16 - 22 May: Where did you ride and what did you practise?

[Terminated]

Please spend a few minutes and let us all know, 'Where Did You Ride and What Did You Practise?' during the week. Humour and photographs are welcomed, however please keep in mind the general spirit is to enlighten us all about your riding practice and technique.

By all means if you have any concerns about your riding, ask questions and I am sure a mentor or senior experienced rider will be only too happy to touch base with you in the forum or by PM personal message.

Next Tuesday evening Chanceyy and WarlockNZ will each chose an entry from this thread. The selections will then be copied across to the Newbie Update Blog at the end of May.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/bl...hp?userid=1728

Heads Up and Enjoy

[Lissa]

Approximately 6 months ago I passed my learners and got myself a GN250. On my very first ride, I rode it around the Trampoline at home. Now a few months later I have a GSF250 Bandit and have clocked up about 8-9K kms... all together. I have meet a great deal of people who are very patient and understanding and generally look after me. I havent travelled far out of the Wairarapa, but I have learnt a great deal of things about myself and my bikes.

I started riding because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, now I ride because I enjoy it, I enjoy the little bit of freedom it gives me, the great company and the time to myself whenever I am riding. My family (my three older brothers) dont seem to understand my love for riding and are concerned for my safety.... but I guess they will come around to the idea.

Saturday I rode up and down the takas about three times. Practicing cornering, but most importantly getting over my fear of going down hill since I have had a couple of scares in the past. The more I ride the more my confidence will pick up.

[MVnut]

Sorry, none this week too busy catching up with work but 3500km the week before including round and round at Hockenheimring, most of Italy's back roads & mountains, finishing up in thick fog surrounded by ice in the San Bernardino Pass, Switzerland. Just having fun with some mates all on MVs. Only real practice was beer drinking practice in the evenings. Ciao & ride safe.

[Terminated]

Wednesday and Thursday
During the week I rode out along the Akatarawa Road to Staglands, and also out the back of Johnsonville and back down around Makara to Karori. I must confess being on the larger VStrom compared to the wee GN250, I realised the finer aspects of slow bike control approaching those blind bends. The VStrom is a delight to handle coming down from cruising speed and approaching bends and harnessing the smooth engine control. Two good rides, and now looked at from a different perspective. Safety Strategies are key on these two roads.

Friday and Saturday
Took the digital camera out around Pauatahanui Inlet and then back up Paekakariki Hill. One could say that the Wednesday and Thursday rides have something in common with Friday and Saturday: the roads are winding however around Pautahanui and up Paekakariki Hill the roads are more flowing and there are numerous opportunities to scan ahead and around the winding road. Needless to say however there are blind bends and and Safety Strategies are also key here. Approaching bends and taking off speed and setting up the right lines were upper most in my mind. I am very mindful of that right bend and not getting too close to the centre apex, and on the left bends reducing speed knowing there is a solid rock face on my left and asking myself 'what can I expect just around the corner' I come in close on the left gearing right down when necessary.

Sunday
I couldn't get out until near midday and the weather was threatening and the breeze was getting up. Took a ride up to Kaitoke and then back down to Te Marua out and around Mangaroa down Whitemans Valley and home. Greeted by stock heading down Whitemans Valley, and mounted horses further along. So once again here like Akatarawa and Makara, the roads are narrow and with frequent blind bends.

I find it a real pleasure to get out for a short ride, I recognise the potential hazards out on some of these quiet roads in particular, and reflect and review on the strategies I was shown during my training these past 12 months.

Heads Up and Enjoy

[Panther]

this week i practiced clutching it up in third from 100mph
closed private roads

[Daza]

Sat 19th May

I went for a short ride out on the back country road that heads towards Hamilton. My aim was to continue to get used to the buffering winds at 100
and cornering (most of the corners were easy).


Sun 20th May

I went out for a ride late this afternoon, it was overcast and not as windy as earlier. I wanted to continue getting used to riding on the open road and todays focus was on getting used to cornering.

I picked a route on a map that was in the outskirts of Cambridge in the country towards Rotorangi. See here http://www.motowhere.com/maps/route/Roto-O-Rangi-Route
The route had a good mixture of some 45kph S bends, 55kph corners as well as some more wide sweeping ones and one very long straight (a nice long break from corners).

