DB1k 2009

[Transalper]

Surely this is just a speed issue, not a 'roading' one?.....

I'd agree with ducatijim but unfortunately we have no control over other people and an awful lot of them will go as fast as they can through there no matter how hard you try to educate them on the risks (although I think it is open limit there so they are unlikely to be actually breaking the speed limit).
Relying on road signs is a bad habit IMO and judging a corner by it's surroundings instead of the visible road surface isn't much better (yes sometimes i'm guilty of this too) but because we can't change most people then I agree that we need to change the corner or it will continue to claim riders and drivers alike.
Having read the last few posts on signs vs other things I think cutting down a few bushes and maybe planting some others would be the best option.
I can see where if you put a sign up on one corner then some people might wonder where the rest were on other corners that catch them out too.

Anyway enuff said, here's the only 2 pictures I took, as a one dayer pictures are bottom of the priority list although I guess I could have taken a few around the cabin during the 5.5 hour wait for rescue

Halfish way up Mt Altimarlock, Cooneyr in action fixing other peoples flats again, MotoRad-ical holding the wheel-less bike up.

[Aslan]

Funny thing is; I remember seeing the blue haybarn, but nothing about the corner! I guess its because I ride like a Nana!!!

.......now theres a solution.......................................... .....

me to - but then it just goes to show I do ride like a Nana


Seems to me though this corner has claimed enough folks for people taking part in events that traverse the Rainbow to at least heed warnings like those given by Ryan at the DB1000 2009 briefing

[pampa]

Hi, I have only went once over that track just before the dusty but and if I remember correctly there were 50K speed limit signs everywhere .

cheers,
Pampa

[warewolf]

That corner just needs someone to staple a few red arrows, cross country style, to a handy tree/bush.

That'd make a great distraction on top of an already tricky corner! Whenever I see stuff like that out of place, I start to wonder why they are there and if they are relevant to me... which burns valuable concentration on the task at hand. eg if I can't see that the road curves, and it looks like it goes straight ahead, then I might think those arrows indicate a branching trail, which I'd be looking for rather than at the road ahead that I think is going straight.

Not paying enough attention is my #1 pucker-inducing reason; the aforementioned distraction is one I've identified I personally have to watch for.

Don't know that it is a nana job, I don't recall that corner particularly, but I also have a well-developed sense of self-preservation about road surface I can't see... I hope. I wonder if a standing position lets you see sufficiently more of this corner to judge it better?

[cooneyr]

Hi, I have only went once over that track just before the dusty but and if I remember correctly there were 50K speed limit signs everywhere .

cheers,
Pampa

No offence Pampa, but your assumption about 50kph is related to signs that are actually in the Molesworth, just goes to show that there is an expectation created by the signs that doc has put up. From memory (was through yesterday) there are very few, if any, signs other than the brown painted horizontal ECNZ creek/river signs in the rainbow. Inconsistence is a major source of safety problems on roads of any type. This corner is a clasic example in that it is inconsistent with the speed environment for some distance either side of it. The big "reduce speed now" signs on some corners on sealed roads are there specifically because a corner is inconsistent with the speed environment upstream of it.

That'd make a great distraction on top of an already tricky corner! Whenever I see stuff like that out of place, I start to wonder why they are there and if they are relevant to me... which burns valuable concentration on the task at hand. eg if I can't see that the road curves, and it looks like it goes straight ahead, then I might think those arrows indicate a branching trail, which I'd be looking for rather than at the road ahead that I think is going straight.

Not paying enough attention is my #1 pucker-inducing reason; the aforementioned distraction is one I've identified I personally have to watch for.

Don't know that it is a nana job, I don't recall that corner particularly, but I also have a well-developed sense of self-preservation about road surface I can't see... I hope. I wonder if a standing position lets you see sufficiently more of this corner to judge it better?

Good point about the markers and disctration. Look at it this way though, for specific events a marker along with a warning does a good job of indicating an issue, a la trail rides. I have to admit guilt to providing markers for Racing Dave's event next weekend which he will hopefully provide a briefing around. When I post some pics tonight you will see what I mean.

I took a series of pics yesterday that I hope will show some of the issues with the corner. I'll anotated them and post them tonight for comment on a new thread.

Riding like a "nana" is a valid solution however we all know that we cannot enforce "nana" riding for all and sundry and we all know that people are hurting themselves at this corner. Lets just try and provide some simple solutions that provide the necessary visual cues without creating more problems i.e. expectation.

Cheers R

[ducatijim]

Riding like a "nana" is a valid solution however we all know that we cannot enforce "nana" riding for all and sundry and we all know that people are hurting themselves at this corner. Lets just try and provide some simple solutions that provide the necessary visual cues without creating more problems i.e. expectation.

