Harbour Bridge off-limits to motorcycles (10 July)

**Unit:Me** · 11th July 2007, 08:20

Originally Posted by Devil

The bridge is fine today.

Awesome glad I can get that far but will stay off the clipons I think. Im definately going to give it a shot to get home today, I believe my crew are sick of takeaways for the past week Ive been away.

**ZeroIndex** · 11th July 2007, 08:29

Originally Posted by Gremlin

Now I really am annoyed I didn't go over it for fun... I wanted dinner instead. The ride home along back streets was boring as, even in the exposed bits.

Gotta love the 200kg cb900, weight is positioned low, wide bars make for accurate control... *sigh* missed opportunity at fun on the bridge

Notice the only people really complaining have big 700 - 800 cc cruiser bikes? Those probably aren't the best for a windy setup... Relaxed = lots of wind...

**vifferman** · 11th July 2007, 08:46

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

Same here mate.

I thought "OK, I'm off the bridge it might get better now, I'll get off at esmode..." *whoosh!!!!!, slide all over the road* "on second thoughts, fuck that, I'll get off at Onewa!" lol

-Indy

Yeah, that bit of motorway between the bridge and the HP HQ is really bad in strong nor-easters.
Our power went off at 7:30, and was still off at 8:20 this morning when I left. I was warmer on the bike than I was at home!

**vifferman** · 11th July 2007, 08:49

Originally Posted by ZeroIndex

Notice the only people really complaining have big 700 - 800 cc cruiser bikes? Those probably aren't the best for a windy setup... Relaxed = lots of wind...

It's those big wheelbarrow handlebars: too much leverage when they're holding them tight and trying to counteract every little movement of the bike.

Be OK if they rode pissed.

**ZeroIndex** · 11th July 2007, 09:39

Originally Posted by vifferman

It's those big wheelbarrow handlebars: too much leverage when they're holding them tight and trying to counteract every little movement of the bike.

Be OK if they rode pissed.

I know the feeling, with my mx-bars on my FZR... I'd hate to ride with apehangers over that bridge...

**Devil** · 11th July 2007, 09:58

I would have thought a cruiser woudl have been ok. I think I had it worse on the VStrom. Tall, high CoG. You cant duck down much!

Had worse though, on the Himitangi Straights. 60kt sidewind. I managed to travel about 200m at one point, on a 45 degree lean, in a straight line. hah.

**vifferman** · 11th July 2007, 10:01

Originally Posted by ZeroIndex

I know the feeling, with my mx-bars on my FZR... I'd hate to ride with apehangers over that bridge...

Heh heh... that reminds me.
A couple of years ago, I was riding over the bridge. It obviously wasn't a windy day, because coming the other way was this guy: I could see him from a long way off, as his handlebars were so high, he was at full stretch to reach them, like he was saying, "I surrender! Please don't shoot my ugly mofo arse!"

Come to think of it, those apehangering handlebars were a brilliant safety feature. I mean, if a dozy clown like me could see him from a couple of hundred metres away (and when I say "see", it's more like: "Ohmyfarkingawdwhatthehellisthatcoming?doIneedtorun offthesideofthebridgeincaseit'sdangerous?!?"

So maybe it was a GoodThing.

But not in this CrazyArseWeather.

Meh... i'm still not awake (after having had two cups of swill, and my eyes blearily open since 5am), so I'll post some more crap.

I was waiting for the WifeAccountantPorcupinePillionist last night for PHARKIN AGES so I went and parked down at the waterfront at Takapuna. It was freaky. The waves were like 15 feet high, man, and the car was boogeying there on the spot, just biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to leap into the air, spin around two or three times, do a backflip, then crash onto its roof in the middle of the road. There was some crazy toothless courier dude parked next to me in his van. Dunno what he was doing (polishing his knob, while getting off to the crazy weather?) but every so often he'd glance over at me as if to say, "Kewl, huh? Freakin' windy, eh? My van sucks arse, dunnit?"
And then there was this OtherGuy (we'll call him "ThisOtherGuy") who pulls up in his van, runs around to the side door, opens it up, gets out a coat, puts it on, stands there bravely facing into the wind and wind-blown spume (like wind-blown sperm, but not as sticky, and a bit grittier and saltier), and after ..ooh... 2 or maybe 5 milliseconds, decides he's a wimp, and leaps back in his van. Sadly, it didn't blow off the road into a pohutukawa tree, burst into flames, explode and shower CrazyToothlessCourierVanDude with burning ThisOtherGuy bits and toasted spume.
Sucks, dunnit?
But then mebbe it would've sucked more if it had, because I didn't have a camera to capture the moment for prosperity and posterity. And the CameraInMyHead has got a faulty memory card, so I would've forgotten it after a few microseconds.

