Things have been pretty hectic here the last couple of days, so this'll only be a short one tonight I think. Don't worry though, I've still got lots to say (Oh dear God, I hear you thinking!) but I'm shattered and it's already almost 11pm, added to the fact I've set my alarm for 5am tomorrow morning... Oh wait, that's right, daylight savings kicks in again tonight, doesn't it... Okay, so technically I don't have to get up till 6am, which will be the new 5am, won't it? Oh bugger, now I'm getting confused...
Anyways, I've spent the last couple of days finalizing things here in the mighty 'Tron, cleaned up the mess that was my workshop area in the garage, boxed up all my spare bit's and pieces for the bike that were stashed pretty much everywhere I could find a spot, and made a decent 'start' on packing up my room... Wow but I've collected a lot of crap just since I've been in this house!
I must say, I've really enjoyed living in this place, it's definitely been the most homely of anywhere I've lived so far in my 31 odd years! My flatmates have been completely awesome, and I'm gonna miss them and this place like crazy once the move is completed. It's kinda funny really, I haven't even been here a year, yet I feel so attached to this place it's hard to imagine life anywhere else. Still, onwards and upwards, quite literally in fact - I'll be on the road in about 8 hours to my next adventure up north in Auckland!
To take a few minutes and reflect on the last year, since I've been back in Hamilton, it's been a bit of a roller-coaster ride if I dare say so! It's definitely had it's ups and downs, loop de loops, corkscrews, and of course lots of fun in between! Lots of memories, lots of things I'd rather forget completely, but that's just how life goes isn't it. The best parts of my year have absolutely outweighed the worst, and of course the majority of those best parts has been when I've been with my 'adopted family', out touring this beautiful country of ours on the bikes! The cool thing is, there'll be plenty more trips, events, and excursions to be had in the future, especially with my being only a stone's throw away from the rest of our 'group' as of tomorrow...!
So, to some it all up, my emotions are a bit of a mix right now: lets say about 80% buzzing out, 10% nervous about the new job, and 10% sad to be saying goodbye to my house here... Tomorrow it'll probably be a different story, but for now I better get some sleep!
(I can't believe tomorrow has come around so quickly!!!)
Until next time...!
:-)
Saturday 31 March 2012
Thursday 29 March 2012
Page 13, but not unlucky...
Well, it's Friday, and this being Page 13, I don't think I need to be worried, by the way today is shaping up!
I've just got back from the local Honda shop, where they rectified my chain situation without hassle, and for only a very small fee too. Had 4 or 5 guys look at how the new chain was sitting on my bike, and the fact that it was so far back on the adjusters to tighten it up - "weird" was the word of the day! Anyways, long story short, the mechanic quickly and easily took a link out, fitted the chain back on (after losing the retainer clip, LOL!) then took it off the hoist to adjust the chain to the correct tension again. Really nice guys, probably about an hour's worth of labour, and told me that my little 250 was one of the nicest they'd seen in a long time! So I'm very happy with their service, and will write up a really good customer feedback report on Kiwi Biker for them too.
Also this morning, I had a phone call from a good friend (up north), he had been talking to his boss about whether or not they might need another employee for their couriering business, he rang me to give me his bosses phone number and tell me to get in contact with him quick smart. So of course, I did, had a really good talk with the guy about all the details of how they operate, he said he'd be keen to start me as soon as I could get up there! After that phone conversation, I thought best to call the horse trainer back that had said I could work for him and apologise for having a much better offer, to which he was more than okay with, he said "you've gotta take work where you can get it". I hate disappointing people like that, but sometimes it's gotta happen. But, the cool thing is, starting as early as Tuesday next week, I'm going to be back in proper full time employment, close to my good friends again, where I belong. If you can't tell, I'm pretty stoked right now! Finally, it seems like my life is back on the right track again, if you know what I mean...! Now all I have to worry about is moving all my stuff back up to Auckland if it all pans out the way I hope!
Here's a couple of pics of the bike at Honda today...
Until next time...!
:-)
I've just got back from the local Honda shop, where they rectified my chain situation without hassle, and for only a very small fee too. Had 4 or 5 guys look at how the new chain was sitting on my bike, and the fact that it was so far back on the adjusters to tighten it up - "weird" was the word of the day! Anyways, long story short, the mechanic quickly and easily took a link out, fitted the chain back on (after losing the retainer clip, LOL!) then took it off the hoist to adjust the chain to the correct tension again. Really nice guys, probably about an hour's worth of labour, and told me that my little 250 was one of the nicest they'd seen in a long time! So I'm very happy with their service, and will write up a really good customer feedback report on Kiwi Biker for them too.
Also this morning, I had a phone call from a good friend (up north), he had been talking to his boss about whether or not they might need another employee for their couriering business, he rang me to give me his bosses phone number and tell me to get in contact with him quick smart. So of course, I did, had a really good talk with the guy about all the details of how they operate, he said he'd be keen to start me as soon as I could get up there! After that phone conversation, I thought best to call the horse trainer back that had said I could work for him and apologise for having a much better offer, to which he was more than okay with, he said "you've gotta take work where you can get it". I hate disappointing people like that, but sometimes it's gotta happen. But, the cool thing is, starting as early as Tuesday next week, I'm going to be back in proper full time employment, close to my good friends again, where I belong. If you can't tell, I'm pretty stoked right now! Finally, it seems like my life is back on the right track again, if you know what I mean...! Now all I have to worry about is moving all my stuff back up to Auckland if it all pans out the way I hope!
Here's a couple of pics of the bike at Honda today...
Until next time...!
:-)
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Page 12
So today's blog entry is probably going to be a long one, just warning you guys in advance! Lol
(I did say there were going to be some big changes in my life fairly soon, didn't I...?)
I've been a fairly busy chap lately, in the last couple of days I've changed my bike's chain (which still isn't finished by the way, more on that down the page), changed the oil and filter, given my bike a really good clean again (damn roadworks!), taken a good hard look at a 2009 CBR600RR (with ABS it turns out! Yummy!!!), given up my job at the V8's, found a new job (sorta), and been offered the opportunity for more work up north...!
So, to start at the top... My bike's chain has been pretty close to it's final days for a little while now, so I finally decided to go about replacing it. So plans are formulated, after a bit of hunting around for a good deal, I decide to rock on down to the local Honda dealer, and kill a whole bunch of birds with one stone. First off, we talk oil and filters, I say I like Motul oil, the sales guy says I should upgrade to Castrol Power1 oil, I say I can't really afford $170 for four litres, blah blah blah, we settle on my buying a new filter from him and I say I'll get back to him on the oil. Ah huh... Then we start talking about chains. He gives me a rough price range that I could spend on cheap versus amazing quality chains, I decide on a fairly good quality RK O-ring chain, it has to be ordered in but that's all good by me. So, $27 for the oil filter, $110 for the chain. Thanks mate!
