Back on the road again!

[Str8 Jacket]

Although I must say a 12pm return time means an early morning start for me

Who's suffering now BIARCH?!

[Trudes]

No probs guys, I'll just come half way to wherever and turn around and make sure I'm home by 1pm and you luvlys can carry on if ya want.

As for the big gurls on the big bikes... missy 150cc is probably faster than me on my 919cc of bike... remember what we've been telling the boys... it's not the size, (but how hard you ride it!)

[Number One]

missy 150cc is probably faster than me on my 919cc of bike...

and me on my 650 HOWEVER!!!! Trudes - you are no good at all at this shit talkin thing...Hels we have our work cut out for us getting decorated and inducted into the bitch club

[Number One]

Well everything was going well up until a couple of weeks back when I binned the race bike, twice in quick succesion - losing the front. Both front end losses, the first hilarious and gentle but the second flung me up in the air and had me tumbling...nothing major, but not fun and very sore for the week afterwards.

Made me realise just how good race suits are...hate to think what 'could' have been if I'd just been in my corduras...and they were only little bins at relatively low speed...and there were no cars or curbs around. Must get a leather armoured suit for the road...not a one piece though - togs, togs, togs....undies! OR cool, cool, cool...tossy looking poser

SO, this all had me feeling nervy and awkward cornering on the SV too and I was not enjoying it or feeling as natural and comfortable as much as I had been.

Side note: Hubby reckons this is a girl thing. He reckons that when he has binned a bike due to (for instance) a dodgy front end he doesn't then get on other bikes and feel cautious because he knows (for instance) that that other bike has a really good front end......tell me...is it really only girls who when they have binned one bike in a certain way feel tentative doing those same things on OTHER bikes?

ANYWAY - this was really bothering me but I continued to ride and push myself...deciding that it was purely in my head and I just needed to HTFU and rebuild my confidence through just doing it.

During this period I had been waiting to be taught the ropes for running the compressor and other bits and bobs (which we have 'in-house') needed to adjust and maintain our own tyres. SO...long story short I hadn't been checking or filling them and the riding I was doing was to and from work, running late and travelling in rush hour traffic. Yes I know...wait...I'm getting to it!

THEN two weeks or so ago, I decided as I was filling up at the gas station to check them and put air in if required. Which I did. ..they weren't embarrassing but phoar what an improvement. I rode around for a week and though it felt much better than it was I was conscious of still not feeling 'quite sure of and trusting in' the front end.

SO last weekend I marched into the garage, interrupted hubby and made him show me where the bits and bobs were, what order to plug things in and turn things on in and I was let loose. Further to that I chose to put pressure in the tyres at the rate which the manufacturers sticker on the swingarm recommended and VOILA! Bike improved! I got my mojo back.

The real cool thing reflecting back on it though, was that I felt the difference between the first and second fill (which was only 2 psi in the front) as a huge improvement. AND while I was able to cope with the shitty pressures, and noticed when they were improved but could also feel that the better but still not 'quite' right pressure was not quite right.

SO - me and the compressor have been having some good times lately. adjusting my tyres....being less than mechanical myself, tyres is something tangible and important that I can do without needing any supervision and it just makes such a nice difference to be running the right pressures.

[deanohit]

SO last weekend I marched into the garage, interrupted hubby and made him show me where the bits and bobs were, what order to plug things in and turn things on in and I was let loose.

Why is this not hard to imagine?

Anyway, good going chicky!
So when are you gonna start on the suspension?
Then of course you will be needing MORE power!

[Trudes]

Good on ya chick! I think I'll be the same when I come off, weary, but I also think it's caution obtained from learning something, if you jumped straight onto any bike and hadn't learned anything from your off then you wasted a good learning opportunity and learned nothing (yep, fucked if I know if that made sense!)
Also know what you mean about tyre pressure. On the Hornet, because I'm so used to how it feels, I notice a difference in tyre pressure pretty quick, it feels weird, doesn't respond how it normally does, it squiggles or hops, then upon checking tyre pressure it can often be out by only a couple of psi, but you can feel it. I find it a pain when changing tyres though, cause it takes some time to get used to how normal feels again.
Anyway, go hard hun, and bring on next Sunday!!!!

[Number One]

Why is this not hard to imagine?

Anyway, good going chicky!
So when are you gonna start on the suspension?
Then of course you will be needing MORE power!

