Whats the state of the desert road? (10 June)

[ldnz]

Hey guys,
I've got to take KR'ims up to the land of parking lot (akl) tomorrow, and I was wondering if anyone has been through the desert road recently and knows what its like through there at the moment. I've done it plenty of times in the wet, but never in the middle of winter and haven't dealt with ice before.

Whats the trick? This trip is unavoidable, so i'll be going through so long as its open. I hear I should be sticking in a trucks tire tracks, in the hope that their weight and grit should have broken the ice up. Is that the right idea? Anything I should be really watching?

[Str8 Jacket]

Anything I should be really watching?

Your oil levels!!! Id be taking a spare bottle of oil with you... Sorry no advice for the road though, hope the weather holds for you!

Jeepers that's a looong trip for the KR, good on you!

[ldnz]

Haha yeah with the way its slurping it at the moment I won't have any room for kit! The distance isn't too bad, seeing as i'm stopping every 150k's these days, and the new radar detector works beautifully, and has already paid for itself . Of greatest concern (except for ice!) is the amount of kit I have to carry (probably 20-30kg's worth - moving to auckland to rejoin the navy) and the resulting effect wind will have on me.

[Str8 Jacket]

Yep, definately be careful of the wind. I was talking to a mate of mine with a 250 who recently went over the desert rd and they were being blown around really badly and we both know how bad the KR's are in the wind. Just keep your arms relaxed, knees dug into the tank and breathe deeply if you start getting affected too badly - trust me this helps!

[bobsmith]

Sorry can't tell you anything about state of the road... but What radar detector are you using? where did you get it from? how have you mounted it on your bike?

[cowpoos]

Haha yeah with the way its slurping it at the moment I won't have any room for kit! The distance isn't too bad, seeing as i'm stopping every 150k's these days, and the new radar detector works beautifully, and has already paid for itself . Of greatest concern (except for ice!) is the amount of kit I have to carry (probably 20-30kg's worth - moving to auckland to rejoin the navy) and the resulting effect wind will have on me.

you have a radar on a KR150??? ain't that a lil OTT??

[cowpoos]

Sorry can't tell you anything about state of the road... but What radar detector are you using? where did you get it from? how have you mounted it on your bike?

what do you believe you need one too???

[Str8 Jacket]

you have a radar on a KR150??? ain't that a lil OTT??

Oi! They go up to 170kph.... thats 170k's of raw licence losing power! And anyway you can transfer them to another BIGGER, FASTER bike one day!...

pffft, how rude!

[ldnz]

Cowpoos - don't you believe it, I don't exactly f*ck around on the KR! I just picked it up from Knight rider a week or so. Its a crap uniden, but I pulled it apart and rewired it so that when Ka band goes off I get a very bright red light on the edge of my windscreen, can't miss it. No false alarms since its now Ka only.

As far as i'm concerned, its not any use for cruising at high speed, I stick to 110, but its excellent for overtaking as you can now tell whether that tiny dot in the distance is actually inland revenue or not. It also stopped me from overtaking an unmarked in the gorge yesterday, which is double yellow lines the entire way. I got a very stern look though!

Just for laughs i'll post a pic up soon.

[bobsmith]

what do you believe you need one too???

it would be nice seeing that I'm 30km/hr away from having my licence taken away... speeding is rather too easy when your bike isn't halfway sunk in a pool of mud.

[The_Dover]

Speeding is neither big nor clever. A responsible motorcyclist would have no requirement for a radar detector as they would stick to the legal speed limits, as enforced by Unkle Heilens Crime Fighting Crusaders.

[ldnz]

Speeding is neither big nor clever. A responsible motorcyclist would have no requirement for a radar detector as they would stick to the legal speed limits, as enforced by Unkle Heilens Crime Fighting Crusaders.

HAHAHAAAAAA nice one. As I said, its not for increased cruising speeds, just to allow safe overtaking. Stuffed if i'm going to idle past a car at 110km/h when I can do it in half the time.

[Str8 Jacket]

Just watch it on the Desert Rd eh?! Dont want you to come to any grief or anything!!!

[ldnz]

Yeah thanks Str8. Back to the point - has anyone been over it recently/got tips for riding in ice?

[skelstar]

I would take a detour and turn left at Waiouru. Head through Nat Park, Taumarunui and Otorohanga etc. Marginally longer journey but less likely to see ice...and fuzz.