After lots of talking about bikes and stuff, I head up to the showroom to check out the CBR600RR they've got, having seen it online (pics in my last post), just to see if it'd 'fit' me. The sales guy comes out of his office, asks me if he can help... Hehe... I ask if I can sit on it, no problem he says. It's only slightly more of a stretch to the 'bars than my CBR250RR, but it's a fair amount taller, I can just touch the floor flat-footed on both sides at the same time, although my legs are pretty straight out. On my little 250 I can flat-foot both sides easily with knees slightly bent. At this stage I'm really tempted to take it out for a test ride, but good sense prevails and I dismount after a few minutes. We discuss the intricate ABS system, how it handles, the upgrades, etc etc. It has a little over 100 horsepower at the back tread, reportedly does wheel stands in first, second, and third gear, weighs in at just under 200kgs (wet)... I could go on with all the technical stuff, but I figure most readers would be falling asleep by that stage so I'll carry on.
In the looks department, I must say it's pretty stunning close up. It has a bevy of carbon fibre add-ons, and the black frame and swing-arm look particularly cool. The half black, half red fairing scheme isn't entirely my cup of tea, I'd change it out for a Repsol fairing kit pretty quickly I think. As well as that, I'd give it a tail-tidy, and powdercoat the front and pillion footpegs. The only other part I wasn't too keen on was the huge mirrors, but I already have idea's with what I'd swap them out for: trick little teardrop carbon fibre jobbies the same as on my 250. Throw in a dark tinted windscreen and that'd about do it I think!
There was talk of Honda fitting an aftermarket exhaust slip-on, I'd have to hear a few comparisons before I decided on anything particular in this case. Factory, it sounded okay, maybe a little tinny, but not annoyingly so. The kind of tune that wouldn't bother me, but would gladly be rid of if I decided to get some more power from the motor.
Now, you're probably wondering why I'd choose a 600 over a 1000, my reasoning is split into two main areas: 1, I don't feel like I'd need the extra power of a 1000cc bike, or the weight for that matter, and 2, I don't feel like giving the government any more of my hard earned money for registering the thing! And currently, my funds are being squirreled away for my trip later this year, rather than for another bike, which is why I didn't want to go for a test ride. Because I know if I'd ridden it, even just down the street and back, I would've wanted it there and then! Let's just say, a trap I've fallen into a few times before...
So, begrudgingly, I opted to continue on my way, stopping only briefly to check out the selection of gloves in the showroom (I've found a really nice pair online but wanted to check sizing before clicking on a bid), then headed off. On my way home I passed another bike shop, one that sells Motul oil, so I decided to stop in and have a quick peek at lubricants... And HA! (without naming names, I don't believe in putting shops against each other, only finding the best deal for myself,) I've picked up a four litre of Motul 300v, for a considerable amount less than the Castrol oil that Honda wanted me to buy. Thank you! (Wow, they had some really nice bikes in there too!)
Off home now to do the oil change, pretty simple process: drain, let drain some more, go watch TV while the last few drops are draining, drop the old filter out, continue to let drain, flush, drain, drain some more, blah blah blah, soak new filter, install new filter, then refill (note to self: don't use a good kitchen measuring cup...) with the good stuff. Easy. Lol I should write manuals for this stuff! Hehe. Just in time to get ready for work for another night shift...
Hmmm work... the bane of my existence... :-(
Well, the story goes, as you might have read, the boss and I have been having a few personality clashes lately, and to put it simply, it all came to a head last night about 4 hours into the shift. Basically, I couldn't hear what he was saying because he was about 100 metres down the road from me, so I told him so, to which he replies "Open your ******* ears you useless ******* ******...!" Now, I'm not one to back down from confrontation, as some of you may already know, nor am I scared of voicing my own opinion when someone challenges me like that. So I let him have it. Both barrels, full buck-shot, if you wanna piss me off you better be well prepared to deal with the consequences. I make a very clear point of the fact that I've been working my ass off for him for the last two and a half months, that I've worked countless hours overtime to get tasks done on schedule, that he wouldn't be anywhere near his targets without my input, that he clearly has no idea what the hell he is doing, and that he is clearly out of his depth. And yes, I swore. Lots. Hell, if he has the gall to swear at me, I'll return the favour. So anyways, he says I may as well go home, I reply "gladly", he says "Leave your uniform in the truck" (our temporary office), I've had my fill by now and just walk off.
Now, you might say I was a little rash, or that how I handled that was wrong, or what have you, but in my defense, if I hadn't gotten out it would surely have driven me up the wall. I mean, I was at the stage where I literally hated going to work, the only reason I did it was out of some morbid sense of loyalty, or morals, or something in me that says 'even when things are completely shit, you don't give up'... Well, I guess that's not entirely true either, because what I did kinda was giving up... But looking back now, now that I've calmed down, I don't regret what I did, or how I handled things last night. Not a single one.
So, you may be asking, what's the plan now, Scott? Well, I'll tell you! I've already secured another job trial, through a friend, as a track rider for thoroughbred race horses, starting in two days time, and I've called my old boss at Traffic Management (the job I was at prior to the V8's) and been told they have plenty of work that I'd be more than welcome to go back to. And, as they have an office up north, there's work for me up there if and when I do decide to move back up. Also, this afternoon I received a phone call from the big boss man of the fencing company (the V8's contractor), and he asked my version of the events that happened, to which (after I explained) he replied "That seems to be a fairly common occurrence..." with my now ex-boss. It seems the last two guys in his employ both left after very similar situations. Hmmm surprise surprise... But, to cut a long story short, the big boss man has said that he'd be more than happy to take me on as a contractor up north (where he is based) if and or when I decide to move back up there! So it seems there are more than a few doors open for me to explore in the future. Which makes me feel a lot better about things right now. :-)
On a lighter note, today I've been back to the Honda shop, to pick up my new bike chain, come home again to fit it and discover that to tighten it I've had to pull the adjuster all the way out from the swingarm... That can't be right, can it? Check the box again, yep, correct number of links on the sticker, weird. Call Honda back, explain what the story is, the guy says "bring it in and we'll have a look, might have to take a link out of the chain"... Okay, cool, does that mean I bring the whole bike in or just the chain? Stuff it, I'll bring the whole bike in so you can see exactly what I mean. Cool. Gees, I'm gonna be real popular if they've got it wrong and have to pull the chain off after I've just spent an hour fitting it! (I hate those little clip things on the connector link! They just don't seem to wanna fit properly!) But, if they see the problem and correct it free of charge, I'll be well stoked and write them up a nice 'happy customer' report for everyone to read! The joys of freedom of speech, crossed with the powers of the Internet! Hehe...
All in all, I think that's a pretty good couple of days effort, so now that it's all out in black and white for everyone to condemn (or appraise), I'm gonna go have a beer and relax in the evening dusk. :-)
Until next time!
:-)
(I did say there were going to be some big changes in my life fairly soon, didn't I...?)
I've been a fairly busy chap lately, in the last couple of days I've changed my bike's chain (which still isn't finished by the way, more on that down the page), changed the oil and filter, given my bike a really good clean again (damn roadworks!), taken a good hard look at a 2009 CBR600RR (with ABS it turns out! Yummy!!!), given up my job at the V8's, found a new job (sorta), and been offered the opportunity for more work up north...!
