First Night Ride!

[kilgh]

Yeah I discovered I switched the thing to park light!

[p.dath]

Come along to NASS sometime on the North Shore if you life for some free training.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/wiki/North_Auckland_Street_Skills

[Maha]

I remember my first night ride.
Twas a night of a few first really...
Never had a pillion at night in the rain with a tinted visor before that night with a 100kms to home after a our first big group ride way up north.

[kilgh]

Sounds fun. Will have to wear my sunnies next time.

[nomnomnom]

Awesome to hear! I still find night riding scary, but again only been riding around 9 months!

One thing I found really helped me with getting more comfortable in traffic (specially taking off at lights/intersections/round-abouts) is to just think to yourself "the car behind cant move till I go, and I have to wait for people in front of me to move before I can go, so everyone can just be patient!"

Think about the times your at the lights and the light goes green and the car/bike in front of you doesnt move, you give them a few seconds before any abuse starts, and if they still dont move you go round them!

Iv stalled in so many places before and always manage to get out of it fine. Traffic lights. Intersections. Rush hour traffic on 3 lane state highway.... lol

[livee]

Way to go Kilgh! (i'm a few days slow haha) Have you done a few more night rides now?

[kilgh]

Hey nomnomnom,

I'm so used to night driving that night riding isn't phasing me. Still have traffic about, but haven't stalled at an intersection yet!

Still not quite getting those slow take-off turns quite right though. But to paraphrase you, I've only been riding for 4 months!

Livee, just got back from yet another one tonight. Nice night, but a little windy. As I left my street the first car I gave way to (the only car out there actually) was a police car. I pulled in to follow him to the first set of lights and, just as I reached him, all his lights came on!

Luckily this was a coincidence as he roared off through the red light after some real baddie hopefully. But geez

Anyway, just about to pass the three figure mark so all my friends can stop teasing me about my slow progress....work and weather have conspired against me I tell you! Tomorrow could be the day if the weather holds. Unfortunately I am then locked into a 7 day stretch of shifts that pretty much encompasses all my legal riding hours...darn stupid curfew!

[livee]

Oh Geez, my heart just thumps when there's a cop around, no matter than I'm not doing anything wrong! That would have freaked me out big time!

Don't you worry about 'slow progress'! I took 3 years or maybe 4 on my learners, and yea I can't compare to if I'd rushed through the stages, but I felt really no worries sitting my tests. My tester for my restricted said he could tell I'd been riding a long time, and for my full, nothing to comment on at the end. I didn't even really think about the test this time as I knew if I couldn't pass it after 4 years then I shouldn't be on the road lol... you take your time

Frustrating not being able to ride though! I had my bike stolen earlier in the year, bought a bigger bike so haven't been able to ride, and now I am licensed to ride it, the rego is still on hold.... I just want the month of June to be over in a blink! You're 7 days of shift work will fly by!!

Keep up the good work!

[kilgh]

Happy you passed!

6 days to go....

[Grant`]

Have you considered applying for a allowance to ride outside the normal conditions due to your work patterns?

I don't know if its possible or even how easy it is, just a thought.

[kilgh]

Yeah, but I'd only be able to go to work and back....which would be unsafe at 70kph.