Bikers who ride on Onewa Rd in the mornings...

[Sutage]

I prefer the Family Guy definition of irony.. in the episode where Y2K destroys them and they go to the twinky factory and Stuey eats the radioactive stuff.. anywho Peter is the president and decides to build guns.. all the townfolk get pissed off and throw Peter out, and burn all the guns.. just when the guns are burnning Stuey has like 400 evil babies and they attack them all.. one guy says to the other.. Do you remember when you asked what the definition of irony is? Well.. BLAM baby jumps on his face.. classic

[James Deuce]

so... if I'm shaking my head, it stops me thinking and watching where I'm going? come on Jim, we may be stupid males but we can't be THAT short of brain power.

I think you're missing the point that we have a right to excercise our disgust at other road users in a non violent way. If we don't they'll never change their behaviour will they?

Well as someone who gave the finger to a car driver who carved me up and then got knocked over the median barrier by a truck that roared across three lanes on the Hutt motorway just South of the Petone on-ramp I reckon I can confirm that us mere males are that short of multi-tasking brain power. Broke my wrist, my bike, and my ego. I can dance good in on-coming traffic though.

[Coldkiwi]

I prefer the Family Guy definition of irony.. in the episode where Y2K destroys them and they go to the twinky factory and Stuey eats the radioactive stuff.. anywho Peter is the president and decides to build guns.. all the townfolk get pissed off and throw Peter out, and burn all the guns.. just when the guns are burnning Stuey has like 400 evil babies and they attack them all.. one guy says to the other.. Do you remember when you asked what the definition of irony is? Well.. BLAM baby jumps on his face.. classic

here endeth the lesson about why British comedy has always and will always be funnier than stuff from America.

[Coldkiwi]

Well as someone who gave the finger to a car driver who carved me up and then got knocked over the median barrier by a truck that roared across three lanes on the Hutt motorway just South of the Petone on-ramp I reckon I can confirm that us mere males are that short of multi-tasking brain power. Broke my wrist, my bike, and my ego. I can dance good in on-coming traffic though.

ok, taking a hand off the bar is a bit different. I'd agree that should be done only when you're in a low risk environment. But shaking fists, followed by honking horn, revving engine, flashing head light and shaking head... they all have their time and place (preferably one after the other if the situation permits!)

[FROSTY:Me]

PF um er ya see um er well. Onewa road hu --well I may have been one of the cagers that piss you off. Bikers doon't do emselves any favours there -in my limited experience. I see a biker in my right mirror so pull to left side of lane--only to get hurled a string of abuse by biker splitting past a bus on the left side.
Reality Im sorry --its a bastard of a road and in rush hour its darned hard having eyes everywhere.
I must also say that if I counted every time in a day i got cut off,blocked ,almost sideswiped etc by a cager Id be a wreck -I'd suggest just letting it go

[placidfemme]

Yah I've kinda gotten over it now... Should have just written a rant about it lol

[Lou Girardin]

here endeth the lesson about why British comedy has always and will always be funnier than stuff from America.

Amurika has always been an irony free zone. Alana Morrisettes "Isn't it ironic" didn't have any irony in it. (yes, I know she's Canadian. It was a Murkin record company)

[Al]

I tend to ride Onewa in the "non-busy" times, start work @07:00, leave home @06:30, ride through to East Tamaki.
My Onewa adventure starts from Verran's corner area and on my return journey(leave ET @15:30) I leave SH1 at Stafford and then cruise up through Maritime Terrace and then through Highbury and up Waipa back home again.
May be a bit further, but a whole lot less frustrating!

Take care

Al

[NhuanH]

The safest option is to buy a dual sport, and go where the cages can't get ya - footpaths, grass verges, school fields, parks, playgrounds.

the shortest distance from A to B is a straight line.

if B = hospital

Actually, I find with mirrored visor down, black leather jacket, plastic fantastic bike, perfectly suited personalised plate and my trade mark high beams on, lane 1A tends to part like I'm Moses! I think most cagers get a giggle outta my plate as I avoid queueing

[StoneChucker]

Ok, Firstly: Family Guy is absolutely brilliant. You need to watch a few, preferably all of them to understand the characters. It really is genius, heaps of jokes are funny in way more than one way!

