North Auckland Street Skills - NASS

[p.dath]

Do you reckon people will still meet for a theory night?

I'd consider going myself, but I'm not sure how many learners (who are restricted to 70km/h) would want to ride out to a theory night in wind gusts of 63 km/h.

[Honor3]

I meant to meet by car as I heard that sometimes theres a theory night when the weather is too bad.

[thehovel]

There is a rummour going around that an official officer(on a bike) is going to turn up. Riders that are unsure of how to handle wind most of the short ride is tucked down in the valleys and the wind will drop at sun set (I Hope) but you make the choice whether to ride or not. ALWAYS RIDE IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE some times it pays to extend it a little. Sport bikes with large fairings will be more affected, A knee sticking out on the windward side of the bike does wonders to stabilises the bike.....Regards Richard PS NASS is on EVERY Wednessday

[p.dath]

Ok, I'll be there. I'm sick of being inside anyway.

[TOTO]

I'm gonna be there too

[GOONR]

Just checked the MET web site.

Currently Auckland is experiencing wind from the south west at 46 km/h, gusting to 63 km/h. Being hit on a 250cc bike side on with wind gusts up to 63 km/h will be challenging.

HAHA, I went over the bridge on my 250 this morning, it was erm, interesting. Still have to ride home but it's calmed down a hellava lot now.

[TOTO]

Epic night. Some little taste of the fun that police get to enjoy every now and then

Looking forward to these guys joining us again

[Beth Stewart]

Epic night. Some little taste of the fun that police get to enjoy every now and then

Looking forward to these guys joining us again

Hi everyone, I heard you gutsy ones were out there last night and have a lot of respect for you riding out in that. Hope to be joining you all again soon. Daylight savings starts this weekend.Thanks for your advice about my tyres have checked for nails etc and all clear. Will look into those valve preasure things. Have been working more days lately and with the weather my Sporty has been having a rest. Also flew down to Chch last weekend to see the quake damage. Best wishes to all in Chch still dealing with aftershocks and cleanup.

[p.dath]

With the Police potentially offering to help NASS we need to have a think about what we would like the Police to do for us. I am quite keen to get training assistance from the Police. From my perspective it means we get access to some highly trained very experienced motorcycle riders, and in particular, Heath used to be a motorcycle instructor. From the Police perspective they get to do some PR and present a human face to the "force", and chances are, by investing time and resources in training new riders now they wont be investing time and resources investigating new rider accidents.

Heath (hope that is how he spells his name) has put forward that he feels training works better if you have a car park session first followed by a ride - which is the complete opposite of how we do it now.

I do quite like having a ride first. It relaxes me, puts me in a good mood, and it allows us to pick up the people who start in West Auckland as well. But that is my personal opinion. What do others think? There is nothing preventing us finishing with a ride either (althouh I personally think if we did this it should be a short ride).

The next thing to consider is the duration of the session. We need to make sure we finish well in time so that those on a restricted licence can be home by 10pm. Also part of NASS (for me at least) is the social time after the session which is currently held at Bar Africa, and you need to consider the closing time of the kitchen. Typically this was used to discuss things further, but the Police said they can't enter a bar in there uniforms on this basis.

I quite like the current 7:30 to 8:30 car park session my self. So personally I'd like to stick to a single hour of training.

Perhaps we could do 45 minutes of car park and 15 minutes of post car park ride instead of just 60 minutes in the car park? The Albany mega centre itself is comprised of a big loop with many round abouts. Perhaps even just a ride around the mega-centre loop would suffice. Although only 50km/h roading there are still plenty of opportunities for gentle counter-steering (remember this is for learners), breaking, cornering, obersarvational awareness, changing gears, etc.


It would be great for everyone interested to express there desires, and I'll pass on the URL to this forum so the Police can take a read as well.

[MarkH]

With the Police potentially offering to help NASS we need to have a think about what we would like the Police to do for us. I am quite keen to get training assistance from the Police. From my perspective it means we get access to some highly trained very experienced motorcycle riders, and in particular, Heath used to be a motorcycle instructor.

Wow! That is really cool, I might have to start coming along a bit more often. Especially with daylight savings starting this weekend and the weather should be getting better soon as well.

To do the car park first and then the ride second would be possible I suppose, but everyone would have to meet in Albany to do the carpark part and then ride to umm, somewhere after that, then Bar Africa wouldn't work out well. I kinda think the current way works out well with all the guys 'n' gals that are keen on a ride meeting at one location and then riding to where the car park is for the practice of the skills.

Is something like this an option:
7:00pm - leave Shell for the ride for those keen (others can turn up in Albany at 7:30 as always)
7:30pm - car park skills in Albany
8:30pm - after skills ride (ride from Albany in a loop back to Albany)
9:00pm - Bar Africa (for those not having to rush home before 10:00pm

This would mean 2 rides on the night - I'm not seeing a downside here.

[BoristheBiter]

Wow! That is really cool, I might have to start coming along a bit more often. Especially with daylight savings starting this weekend and the weather should be getting better soon as well.

To do the car park first and then the ride second would be possible I suppose, but everyone would have to meet in Albany to do the carpark part and then ride to umm, somewhere after that, then Bar Africa wouldn't work out well. I kinda think the current way works out well with all the guys 'n' gals that are keen on a ride meeting at one location and then riding to where the car park is for the practice of the skills.

