Is is idiot day today?

[ital916]

yeah i'm bored...

but seriously, everyone on the road, even pedestrians, seem to be on a whole new level of stupid today. I only commute from Mt Eden to Uni, but I came across more idiots today than I have the whole of last week. Maybe the Stupid Convention is in town. One golden moment was as I was turning into cp36 a van had parked across the entrance and seemed to be turning out; they were certainly moving that way. Remembering auckland drivers can be IDIOTS i approached the entrance around the back of the van cautiously and lo and behold, she starts to reverse into me. So i stop and wait, my bike's ass sticking out into the road, while she performs some sort of ridiculous 32-point turn. I don't want to continue around her as she keeps reversing, so i have to wait. Eventually she gets out of the way.

Pedestrians seem borderline suicidal. I had to rev my little FXR as loud as i could to get them out of the way coming down albert st.

And for once the computer building labs were full. I have to contend with the brain-exploding combination of vista + mac. This space bar is driving me nuts. I keep accidentally right-clicking (i mean, ffs, if you're going to give up and stick a right-click function in there, at least separate the fucking buttons).

KB needs moar drama. I'm fucking bored. Yet i still have compsci shit to do.

Danae, you are my friend so dont take this the wrong way, but it could be the way you are riding. Try slowing down, observing a little more and see if that makes a difference. Remember that bikes can be hard to see, so make yourself seen and ride defensively.

I've seen you almost get taken out by a reversing car before, in that situation you may have thought it was the cars fault, but the speed you were going was too quick for the situation at hand. A bit slower and with eyes open you would have seen the driver looking around and starting to inch out. All they would have seen was clear and then you came zooming up.

Remember we are all learners, when you think you've got the hang of it is when shit happens. You've been on the fixxer only a few months so take it easy!

Remember, slow down in crowded and busy areas, eyes open and check your surroundings. Get a mentor, better yet go for some one on one rides with stephen, get him to watch your riding and help you out.

[Danae]

Danae, you are my friend so dont take this the wrong way, but it could be the way you are riding...

...Get a mentor, better yet go for some one on one rides with stephen, get him to watch your riding and help you out.

Yep that carpark one was a doozy. I was riding too close to the parked cars also.

My new black helmet doesn't help with visibility.

Yerp I'll watch my speed (no matter how off the FXR speedo is)

[ital916]

Yep that carpark one was a doozy. I was riding too close to the parked cars also.

My new black helmet doesn't help with visibility.

Yerp I'll watch my speed (no matter how off the FXR speedo is)

Dont be silly, dont expect a helmet to increase your visiblity. If a car hasnt seen the motorcycle, you and the headlight then they wont see your helmet.

Just ride like no one has seen you and you will be sweet. If you want I will be happy to do some one on one rides with you. Im not an expert or an instructor or a mentor but I can give you a third persons view of your riding and if you are doing any major no no's.

[Danae]

Im not an expert or an instructor or a mentor but I can give you a third persons view of your riding and if you are doing any major no no's.

Cool! I'm always wondering what my riding's like, on group rides (from chiller, NASS etc) I keep forgetting to ask the others how my riding looks.

If we're going somewhere after the chiller on friday I'd be glad for you guys to spot anything I'm doing wrong!

[Ixion]

You have a lot to learn . First rule, it is physically impossible for a guy to make meaningful observations of a chick's sprotsbike riding capability. Because, if he is riding ahead of said chick, he cannot see how she rides (duh).

And if he rides behind, he will not notice the riding at all, all his attention will be focused elsewhere. Later , if taxed , he may vaguely remember that there was a motorbike involved somehow.

This does not apply to scrotahs , for obvious reasons. Probably not to crusiers either. Just sprotsbikes.

[mattian]

its been idiot week as far as i have seen on the road... had some fool in a pergeot trying to race me to whanga (in my cage) racing like all bollocks to corners,

hehe.... its only a race if you're racing him back

[metalhead]

i got hit by a car who was reversing once, ofcourse i was stopped at the time

[mister.koz]

hehe.... its only a race if you're racing him back

I was driving fairly quickly but it wasn't because of him! Was going to have a coffee with my mum

I lost him in the end, caught a slower car on one of the "only if you know the road" passing spots and they obviously didn't know the other ones hehe.

Was quite nerve racking tho, just pootling along at my cosy speed and some idiot (who wouldn't pass when i tried to let them) cornering badly and driving up my arse for most of the way... would have been better if i was on the 10, i could have dusted him and got on with riding...

[jono035]

I was driving fairly quickly but it wasn't because of him! Was going to have a coffee with my mum

I lost him in the end, caught a slower car on one of the "only if you know the road" passing spots and they obviously didn't know the other ones hehe.

Was quite nerve racking tho, just pootling along at my cosy speed and some idiot (who wouldn't pass when i tried to let them) cornering badly and driving up my arse for most of the way... would have been better if i was on the 10, i could have dusted him and got on with riding...

Yeah, I've had that a few times when driving up to the Bay of Islands. I do that drive a lot so I'm quite familiar with the roads. Nothing worse than being stuck behind someone who speeds away from you on the straights but trickles through the corners so slow that you keep running up behind them.

[skinman]

my 2c
wear fluro vests. I ride south auck. very bad drivers here. number of near misses went down noticably with said armarni suit on.

[motorbyclist]

Dont be silly, dont expect a helmet to increase your visiblity.

Statistics say that a white helmet is 50% more visible.... your helmet sticks up over cars when your headlight is hidden behind obstacles gives it an extra advantage.


I'd believe it too - especially at night.

[ital916]

Statistics say that a white helmet is 50% more visible.... your helmet sticks up over cars when your headlight is hidden behind obstacles gives it an extra advantage.


I'd believe it too - especially at night.

Dear god, your not a statistics person are you andrew? You can make statistics prove whatever you want if you go about it the right way.

When I ride, I dont expect helmets to help get me seen, I dont expect anything to help get me seen and ride accordingly.

[mister.koz]

Statistics say that a white helmet is 50% more visible.... your helmet sticks up over cars when your headlight is hidden behind obstacles gives it an extra advantage.


I'd believe it too - especially at night.

70% of statistics are made up on the spot

I have had a whole lot of people completely not see me on my hi-vis kwaka's. If fluorescent green doesn't help then how can a white helmet make any difference?

I know a white helmet is more visible but i don't reckon it would make allot of difference because people see threats more than colour, i.e. that bus thats road coloured is more obvious than that bike that has flashing neons.

Get loud pipes!

[Danae]

I have heard of a triangulation thing. For example, a train will have three headlights set in a triangle. This makes it more noticable somehow. Perhaps a white helmet + double headlights produces this triangle effect and you become more visible.

[crazyhorse]

I thought everyday was idiot day...... man, where have I been