Weekend Warriors

[boomer]

And I used to think that Katman's various posts were the most asinine till I read yours.

Buddy, you just got voted as ass of the year.

no.. you have that mantle; ALL on your own !

[dpex]

No mate - I threw that in as a equally silly statement to parallel your broad comment about 'weekend warriors' - taring all once/twice a week riders with the same sticky brush.

I'm now more concerned about your lack of suitable riding attire when on the road and your reason for justifying it.

Do you think that your track-day skills will enable you to avoid that car that just does not see you?

It's been a long few years since I did a track ride - Do they now have cars randomly shoot across the racetrack to hone these skills?

Two things in reply.

First: The best leathers, back-protector, gloves, boots and hope will not protect any rider during a tee-bone with another vehicle. Mind you, the leathers will stop most of the blood spilling onto the road.

Second: Thank you for your concern at my riding attire. Very kind, if not a little misplaced.

[phaedrus01]

Wtf?? How did kms travelled automatically = skill gained... You don't just magically gain skill by repetitively repeating the same motions over and over, you do it by driving consciously, always evaluating and analysing your decisions and actions. Maybe he has done that, maybe he hasn't, neither of us know...

I've always figured that 'good driving' means different things to different people. To my mother, for instance, I would be a good driver if I took corners as they are signposted, stuck within speed limits and was generally courteous.

To my high school mates I was a good driver if I could get it off the clock along the lake straights, make it around the corner at the bottom of the big hill without lifting off and do some good rarkies on the school fields...

You are moaning about how people aren't good drivers from a safety perspective, then saying they'd be safer if they learned better bike handling skills as based on racetrack experience. Being safe on the roads (in my opinion) is more about having the skills to spot and evaluate potentially dangerous situations coupled with the right attitude and the self control to avoid stroking your ego by twisting your right hand. To be sure there is a certain amount of bike control skill thrown in there, but even a complete newbie can be safe by knowing their abilities and limits and riding to those.

The rider's skill level is only a problem when the rider exceeds it and I'm sure there are plenty of 'weekend warriors' who happily ride around within their skill levels being perfectly safe. The ones (weekend warriors or otherwise) that are out there with something to prove are going to end up being troweled off the road no matter how much 'riding skill' they think they have.

And I used to think that Katman's various posts were the most asinine till I read yours.

Buddy, you just got voted as ass of the year.

Yeah, no I don't think so.


What old mate here said is perfectly relevant. By your rationale every taxi driver should be an expert on the road, just because they clock up the kms. Which I am sure nobody would agree with, the simple fact is "practise does not make perfect, perfect practise makes perfect." And just because you ride/drive a lot, this doesn't necessarily make you a good rider/driver.

You cannot simply generalise everybody on the amount they ride, so what if someone only chooses to take their bike out on weekend, or once a month, as long as they are comfortable with what they are doing and their limits they are a heck of a lot safer out there than some young squid on a Gixxer whose got something to prove, whether he rides daily or not.

[dpex]

I drive to work and ride every now and then, I haven't ridden my bike in anger for a long time. Sunday we did the loop with my mates from work who all commute, every day; Beyond and I were waiting at the main stops for over 20 minutes...

This weekend warrior carved up the CoroGP and left the competition for dead ...


your arguments are flawed

My, my. But ain't you a hero?

[boomer]

My, my. But ain't you a hero?

Geez. But ain't you a hero? Not.

Are you losing the plot.. u commented already

[sinfull]

Well hello, Hairy Sir. Xmas camping at Tongariro National Park, with a few fine trout thrown in for good measure?

And bring that old coal-burner of yours. We can so some beat-ups on the forest roads.:--)) And don't forget to bring her with the eyes. :--))

Sounds bloody marvelous mate ! I will be up there after boxing night for a couple of nights with the bitches ! Which ones eyes you talking of ??
Be bringing the new coal bucket though !!

[ital916]

And I used to think that Katman's various posts were the most asinine till I read yours.

Buddy, you just got voted as ass of the year.

I would like to qutoe the cliche line involving a kettle and a pot, but either of those is too good for you.

I think something involving poo would suffice nicely.

