A growing dose of nerves....

**idb** · 30th April 2005, 22:16

Originally Posted by Blackbird

Do other people get a mix of nerves and excitement before a big ride or am I just being a girl's blouse?

Yep!
5678910

**Big Dave** · 30th April 2005, 23:08

Harden up and enjoy it.

**Blackbird** · 30th April 2005, 23:16

Hi Matthew - yep got one of the McDonald Rider seats specially for the ride and it's fantastic. Now have a custom sheepskin tailored for a bird seat free to a good home. Thanks for the good wishes. All the Chch guys - thanks for the kind offers. Dinner with daughter might preclude a meet-up (I'd hate to upset her, she's scary when riled, haha).

Big D - I always enjoy the long rides when I'm on them. Just getting nervous as I haven't done this one before! Those one hour checkpoints are a bastard if anything goes pear-shaped

**Big Dave** · 1st May 2005, 00:14

So control what you can, prepare as best you can and relax - stress is just a waste of energy.
roll with it and have a great ride

**Bob** · 1st May 2005, 00:32

Originally Posted by Legolas

A few years ago I was invited to Bruntingthorpe test track by Ride magazine. The plan was to test my carbed Blackbird against the injected version and the Suzuki Hyabusa.
By the time I arrived at Bruntingthorpe I had worked myself into a right frenzey and nearly turned round and came home again.
Glad I didn't. I had a real blast riding the three bikes. The nerves soon turned to excitment and I had a great day.

Don't worry Geoff. I'm sure you'll be fine once you get going. At least you know what to expect.

Steve.

Steve,

I think I remember that test - any idea which issue it was in?

(What am I saying, of course you'll know! Not like you do something like that every day!)

I used to have a full collection of RiDE, but I decided when we moved a few years back something had to go... so now I've just got something like the last three years worth (and Bike, and quite a few TWO's, not to mention all the UMGs and UBGs... only 'cause I'm in them...)

Blackbird,

If you weren't getting excited about going out for a ride - and especially a "bit of a voyage", I'd worry! If you've not undertaken this long ride before, then a few butterflies are understandable... but a lot of them will be the thrill of going off and just doing it, I reckon.

Personally, I get that little tingle of "I'm going for a ride" each and every time... and that includes the ride to work! I always take a few deep breaths and focus my mind before I set off on any ride.

LB · 1st May 2005, 05:49

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Congratulations on the new underwear BB. Hope it does the trick.

And you'll be fine - just remember that if it gets REALLY bad you have the choice to pull out (as it were).
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**Sniper** · 1st May 2005, 08:41

Good luck mate, a great rider such as yourself should breeze through it

**Legolas** · 1st May 2005, 09:28

Originally posted by Blackbird.
So how did you go with the others???

Geoff.
The injected bird was similar to mine in ride and performance. The throttle response was better though. It also had stainless braided brake hoses all round and the brakes were definitely better than mine. I managed to lock the front brake at 150mph at the end of the straight and got a nice puff of smoke off the tyre.
I loved the Busa but it wasn't a feasible bike for me, as it didn't look comfortable for a passenger. It felt a lot lighter and smaller than the Bird and handled better too. Also went like the preverbial.
I learned a bit about me that day too. I found that I couldn't get passed 175mph on any of the bikes. At that speed I lost my peripheral vision and found it hard to register where the braking point was.
I think that the top speed through the timing lights that day was 184mph for Bird. Can’t remember what the Busa did.

Bob.
I think it was in the June or July 1998 isssue. I'll try and dig it out. I know I kept it.

**inlinefour** · 1st May 2005, 09:33

I reciently did NP to Whangarei and back. Had to get off every so oftn for a bit of a run to get the blood flowing back to the important bits. However was a good way to get as one with my bike, don't tell it but it left me really wanting the fireblade

**Blackbird** · 1st May 2005, 09:48

Originally Posted by Legolas

Geoff.
The injected bird was similar to mine in ride and performance. The throttle response was better though. It also had stainless braided brake hoses all round and the brakes were definitely better than mine. I managed to lock the front brake at 150mph at the end of the straight and got a nice puff of smoke off the tyre.
I loved the Busa but it wasn't a feasible bike for me, as it didn't look comfortable for a passenger. It felt a lot lighter and smaller than the Bird and handled better too. Also went like the preverbial.
I learned a bit about me that day too. I found that I couldn't get passed 175mph on any of the bikes. At that speed I lost my peripheral vision and found it hard to register where the braking point was.
I think that the top speed through the timing lights that day was 184mph for Bird. Can’t remember what the Busa did.

Wow! what an awesome day

- no wonder you were crapping yourself! Funny, but on the only really fast run I've done on the 'bird (270 k's indicated), I lost my peripheral vision too as I was concentrating so hard about a km down the road for furry animals running out of the bush. It was like riding in a tunnel - weird! I guess that the more you do it, the more you get used to it. Russ and 1200 Pete went to B/thorpe on their 'birds and it was reported in a recent Performance Bikes. I think Pete got 195 mph on his big bore before he ran a piston

Right, I'm off to do some gardening and packing!

Cheers Lynda - no courier delivery of possum underwear required!!!

Geoff

**pritch** · 1st May 2005, 10:09

Outside of a BMW RT/RS your bike is a bout as good a tool for the job as you could get.

Write us a report when you have recovered :-)

**Ixion** · 1st May 2005, 10:15

Good luck, God speed, ride safe (though fast). And watch out for Mr Plod.

**Jantar** · 1st May 2005, 10:26

No need for the nerves, I'm really looking forward to the ride.

I've planned for 600 - 800 km per day which should be quite comfortable. The only pain I'm expecting is in the legs as the seat on the GS1200SS doesn't allow for any movement at all. For that reason I'm planning on stopping and having a 5 minute walk every 2 hours or so.