250 ride, Sunday the 3rd/12/06

**gijoe1313** · 3rd December 2006, 22:32

Originally Posted by Donor

Sorted guvnor

Arr ye be learn'n fast laddie! Great post ye did too! Get'n as wordy as me you are arr!

And now for some biker pr0n ... two passion enflamed bikers with a mischievious glint in their eyes decide to pose for the lens! Ooer!

**zeocen** · 3rd December 2006, 22:34

Ha! That's me in the black/red in the first pic.

/edit woops, in the first batch of pics, that is.

**Donor** · 3rd December 2006, 22:35

Originally Posted by gijoe1313

Arr ye be learn'n fast laddie! Great post ye did too! Get'n as wordy as me you are arr!

And now for some biker pr0n ... two passion enflamed bikers with a mischievious glint in their eyes decide to pose for the lens! Ooer!

Ye gods... have they no SHAME??

**Maverick** · 4th December 2006, 07:26

A few thanks to those who helped with this ride:

McJim, thanks for helping with organizing and running as usual, (you shout louder then me too) much appreciated.

Gijoe1313: Thanks for taking point for the slow group, where most riders want to go for a blast you are always volunteering to potter along and play much needed shepard for the newer riders.

The guys from Ulysses: Thanks for the help and bringing up the rear, you are most welcome to join us on any future rides,

Gremlin: Thanks for leading the faster group. While it is primarily a learner ride we want people of all levels to enjoy themselves and extend their skills. A ride that can be very challenging to a new rider can be considered boring to another, it doesnt make one person right or wrong its just the way things are.

And lastly thanks to everyone who turned up on the ride. It was great to meet you all and I hope you enjoyed yourselves and will come with us again.
Next ride is the 16th of December, should be on the Calender now and I will start a thread shortly.

This weekend has been overshadowed by bad news as we all know, and while I didnt know the riders personally it is obvious from the tributes flowing in that they were a couple of great guys. RIP.

I always encourage beginners to realise their mistakes and learn from their accidents. Sometimes freak accidents do happen and there is nothing at all that could have been done to prevent it, but if through rides like this we can help beginners learn the skills to prevent basic mistakes and promote a sensible riding attitude then hopefully that grounding will help save peoples lives or skin someday. I think that makes it worth it.

Ride safe out there, I want to meet you all again on a future ride

Mav

**Lucy** · 4th December 2006, 08:18

"she was whipping round corners without brakes where I was personally praying to the gods of Hydraulics to save me from impending peril, or worse, making a twat of myself. (That happened later, explain in a minute...)"

Thanks for the compliment Donor - here is my secret: Get a really slow bike that doesnt go fast on the straights, then you don't NEED to brake when you get to a corner!

Yeah but nah but yeah but nah but yeah but....also being taught to drive by family members with crappy cars in the 80's before warrants got strict, engine braking was emphasized as an essential skill in case the brakes ever failed, which they havent yet, touch wood.

Have to admit I love the twisties, but a couple of them I was a bit wobbly on. I've driven over that road a few times so it wasnt a total stranger to me. But I was very tickled to read your post, thanks! It was a good write up of a good day.

Great fun ride, I'll definitely do more of those - seeing as no-one can see or hear as I am laughing and giggling like a madwoman coming down the fun windy hils.

PS was it my Ginny back firing??? I didnt hear anything.

**Twig** · 4th December 2006, 08:33

I'd like to thank Mav and McJim for yesterday! It was my first KB ride and I had a great time.

I was also caught out by the very tight lefthander in the gouge... I know for next time!!!

Thanks again, see you next time!!!

**gijoe1313** · 4th December 2006, 09:51

Ahh good on everyone for coming out and riding safely! The smiles I saw on people's faces was a joy to behold!

Mav : As usual well organised and no sense of needing to rush, now I know how it feels when you're always checking your mirrors, over your shoulder, etc!
McJim : On ya for taking TEC, always a position that requires patience and understanding
Gremlin : Thanks for stepping up and taking point for the more experienced riders
Ulysses : Great to have you guys come along for this

To all other riders : Thanks for riding safely and everyone learning something new! I didn't get around to make introductions as I would have liked to most, but I'm sure time will sort that out (all good things take time, to quote a cheesy ad!)