So, to start at the top... My bike's chain has been pretty close to it's final days for a little while now, so I finally decided to go about replacing it. So plans are formulated, after a bit of hunting around for a good deal, I decide to rock on down to the local Honda dealer, and kill a whole bunch of birds with one stone. First off, we talk oil and filters, I say I like Motul oil, the sales guy says I should upgrade to Castrol Power1 oil, I say I can't really afford $170 for four litres, blah blah blah, we settle on my buying a new filter from him and I say I'll get back to him on the oil. Ah huh... Then we start talking about chains. He gives me a rough price range that I could spend on cheap versus amazing quality chains, I decide on a fairly good quality RK O-ring chain, it has to be ordered in but that's all good by me. So, $27 for the oil filter, $110 for the chain. Thanks mate!
After lots of talking about bikes and stuff, I head up to the showroom to check out the CBR600RR they've got, having seen it online (pics in my last post), just to see if it'd 'fit' me. The sales guy comes out of his office, asks me if he can help... Hehe... I ask if I can sit on it, no problem he says. It's only slightly more of a stretch to the 'bars than my CBR250RR, but it's a fair amount taller, I can just touch the floor flat-footed on both sides at the same time, although my legs are pretty straight out. On my little 250 I can flat-foot both sides easily with knees slightly bent. At this stage I'm really tempted to take it out for a test ride, but good sense prevails and I dismount after a few minutes. We discuss the intricate ABS system, how it handles, the upgrades, etc etc. It has a little over 100 horsepower at the back tread, reportedly does wheel stands in first, second, and third gear, weighs in at just under 200kgs (wet)... I could go on with all the technical stuff, but I figure most readers would be falling asleep by that stage so I'll carry on.
In the looks department, I must say it's pretty stunning close up. It has a bevy of carbon fibre add-ons, and the black frame and swing-arm look particularly cool. The half black, half red fairing scheme isn't entirely my cup of tea, I'd change it out for a Repsol fairing kit pretty quickly I think. As well as that, I'd give it a tail-tidy, and powdercoat the front and pillion footpegs. The only other part I wasn't too keen on was the huge mirrors, but I already have idea's with what I'd swap them out for: trick little teardrop carbon fibre jobbies the same as on my 250. Throw in a dark tinted windscreen and that'd about do it I think!
There was talk of Honda fitting an aftermarket exhaust slip-on, I'd have to hear a few comparisons before I decided on anything particular in this case. Factory, it sounded okay, maybe a little tinny, but not annoyingly so. The kind of tune that wouldn't bother me, but would gladly be rid of if I decided to get some more power from the motor.
Now, you're probably wondering why I'd choose a 600 over a 1000, my reasoning is split into two main areas: 1, I don't feel like I'd need the extra power of a 1000cc bike, or the weight for that matter, and 2, I don't feel like giving the government any more of my hard earned money for registering the thing! And currently, my funds are being squirreled away for my trip later this year, rather than for another bike, which is why I didn't want to go for a test ride. Because I know if I'd ridden it, even just down the street and back, I would've wanted it there and then! Let's just say, a trap I've fallen into a few times before...
So, begrudgingly, I opted to continue on my way, stopping only briefly to check out the selection of gloves in the showroom (I've found a really nice pair online but wanted to check sizing before clicking on a bid), then headed off. On my way home I passed another bike shop, one that sells Motul oil, so I decided to stop in and have a quick peek at lubricants... And HA! (without naming names, I don't believe in putting shops against each other, only finding the best deal for myself,) I've picked up a four litre of Motul 300v, for a considerable amount less than the Castrol oil that Honda wanted me to buy. Thank you! (Wow, they had some really nice bikes in there too!)
Off home now to do the oil change, pretty simple process: drain, let drain some more, go watch TV while the last few drops are draining, drop the old filter out, continue to let drain, flush, drain, drain some more, blah blah blah, soak new filter, install new filter, then refill (note to self: don't use a good kitchen measuring cup...) with the good stuff. Easy. Lol I should write manuals for this stuff! Hehe. Just in time to get ready for work for another night shift...
Hmmm work... the bane of my existence... :-(
Well, the story goes, as you might have read, the boss and I have been having a few personality clashes lately, and to put it simply, it all came to a head last night about 4 hours into the shift. Basically, I couldn't hear what he was saying because he was about 100 metres down the road from me, so I told him so, to which he replies "Open your ******* ears you useless ******* ******...!" Now, I'm not one to back down from confrontation, as some of you may already know, nor am I scared of voicing my own opinion when someone challenges me like that. So I let him have it. Both barrels, full buck-shot, if you wanna piss me off you better be well prepared to deal with the consequences. I make a very clear point of the fact that I've been working my ass off for him for the last two and a half months, that I've worked countless hours overtime to get tasks done on schedule, that he wouldn't be anywhere near his targets without my input, that he clearly has no idea what the hell he is doing, and that he is clearly out of his depth. And yes, I swore. Lots. Hell, if he has the gall to swear at me, I'll return the favour. So anyways, he says I may as well go home, I reply "gladly", he says "Leave your uniform in the truck" (our temporary office), I've had my fill by now and just walk off.
Now, you might say I was a little rash, or that how I handled that was wrong, or what have you, but in my defense, if I hadn't gotten out it would surely have driven me up the wall. I mean, I was at the stage where I literally hated going to work, the only reason I did it was out of some morbid sense of loyalty, or morals, or something in me that says 'even when things are completely shit, you don't give up'... Well, I guess that's not entirely true either, because what I did kinda was giving up... But looking back now, now that I've calmed down, I don't regret what I did, or how I handled things last night. Not a single one.
So, you may be asking, what's the plan now, Scott? Well, I'll tell you! I've already secured another job trial, through a friend, as a track rider for thoroughbred race horses, starting in two days time, and I've called my old boss at Traffic Management (the job I was at prior to the V8's) and been told they have plenty of work that I'd be more than welcome to go back to. And, as they have an office up north, there's work for me up there if and when I do decide to move back up. Also, this afternoon I received a phone call from the big boss man of the fencing company (the V8's contractor), and he asked my version of the events that happened, to which (after I explained) he replied "That seems to be a fairly common occurrence..." with my now ex-boss. It seems the last two guys in his employ both left after very similar situations. Hmmm surprise surprise... But, to cut a long story short, the big boss man has said that he'd be more than happy to take me on as a contractor up north (where he is based) if and or when I decide to move back up there! So it seems there are more than a few doors open for me to explore in the future. Which makes me feel a lot better about things right now. :-)
On a lighter note, today I've been back to the Honda shop, to pick up my new bike chain, come home again to fit it and discover that to tighten it I've had to pull the adjuster all the way out from the swingarm... That can't be right, can it? Check the box again, yep, correct number of links on the sticker, weird. Call Honda back, explain what the story is, the guy says "bring it in and we'll have a look, might have to take a link out of the chain"... Okay, cool, does that mean I bring the whole bike in or just the chain? Stuff it, I'll bring the whole bike in so you can see exactly what I mean. Cool. Gees, I'm gonna be real popular if they've got it wrong and have to pull the chain off after I've just spent an hour fitting it! (I hate those little clip things on the connector link! They just don't seem to wanna fit properly!) But, if they see the problem and correct it free of charge, I'll be well stoked and write them up a nice 'happy customer' report for everyone to read! The joys of freedom of speech, crossed with the powers of the Internet! Hehe...