Yeah, the wind winds me up a little bit.

**Griff** · 11th July 2007, 10:05

Originally Posted by Unit

Awesome glad I can get that far but will stay off the clipons I think. Im definately going to give it a shot to get home today, I believe my crew are sick of takeaways for the past week Ive been away.

Clipons were fine this morning.
If it gets that windy again, just avoid driving at low speeds.
(Give those guys at Snapit something to more moan about)

**Blackbird** · 11th July 2007, 10:25

Hello VifferIan - you sound just like little kids who go crazy in this weather, hehe. It's affecting our cats too

**Swoop** · 11th July 2007, 10:44

Originally Posted by Steam

My illusions! They are shattered! Need some more illusions please.

Helen Clark is a woman. Parekura Horomia is anorexic. Hone Harawira is an excellent ambasador for trans-Tasman relations. Happy now?

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

Also my old man heard on the radio that someone on a motorcycle had pullover on the bridge as it was too windy for them!

Sure it wasn't a jumper? Not good in those winds. Leap off and next thing you'd be back on the bridge!

Still a bit windy for Auckland standards. Wellytown folks think it is a gentle breeze.

**ZeroIndex** · 11th July 2007, 10:53

Originally Posted by vifferman

Heh heh... that reminds me.
A couple of years ago, I was riding over the bridge. It obviously wasn't a windy day, because coming the other way was this guy: I could see him from a long way off, as his handlebars were so high, he was at full stretch to reach them, like he was saying, "I surrender! Please don't shoot my ugly mofo arse!"

Come to think of it, those apehangering handlebars were a brilliant safety feature. I mean, if a dozy clown like me could see him from a couple of hundred metres away (and when I say "see", it's more like: "Ohmyfarkingawdwhatthehellisthatcoming?doIneedtorun offthesideofthebridgeincaseit'sdangerous?!?"

So maybe it was a GoodThing.

But not in this CrazyArseWeather.

Meh... i'm still not awake (after having had two cups of swill, and my eyes blearily open since 5am), so I'll post some more crap.

I was waiting for the WifeAccountantPorcupinePillionist last night for PHARKIN AGES so I went and parked down at the waterfront at Takapuna. It was freaky. The waves were like 15 feet high, man, and the car was boogeying there on the spot, just biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to leap into the air, spin around two or three times, do a backflip, then crash onto its roof in the middle of the road. There was some crazy toothless courier dude parked next to me in his van. Dunno what he was doing (polishing his knob, while getting off to the crazy weather?) but every so often he'd glance over at me as if to say, "Kewl, huh? Freakin' windy, eh? My van sucks arse, dunnit?"
And then there was this OtherGuy (we'll call him "ThisOtherGuy") who pulls up in his van, runs around to the side door, opens it up, gets out a coat, puts it on, stands there bravely facing into the wind and wind-blown spume (like wind-blown sperm, but not as sticky, and a bit grittier and saltier), and after ..ooh... 2 or maybe 5 milliseconds, decides he's a wimp, and leaps back in his van. Sadly, it didn't blow off the road into a pohutukawa tree, burst into flames, explode and shower CrazyToothlessCourierVanDude with burning ThisOtherGuy bits and toasted spume.
Sucks, dunnit?
But then mebbe it would've sucked more if it had, because I didn't have a camera to capture the moment for prosperity and posterity. And the CameraInMyHead has got a faulty memory card, so I would've forgotten it after a few microseconds.

Yeah, the wind winds me up a little bit.

haha, funny random story... I thought only I thought like that...

**discotex** · 11th July 2007, 12:47

Originally Posted by Shadows

110kph? That's just a wee zephyr. We roll our ciggies in higher winds than that. You jafas need to grow some nuts.

The poor buggers riding over the bridge would have been in 150km/h+ gusts.

Peak Wellington wind isn't any worse than Auckland - it's just windy more of the time.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandI.../Standard/3/en

You kids like to talk it up to appear hard but we all know you're Absolutely Positively Pussies

**Grub** · 11th July 2007, 13:29

Originally Posted by TLMAN

Police are advising motorcyclists to use an alternativem route

And that would be how ..... ?

D'oh ... I got it ... around the top of the harbour. Was building mental images of Vespas entering the harbour at Bayswater ridden by chicks in flatties, short skirts and a snorkel