I'm getting more used to the powerband of my bike now and i can tell what gear its in by how much revs i'm pulling when accelerating.
Also I rarely stall the bike on take off now, my new problem is changing out of first into second i keep going into neutral instead and having to change up again! This wasn't a problem initially when i was starting out, funny that. My gear changing (after 2nd) is getting better, but sometimes its a bit rough.

I tried wearing different shoes today opposed to the boots i've been using (but really aren't ideal as they only go up to the ankle and could easily come off in a spill) i have a better pair (remember the melting boots i mentioned in a former post?) getting resoled and they have steel capped toes on them but the shoe repair guy won't be finished for another week! So perhaps a more firm boot will help with the neutral thing, but why wasn't it a problem before.
hmmm..

Da Cornering:
So i find coming up to a blind corner or looks sharp i would back off/brake slowing down to 60/70/80 (depending on how scary it looks hehe) and then turn into it and gradually accelerate out of it, sometimes i would change down a gear into third (sometimes i realized i didn't need to). Alot of corners i realised i didn't need to back off so much and other times they were tight.
I really need to follow an experienced rider and see what lines they are using and the speed you can travel around corners without pushing it. (There used to be a Te Awamutu rider on the mentor list, but not anymore, forgotten his KB name)

My initial plan was find a route that i can ride around regularly and get to know the corners and each time go through them a little quicker until i can get confidence that the bike is going to stay where i put it and i don't
stray across the line on the exit or just as worse- panic going into a corner too hot and brake/roll off the throttle make things worse and eat pavement or grass.

Other things i need to work on:

I need to also practice switching my fuel reserve switch over while riding. Work on my gear changing esp. 1st - 2nd.

Do some more emergency braking. Although i don't know up to what speed this can be unsafe to practice?

I'm actually on holiday at the moment for the next two weeks, so if there are any experienced Waikato rider's who have time free during the week or a weekend that could help me out with cornering, riding lines and any other pointers would be much appreciated.

[Terminated]

I'm actually on holiday at the moment for the next two weeks, so if there are any experienced Waikato rider's who have time free during the week or a weekend that could help me out with cornering, riding lines and any other pointers would be much appreciated.

Heads Up Waikato riders.

Good on you Daza, good write up. My tip, and remember I am only a newbie too, find a large empty carpark or deadend road. Grab yourself some small cone markers [tennis balls cut in half are good] and put down about 12 of them and pace each one out 10metres [increase and decrease the separation distance during your practice.] This will give you some good counter steering routine/practice.

About your gear shifting up, get your left foot immediately under shift foot-lever once you move off from 1st and hold a slight pressure on it, then when you clutch in flick up immediately. I know that sounds like telling you to suck eggs, but the getting the foot ready going up through the gears was a technique shown to me during my review rides.

When you finish you slalom - counter steering practice, gather up the balls and form up a box four corners 15 to 18metres corner to corner, from a standing start 1st gear and gear up to 2nd approaching box around 25-30kph and practice just slowing down through box, several passes then simulate emergency braking. [Scenario your second or third back in traffic stream at lights, lights change to green, and by the time you get to 30kph one or other car in front fails to indicate and brakes wanting to move into vacant car parking space on left]. Use the box routine and over time you will/should be able to do your emergency braking routines confidently from whatever speed you're prepared to ride at.

Still using that box, you can practise your u-turn, and figure eight routines.

Heads Up Waikato riders.

Heads Up and Enjoy Daza

[Blind spot]

Sat 3 of us went from Waitomo -marakopa- kawhia then home.
This must be one of the best twisty rides i have found, especially the Marakopa- kawhia bit.
All good quality sealed roads.
Real VStrom country, could get a bit slippery in winter as some bits would never see the sun all year.
No cafe at Marakopa, what a gem of a place, nice cafe in Pirongia, road is being repaired in pirongia with boulders, watch out.