All in all, I think that's a pretty good couple of days effort, so now that it's all out in black and white for everyone to condemn (or appraise), I'm gonna go have a beer and relax in the evening dusk. :-)
Until next time!
:-)
Monday 26 March 2012
Page 11
Without letting the cat out of the bag, it looks like there are going to be some big changes in my life pretty soon... I won't say any more until I know for certain, but I am a little excited / nervous for the coming month!
Lately I've been making a bit of a fuss about some things that have been going on at work, but on the flip side of the coin, I have to give it up once again to everyone that has reached out and given me support (without even having to ask for it!) in the last few months or so. Even despite how hard I've been trying to make things work down here, it's really cool to know that there are people out there that really do care about my state of being. I've been feeling a little run down lately, and it only took one text from a friend to pick me up again! Even if things aren't going entirely how we want, just having good friends out there that care makes the uphill battle a little easier. So to you guys, thanks. :-)
Apart from that, I've been slogging out the hours as usual, and from tomorrow I'll be going onto night shift for a few days (or maybe even the rest of the week, I dunno yet...) so I've decided to treat myself - I need to go into the local Honda shop to get the right size for some gloves I've found online (and pricing on a new chain for my bike), and while I'm there I'm going to take a look at a 2009 CBR600RR they've got in stock...
The sales pitch reads: "This bike has travelled less than 700kms. It is the ABS model. It has also got original Honda Seat Cowl, Cabon Fibre Front Guard, Carbon Fibre Rear Hugger, HRC Tank Protector, HRC Fuel Cap Cover, HRC Triple Clamp Cover..." I think it's right on the button of what I'm going to be looking for in my next bike! I'll be posting my perspective in the next couple of days, in any case...
Something that came to mind the other day, which makes a good thing out of a bad: currently the big roundabout intersection just down the road from me is being torn up, making my daily commute a bit of a pain in the ass instead of the usual fun start to my day. However, I've started going the other way out of my driveway, taking the much longer route to work, but I arrive a lot more invigorated and happy! I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, to be honest! We all know by now that I love to ride, in fact I'll be out riding pretty much any opportunity I can get purely for the feeling of freedom, but the days I ride to work it's not the same at all. I used to enjoy going to work, now it's just another thing that just has to be done... Like mowing the lawns, or cleaning the bathroom... How many people actually enjoy those chores? Lol if you just said "I do!" you're mad in my mind... but each to their own I guess...!
The point I was trying to make is this: sometimes we fall into the trap of doing things the same way day in and day out, purely because that's what we're used to. Either it might be the way you were taught, or the way that used to be (or perhaps still is) easiest, or just the most obvious way that makes sense... It might even just be the way everyone else does it. But why do we have to conform? I would have thought that, especially as bikers, it becomes less and less important how other people view us, on our loud machines, looking like racers (or gang members!) standing out from the crowd is pretty much a given for us, right? But the question I ask is this: how far do you have to stand out to be 'seen'...? Wanting to be 'seen' is almost written into us as part of human nature I think, everyone wants to be seen in some way or another.
I personally take great fulfillment out of being seen as a biker, I feel like it's a good way to stand out from the crowd. It shows that I'm not afraid to be outside 'the norm'. Being that a large percentage of license holders in New Zealand (and the world) only operate vehicles with four (or more) wheels, I'd say I'm pretty safe in saying that bikers are the minority, or 'unpopular'. Me, I'm fine with being unpopular. But in saying that, the number of views my little scribbles on these pages is generating, I'd say I'm getting to be pretty popular too! And there's nothing wrong with that either.
Until next time...
:-)
Lately I've been making a bit of a fuss about some things that have been going on at work, but on the flip side of the coin, I have to give it up once again to everyone that has reached out and given me support (without even having to ask for it!) in the last few months or so. Even despite how hard I've been trying to make things work down here, it's really cool to know that there are people out there that really do care about my state of being. I've been feeling a little run down lately, and it only took one text from a friend to pick me up again! Even if things aren't going entirely how we want, just having good friends out there that care makes the uphill battle a little easier. So to you guys, thanks. :-)
Apart from that, I've been slogging out the hours as usual, and from tomorrow I'll be going onto night shift for a few days (or maybe even the rest of the week, I dunno yet...) so I've decided to treat myself - I need to go into the local Honda shop to get the right size for some gloves I've found online (and pricing on a new chain for my bike), and while I'm there I'm going to take a look at a 2009 CBR600RR they've got in stock...
The sales pitch reads: "This bike has travelled less than 700kms. It is the ABS model. It has also got original Honda Seat Cowl, Cabon Fibre Front Guard, Carbon Fibre Rear Hugger, HRC Tank Protector, HRC Fuel Cap Cover, HRC Triple Clamp Cover..." I think it's right on the button of what I'm going to be looking for in my next bike! I'll be posting my perspective in the next couple of days, in any case...
Something that came to mind the other day, which makes a good thing out of a bad: currently the big roundabout intersection just down the road from me is being torn up, making my daily commute a bit of a pain in the ass instead of the usual fun start to my day. However, I've started going the other way out of my driveway, taking the much longer route to work, but I arrive a lot more invigorated and happy! I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, to be honest! We all know by now that I love to ride, in fact I'll be out riding pretty much any opportunity I can get purely for the feeling of freedom, but the days I ride to work it's not the same at all. I used to enjoy going to work, now it's just another thing that just has to be done... Like mowing the lawns, or cleaning the bathroom... How many people actually enjoy those chores? Lol if you just said "I do!" you're mad in my mind... but each to their own I guess...!
The point I was trying to make is this: sometimes we fall into the trap of doing things the same way day in and day out, purely because that's what we're used to. Either it might be the way you were taught, or the way that used to be (or perhaps still is) easiest, or just the most obvious way that makes sense... It might even just be the way everyone else does it. But why do we have to conform? I would have thought that, especially as bikers, it becomes less and less important how other people view us, on our loud machines, looking like racers (or gang members!) standing out from the crowd is pretty much a given for us, right? But the question I ask is this: how far do you have to stand out to be 'seen'...? Wanting to be 'seen' is almost written into us as part of human nature I think, everyone wants to be seen in some way or another.
I personally take great fulfillment out of being seen as a biker, I feel like it's a good way to stand out from the crowd. It shows that I'm not afraid to be outside 'the norm'. Being that a large percentage of license holders in New Zealand (and the world) only operate vehicles with four (or more) wheels, I'd say I'm pretty safe in saying that bikers are the minority, or 'unpopular'. Me, I'm fine with being unpopular. But in saying that, the number of views my little scribbles on these pages is generating, I'd say I'm getting to be pretty popular too! And there's nothing wrong with that either.
Until next time...