Actually, arnie puts it much more elegantly

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFl-WQAXMto&feature=related[/youtube]

[cowpatz]

But you have to admit it's a bit of a worry that Hon Steven Joyce has noted that motorcyclists are represented in the stats at a disproportionate rate.

Actually Steven Joyce is the worry not the statistics...he seems to be trying to take over where Helen left off. I'm sure rugby players are disproportionate users of ACC .....who gives a shit.

Secondly, I'd lay odds that the dearly departed comprise week-end warriors and newbies; mostly.

No I would say that judging by the news reports that I listen to it would have to be commuters....like yourself. Only takes a second for some prat to take you out despite all the best efforts to avoid it .....unless you have the eyes and reactions of a fly. Most "weekend warriors" as you call them don't have anything to prove ...they have probably done it long ago. They just want to ride again and enjoy it.

[PeteJ]

3 small comments:

1. The AMCC ART instructors actually do spend a lot of time discussing different lines (and similar lines) for street and track. The vast majority of participants are primarily street riders; it's pretty pointless concentrating on pure race technique.

2. The whole point about improving your machine handling skills for the road is so that your mind can be taken up with defensive riding, not struggling with your ability to handle your machine. Streets and the open road are not places to be practising basic cornering and braking skills.

3. One of the insurance brokers who has done more than one ART day described the typical motorcycle write-off in his company's clientele: a. 1000 cm3 machine +/- 250; b. ridden by a male 45 yrs old +/- 10 years; c. who has had a break from riding of several years at some time; d. and who crashed in a single-vehicle pile-up on a Sunday afternoon.

[PrincessBandit]

It could just be really tiny, you could be suffering from really tiny penis syndrome.

Matey, if I did discover I had even a really tiny one it would still be bigger than some of the little boys' on this site.

[ital916]

Matey, if I did discover I had even a really tiny one it would still be bigger than some of the little boys' on this site.

probably....

[dpex]

Sounds bloody marvelous mate ! I will be up there after boxing night for a couple of nights with the bitches ! Which ones eyes you talking of ??
Be bringing the new coal bucket though !!

You going to do The Cemetery? Thought I might have a crack. Then off to Tongariro.....unless I get to stay in the cemetery. :--((

[dpex]

3 small comments:

1. The AMCC ART instructors actually do spend a lot of time discussing different lines (and similar lines) for street and track. The vast majority of participants are primarily street riders; it's pretty pointless concentrating on pure race technique.

2. The whole point about improving your machine handling skills for the road is so that your mind can be taken up with defensive riding, not struggling with your ability to handle your machine. Streets and the open road are not places to be practising basic cornering and braking skills.

3. One of the insurance brokers who has done more than one ART day described the typical motorcycle write-off in his company's clientele: a. 1000 cm3 machine +/- 250; b. ridden by a male 45 yrs old +/- 10 years; c. who has had a break from riding of several years at some time; d. and who crashed in a single-vehicle pile-up on a Sunday afternoon.

Yay. The voice of reason!

As you may have observed, Pete, I've been banging on about ART Days for ages, but it seems that there is some sort of wall between the words 'rider learning' and 'track'.

I have yet to get the audience to understand that an ART day is a great learn as opposed to a speedy ego-trip.

Oh well. I'll keep banging on.

[sinfull]

Matey, if I did discover I had even a really tiny one it would still be bigger than some of the little boys' on this site.

If you show me yours i'll...... (prolly pounce on it) God what happened to the innocence i once had ??/

You going to do The Cemetery? Thought I might have a crack. Then off to Tongariro.....unless I get to stay in the cemetery. :--((

I refuse to bring a shovel as well as my coal burner !!! So you'll just have to make it all the way round !!! Yeah thought i'd have a crack at it too !!!

Side note ::; ya need three stamps in ya log book to street race ! Will we see ya at round one of PMCC on the 1st nov too ?

[750duc]

I've been on a couple of track days, they generally involve more braking drills than anything and the lines that are taught are road lines as opposed to race lines and are intended to provide the best visibility while going around corners.

There seems to be confusion here between training days and the "have a go days" which do involve racing to some extent.

One would go on the training days for the same reason that firefighters train.... to improve skills in a safe environment before having to apply them in a real situation.