Idiot Weatherman

[Dreama]

You'd think that after a lifetime of cynicism, sarcasm and opinionated umm ..opinions .. I'd have learnt by now not to trust or blindly believe anyone else's.
But, shamed as I am to admit it, that's exactly what I did when I believed the fucken weathermans highly informed prediction of widespread, heavy, unrelenting and violently stormy rain on Saturday. On at least 5 different weather sites that I visited daily for the preceding week the same dismal forecast was predicted, up to and including Friday evening.
So, my options were drive 150kms, ride around Hampton in the wet (or just make excuses and sit next to the bike in pit garage pretending) OR drive 150kms, stand in the rain and wind, and watch my son play 1st fifteen rugby in his final year of school.
TBH, neither appealed but the option was work.
So (obviously or I wouldn't be here) I ended up standing under a VERY warm, VERY dry and QUITE sunny sky watching my son play 1st Fifteen rugby in his final year of school.
They lost.
I lost $170 (trackday fee).
How the fuck could they get it so wrong ... rhetorical, I actually know.
So who's the idiot here ... rhetorical, I actually know.

[AllanB]

I'm just annoyed with the weather full stop. And work.

Fitted a new rear tyre on Monday - only decent weather since has been while at work. A hit of hopefulness today but I suspect god it playing with me as I appear to be in a pocket of sun surrounded by shit.

I want to scrub it in.

Side note - the need for a tyre was a good excuse to upgrade my 30 year old torque wrench (I needed a longer one to get the leverage required to tighten the nut). Plus a decent length breaker bar to undo said nut. Single sided swingarm is sexy - nut gets torqued shitloads to stay on!

Compared to a life of standard swingarms I see there is not a lot holding it on really ......

Stupid weather is now rolling in ominous clouds. I may end up making MK3 heat shield this afternoon as MK2 is not quite parallel with the pipes and now I've noticed it it bugs me.......

[jellywrestler]

I want to scrub it in.

they don't need scrubbing in, the shiny surface is a releasing agent so the rubber comes out of the mold, clean this off with brake cleaner or similar and you're rocking and rolling.

[Voltaire]

I've used this one for the last few years and usually right.
Can be raining in Auckland and dry at HD.
http://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Raci...port-Park.aspx

[Maha]

This website is updated regularly and is what we trust http://www.metservice.com/maps-radar...ll-new-zealand

You can see exactly where it is raining and how long it will last etc.

[BMWST?]

There is no such thing as bad weather...just bad gear.So they say.Are they the same ones as forecast the weather...maybe.

[Blackbird]

You'd think that after a lifetime of cynicism, sarcasm and opinionated umm ..opinions .. I'd have learnt by now not to trust or blindly believe anyone else's.
But, shamed as I am to admit it, that's exactly what I did when I believed the fucken weathermans highly informed prediction of widespread, heavy, unrelenting and violently stormy rain on Saturday.

Even with rain radar and a forecast, weather patterns are sometimes hard to predict. In February, I left home in Coromandel in the dark in teeming rain to do my first ever trackday at Hampton with severe mental images of binning it bigtime. Halfway there, the sun came out, the track was bone dry and had an awesome day. Today, I was supposed to be in N-W Auckland on the bike but canned it on the basis of last night's dire forecast. As it happened, the morning would have worked out ok.

[AllanB]

they don't need scrubbing in, the shiny surface is a releasing agent so the rubber comes out of the mold, clean this off with brake cleaner or similar and you're rocking and rolling.

Brake Cleaner? Nah - if you check the label they say to mask or avoid getting it on rubber brake components - based on that I'd be keeping the stuff off expensive tyres.

A dry road and tyre heat will sort it.

[Bassmatt]

What I really like about the metservice website is at the top of the page it might say for example, Morning showers becoming more frequent and then on the 2 hour breakdown at the bottom of the page will predict 0.0 mm of rain for the whole day. And often vice versa.

