Wellington Wednesday Night Cruisy Summer Rides (TCWNR) 2010-2011

[Hawkeye]

Good luck down with the racing Jimmy! Looking forward to seeing the results.

And hawkeye... honey... reckon ya must be blind. I am forever turning up last and last only. The more I do that hill on my bike, the slower I seem to become. Just seem to have a block about it in corners.

Go for the 500 I reckon - for a change

You weren't that slow over there on Monday!

I you want some fun Katie, you're quite welcome to take the 500 over the hill.

[Gone Burger]

You weren't that slow over there on Monday!

I you want some fun Katie, you're quite welcome to take the 500 over the hill.

lol - just ask Andrew how I was on Monday. He was sitting behind me and I was slippin all over the show so backed riiiiight off! Slowest ride up there in a long time.

As for taking the 500 - once again, very kind of you. But I fee terrible borrowing other peoples bikes. Greatly looking forward to a change of mine one day for a little more fun factor.

[sinned]

Missed this ride: heading home in the cage to pick up bike for the ride and ended up in a prang - nothing money won't fix.

[StoneY]

Good ride tonight all.
Was a pretty close call at Kaitoke when a Policeman looked as if he was gonna do a you-eee into our pack, and the staggered formation has proven to me yet again why we use it....

But a great ride...see you all again soon

[John_H]

Enjoyable ride back for a while, but I was distinctly unimpressed with a rider on a orange and black bike trying to overtake me on the way home, riding side by side round a tight bend, he then backed off half way round when he realised that he couldn't see what was coming the other way. Blasted past me on the straight, maybe I'm too much of a grandad but I felt very unsafe and thought it was a dangerous manoeuvre, kinda spoilt the ride for me.

[Cloggy]

maybe I'm too much of a grandad

You felt like a granddad? I rode like a granddad. I felt decidedly old, stiff, and totally out of form coming over that hill tonight. I seem to have a real dislike for RH corners. Don't know why. Part of the reason for doing a track day around Manfeild was to get over the dislike of RH corners and it felt good on the track. Back on the road is a totally different ball game again.
I don't have this issue on my little Scorpio. Might have to park that up and use the Daytona more for day to day running around to get more into the groove with it.

[davebullet]

I seem to have a real dislike for RH corners. Don't know why.

Me too and others I've spoken too. I think it comes down to either instinctively keeping distance from oncoming traffic, therefore the apex is wider (avoiding the centre line) and lean isn't as great so one feels like the corner is going slower. Another possibility is throttle position when the right hand is tucked in a bit. Yet another reason might come down to whether you are right or left handed.

I'm right handed and I wonder if that has something to do with me prefering left corners. A bit like I prefer red or brunette ladies.

[Gone Burger]

I'm right handed and I wonder if that has something to do with me prefering left corners.

You may have a point there. I favour right hand corners and am left handed. Right side peg much more worn down then the left.

And John - the bike you are talking about.. was it the harley? If so, he is a mate of mine and I will have a word to him. I'm in hope it was just a bad judgement call rather than him being a twat, as I have ridden with him often and he doesn't usually do this.

[ecko_nzed]

I'm right handed and I wonder if that has something to do with me prefering left corners. A bit like I prefer red or brunette ladies.

I'm left handed (yes I know, it's a curse being gifted ) and prefer left corners as well. Think it's a safety thing, the thought that there could be a car coming the other way just as you apex a right corner is always in my mind and causes me to adjust my lines and body postion on the bike accordingly.

That said, the ride back last night was really good. Was trying to follow Matt on his cb1000r, who was leaving me for dust. Wasn't until I realised that he was riding nice and smooth hardly using his brakes and caring a lot of corner speed and I should stop trying to go so fast on the straight bits and focus on smooth entry and exit to the corners, that I started enjoying the ride a lot more and going quicker (well it felt quicker).

I'm my own worst enemy sometimes!

[davebullet]

I'm left handed (yes I know, it's a curse being gifted ) and prefer left corners as well. Think it's a safety thing, the thought that there could be a car coming the other way just as you apex a right corner is always in my mind and causes me to adjust my lines and body postion on the bike accordingly.

That said, the ride back last night was really good. Was trying to follow Matt on his cb1000r, who was leaving me for dust. Wasn't until I realised that he was riding nice and smooth hardly using his brakes and caring a lot of corner speed and I should stop trying to go so fast on the straight bits and focus on smooth entry and exit to the corners, that I started enjoying the ride a lot more and going quicker (well it felt quicker).

I'm my own worst enemy sometimes!

I'd be interested in whether people generally use the brakes up hill over the 'takas. I tend not to and only use engine braking.

I find avoiding the brakes helps with lines. Putting brakes on tends to pitch the bike forward, which means it makes bike understeer? (I know the difference btween under / oversteer - just can't remember which it causes without being on the bike) - which unsettles it for me.

I'm also trying to roll on the gas earlier, as I find this plants the back, takes pressure of the front (doesn't make me feel like the front will slide / tuck with too much weight on it) and helps hold the line coming out.

Wrong thread for the above. I'm hoping to discuss the above with Karel at the Februrary ProRider day I've booked. Can't wait!

[Deano]

I'd be interested in whether people generally use the brakes up hill over the 'takas.

Yes most definitely. As little as possible but most definitely. Was Mr Plod patrolling the hill last night ?

[Gone Burger]

Yes most definitely. As little as possible but most definitely. Was Mr Plod patrolling the hill last night ?

Agreed. Just touching my back brake a little is helping me hugely in corners, when needed.

And also didn't see any plods myself, but believe Stoney saw one down near Kaitoke (not even going to bother trying to spell that right.).


Davebullet - I'm sure you'll find Karols course very good for this. As I mentioned, am still thinking about heading along for my 3rd one. Her and all her trainers are very helpful with everyones individual needs.

[StoneY]

Enjoyable ride back for a while, but I was distinctly unimpressed with a rider on a orange and black bike trying to overtake me on the way home, riding side by side round a tight bend.

The Harley 1200? Saw him near wipe out the guy leading the pack at Kaitoke as he was too close and in line as opposed to the trusted old staggered formation....needs a talking to about group riding behavior that chap
Not the way to behave on Wednesdays

[John_H]

The Harley 1200? Saw him near wipe out the guy leading the pack at Kaitoke as he was too close and in line as opposed to the trusted old staggered formation....needs a talking to about group riding behavior that chap
Not the way to behave on Wednesdays

Nah it was a sports bike. I think one of our pack, I am no angel on the road but overtaking round bends on the hill is dangerous, he had no idea what i was going to do and I wasn't expecting to see him so bloody close to me on that right hander. I did see a harley rider wearing a german army style helmet tryin to look tough, apparently he had a bit of an altercation (mid ride) with Andrew, might have been the same guy as you saw.

[Hawkeye]

Yeah! TCWNR has moved back to being a racetrack. A number of regular Wed night riders have disappeared due to the antics of one or two individuals.
Maybe time for a re-evaluation and decide if I want to continue to put myself into those kind of situations.