yeah, those cool bikers on top of the hill sure don't talk much to noobs eh?
I really found that when I went there. Maybe we are just freaks.

Originally Posted by Matt
Just had chance to pop out for an hour yesterday afternoon, went up the 'takas for the first time (quite a change from my usual commute into/out of Wgtn, it's only the second time I've been out on a weekend!) - practised being smooth on throttle and looking through the corners, without worrying that I never got near 100k's!

Had a can of coke at the cafe at the top, said hello to a couple of bikers (although most were doing a good impression of ignoring the geeky noob!) and set off back home again - harder work on the way down, practiced braking early and settling the bike around corners - then got caught up in traffic and watched a couple of bikes fly past me - nearly decided to follow, but then decided I'd rather get home in one piece than try and keep up with the ZX14 biker dude!

Matt


Originally Posted by pritch008 I find it encouraging that y'all are thinking about your riding to the extent evident here. Actually I'm not as grumpy as I look and I'd like to make you all winners. Alas I don't think that's the general idea...

So my choice is Riffer not only for doing the practice but for inviting all and sundry along.

By way of encouragement I will award green bling to Rosie, Merv and Barbender.

My special award for low cunning goes to Hitcher who on noticing that there is a Taranaki selector writes such fulsome praise of our favourite road.
Nice try Hitcher You can have bling too :-)


Originally Posted by riffer
Well, I know its not Sunday, but it felt like a Sunday and yesterday I spent the whole morning rebuilding the right fork again (long story - suffice to say that if you Superglue up a crack in your fairing and the excess drips onto the fork it will ruin the fork seal very quickly as it dries to a crystalline surface.) so I had to have a shakedown ride.

My oldest boy Tim (7) is getting good at pillion so he was on the back for today, so the emphasis was on smooth acceleration and deceleration, and even smoother lines, trying to keep the average speed as close to 80 km/hr.

Over Wallaceville hill to Mangaroa Valley, around the Valley and out Plateau Road, and down the road to Bull's house for a cuppa and to drag him out for a ride, and then back again to my place in Wallaceville, following the same route.

If any of you Hutt fellas haven't tried Mangaroa Valley, you need to, as it has just about every bit of road on it and in my opinion, is one of the best learning roads we have.

On Wednesday night, Bull and I will be going to the old GM's car park on Alexander Road to practice emergency braking. Would any of you be interested in coming along too?

Originally Posted by Matt
Went up to the A1GP at Taupo - first time ever I've ridden for more than hour or so straight, and first time I've ridden that far in the dark on the way back! Really good experience (especially with all the Kapiti traffic on the way up on Saturday am!) and I'm now starting to see the attraction in touring...why doesn't the Desert Road have a special speed limit for bikes though

So many good posts, although my pick this week would be Rosie as she made some valid points but especially this one:

Originally Posted by Rosie
I became a little stressed on Tauranga direct when I was stuck behind a trailer going at about 70. The road is pretty windy, and they were firmly adhered to the centre line, so I didn't feel comfortable passing. We ended up pulling over for a bit, then continued on, and never saw the trailer again.

Originally Posted by riffer

Okay, here's my picks.

Both riders [Chanceyy and Bull] have practiced their techniques and have tried to push the envelope a bit.

While it is important to practice techniques and ensure that we cover the basics every time we get out there, I believe that it's also important to push the boundaries to ensure we improve. Not that I advocate anything stupid or dangerous, but I feel it's easy to get complacent and stay in the comfort zone once we think we have the technique down pat - so well done these two riders.

I've thought about the emergency braking practice bull, buckbuckno1 and I tried last week, and I've decided its missing one element - the element of surprise, and I'm wondering how you would integrate that into the practice.

Something to think about.

Originally Posted by bull
Went for Ride: From Caltex Rimutaka, up SHW 2 and turned off at Te Marua to head around to Plateau, Maymorn, Mangaroa and down to Wallaceville hill.

My focus was to go a little faster than the last time around the same route and make mental notes of hazars along the way. Usual shingle in the road, shingle on a 90 degree left that i eased up before reaching.

Keeping a watchful eye out for cars appearing at the many driveways that adjoin the main road. Made room for evasion by moving into the centre of the road away from driveways.

Practiced countersteering - been tipping in later into corners to really get the lean over going and am slowly getting comfortable with a decent lean on.
Using the bikes engine braking to come down the hill at a consistent speed instead of throttling on and off at will.

Best thing was just enjoying the ride and loving having the road all to myself - tho noticed a riders light along way back before i headed up Wallaceville Hill road. Came out through Upper hutt and waved at a rider whom was coming into upper hutt. All in all a good quick blat around the back blocks and back through upper hutt up the river road. Even managed to beat a Ford Falcon V8 at the Totara park lights - tho think he may have given up too early.

Originally Posted by Rosie
My pick for this week is Chanceyy, for practising the basics and taking the time to get used to her new bike in a controlled environment (ie away from traffic). I spent a lot of time doing this when I first learnt to ride, and it's something I should also be practising at the moment, now I'm back on the bike after a 7 month break.


Originally Posted by chanceyy
well sorry its not sunday .. and as i have today off ... tires are now inflated .. I thought since no one is about .... I would have a wee play with the new toy ..

what did I learn ... (remembering its over 20 yrs since i last road a bike .. & never a road bike)

well I am only doing circles on my back lawn .. through the carport .. (wearing a nice track already)

finding netural from first gear ... trying to find out how many revs i need to take off smoothly without reving her to high or two low & stalling ..

I am much more smoother on right hand circles than left .... must practice left more ... & look where i am going .. focus

getting sore arms .. must remember to use my knees more .. that took a bit of pressure off my arms .. & look where i am going .. focus

also how smoothly can I brake to slow & speed up slightly ....

ohh yeah breaking in new gear .. boots do make it easier to change back to neutral ... had issues finding netural but was being to strong & finding second instead ...

ok break time to take it all in .. but can ya tell i am smiling ... might take her down the cattle race in the week .. good track not too rough