:-)
Sunday 25 March 2012
Page 10
Well, today was another one for the books! I spent the whole day up at the racetrack again, and it's a given that I'm hooked on it...!
Today was a 'playday' for cars and bikes, a nice relaxed day where drivers and riders got to experience one of NZ's leading tracks, in a social environment. Everything from top of the line Ferrari's and Porsche's to old school Datsun's and more than a couple Japanese makes made up the array of cars, with a pretty strong field of three separate classes giving the spectators much to enjoy. And more along the lines of what I went to see, the bikes, had fully fledged racers and lesser tuned street bikes out singing their harmonic tune. A good friend of mine told me about the event a few days ago, and I'm glad I went! The weather wasn't looking too promising on the trip up, but by lunchtime it had cleared and the sun was shining nicely.
The cars had their turn pretty quickly, then the bikes went out for their run. Management was being extra nice, allowing the riders to stay out for half an hour instead of the 15 minutes that was originally planned. After a couple of warm up laps, some of the bikes were flying past the pits down the straight at incredible speeds, and later on in the day I was asked to hold a speed gun to see how much pace they actually were getting down the straight. The fastest I saw (later in the day) was 229 kmh, by a cool green Kawasaki. Amazing! With only a couple of minor incidents (from the bikers), the day went exceptionally well, and time seemed to fly past.
Before long it was getting late in the day, and my friend and I decided to pack up and head home, having had a very good day. I've had my urge to get out on the track invigorated even more, if that's possible to believe!
I took a whole bunch of photo's with my phone, so take a look at what I got to feast my eyes on throughout the day...
Today was a 'playday' for cars and bikes, a nice relaxed day where drivers and riders got to experience one of NZ's leading tracks, in a social environment. Everything from top of the line Ferrari's and Porsche's to old school Datsun's and more than a couple Japanese makes made up the array of cars, with a pretty strong field of three separate classes giving the spectators much to enjoy. And more along the lines of what I went to see, the bikes, had fully fledged racers and lesser tuned street bikes out singing their harmonic tune. A good friend of mine told me about the event a few days ago, and I'm glad I went! The weather wasn't looking too promising on the trip up, but by lunchtime it had cleared and the sun was shining nicely.
The cars had their turn pretty quickly, then the bikes went out for their run. Management was being extra nice, allowing the riders to stay out for half an hour instead of the 15 minutes that was originally planned. After a couple of warm up laps, some of the bikes were flying past the pits down the straight at incredible speeds, and later on in the day I was asked to hold a speed gun to see how much pace they actually were getting down the straight. The fastest I saw (later in the day) was 229 kmh, by a cool green Kawasaki. Amazing! With only a couple of minor incidents (from the bikers), the day went exceptionally well, and time seemed to fly past.
Before long it was getting late in the day, and my friend and I decided to pack up and head home, having had a very good day. I've had my urge to get out on the track invigorated even more, if that's possible to believe!
I took a whole bunch of photo's with my phone, so take a look at what I got to feast my eyes on throughout the day...
Friday 23 March 2012
Page 9
Strangely, nothing springs to mind for my blog tonight! I've had a good day at work today, spent a little bit on a beach packing up some fence from a site that's all completed now, was pretty cool. My boss lives out those ways, so I got to ride my bike to his place (about an hour and a half) to meet him. It was pissing down rain most of the way there, but I still enjoyed the ride!
The ride home afterwards was nice and sunny, gave me a bit of opportunity to practice my 'leaning' around corners. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it! Some of the twisties on the way back were nice and long sweepers, so it felt good to get the bike 'locked in' around the corner, hanging half off the seat with my knee out (but not down just yet!) I felt really comfortable, the bike held it's line easily, I found that continuing to 'roll on' the throttle kept the balance in check really well. I'm not a professional just yet, but I've been wondering about the whole 'lean' thing for a while now, so it feels good to be putting everyone's advice into practice!
One thing I did notice, as per what I've been told in the past by a few friends, is that rolling off the throttle mid bend definitely made the bike stand up and want to go straight! I had one moment of 'target fixation' where I had to actually tell myself to 'look where I wanted to go', and as soon as I did, the bike seemed to naturally respond. The only real issue I found was when I was going downhill into bends, I have a tendency to enter the corners a little too hot, which is what triggered my panic reflex briefly. But, I know, with more practice, I'll get a lot better! I feel like I'm on the right track now, it's making me want to get onto a proper racetrack soon!
I found out last weekend that one of the clubs hosts a bevy of 'rider training' days, and I'm keen to get along to them! I know I would hugely benefit from attending such courses, but I've discovered I need to get a couple more items of gear before I can get on the track. I've never had a back protector, but I've seen them out there, a lot of my biker friends have them and wear them everywhere. I've been doing a bit of research on their purpose, and have decided that I definitely need to get one, not only for the track but also for my road riding! Spinal injuries seem to be a pretty common thing when bikers go down. Luckily, I've recently had a little bit of a financial gain, so I'm now in the market for a good back protector. Does anyone out there in biker world know of any good brands / retailers? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I'm also in the market for a set of proper racing gloves, where the wrist cuff is armoured, and is meant to be worn outside the sleeve of the jacket. Currently, my leather gloves are short cuff, they're really good for wearing on short trips and around town, but if I'm to hit the track, I want the best gear I can get! Again, if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to post up a comment! (P.S. I'm a medium / size 10!)
The National series of motorcycle racing continues this weekend, and I'm really tempted to go, but I haven't had a nice relaxing weekend at home for over a month now, so I'm undecided as of yet whether or not I'll attend. It'd be cool to see old friends again, but it's a long hike down for me (and home again) and I think I kinda need a break from rushing around everywhere all the time! Plus, on the other side of the coin, if I stay at home, I can spend some time on Skype and catch up with friends in different time zones around the world. And that'd definitely be worth it...! As well as getting my 'body clock' back to normal again... :-)
So, the weekend remains unplanned as of yet, but stay tuned to find out where my travels may take me!
Until then...
:-)
The ride home afterwards was nice and sunny, gave me a bit of opportunity to practice my 'leaning' around corners. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it! Some of the twisties on the way back were nice and long sweepers, so it felt good to get the bike 'locked in' around the corner, hanging half off the seat with my knee out (but not down just yet!) I felt really comfortable, the bike held it's line easily, I found that continuing to 'roll on' the throttle kept the balance in check really well. I'm not a professional just yet, but I've been wondering about the whole 'lean' thing for a while now, so it feels good to be putting everyone's advice into practice!
One thing I did notice, as per what I've been told in the past by a few friends, is that rolling off the throttle mid bend definitely made the bike stand up and want to go straight! I had one moment of 'target fixation' where I had to actually tell myself to 'look where I wanted to go', and as soon as I did, the bike seemed to naturally respond. The only real issue I found was when I was going downhill into bends, I have a tendency to enter the corners a little too hot, which is what triggered my panic reflex briefly. But, I know, with more practice, I'll get a lot better! I feel like I'm on the right track now, it's making me want to get onto a proper racetrack soon!