[Bnonn]

Seconded. The road out to Pirongia, and through the town itself, is just nasty. I was afraid I was going to lose a tire \:

Daza, there are a few Hamilton chaps who are planning to do a lines & tips ride at some stage, where the better riders will tutor the n00bs. See the Lines & Tips Ride thread.

[Hitcher]

Saturday 19 May: To Picton on the 1:00pm Bluebridge sailing and then on to Kaikoura. Perfect conditions, no wind with the roads largely to ourselves. Not a Truffle Hunter in sight! Murdered the Dashwood (taking care to avoid the recently slopped slick of cow shit). Darkness set in at about Kekerengu and the temperature plummetted from Clarence. One of New Zealand's better rides is just as good in the dark. Quite a few patches of roadworks to be watchful of.

Sunday 20 May: Inland route to Waiau (on the FJR); Waiau to Springs Junction on a K1200S; to Motueka via Tapawera; Picton via Nelson and Renwick for the 7:00pm Bluebridge.

Nice day in Kaikoura but it darkened immediately we left and we had a stiff westerly all the way to Mt Lyford. The wind then dropped away, as did the temperature. The wind returned with a vengence at the Hanmer turnoff and freezing scattered showers arrived shortly afterwards. A wind gust at the Hope Bridge had me most of the way across the other lane. It was freezing and quite wet over the Lewis Pass.

After a hot coffee and some hot food it was time to wind the wick on the magnificent Shenandoah road throught to Murchison. Heavy rain set in about halfway but troubled not the FJR on its Avon Storms. The weather cleared and brightened nicely from Gowan Bridge. We turned off onto the Tapawera-Motueka road, and once again I died and went to motorcycle heaven.

From there, on to Nelson. It pissed down over the Whangamoas, clearing by Havelock, when a gale sprang up.

What did I learn? How to ride quickly in most imaginable riding conditions and why I love riding motorcycles.

809km covered from home to home. Buy an FJR and put Avon Storms on it. Whoar!

[Blackbird]

Sigh...... a delightful description and happy memories revived about our "Birds Galore" March trip over identical roads and more besides. Three of us also shod with Avon Storms. They really are a superlative tyre in the wet, are they not? A wonderful way to spend your birthday weekend. But what of a report on the K1200 S? What impressions have you?

Oh that I was Wellington-based. Living in the south island would be just too much temptation to do spend every weekend riding.

[Hitcher]

I'm not sure whether this is the right place for a K1200S ride review, but what the heck.

1. For a BMW they look rather attractive, compared with some of the Bavarian marque's other recent offerings, some of which look as though they have been beaten into submission with an ugly stick and painted with colours normally only found on 1950s Chevys in Cuba.

2. It's wee, but fits a taller-than-average, fuller-figured gent quite well. Sprotsbike riding position, but not excessively/aggressively. The seat is nice and one's arse could spend several hours a day astride a K1200S. I think I'd be after a sheepskin before attempting a Grand Challenge though.

3. The dashboard is well set out and legible. Controls are, well, idiosyncratic. Finding the starter button was my first test. The indicators required considerable powers of concentration and would require some riding before their use became instinctive. Heated grips, noice, but just as well they were on as I wouldn't have figured these out without some instruction.

4. Shaft drive, six-speed box, fucking turbine. Bugger me, these things can party. Hit 8,000rpm and, M U M M Y! Talk about acceleration. The only other bike I've ridden that has acceleration this cataclysmic is a Kawasaki ZX10. I now know why one has a sphincter. Throttle response is immediate, predictable (apart from that "surpriiiise" at 8,000rpm) and smooth. The gearbox is nice but, like most bikes that have six-speed transmissions, one needs a gear position indicator to know where one is. Fortunately the Beemer has one of these.

5. Brakes are linked ABS. Murray warned me that they could be sudden and aggressive. I found them unnervingly vague and unresponsive. I guess it's a matter of what you're used to.

6. Handling is pretty darned good. Murray's K1200S is shod with Michelin Pilot Sports and these seemed to acquit themselves nicely in both wet and dry. One would have to have the bike canted over at track cornering angles to trouble any jutty-out bits.

6. Wind/weather protection? 5 out of 10. A shorter rider may be a bit more protected by the standard double-bubble, but not I. The weather during my ride was trying at best, but I may as well have been astride some naked thing for all the use the nose-cone/screen provided.