I must admit, I don't have any trouble with people trying to run me off the road here in Welly. Most people infact move to the left (if they're in the left lane) or to the right (if they're in the right lane of a dual carriage way). If not, then they simply don't move at all, which is fine too. I ALWAYS wave thanks, as I agree that being polite goes a long way.
Another big thing, is that I tend to pass cars quickly, so most of the time I'm past before they really realise it (in moderate moving traffic). In bumper to bumper, I normally amble up, focusing 90% of my attention to the left and right, watching for what I believe is "signs of intent". These are the obvious ones, and the ones learnt over time, in the end coming down to a simple gut feeling.

As for JIM2's comments... How can you NOT agree with him? He really is correct in saying that deviating in the slightest from the task of riding, is distracting and therefore dangerous. I can agree that shaking your head is probably quite negligable. However, most aren't content to leave it at that, as it's not very "vocal", and being vocal is the point. A good head shake, lights flashing, rev and hooting feels great, but your newly focussed attention on the task of getting your point to the cager detracts from more important act of riding. I've done it before, I KNOW that for a second your attention isn't on the road - and that's all it takes, a second for someone to pull out into another lane. And THEN who do you think the cager will be laughing at?

It's not hard to remember a rego, if you can't (and hey I'll admit, my mind wanders easily) just stop and enter it into your cell phone (or use your key to scratch it into your tank). Fill out the online complaint when you get home. Thats all you should do, if anything. I'm pretty sure the cager won't give a shit if you DID get your point across anyway.

But, I think it must be an Auckland thing, like I said I don't have problems like you describe. Sometime people do stupid things, but I hoot and you can see that they are genuinely apologetic.

Oh, a mirrorectomy is just plain crazy. Someone will see you, if the police get involved YOU WILL be in the wrong. Punching or kicking it off is very likely to upset your balance and above all I guess, you'll come off looking like a dick, giving other bikes a bad rep. Don't do it, it's pretty shitty in my books. (Same as if you make a mistake, and a car / bike driver pulls up next to you, and dents your tank - not a nice feeling at all).

Dave.

[Pixie]

I agree with Lou's comment.
Here's two ways it can be done:Get some distance ahead of the A-hole and park your bike in a convenient property entrance or ahead of a parked car,somewhere that won't expose it to being rammed and where the traffic will have to slow right down or stop,like near the next set of lights.Hopefully the A-hole will see you standing, garing at him as he approaches slowly,stuck in traffic.How you use this position of advantage over the A-hole I will leave up to you,but it opens up so many opportunities.
The other idea I often entertained, is to drive one or more smallish nails into the outside edges of your boot soles and cut off the heads flush with the rubber with side cutters.This will give you a tool,that can leave interesting patterns on paint work as you lightly drag the edge of your boot along it.
The offending A-hole will not even be aware of what you did till he / she notices the damage.Much more discrete than a mirrorectomy but just as satisfying.

[StoneChucker]

OMG, you're kidding right???

[placidfemme]

Wow the boot idea is a bit... over the top... I couldn't imagine driving nails into my Alpinestars let alone someones car...

[vifferman]

I didn't see you this morning on Onewa Rd, placidfemme, as I was grumpily caging my way citywards...

Just as well - I might've done summat naughty to see what you'd do.



Nah - of course I wouldn't - I always pull over for bikes (except when I'm on my bike, and then it's only sometimes).

[placidfemme]

What kind of car do you drive? My partner and I usually leave at about 6.30am (we live on Onewa Rd near Highbury), I didn't see any other bikers this morning... only after I got onto the motorway... were you stuck in the traffic near the Fanshaw Street Offramp? Some truck broke down I think and it was bumper to bumper from the Shelly Beach Rd Offramp... My bike was overheating nicely and it was drizzling... couldn't see much out the visor and with the visor up my eyes were watering (or was that the drizzle? lol)

I think I've seen Al on Onewa Rd, if it is him, I don't think he lane splits, I've passed a BMW a few times that sits in the traffic... My partner and I have talked about the BMW rider and assumed he didn't split lanes because maybe his bike was too wide... because he has side bags kinda thingys

We used to live up in Birkdale and often saw a blue Suzuki 250 (with an L plate) and a Suzuki 600 that lived up the same road as us...

*loves bikers... its like a little family*