I found out last weekend that one of the clubs hosts a bevy of 'rider training' days, and I'm keen to get along to them! I know I would hugely benefit from attending such courses, but I've discovered I need to get a couple more items of gear before I can get on the track. I've never had a back protector, but I've seen them out there, a lot of my biker friends have them and wear them everywhere. I've been doing a bit of research on their purpose, and have decided that I definitely need to get one, not only for the track but also for my road riding! Spinal injuries seem to be a pretty common thing when bikers go down. Luckily, I've recently had a little bit of a financial gain, so I'm now in the market for a good back protector. Does anyone out there in biker world know of any good brands / retailers? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I'm also in the market for a set of proper racing gloves, where the wrist cuff is armoured, and is meant to be worn outside the sleeve of the jacket. Currently, my leather gloves are short cuff, they're really good for wearing on short trips and around town, but if I'm to hit the track, I want the best gear I can get! Again, if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to post up a comment! (P.S. I'm a medium / size 10!)
The National series of motorcycle racing continues this weekend, and I'm really tempted to go, but I haven't had a nice relaxing weekend at home for over a month now, so I'm undecided as of yet whether or not I'll attend. It'd be cool to see old friends again, but it's a long hike down for me (and home again) and I think I kinda need a break from rushing around everywhere all the time! Plus, on the other side of the coin, if I stay at home, I can spend some time on Skype and catch up with friends in different time zones around the world. And that'd definitely be worth it...! As well as getting my 'body clock' back to normal again... :-)
So, the weekend remains unplanned as of yet, but stay tuned to find out where my travels may take me!
Until then...
:-)
Wednesday 21 March 2012
Page 8
I know it's bad form to start a post with a rant, but the whole purpose of this blog is to get shit outta my head... See, it's starting to feel like this year is posed to be one that tests me. Even though it seemed to start out on a high note, I've now realised that no matter how well you plan things, life has a tendency to throw shit your way every now and then regardless. The 'shit' that I'm talking about this time is the fact that my boss is being a mega inconsiderate prick. Have you ever had a job that you loathe going to each and every day just because of one tiny little annoying thing about it? I can say that this is the case for me now. I used to love going into the V8 yard, figuring out what fence to put up for the day, looking at all the plans and seeing where we are up to, and slowly but surely getting closer to our target of being finished a good week out from the event. But what should be a fairly simple process is thrown into chaos because my boss is a lazy, meandering, control-freak, second guessing, hypocrite. And he's pretty much ruined any sense of time it is for me, along with my 'body-clock', by changing me from day shift to night shift back to day shift then back to night shift over and over again. He spiels off about how the last guy that worked for him full-time used to just sit in the forklift while the rest of the crew did all the hard work, now he's following suit to a tee. It frustrates the hell out of me...! As I type this, I've literally just finished a 4 hour shift (yeah, I know it's a short shift, I'll explain) out in the absolute pouring rain, in the middle of the night, on a section of road that we could do at anytime of the day. It was the kind of section we could have done pretty much anytime, day or night, but to me it would have made more sense to put this particular section of fence up when it wasn't pouring with rain and windy as hell, due to the fact that the panels were coated with big sheets of plastic 'hoarding' that makes them three times as heavy and a pain in the ass to handle in the best of conditions... I was under the impression that we would be focusing on the areas of the track that were difficult to get to during the day (because of traffic - cars and pedestrians) but he insists on changing the plan every five minutes it seems to accommodate his sense of 'organisation'. Which plainly just baffles me. I've pretty much stopped caring about the job at this stage, I used to be really finicky about keeping long sections of fence nice and straight and tidy, keeping all the advertising signs on one side of the mesh, but now I just put the panels of fence up and walk away. If he moans about something I've found it's easiest not to say a single word in reply, and continue going about what I was doing. It's like he thinks I'm a complete idiot, telling me how to do things I've done a thousand times before, trying to show me 'his' way, even though I've worked out how to do it easier with exactly the same result, even making tasks faster by doing things my own way. I know it's not very professional, but I've pretty much given up on any idea that there is a future in the fencing company for me, even though he wants me to be the 'area manager' once the V8's are finished. I'm not 100% decided yet, but he's making it difficult to find a reason to stay on after the race...
Anyways, that's my rant for today, apart from that things are going well, I spent a little bit of time playing with my bike today, just doing odd bits and pieces on it, cleaning the chain, polishing the chrome, cleaning all the brake dust off the wheels, that sort of thing. I do enjoy just sitting in the garage working on my bike almost as much as I enjoy riding it, because I'm just that kind of guy. I'm getting closer to stripping it down to a bare frame again now, I've found a 'good', reputable powder-coating business, referred to me by an engineer that I deal with pretty much daily through work, he says they do a really good job and will give me a good discount for mentioning he referred me. So, all that's left now is to save up a little bit more money, then I can pull everything off the bike once more and all the silver metalwork blacked out the way I want. After that, the motor will be serviced again to ensure everything is perfect, then piece by piece it'll all go back together to be finished (or as close to finished as any 'project' ever seems to be!)
On a note somewhat relevant to the top paragraph, I have been toying with the idea of moving back up north, to be closer to my biker friends up there, and to be back where things felt like 'home' as well. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the next couple of months goes at work, before I make a solid decision on that one. It'd be cool to be closer to everyone that I ride with in our group, but I wouldn't make the move unless a few things had been worked out first. I've had a couple of job offers from up north, so I know that side of things would be okay, but I'd need to make sure my home situation was okay too... One thing I do appreciate about where I am at the moment is that my home situation here is as close to perfect as it could possibly be! That would probably be my only reservation about moving away. Anyways, I'll have to weigh up the pro's and con's of staying versus moving in time regardless.
To finish on a better note, the weekend just been (at the racetrack) has opened up my mind to the idea of getting back into motorsport, as I previously alluded to, to the point where I am now keeping my eyes open for a fairly cheap but reliable (and easy to work on!) track-bike, with a few options already presenting themselves to me via the web and a couple of friends in the know... I have kinda figured that if I do get a track-bike, my finances are going to take a fair whack, so I was planning on waiting till I have finished my 'mystery trip'... (By the way, no-one has worked out where I want to go for the 'trip' yet!) I plan on being a regular at the events coming up, I really enjoyed being part of it all so much that I've made it known I want to be doing more! I'm hoping I don't have to work this weekend so I can go see more Superbike action, but have to wait and see whether or not I can make it. It's the final round of the New Zealand National series, so it's bound to be a great weekend's worth of racing, hope the weather plays nicely for it!!!
Until next time...
:-)
Anyways, that's my rant for today, apart from that things are going well, I spent a little bit of time playing with my bike today, just doing odd bits and pieces on it, cleaning the chain, polishing the chrome, cleaning all the brake dust off the wheels, that sort of thing. I do enjoy just sitting in the garage working on my bike almost as much as I enjoy riding it, because I'm just that kind of guy. I'm getting closer to stripping it down to a bare frame again now, I've found a 'good', reputable powder-coating business, referred to me by an engineer that I deal with pretty much daily through work, he says they do a really good job and will give me a good discount for mentioning he referred me. So, all that's left now is to save up a little bit more money, then I can pull everything off the bike once more and all the silver metalwork blacked out the way I want. After that, the motor will be serviced again to ensure everything is perfect, then piece by piece it'll all go back together to be finished (or as close to finished as any 'project' ever seems to be!)
