I have been using these forums as an information resource for a few months now and I thought it was about time that I introduced myself. My name (as you might have guessed from my screen name) is Patrick. I am not young, but neither am I old. My Dad used to ride motorbikes back in England when I was a wee-one. He came off one day - a car cut him off and he rode straight into the side of it. Once he had finished flying through the air (and landing), he had shattered one of his forearms. That took a wee while to get better. I guess that has probably fueled my life long feeling that motorcycles were unsafe (or at least an unnecessary risk).
Coming back the present time, I might have made the (little) mistake of watching Long Way Round. Perhaps followed by Race to Dakar. And then maybe even Long Way Down. I always loved the idea of walking to places that you couldn't otherwise get (or using a old Range Rover in a similar manner); however, now I might be a (just a little) obsessed with doing it on two wheels.
Quite a few of the guys I work with ride (indeed one is heavily involved with BRONZ). That combined with a 50 KM daily commute into Auckland City (from the North) made me think that maybe two wheels would be a good method of transport. I forked over the money and sat my BHS (after a short course with RiderSkilz). I paid the AA some more money to provide me with a very large Instant Kiwi. Then I think I paid them some more money for them to mark it. I paid the optomertrist to confirm that my uncorrected vision is 6/4.5. (That's 20/12 in feet - what the heck is wrong with that stupid machine at the AA?)
I've had my learners for a little while and have discovered that road bikes are very expensive. So I did the _other_ thing and bought an old dirt bike. It's a Yamaha TT400 1988. I've given it a good ride and had some fun, but it definitely has some issues. I'm hoping resolving them will help me learn a lot more about bikes.
As an aside, seeing as I am supposed to be introducing myself: I was originally born in England; however, I have been in NZ for about 18 years now. I have two wonderful children. A four year old boy and a three year old girl. I am a trained Paramedic, I have my PADI OpenWater Divers License (which I used only once as my next hobby got rather expensive), and I hold a NZ Private Pilot License. I play a range of musical instruments including guitar, bass, and keys. I also have some operatic training. During the day I work as Senior Systems Consultant (I.T.) for companies such as Telecom, Telstra Clear, Vodaphone, AirNZ...
Well that's about it from me. I have a bunch of "technical" questions, but I will post these in a more appropriate forum.
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There is no such thing as bad weather; only inappropriate clothing! 
Originally Posted by paddy
If you are behind me
Dont ask as I am lost too.
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