Seasonal safety reminders

[Ocean1]

I know all the books say to do that, but in the circumstances I described I'd prefer to be in the middle to have a choice to go either side if that was possible.

My theory is that the books were mostly written overseas and they may not have the coarse gravel chip surface we have. (Or used to have since they seem to be saving on gravel?) The slippery droppings slide down between the chips but my tyres sit on top of them. Said he hopefully.

I did not know that. Wouldn't assume advice from off shore was ever that reliable here anyway. And it's probably bad to generalize when in fact you should be aware of most surface defects and local traffic before you actually get to the intersection and position yourself accordingly, except that you can't see oil most of the time, and it's always in the center.

Also, stopped at an intersection I don't feel real safe immediately behind anything. If I'm not in front of everything it's because something is blocking me, in which case my second preference is usually to be lined up with a gap I have some chance of making if some dickhead back there threatens to hump my back tyre.

Having said that, everyone's risk aversion is a different shape, based on previous pain.

[Berries]

Fog = reduced visibility. (Do people really need huge warning messages on the motorway to make them realize that.)

Do they really need a thread on the internet for the same thing?

[Akzle]

winter is cooler. a lot of you niggers are old.


try not to die from influenza.

or. do.

meh.

[Ocean1]

Actually, just to add to the concept, I've found that a significant number of corners on my side of the hill have no coarse chip left in the wheel tracks of even moderate corners. Where they attempt repairs, the outside wheel track is deep, loose gravel. There's no noticeable repair "effect" on the inside.

This is friday night rants, innit?

Only I'm not impressed with most such repairs, they're fucking appallingly badly done.

Couple of years ago a half dozen of us pulled up at a stop sign at some roadworks half an hour south of picton. They had just finished laying some bitumen and were about to put the chip down. We sat on the roadside grass on a beautiful day alternatively rummaging the packs for lunch and yelling free advice to the crew on the job. Took just maybe 10 minutes until there were signs we might about to be waved through. I'm thinking "fuck that was quick", and "bastard stones are going to fuck my lovely drive belt", (Buell 1125CR)

We all rolled off over what looked an absolutely perfect layer of chip. Perfect. They hadn't re-swept it, it was just a single layer of perfectly placed stones. And that's the way it stayed as we trundled along the 100 yards or so they'd finished just minutes ago. Not a single stone flicked up and at no point did any tyre contact any bitumen.

Now. My old uncle Dave used to more or less run the old MOW road maintenance crews down south, and he always said the north and south islands did things radically different, two completely different entities with completely different approaches to any given issue. And over the years I'd come to believe he might just have some pretty good idea about that.

Uncle Dave isn't in charge any more. But it's more than obvious that the south still has ALL the clues on how to go about such things, 'cause it's been fucking years since I've seen north island road repairs done that were anything other than complete fuckups from go to whoa.

[eldog]

winter is cooler. a lot of you niggers are old.


try not to die from influenza.

or. do.

meth.

fixed it for ya

[eldog]

This is friday night rants, innit?

Only I'm not impressed with most such repairs, they're fucking appallingly badly done.

Couple of years ago a half dozen of us pulled up at a stop sign at some roadworks half an hour south of picton. They had just finished laying some bitumen and were about to put the chip down. We sat on the roadside grass on a beautiful day alternatively rummaging the packs for lunch and yelling free advice to the crew on the job. Took just maybe 10 minutes until there were signs we might about to be waved through. I'm thinking "fuck that was quick", and "bastard stones are going to fuck my lovely drive belt", (Buell 1125CR)

We all rolled off over what looked an absolutely perfect layer of chip. Perfect. They hadn't swept it, it was just a single layer of perfectly placed stones. And that's the way it stayed as we trundled along the 100 yards or so they'd finished just minutes ago. Not a single stone flicked up and at no point did any tyre contact any bitumen.

Now. My old uncle Dave used to more or less run the old MOW road maintenance crews down south, and he always said the north and south islands did things radically different, two completely different entities with completely different approaches to any given issue. And over the years I'd come to believe he might just have some pretty good idea about that.

Uncle Dave isn't in charge any more. But it's more than obvious that the south still has ALL the clues on how to go about such things, 'cause it's been fucking years since I've seen north island road repairs done that were anything other than complete fuckups from go to whoa.

Last time I was in de Sth is the roads were notice ability better, even the number and type of corners

[Swoop]

Winter is wetter.
This means that car drivers get to their destination wetter as they have to walk from their car to their office. A gentleman or lady motorcyclist will arrive drier because of the intelligent apparel they are wearing which suits the conditions.

Which sort of reinforced previous thoughts about traction control and ABS being fuck all use if you're not on the gas or the brakes.

Rather annoying when you attempt to power out of a corner and "Computer says NO!".

Oh and as we slide into winter, it brings with it the fabled cager winter sport of tail gatin 'cos we can' as big hit too for the canned clowns.

The up-side is the low sun in the mornings and evenings. Tin-toppers are much more nervous and stay in their lane a bit more since they are: unable to use their sun visor, not wearing sun glasses, a fucking idiot.