7. Pillion comfort? Untested, but looks OK. Murray had a Ventura pack rack and Ventura tailbag on and I couldn't detect anything untoward handling-wise from this. Ventura's products, while well intentioned and functional, are crap. I guess they think they have to be price-driven. A good product development engineer could make them vastly better.

Overall assessment? The K1200S is not a "sprotsbike" but can more than adequately be one of required, but with more creature comforts for the rider. I would describe it more as a "super-sports tourer". I really enjoyed the experience of having a decent stretch on one in a variety of weather conditions and on a variety of road conditions. I really enjoyed it. Would I buy one (money no object)? No.

[Terminated]

Sat 3 of us went from Waitomo -marakopa- kawhia then home.
This must be one of the best twisty rides i have found, especially the Marakopa- kawhia bit.
All good quality sealed roads.
Real VStrom country, could get a bit slippery in winter as some bits would never see the sun all year.
No cafe at Marakopa, what a gem of a place, nice cafe in Pirongia, road is being repaired in pirongia with boulders, watch out.

Check out VStrom owners site:

www.stromtrooper.com

Heads Up and Enjoy

[Terminated]

Sunny and no wind, steady traffic flow with the stock trucks being quite numerous.

Focus: Very steady speed and flowing lines up and down both sides.

[chanceyy]

Sat 19th May

I went for a short ride out on the back country road that heads towards Hamilton. My aim was to continue to get used to the buffering winds at 100
and cornering (most of the corners were easy).


Sun 20th May

I went out for a ride late this afternoon, it was overcast and not as windy as earlier. I wanted to continue getting used to riding on the open road and todays focus was on getting used to cornering.

I picked a route on a map that was in the outskirts of Cambridge in the country towards Rotorangi. The route had a good mixture of some 45kph S bends, 55kph corners as well as some more wide sweeping ones and one very long straight (a nice long break from corners).

I'm getting more used to the powerband of my bike now and i can tell what gear its in by how much revs i'm pulling when accelerating.
Also I rarely stall the bike on take off now, my new problem is changing out of first into second i keep going into neutral instead and having to change up again! This wasn't a problem initially when i was starting out, funny that. My gear changing (after 2nd) is getting better, but sometimes its a bit rough.

I tried wearing different shoes today opposed to the boots i've been using (but really aren't ideal as they only go up to the ankle and could easily come off in a spill) i have a better pair (remember the melting boots i mentioned in a former post?) getting resoled and they have steel capped toes on them but the shoe repair guy won't be finished for another week! So perhaps a more firm boot will help with the neutral thing, but why wasn't it a problem before.
hmmm..

Da Cornering:
So i find coming up to a blind corner or looks sharp i would back off/brake slowing down to 60/70/80 (depending on how scary it looks hehe) and then turn into it and gradually accelerate out of it, sometimes i would change down a gear into third (sometimes i realized i didn't need to). Alot of corners i realised i didn't need to back off so much and other times they were tight.
I really need to follow an experienced rider and see what lines they are using and the speed you can travel around corners without pushing it. (There used to be a Te Awamutu rider on the mentor list, but not anymore, forgotten his KB name)

My initial plan was find a route that i can ride around regularly and get to know the corners and each time go through them a little quicker until i can get confidence that the bike is going to stay where i put it and i don't
stray across the line on the exit or just as worse- panic going into a corner too hot and brake/roll off the throttle make things worse and eat pavement or grass.

Other things i need to work on:

I need to also practice switching my fuel reserve switch over while riding. Work on my gear changing esp. 1st - 2nd.

Do some more emergency braking. Although i don't know up to what speed this can be unsafe to practice?

I'm actually on holiday at the moment for the next two weeks, so if there are any experienced Waikato rider's who have time free during the week or a weekend that could help me out with cornering, riding lines and any other pointers would be much appreciated.

My pick for this week is Dazza ..

Being relatively new to biking too I also know the practice, practice routine, its good to see Dazza breaking down the riding & look at what needs work ..

also good to see asking for help with Mentoring .. without this myself I would not be where I am today ..