Remember the weekend of the Great Burger Fest Coro loop, organised by Steve (ZRXER)?
R6 kid and a couple of others passed by a little time after my friend Gary had his crash after hitting the huge lump just before the lookout around 20kms South of Coromandel.
Before the rest of the group came through, I had already gone back down the hill to Coromandel to find a farm or place where Gary could coast his bike down the hill and store it for the night.
I was leaving a property that was just around a bend on those fantastic high speed sweepers just after the Manaia one way bridge, The people who owned the property were not home but as luck would have it, arrived just as I was leaving. They came in two four wheel drives and I was on the far side of their vehicles from the corner on my bike when the rest of the group came through, about 20-25 bikes. You couldn't hear yourself think and no one would have been doing under 140kmh. Sounded impressive to me but the locals were not impressed.
The next day, I helped Gary's brother pick up the bike in a van and we had to pull out of the same driveway.
Think on this, because it really had me going over so many rides and how we take things for granted or assume all is clear ahead.
The guy who owned the property got talking to me and mentioned how he loves fishing. Directly over the road, is a small jetty where he launches his boat. So quite often he crosses the road in his four wheel drive, towing his boat around 30 metres back from the high speed sweeper.
Here we all come on a great Coro GP, leaning well over on one of our favourite corners at around 140-150kmh or more (usually) and right there fully across the road, is our local with his four wheel drive, towing his boat and both lanes are totally blocked.
Question: where are you going to go? Can't go around him or into the other lane. Can't go behind him as you won't be able to lean enough to make the gap as you are nearly at the edge of the bikes handling envelope already.
You can chose which might be softer to hit: the four wheel drive or the boat, or maybe a quick trip into the mangroves, but they are horrible gnarly thick rooted and trunked things.Could be messy aye?
But then, riding back at around 100kmh in the van with the smashed bike in the back (write off by the way) there were so many corners that had drive ways, farm entrances, hidden gates and picnic areas.
It's made me sit up and analyse my riding style.
I love going fast, I love even more pushing my bike through tight twisties and sweepers and tossing it around. There is no better way to unwind and get rid of stress, which is why I wrote this some time ago:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=32775
I still stand by every word in that article I put together one night but I do want to remind everyone to be careful out there. I would hate to see or hear of anyone on KB, especially those I have ridden with and met, come to grief or die in an accident.
So, when you are entering that fast sweeper and leaning over enjoying your ride, ask yourself; what if there is gravel on the road on the apex, farmer brown pulling out of a blind gate around the corner on his slow moving tractor with a hay trailer attached, a stray beefer wanting to give you a free leather suit when you whack him and take his hide off or a farmer on a tractor with those huge fork things sticking out the front at chest height coming around the corner on your side of the road while sucking his coffee (it happened to me and it was real close.)
I bet, like me you have enjoyed leaning into a nice long sweeper looking at the world from obscene angles and then the tourist comes around the corner in a campervan straddling the white line and their huge mirror just happens to be at head height. You pull your block in like a turtle getting mauled by a dog, but man it really upsets your line.
When on a fast ride, we are so busy concentrating on what we are doing, we almost appear to push back in our minds, the what ifs? I know one road where my friend and I went through at up to 200kmh because it so nice to ride with fast sweepers and I did it in the car a few weeks back and nearly bogged myself at all the hidden entrances, drive ways, dogs walking around without owners or on a lead..... it's getting to darned dangerous riding like this on the road.
So, if I can save a life tonight, next time you are riding and everytime you ride, always ask, "what if", when you commit to a corner that you can't see around at speed.
Live long and ride safe.
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when ever I've been pushing the bike and see a cage with Ma, Pa & the kids I get that what if thought, which I guess is a good, it may have not slowed me down but has changed the way I think about riding on the road and has made me push more towards track days & racing.
Originally Posted by Freakshow
Rugby - A Hooligans Game played by Gentlemen. 
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