**Lucy** · 4th December 2006, 10:48

Zeocen and Donor, I think you'd be surprised how you looked if you had a video of yourselves, I thought everyone there looked pretty flash even the other GN lady who reckoned she was really new. I think we all looked better than we felt!

Thanks again to GI Joe, Mav and McJim and all for making it a friendly welcoming ride.

Such a shame about the rest of the weekend and the fatalities. RIP.

**McJim** · 4th December 2006, 11:03

Originally Posted by Lucy

Zeocen and Donor, I think you'd be surprised how you looked if you had a video of yourselves,

Everyone looks good on a bike - it's a kind of natural law...like gravity..

I'm pleased to read all the posts where the first time KB riders got something good out of the day - I'm glad. It was my wife's first KB run too. We need to find some more babysitters so I can take her out on more (otherwise she'll be the one on the runs and I'll be the one at home with the kids before too long!)

Also please PM me or Maverick with any suggestions you might have to improve the ride/it's format. I admit I am far from perfect and will happily listen to advice and observations that we may have overlooked.

Keep suggestions off the forum please (PM only as above) as people may mistake a suggestion as a format change.

**vamr** · 4th December 2006, 12:02

Thanks to everyone who organised and lead the ride.

Was great to finally meet some fellow bikers and be quickly reintroduced to one's own mortality (certain hairpins = running wide... oops).

Was kind of ironic talking to McJim and him describing watching a newbie running wide and enjoying a dirt ride, only to do the same (luckily with no one watching) an hour later. Offroading in gravel on a kr150 is an experience I don't particularly want to repeat but saying that, did manage to stay upright, avoid a powerpole AND steer back onto the road.

See you all on the next run.

**gijoe1313** · 4th December 2006, 12:10

Originally Posted by vamr

Thanks to everyone who organised and lead the ride.

Was great to finally meet some fellow bikers and be quickly reintroduced to one's own mortality (certain hairpins = running wide... oops).

See you all on the next run.

Well glad to know that all went well, running wide is something we all do - and fortunately give ourselves a scare and a knock on the helmet "ooh..now what did I do wrong so I can do it right?"

Just remember it's easier to brake in advance of the corner to bleed off the speed so you can look through the corner ... or ...

slow... down before the corner
look... through the corner, observing road condition and line to take
lean... the bike through by countersteering and continue to look
roll on the throttle ... a little more as you ride through the corner

Keep reading as much as you can about the fine art of motorcycling, check through the threads, ask questions and find a mentor!

Shucks, I'm still trying to be a safer rider and going on these 250 rides is a good way to keep myself fresh on the basics and techniques of taking corners well!

heavens know I've ridden wide on those very same corners we all did on the weekend!

**vamr** · 4th December 2006, 12:35

Originally Posted by gijoe1313

Cheers for that, in reflection target fixation and stiffening of arms definitely was the culprit on the hairpins.

At the moment maneuvering the bike feels rather wooden as majority of actions are conscious decisions, which I assume only riding time can fix.

**McJim** · 4th December 2006, 15:17

Which corner did all of these people have a bit of bother with?

It wasn't the left hand downhill hairpin on the way to Kawakawa bay was it?

**McJim** · 4th December 2006, 15:20

Originally Posted by vamr

Thanks to everyone who organised and lead the ride.

Was great to finally meet some fellow bikers and be quickly reintroduced to one's own mortality (certain hairpins = running wide... oops).

Was kind of ironic talking to McJim and him describing watching a newbie running wide and enjoying a dirt ride, only to do the same (luckily with no one watching) an hour later. Offroading in gravel on a kr150 is an experience I don't particularly want to repeat but saying that, did manage to stay upright, avoid a powerpole AND steer back onto the road.

See you all on the next run.

I'm kind of glad I said "If you do run out of road don't assume you are about to crash or you will....try to keep riding and you'll have the best chance of not falling off - even if it means riding halfway across a paddock."

**Maverick** · 4th December 2006, 15:23

Originally Posted by McJim

Which corner did all of these people have a bit of bother with?

It wasn't the left hand downhill hairpin on the way to Kawakawa bay was it?

I think there are a multitude of corners both ways that could cause problems, I am guessing you mean after lunch on the way back to the bay, I nearly had a problem on that corner as my foot grazed the ground going around the one you are thinking of. had to straighten up a bit, move my foot back further on the peg and then lean in a bit more again. I didnt have to be leaning that hard but I was dropping the bike down a lot to try scratch off my friends chicken strips