Bikers getting pulled over at Battle Hill & Featherston (15 February)

[Usarka]

You have a point ixion. If i cop pulled me over and offered me a pie I would re-consider my immediate anti-establishment response and consider his offer with interest.

[Hitcher]

As the late, great Freddie Mercury once so eloquently warned: "Spare him his life from these warm sausages."

Easy come, easy go...

[Madness]

Settle down boy. Ya wouldn't go taking a mince & cheese from a ploddy now, would ya?. Bacon & Egg though, that'd be considerable enuff.

I think we need a poll.

[Flossi]

hmm, pies you say?

so, a poll... or perhaps a survey?!

[James Deuce]

This is the part I don't follow. The question was, "what did you see other bikers do that was stupid shite..." not "who, what was the rego, when where...."

I see it as a way of knowing of the stupid shite that stupid "sheeple" do, that can be used to educate others, on how not to ride like a dick, perhaps...... or is this wishful thinking by people who actually might give a stuff about stopping stupid people doing stupid stuff...???

You're thinking too literally.

"90% of respondents expressed concern with the way their fellow motorcyclists behaved on the road and often felt threatened by the actions of other motorcyclists."

I have on occasion struck motorcyclists who appear to have a great terror of a gentle bend with no obstructed view and have proceeded to overtake them at the next available opportunity, only to be accosted at the next stop and harangued about my impatience and "Illegal overtaking". I'm not a habitual speeder nor do I view a blind corner or short straight as an overtaking challenge. But the people who will find my mild mannered riding offensive are the sort of people who are happy to fill survey responses full of negative viewpoints of perfectly safe riding. The only things I object strongly to are overtaking on the left and crossing the centre line. There are some out there who view not sitting perfectly upright like you have a iron poker joining rectum to nostril as a mortal offense. I don't believe analysis of the survey responses will begin account for the vast disparity in perceptions of safe riding amongst motorcyclists, let alone what most other road users think of us.

You can't educate people. People have to chose to be educated. Lecturing people about the things they are doing incorrectly is a sure way to close ears and minds.

[Katman]

You can't educate people. People have to chose to be educated.

We can but try to make everyday a school day.

[James Deuce]

I have spoken to local motorbike shops and they think there'd be more of a need locally for guys who don't have their licences, but have perhaps been riding for many years, to get on with getting their licence. The only problem is not wanting to be stuck with the 250 capacity limit which I can totally understand, oh and also having to go through the whole rigmarole of the learners/restricted stuff. I'm just not sure if there's any way around any of that.

They should be made to demonstrate basic competence in front of a qualified instructor. If they demonstrate good handling skills and road sense, then they should be handed a full license.

If they can't, for instance perform a feet up U-Turn or are too scared to use the front brake, then they should be handed an L plate and directed through the whole learning process. I think you'd be genuinely surprised at how many people struggle with basic bike handling skills despite riding for decades. At the other extreme there are newbies who positively shine on a bike. Age and experience count for something but motorcycling demands a little more effort than passive experiential training.

[Flossi]

oh, by the way, if anyone from Sunday doesn't want the DVD's you got, apparently there are plenty of others around these parts who do ...
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...t=18118&page=6

perhaps you might like to pass them on and make another KB'ers day?

[Ixion]

T..or are too scared to use the front brake, then they should be handed an L plate and directed through the whole learning process...

'S a funny thing that.

back in the day, we all knew that y' never used the front brake (assuming you had one).

Cos, (a) it did nothing, and (b) if it did do anything it would throw you over the handlebars and then flip the bike on top of you. Everyone knew this. Car drivers too, everyone knew someone who had a car with new fangled front wheel brakes , that had flipped it completely over.

As the years went by , of course, I forgot this wisdom, and on a modern bike will instinctively reach instantly for the front anchor in an emergency.

But, on Sunday I was pushing some scrap iron around, when a plonker in a plonker mover pulled out directly in front of me.

My foot went to the rear brake instantly which did its brakey best , but it was clear it would not be enough. "Oh no, this is going to be ugly", I thought.

And then the spidey jumped up and bit me on the nose "Front brake, twit"

"Whaa front brake ? Nah y can't , oh , yeah I got one of them". And a wee squeeze and Brummagen's best 8 inch TLS wonder slowed me down like the proverbial giant hand, well clear of Mr Plonker.

On a modern bike I would have even thought about not using it. But, back on a beast of my youth (well, my middle age anyway), old instinctive habits returned.

Which is a very long winded way of saying that the difference for a motorcyclist between surviving and crashing isn't a matter of surveys, or training, it's a matter of muscle memory.

The muscles must do the right thing immediately and instinctively. There's no time to wait round while the brain sorts things out. Brains are not much use when it comes to survival, they lack about 20 million years of evolution.

[James Deuce]

Which is a very long winded way of saying that the difference for a motorcyclist between surviving and crashing isn't a matter of surveys, or training, it's a matter of muscle memory.

You develop muscle memory through repetitive practice, often referred to as training.

Where's my sausage?

[Ixion]

Which is however, a very different and much longer process than the "training" referred to by the ACC. More commonly called, experience. Not acquired by half a day riding round a car aprk, and a few hours in a class room.

And the sausage offer is closed, so yesterday. Flossie is offering pies now instead. Flavours still to be decided. Keep up, will y'


EDIT: And, in some cases, untraining may be more important. Those memories last a long time.

[Flossi]

no sausages now Deuce, it's pies

[MaxB]

no sausages now Deuce, it's pies

Someone mention pies? Pepper streak for me!

One thing that irks me about ACC is the inclusion of unregistered off road bike incidents in our rego. We are supposed to have gone through a process that says we are licensed to ride and our bikes are fit for the road which costs time and $$$. Off road riders pay squat towards their eventual care.

I don't see quad bikes and go kart accidents included in the car rego charges FFS.

[Fatjim]

I suggest pies to, because the chances of the plod getting their face out of in time to flag me down is essentially nil. When he runs out of pies, feed the fucker donuts will you.

[MarkH]

Question 6 in the enclosed "survey" (fabulous prizes offered to the value of $500) asks this gem:

"What are the worst types of behaviours you have seen other motorcyclists doing?"

Such a question is almost worthy of its own thread...

Best answer - none, all motorcyclists are well behaved and safe riders.

That's easy: Not stopping to help other motorcyclists who have found their motorcycle to be inoperable.

Or: failing to wave when someone waves to them.

The cop that waved me in just said, "ACC are doing a survey type thing, go grab a sausage and have a chat to the ACC lady - cheers!"

thats when you can ride off,having learnt that it is not a random stop...

What the hell? You can't ride off - free sausage!

Does anyone know where they will be during the next weekend or two? I would prefer the option of a free sausage (did they have bread & sauce?). I would like to be stopped several times so that I can have many sausages and get down as many witty replies to their questions as possible.