Is something like this an option:
7:00pm - leave Shell for the ride for those keen (others can turn up in Albany at 7:30 as always)
7:30pm - car park skills in Albany
8:30pm - after skills ride (ride from Albany in a loop back to Albany)
9:00pm - Bar Africa (for those not having to rush home before 10:00pm

This would mean 2 rides on the night - I'm not seeing a downside here.

why go to bar Africa?
There are plenty of bars/cafe's/resturants in that area, or in most areas.

[Neon]

Might as well throw some other ideas in the mix too, reasoned debate welcomed naturally.

1. Starting time. I don't know about the rest of you but I've always felt starting a half hour earlier wouldn't hurt. People who come from town who finish at 5.30pm should still be able to make it comfortably to Westgate, and failing that could go direct to jail..er..Albany. That said, travel anywhere at that time is a bitch.

2. Ride start / end. The major problem with this is that it severely compromises the amount of time for carpark drills in the middle, particularly once everyone is rounded up. I appreciate that the rides are of value, but to be honest I have always felt I learned a LOT more from the carpark sessions than the rides (mainly due to lack of a dedicated instructor who is watching your every move). This was true even when I first started riding.

3. Location. Is there a compelling reason why meeting at Westgate in the first instance is better than meeting at say, a gas station at Albany? This would dramatically increase the amount of time available for carpark activities (people could even get started on warm ups immediately), and is just as good as Westgate as a starting point for longer rides (at the end of the evening for example).

I don't know. Even writing this I realise there are good arguments both ways, just thought it was worth discussing.

[p.dath]

why go to bar Africa?
There are plenty of bars/cafe's/resturants in that area, or in most areas.

I don't think there are many open at 9pm though. I think any bar would be out because the Police don't want potential pictures of them being leaked to the press of holding meetings in bars - even if attending an official sanctioned function. It just looks bad.
Put it this way, if there was some major negative press that would be the end of it.

[p.dath]

1. Starting time. I don't know about the rest of you but I've always felt starting a half hour earlier wouldn't hurt. People who come from town who finish at 5.30pm should still be able to make it comfortably to Westgate, and failing that could go direct to jail..er..Albany. That said, travel anywhere at that time is a bitch.

I think quite a few learners use cars for their day to day travel. So it means if you finish at 5:30pm you drive home. Takes you a good 30 minutes at that time of the day. Then you get changed, and jump on your bike and hea dout to Westgate. Now it's 6:30pm.

Plus in summer it really is a beautifull ride. But having said that, you are right, and we should re-examine all the options.

I think the NASS nights are fun, and I would hate to see al the fun squeezed out of it.

2. Ride start / end. The major problem with this is that it severely compromises the amount of time for carpark drills in the middle, particularly once everyone is rounded up. I appreciate that the rides are of value, but to be honest I have always felt I learned a LOT more from the carpark sessions than the rides (mainly due to lack of a dedicated instructor who is watching your every move). This was true even when I first started riding.

We probably can't start using the car park any earlier than we are. We need to businesses to close and the car park to empty out before we can safely use it.

3. Location. Is there a compelling reason why meeting at Westgate in the first instance is better than meeting at say, a gas station at Albany? This would dramatically increase the amount of time available for carpark activities (people could even get started on warm ups immediately), and is just as good as Westgate as a starting point for longer rides (at the end of the evening for example).

We could always just meet at the car park - but like I say, I'm not sure we can start using the car park any earlier. We will only continue to have an understanding to use it while we don't drive customers away from the businesses.
Richard may be able to clarify this further, but we need to be carefull not to push the line too hard with the car park owners. I'd rather err on the side of caution on this one. Loosing the car park would be a blow.

When we can start to use the car park may be a pivotable factor. If we can't start using the car park earlier then we might as well have a ride beforehand for those that can turn up early enough.

I don't know. Even writing this I realise there are good arguments both ways, just thought it was worth discussing.

100% agree.

[Neon]

I think quite a few learners use cars for their day to day travel. So it means if you finish at 5:30pm you drive home. Takes you a good 30 minutes at that time of the day. Then you get changed, and jump on your bike and hea dout to Westgate. Now it's 6:30pm.

Fair point.

Plus in summer it really is a beautifull ride. But having said that, you are right, and we should re-examine all the options.

I think the NASS nights are fun, and I would hate to see al the fun squeezed out of it.

True that. It's quite an effort for some people to get there for the ride though with other committments - I suggest that there is some scope to make the whole thing a little more efficient from a gathering / briefing / riding perspective.

When we can start to use the car park may be a pivotable factor.

We have on occasion met up at the car park at 7pm to do cone drills, there are very few people around at this time. That said if it were a regular thing we would obviously need to obtain the appropriate clearances.

Now is certainly the time to talk about this stuff. It's learner season and there are bound to be loads of people thinking about coming along to NASS.

I'm keen to do some pre-NASS rides from Westgate before the meet up on a Wednesday night if people were keen. Can be learner friendly. I finish work quite early (like 4-4.30pm) so it could be a 4.30 or 5pm meet up at Westgate. PM me if you're interested.