MORE power?! Think I'll just try learning to ride what I've got available to me first.

ANYWAY - what's wrong with my suspension? ...do I need to adjust that regularly too????

[deanohit]

MORE power?! Think I'll just try learning to ride what I've got available to me first.
ANYWAY - what's wrong with my suspension? ...do I need to adjust that regularly too????

Buggered if I know, I have neither power nor adjustable suspension.

[Sully60]

Side note: Hubby reckons this is a girl thing. He reckons that when he has binned a bike due to (for instance) a dodgy front end he doesn't then get on other bikes and feel cautious because he knows (for instance) that that other bike has a really good front end......tell me...is it really only girls who when they have binned one bike in a certain way feel tentative doing those same things on OTHER bikes?

I'd like to clarify my position on this so I don't come across as a sexist pig and not the sexy pig I am.

I think that females have a much stronger inbulit sense of survival as opposed to men, this probably goes back to prehistoic days when we're told that women stayed in the cave, cooked food and tended babies when us men went out and captured Mammoths and Sabre Toothed Tigers in between fashioning tools to kill them.

My point is that women seem to remember the pain and violence of a crash more vivdly than men and take more positive steps to avoid doing it again.

My example of this comes from me riding the very same bike and having the very same type of crash in the same place. I changed my style somewhat in response but didn't slow down, then I got a bit complacent and crashed again, in the same place
I just think that women tend to learn from these types of mistakes differently than men and take bigger steps back from the edge.

Does that clear things up? How about this...

[deanohit]

Does that clear things up? How about this...

Is it wrong that I had to watch that video 4 times in a row laughing each time?

[Number One]

Is it wrong that I had to watch that video 4 times in a row laughing reach time?

Not at all - feel free to have a laugh at my Sexy Pigs off...he did

[Sully60]

Is it wrong that I had to watch that video 4 times in a row laughing each time?

I still have a little chuckle everytime I see that

That was the last time I crashed that bike, it's amazing what a good front tyre can do

Sorry babe

[Number One]

it's amazing what a good front tyre can do

Sorry babe

Yeah you better bloody be sorry! Say my name

Anyway been a while since I put my thoughts about being back on the road down in this thread...which is like a wee diary for me now. If you don't like it ...don't fricken read it ok!

Bike is due for tyres and a WOF this is the part I hate...time to find some pingas in the bank.

Was thinking of attending my first ColdKiwi but not yet decided - will depend on money and given the above I don't have any the plan though IS to go for some good long rides (just as soon as the weather allows it) and get my arse to the 2 day bucket racing event at Taupo for Christmas...might need to ride SV up for that...that's a nice long ride.

Anyway - I have learnt that only a small difference in my tyre pressures IS noticeable, that I need to check and inflate them regularly - like once a week at least. That I can get a speed camera ticket when approaching from the front (it were a mobile one) and that bucket racing is critical at the moment for my on road comfort. It's been a couple of months since I binned the bucket and I haven't been out racing since...the confidence improvement on the road after a day going balls out at the Slipway is not just in my head it's strong.

Note to self: get gaskets so oil stays in LedSled...will be very pissed off if I am stuck just riding the 50...I'm currently tied for first points wise and I'd really like to win - though it is fun I suspect this will be my only real chance to do well at this bucketting thing...next year I won't be a first year anymore and will be thrown in with the people that really do know what they are doing.

Anyway - love the bike, dying to get a good ride on it and still need to build my confidence cornering.

Find I slow down way tooo much...especially on roads that I don't know or that I know I am not confident on. End up kicking myself all through the ride...youknow....why did I slow down that much? Could've got round there better JUST NEED PRACTISE..and it's a nice day and I feel like shit and can't stop effing sneezing so I can't even take advantage of it!!!

Rant endith

[Trudes]

Better to get round the corner a little too slow than too fast and end up in the shit I always say.
You're probably going a lot faster than you think you are anyway. I keep saying to Nige that I don't think my riding has improved but he keeps telling me it has and that I'm only gauging it on how far behind him I get, but he's improving too.
You ride really good from what I saw, nice and safe, and at the end of the day, that's the most important thing.
I'm sure most people go a lot slower on unfamiliar roads and tend to push their limits a little more on familiar ones eh.

[skelstar]

Shame its a "pants" time of year to be riding considering the weather.