South Auckland Street Skills

[eldog]

Wind picked up a lot once traffic dispersed.

By 8 there were a few cars, vans and trucks making "unscheduled" lane changes.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

by 10 oclock there were a few bigger gusts , try it on a scorpio

[Big Dog]

Scorpions are neat bikes. Not sure I would subject one to me on a motorway. Lol.
They are however spectacular for trying new things on. Especially car park drills.
I have ridden one over a ladder bridge and over a see saw.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[f2dz]

Wasn't too bad this morning on the southern but I'm guessing the sou western over the bridge is a lot worse. Even on a fine day I find it quite windy through there.

I'll take getting blown around and rained on on a bike than taking the train any day..

[eldog]

I have ridden one over a ladder bridge and over a see saw.

see saw, now that we gotta see - demo at SASS, bring your own bike wind optional

[Big Dog]

see saw, now that we gotta see - demo at SASS, bring your own bike wind optional

Does that mean you are bringing a see saw?
Can't remember either Mack the Knife or Man Down Under had made one out of 9 by 2 with rungs nailed on for traction. Teeter about 12 - 18 inches of the ground...
Brought it along to NASS when it was still AWNMR and held at what is not the Oteha valley Park and Ride.

Much scarier trying to ride Morcs CBR400 was way scarier. So small. Handlebars behind my knees.
Wasn't game to put 250kgs of haybusa over a ramp that creaked with me and a scorpio.

Handled really well.

[nzspokes]

Does that mean you are bringing a see saw?
Can't remember either Mack the Knife or Man Down Under had made one out of 9 by 2 with rungs nailed on for traction. Teeter about 12 - 18 inches of the ground...
Brought it along to NASS when it was still AWNMR and held at what is not the Oteha valley Park and Ride.

Much scarier trying to ride Morcs CBR400 was way scarier. So small. Handlebars behind my knees.
Wasn't game to put 250kgs of haybusa over a ramp that creaked with me and a scorpio.

Handled really well.

At Woodhill in the days I was fit we used to ride MTBs and we rode over structures 3 meters above the ground. Not me but you get the idea.

[aws]

I was really hoping to get along for a ride last night since it's school holidays and so no netball practice for the girls. Then my wife reminded me that we had a meeting scheduled - darn! I'd been watching the weather and it looked like it might hold north of the harbour bridge for the evening - in the end the weather disintegrated, so I didn't feel so bad about missing the ride that didn't happen.

I'm not a great subscriber to the view that it's really difficult riding in the wind - in fact I kind of like it. I'm not that keen on moderate headwinds because it just makes the ride really noisy and uncomfortable. But I like really heavy cross winds - when you feel the bike get blown leewards a bit, but in the process it just leans itself into the wind. Just keep yourself in the right lane position and let the bike do the rest.

However, last night was pretty hard work getting home. The combination of heavy wind, rain, heavy traffic, poor visibility and night time at motorway speeds makes for a tense time. Heading up the hill to the Mt Wellington over-bridge it felt like I was doing 200 k's into the wind - it was one mean workout on the neck muscles!

[nzspokes]

I was really hoping to get along for a ride last night since it's school holidays and so no netball practice for the girls. Then my wife reminded me that we had a meeting scheduled - darn! I'd been watching the weather and it looked like it might hold north of the harbour bridge for the evening - in the end the weather disintegrated, so I didn't feel so bad about missing the ride that didn't happen.

I'm not a great subscriber to the view that it's really difficult riding in the wind - in fact I kind of like it. I'm not that keen on moderate headwinds because it just makes the ride really noisy and uncomfortable. But I like really heavy cross winds - when you feel the bike get blown leewards a bit, but in the process it just leans itself into the wind. Just keep yourself in the right lane position and let the bike do the rest.

However, last night was pretty hard work getting home. The combination of heavy wind, rain, heavy traffic, poor visibility and night time at motorway speeds makes for a tense time. Heading up the hill to the Mt Wellington over-bridge it felt like I was doing 200 k's into the wind - it was one mean workout on the neck muscles!

Yeah normally I have no problem with the wind. I was coming home about 7 over the Mangere bridge, nasty. Even this morning the car moved around quite a bit on the way in.

[eldog]

I was really hoping to get along for a ride last night since it's school holidays and so no netball practice for the girls. Then my wife reminded me that we had a meeting scheduled - darn! I'd been watching the weather and it looked like it might hold north of the harbour bridge for the evening - in the end the weather disintegrated, so I didn't feel so bad about missing the ride that didn't happen.

I'm not a great subscriber to the view that it's really difficult riding in the wind - in fact I kind of like it. I'm not that keen on moderate headwinds because it just makes the ride really noisy and uncomfortable. But I like really heavy cross winds - when you feel the bike get blown leewards a bit, but in the process it just leans itself into the wind. Just keep yourself in the right lane position and let the bike do the rest.