On a note somewhat relevant to the top paragraph, I have been toying with the idea of moving back up north, to be closer to my biker friends up there, and to be back where things felt like 'home' as well. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the next couple of months goes at work, before I make a solid decision on that one. It'd be cool to be closer to everyone that I ride with in our group, but I wouldn't make the move unless a few things had been worked out first. I've had a couple of job offers from up north, so I know that side of things would be okay, but I'd need to make sure my home situation was okay too... One thing I do appreciate about where I am at the moment is that my home situation here is as close to perfect as it could possibly be! That would probably be my only reservation about moving away. Anyways, I'll have to weigh up the pro's and con's of staying versus moving in time regardless.
To finish on a better note, the weekend just been (at the racetrack) has opened up my mind to the idea of getting back into motorsport, as I previously alluded to, to the point where I am now keeping my eyes open for a fairly cheap but reliable (and easy to work on!) track-bike, with a few options already presenting themselves to me via the web and a couple of friends in the know... I have kinda figured that if I do get a track-bike, my finances are going to take a fair whack, so I was planning on waiting till I have finished my 'mystery trip'... (By the way, no-one has worked out where I want to go for the 'trip' yet!) I plan on being a regular at the events coming up, I really enjoyed being part of it all so much that I've made it known I want to be doing more! I'm hoping I don't have to work this weekend so I can go see more Superbike action, but have to wait and see whether or not I can make it. It's the final round of the New Zealand National series, so it's bound to be a great weekend's worth of racing, hope the weather plays nicely for it!!!
Until next time...
:-)
Monday 19 March 2012
Page 7 (edited!)
Okay, I've caught up on my sleep now, back to the semi-regular routine that is my life, it's about time I shared my experiences from the rest of the weekend at the racetrack!
On Sunday, I was up bright (or dark, depending on your outlook) and early, I actually woke up just before my 5am alarm went off! Got up to the track at about 6:40am, no-one there again but all good cause I knew the routine would be the same as Saturday's. A couple of other guys arrived shortly after me, brand spanking newbies to marshalling, which was cool to see, then the rest of the hoard arrived / came down from their rented apartments! Had our briefing, and got sent out to our points around the track. I got to watch a different corner from Saturday, but with the Chief Marshal again, which was cool. Didn't really see much action on our section of the track to be honest, just a few bikes running wide but staying upright. One of the highlights was when one of the bikes dropped a whole lot of oil in a big long line down the track behind us, so the racing was held up a little bit till about 20 of the marshalls did their best to sort it out. I wanted to make special mention of the fact that everyone just got stuck in and cleaned up the mess extremely quickly, that in itself was a sight to behold! The drama actually occurred in the last scheduled race before the lunch break, so it worked out well. Shortly after we cleaned up the mess, a bunch of muscle cars did a few laps of the track, which was really cool to watch, along with a stunt-bike doing his thing up on the main straight (that I couldn't see but no major.) Racing quickly resumed, with the 250's bringing the fun back. Then the rain started! Superbikes got held for a 'wet track' for half an hour, while the weather cleared and the track dried out, then they were off like rockets! The top three were swapping positions every time they rounded my bend! Then, unfortunately, one of them lost a chain, and retired, leaving the other two to duke it out. And duke it out they did! I cannot believe the speeds they were taking corners at, and keeping the bike upright! It just seemed to defy physics! Finally, the guy I had hoped would win got the checkered flag, which was cool. After the big bikes, there was only one race remaining, the 'Post-Classics'. The biggest field of the day, I can't remember how many bikes there were, but it was cool watching them lap the track pretty much non-stop! I tried to get a couple of photo's and video's but my phone wasn't really up to the job... One of the riders dropped his Kawasaki right in front of us, no injury that I could tell, and only very light fairing damage to the bike, fortunately. When the race finished, I helped push his machine back up to the pits and his service vehicle. I even managed to get a souvenir from his bike, he said I could keep his broken brake lever, which was pretty cool to me as well. Like a momento of sorts! Anyways, afterwards we went back to the pavilion for prizegiving and a few drinks, met a few more really cool people and talked about a whole bunch of stuff, from Laguna Seca MotoGP to my 'mystery trip' later in the year... From there it was decided that I should stay the night and drink some more, so we went up to the rented apartments - overlooking the whole track, wow! what a view!!! - to continue the conversation and festivities! The clock struck midnight before we all knew it, so off to bed it was.
Up at 6am Monday to the sound of a rooster crowing (some people's alarms are evil!!!) after I silenced mine a few times, went outside to find the rain had kicked in again, but there's still something to be said for waking up with a racetrack right outside your window! I was feeling the effects of the repeated late nights, but I had an awesome weekend, so excused myself for the trip home fairly early, even managed to get to work on time! (Not a very productive day at the office though, I assure you!)
All in all, I thought the weekend's organisers put together a top notch event, only a couple of slight mishaps, but we're all only human so nothing to moan about, the racing had heaps of excitement, both from bikes upright and not quite, the people were really friendly!!! and I left with a huge smile on my face. And really, you can't ask for much more than that I think. I'll definitely be going back to help out again, in fact I may even be heading to the track south of my hometown this weekend for the Nationals final round! The fun never stops!!!
Until next time...
:-)
On Sunday, I was up bright (or dark, depending on your outlook) and early, I actually woke up just before my 5am alarm went off! Got up to the track at about 6:40am, no-one there again but all good cause I knew the routine would be the same as Saturday's. A couple of other guys arrived shortly after me, brand spanking newbies to marshalling, which was cool to see, then the rest of the hoard arrived / came down from their rented apartments! Had our briefing, and got sent out to our points around the track. I got to watch a different corner from Saturday, but with the Chief Marshal again, which was cool. Didn't really see much action on our section of the track to be honest, just a few bikes running wide but staying upright. One of the highlights was when one of the bikes dropped a whole lot of oil in a big long line down the track behind us, so the racing was held up a little bit till about 20 of the marshalls did their best to sort it out. I wanted to make special mention of the fact that everyone just got stuck in and cleaned up the mess extremely quickly, that in itself was a sight to behold! The drama actually occurred in the last scheduled race before the lunch break, so it worked out well. Shortly after we cleaned up the mess, a bunch of muscle cars did a few laps of the track, which was really cool to watch, along with a stunt-bike doing his thing up on the main straight (that I couldn't see but no major.) Racing quickly resumed, with the 250's bringing the fun back. Then the rain started! Superbikes got held for a 'wet track' for half an hour, while the weather cleared and the track dried out, then they were off like rockets! The top three were swapping positions every time they rounded my bend! Then, unfortunately, one of them lost a chain, and retired, leaving the other two to duke it out. And duke it out they did! I cannot believe the speeds they were taking corners at, and keeping the bike upright! It just seemed to defy physics! Finally, the guy I had hoped would win got the checkered flag, which was cool. After the big bikes, there was only one race remaining, the 'Post-Classics'. The biggest field of the day, I can't remember how many bikes there were, but it was cool watching them lap the track pretty much non-stop! I tried to get a couple of photo's and video's but my phone wasn't really up to the job... One of the riders dropped his Kawasaki right in front of us, no injury that I could tell, and only very light fairing damage to the bike, fortunately. When the race finished, I helped push his machine back up to the pits and his service vehicle. I even managed to get a souvenir from his bike, he said I could keep his broken brake lever, which was pretty cool to me as well. Like a momento of sorts! Anyways, afterwards we went back to the pavilion for prizegiving and a few drinks, met a few more really cool people and talked about a whole bunch of stuff, from Laguna Seca MotoGP to my 'mystery trip' later in the year... From there it was decided that I should stay the night and drink some more, so we went up to the rented apartments - overlooking the whole track, wow! what a view!!! - to continue the conversation and festivities! The clock struck midnight before we all knew it, so off to bed it was.