[Maha]

Even with rain radar and a forecast, weather patterns are sometimes hard to predict. In February, I left home in Coromandel in the dark in teeming rain to do my first ever trackday at Hampton with severe mental images of binning it bigtime. Halfway there, the sun came out, the track was bone dry and had an awesome day. Today, I was supposed to be in N-W Auckland on the bike but canned it on the basis of last night's dire forecast. As it happened, the morning would have worked out ok.

Some years ago we (and about 12 others) left home for a days ride Warkworth/Botany/Tauranga/Rotorua Hamilton/Auckland. We left home in decent rain, it got worse as we hit Auckland, so much so that I rung out my gloves at Botany Honda, Anne bought some wet gear and I luckily had another pair of gloves on board. They last the rest of the ride (Q Moto gloves) It cleared a bit in TGA but it was very cold.. June weather eh? extremely cold through the Mamaku's and pissing down in Hamilton. Needed sunglasses at Ngaruawahia but discarded them as we hit the Bombays. It was about 4:30-5pm and dark/windy with immense rain ...so glad to get of the bike at the end.. couldn't blame the weather man on that occasion. Was the only time we went riding knowing the weather was going to bad, but we went anyway. The rum tasted glorious that evening

[The End]

Brake Cleaner? Nah - if you check the label they say to mask or avoid getting it on rubber brake components - based on that I'd be keeping the stuff off expensive tyres.

A dry road and tyre heat will sort it.

You mean you don't get out a scrubbing brush and sandpaper and legitimately scrub in your tyres?

[Gremlin]

Side note - the need for a tyre was a good excuse to upgrade my 30 year old torque wrench (I needed a longer one to get the leverage required to tighten the nut). Plus a decent length breaker bar to undo said nut. Single sided swingarm is sexy - nut gets torqued shitloads to stay on!

That's just Ducati being blardy special. I remember boss's Multi in Europe causing a few headaches every time he needed another tyre... just looked it up, it's 230Nm.

GSA is 60Nm for each bolt

[Dreama]

Some years ago we (and about 12 others) left home for a days ride Warkworth/Botany/Tauranga/Rotorua Hamilton/Auckland. We left home in decent rain, it got worse as we hit Auckland, so much so that I rung out my gloves at Botany Honda, Anne bought some wet gear and I luckily had another pair of gloves on board. They last the rest of the ride (Q Moto gloves) It cleared a bit in TGA but it was very cold.. June weather eh? extremely cold through the Mamaku's and pissing down in Hamilton. Needed sunglasses at Ngaruawahia but discarded them as we hit the Bombays. It was about 4:30-5pm and dark/windy with immense rain ...so glad to get of the bike at the end.. couldn't blame the weather man on that occasion. Was the only time we went riding knowing the weather was going to bad, but we went anyway. The rum tasted glorious that evening

Yes I accept the valid point ... if you were in fact making one, ie ... it's going to be wet, accept it and get on with it.
When I was racing I abided by that philosophy, although I never enjoyed it much (wet weather racing) because binning the bike = $ but I always went. In a perverse way it can be fun.
Track days are a bit different, for me anyway. I do buggar all road riding so the whole point is simply a high speed adrenlin rush every month or so.
One of my points was that the weather forecast was pretty much the polar opposite of what was actually forecasted for the day .... that and the fact that I should have gone regardless cos they often do get it so wrong.

[AllanB]

That's just Ducati being blardy special. I remember boss's Multi in Europe causing a few headaches every time he needed another tyre... just looked it up, it's 230Nm.

GSA is 60Nm for each bolt

176NM for my Streetfighter (130 ftlb). Needs a decent length wrench! Hmmmmm maybe a excuse for a compressor and air tools ...........

Speed Triple is 150NM or something.

My mates BMW with single side arm has 4 or 5 (can't remember) hub bolts just like a car wheel. Easy. Does not look so cool though ......

[Drew]

Brake Cleaner? Nah - if you check the label they say to mask or avoid getting it on rubber brake components - based on that I'd be keeping the stuff off expensive tyres.

A dry road and tyre heat will sort it.

Loads of the top guys used to use brake clean to rub it off their slicks at the track. Then they all just decided to not worry about it, shit is gone by the end of a corner in each direction anyway.