Cheers R

Hey, I've got a radical new idea....why don't we allow.....no......expect people to take responsibility for their OWN actions?

Along the lines of....oh I don't know.......maybe, ride to the conditions?

We don't need a sign for everything we may encounter as we travel thru life.

[JATZ]

I think T.A. has got it, perhaps put in some kind of natural barrier/warning that there is a change of direction, i.e. some flaxes or the like, something that'll grow in the swamp.
Or maybe use some of the funds that the station gets from toll's to build up the camber.I'm not sure exactly how many bikes went through on the D.B. but I'm sure the the run holders would be making enough to cover it
The blue barn is visible for about 4 to 5 corners before the offending one is reached

[Padmei]

Hey, I've got a radical new idea....why don't we allow.....no......expect people to take responsibility for their OWN actions?

Along the lines of....oh I don't know.......maybe, ride to the conditions?

We don't need a sign for everything we may encounter as we travel thru life.

No offence but I'm not sure if you're serious or pisstaking.The first time I rode thru the rainbow (new years day) I rode in a manner some- ok a lot would call like a nana. I very nearly ended over in the ditch - Jatz was following me & did the same.

Have you ridden the rainbow? Know the corner? From the Northern end looking back it is the innocous corner like most of them along the way. When you travel thru it it is a sneaky little bastard.

Sorry but it is no use telling me to look for the blue shed cos I'm looking at the road, & I wouldn't hae a clue where the station dude lives.

I'm not into wrapping people up in cotton wool nor visual pollution however a little slowdown sign before a corner that has claimed a lot of riders doesn't seem to me to be the start of the rise of the third reich.

[NordieBoy]

I went a bit wide on a different corner.
The same corner I (allegedly) went into the watertable on last year

[Transalper]

Hi, I have only went once over that track just before the dusty but and if I remember correctly there were 50K speed limit signs everywhere .

cheers,
Pampa

The beginning of the route we think of as the Rainbow, at the Hanmer end it actually passes through a bit of St James Station and a bit of the Molesworth Station (which is indeed another 50km/hr zone) but after that when you pass through the boundary gate actually in to the Rainbow Station I believe you get open limit again.

On the route we think of as the Molesworth it is indeed 50km/hr zone at least between the two cob cottages where the DOC guys hang out and you can camp.

[buggsubique]

Well to add another 2c worth into the mix, there are several corners in the Molesworth which are treacherous too. You could generally see these ones on the day as they had sudden rear wheel slide marks precariously close to the outer edge of the corner.

IMHO manage your speed and focus on the ride. Very easy to get carried away on our machines and on a long ride very easy to drift off and think about all that sundry sh*t.

This is the whole reason I nearlybowed out a couple of months ago. My solution to my fear of overcooking it was to adjust my riding and not take any of it lightly. Hopefully I can keep the mix right and avoid getting fed through a straw at any point in the future.

I think I recall the corner in question but it wasn't till I saw the blue shed a few seconds later that I thought "shit, that must have been it..."

Here's one in the molesworth that a mate experienced - yes the bike did go over the bank...just too fast and not in the right head space.

[timg]

Riding like a "nana" is a valid solution

So I'll be fine on Waitangi weekend eh?

[MotoRad-ical]

Hey, I've got a radical new idea....why don't we allow.....no......expect people to take responsibility for their OWN actions?

Along the lines of....oh I don't know.......maybe, ride to the conditions?

We don't need a sign for everything we may encounter as we travel thru life.

I've never crashed either

Next time I see a bridge washed out I won't warn anyone I'll sit back and laugh as each vehicle falls into the water can you bring the pop corn ducatijim?

Thanks cooneyr for trying to make a difference I personally appreciate the effort your going to

We are quite off topic now arn't we.

[Racing Dave]

Thanks to all for their input into the discussion on Ryan's Bend. I am certain of where it is, and it is easy to describe, which I will do at the Yamaha Safari briefing on Friday night. Even if Ryan's dazzle is gone, a warning might save one crash.

Of course riders are responsible for their own actions and must ride to the conditions, but likewise, if a known hazard catches out otherwise sensible riders it's only the right thing to apply a warning. Advice is one thing, everyone is free to act on it or ignore it.

Personally, I frequently ride alone in remote areas, and treat all roads/tracks as if scary stuff is around each bend. It's easy to misjudge a corner, and it's the consequences of that misjudgement at Ryan's Bend that outweigh the small error of judgement.

With 140 bikes next Monday, it'll be interesting to see what we sweep riders see when we pass through.

[reofix]

i dont need govt or a guy with a red flag or a blood test before proceeding.... let me decide and pay the bill if i get it wrong