However, last night was pretty hard work getting home. The combination of heavy wind, rain, heavy traffic, poor visibility and night time at motorway speeds makes for a tense time. Heading up the hill to the Mt Wellington over-bridge it felt like I was doing 200 k's into the wind - it was one mean workout on the neck muscles!

I agree with you, It was the unexpected GUSTS which made it difficult, the constant wind wasn't bad-was kind of nice.
Different directions of travel some felt like there was no wind others not bad, but the GUSTS they moved the bike whole lanes at a time, which made it slightly worrying when being passed on a two lane motorway

[eldog]

Does that mean you are bringing a see saw?
Can't remember either Mack the Knife or Man Down Under had made one out of 9 by 2 with rungs nailed on for traction. Teeter about 12 - 18 inches of the ground...
Brought it along to NASS when it was still AWNMR and held at what is not the Oteha valley Park and Ride.

Much scarier trying to ride Morcs CBR400 was way scarier. So small. Handlebars behind my knees.
Wasn't game to put 250kgs of haybusa over a ramp that creaked with me and a scorpio.

Handled really well.

how does a scaffolding plank and a 44 gal drum sound? strong enough?

[Big Dog]

How long is your plank? How much weight can it take? Drum is vertical or on its side? How is it secured?
Don't own a busa anymore but I did ride it up some scaffold planks to put it in a truck.

Reversing out was more challenging but thankfully on a more accessible site.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[eldog]

std scaffold plank, drum side against curb, I will try it sometime myself
ride up, stop on center, ride off

busa onto truck - you are skilled

Big Dog is there any other skills you think we should look at SASS?

[nzspokes]

I would be impressed with getting over the drum without the ramp. That's one of my goals on the trail bike.

[eldog]

I would be impressed with getting over the drum without the ramp. That's one of my goals on the trail bike.

looks like I need to get a trail/motocross/enduro bike. any suggestions. maybe I should start with a small drum or a spagetti can

I was thinking one of those bike you see european competitions where they jump from rock to rock, dunno what type they are, how much maintenance & cost is required etc
might help with the skill level ?

[Big Dog]

std scaffold plank, drum side against curb, I will try it sometime myself
ride up, stop on center, ride off

busa onto truck - you are skilled

Big Dog is there any other skills you think we should look at SASS?

A good start is being able to cross a curb without putting your feet down. Have you tried to ride the length of a plank without wandering off? For some this is a major skill in itself.
We used to play "follow the leader" at walking pace. Each rider tries to maintain a 2 second gap on the person in front. Person in front tries to pick a path that results in putting your feet down.
Usually that involves curb crossings, edge traps at angles, threading the laces, stopping on a spot without putting feet down and then carrying on etc. If you put your feet down your out.
First person to put feet down buys the last person a beer, same as a slow race but with obstacles.

Most of us will need to put a bike on a truck or trailer at some time. The worst time to learn is when you have to. So do you know how to load or secure a motorcycle?
Would you, could you and should you ride it up?
Do you know how to walk a bike under throttle? (stand beside your bike and power it up a slope or a ramp)
Do you know how to "apply a brake" to the rear wheel when walking a bike? Why is that an important skill?

Do you know how to pick up a fallen bike? What about a heavy one?

Do you know how to manage a scene if you are first one to an accident?

Do you know when you should remove a helmet at an accident?
Do you know how to remove a helmet?

Return to acceleration from emergency braking.

Thread the laces - start of in carpark a cross the carpark to the other side and do a uturn, how many car parks did that take? keep going and back at the start try and do a uturn the other way, was that bigger or smaller? Why?
keep going and do a uturn in the original direction can you do it in half a car park less this time?
Rinse and repeat until you put your foot down or you can't make the turn in the allowed space.

Peripheral vision awareness: stand in front of a row of shops. Look straight ahead. Read the sign. without moving your head or eyes read the one to the left, right and repeat. First try you probably can't but give it some practice and you will be more aware of your surroundings.

Bean bag tag around a set course. Everybody rides around a set course while people toss a soft ball or light item too each other without actively trying to hit the rider. If you hit a rider the person who was catching gets on their bike and joins the group of riders the person hit gets off their bike and joins the ground crew. This is an exercise in timing (because the tossing is reasonably choreographed) and in not being distracted by things that can't really hurt you as you do what you can to stay on moving.

I am assuming from the content of the thread there is regular braking, counter steering, cornering etc practice?

I don't know what exercises you guys have down at SASS and I have no intention of leading anything I am more interested in when time permits coming along and learning something new, but these were the popular ones at AWMNR / NASS.

The hardest lesson to learn is if you think you know it all, you just don't know enough to realise how ignorant you really are.