Up at 6am Monday to the sound of a rooster crowing (some people's alarms are evil!!!) after I silenced mine a few times, went outside to find the rain had kicked in again, but there's still something to be said for waking up with a racetrack right outside your window! I was feeling the effects of the repeated late nights, but I had an awesome weekend, so excused myself for the trip home fairly early, even managed to get to work on time! (Not a very productive day at the office though, I assure you!)
All in all, I thought the weekend's organisers put together a top notch event, only a couple of slight mishaps, but we're all only human so nothing to moan about, the racing had heaps of excitement, both from bikes upright and not quite, the people were really friendly!!! and I left with a huge smile on my face. And really, you can't ask for much more than that I think. I'll definitely be going back to help out again, in fact I may even be heading to the track south of my hometown this weekend for the Nationals final round! The fun never stops!!!
Until next time...
:-)
Saturday 17 March 2012
Page 6...!
I had to jump online and put a post up after today, I've just gotten home from my very first ever live experience with bikes on a track, and I have to say I LOVED IT!!! Some might think spending a whole day sitting on one corner of a track watching bikes race past a bit boring, but I literally can't say how much fun I had!
The classes were:
125GP,
Superlite and 650 Pro Twin,
Supersport 600 and Superstock 600,
Prolite 250,
Post Classics (pre-1989),
and SUPERBIKES!!!
Practice laps for each class went up to about lunch time - we had one 'off' from the Superlite class right in front of us on the first session (of that class), the poor guy got nudged from a bike on the side, and ended up in the grass at high speed, falling on his right shoulder - I think he broke his collarbone (Ouch!) but he walked away from the accident so at least that's a good thing. Damage to his bike was mostly cosmetic too. My crew and I ran out onto a live track to pick him and his bike up and get them into safety, it was an adrenaline rush! After lunch the qualifying sessions kicked in, then full blown racing. Didn't have any other accidents in our section of the track, thankfully, but the guys just around the corner from us were pretty busy all day! Unfortunately I only had my phone camera with me, and couldn't get any decent shots of the action due to a useless zoom function. I'm hoping after tomorrow there might be some pictures on the club's website! There were photographers out all day with really flash cameras, so I might even find a pic of my crew on our corner! :-)
After the conclusion of the racing, everyone headed up to the main pavilion area to get changed out of our marshalling overalls, and unwind. Everyone I spoke to seemed to have had a great day, some a little more tired than others, but it seemed like the general spirit was good. We then proceeded to where dinner was being served to the track staff and racers, an easy barbeque meal with a few free drinks. The hosting club definitely know how to look after their people! I got to catch up with a few friends that I hadn't seen since earlier in the day over a feed, unwind some more, have a few laughs, and generally just chill out, then it started to get dark and I decided to head home.
If today has put one thought in my mind, it's that I love the environment of motorbike racing just as much as I love road riding! Everyone was super happy to have me on board, even though I was a new face, and answered any of my (possibly stupid) questions without a problem. It felt like just an extension of the 'biker world' that I've come to know so far! I'm stoked that I went, meeting new people, seeing old friends again, getting to hang out with other like-minded people, and watching bikes racing round in spectacular fashion! I completely underestimated just how cool today was going to be!
I did have a thought of possible entering my own bike in the 250 class, but alas, it doesn't comply with the regulations. Rules are that the bikes in the Prolite class have to be of a single or twin cylinder configuration, and mine is a 4 cylinder. No major, I know I'll be having just as much fun helping from the sidelines, and maybe one day I'll have a track-dedicated bike to join in the fun with! For now I'm more than happy keeping my pride and joy solely on the streets, as I wasn't 100% sure about the racing thing on it anyways (read my last post or two...) The one thing that I'm a bit annoyed with myself about is that I could have been getting involved with marshalling a long time ago, I just didn't realise that I could! Never mind, I know about it now, and I plan on doing it a lot more in the future! In fact, I'll be back there tomorrow to see out the rest of the racing!
So, with that in mind, I better get some rest, have to be up bright and early in the morning to be at the track on time, no doubt I'll post again once I'm home tomorrow night!
Until then...
:-)
The classes were:
125GP,
Superlite and 650 Pro Twin,
Supersport 600 and Superstock 600,
Prolite 250,
Post Classics (pre-1989),
and SUPERBIKES!!!
Practice laps for each class went up to about lunch time - we had one 'off' from the Superlite class right in front of us on the first session (of that class), the poor guy got nudged from a bike on the side, and ended up in the grass at high speed, falling on his right shoulder - I think he broke his collarbone (Ouch!) but he walked away from the accident so at least that's a good thing. Damage to his bike was mostly cosmetic too. My crew and I ran out onto a live track to pick him and his bike up and get them into safety, it was an adrenaline rush! After lunch the qualifying sessions kicked in, then full blown racing. Didn't have any other accidents in our section of the track, thankfully, but the guys just around the corner from us were pretty busy all day! Unfortunately I only had my phone camera with me, and couldn't get any decent shots of the action due to a useless zoom function. I'm hoping after tomorrow there might be some pictures on the club's website! There were photographers out all day with really flash cameras, so I might even find a pic of my crew on our corner! :-)
After the conclusion of the racing, everyone headed up to the main pavilion area to get changed out of our marshalling overalls, and unwind. Everyone I spoke to seemed to have had a great day, some a little more tired than others, but it seemed like the general spirit was good. We then proceeded to where dinner was being served to the track staff and racers, an easy barbeque meal with a few free drinks. The hosting club definitely know how to look after their people! I got to catch up with a few friends that I hadn't seen since earlier in the day over a feed, unwind some more, have a few laughs, and generally just chill out, then it started to get dark and I decided to head home.
If today has put one thought in my mind, it's that I love the environment of motorbike racing just as much as I love road riding! Everyone was super happy to have me on board, even though I was a new face, and answered any of my (possibly stupid) questions without a problem. It felt like just an extension of the 'biker world' that I've come to know so far! I'm stoked that I went, meeting new people, seeing old friends again, getting to hang out with other like-minded people, and watching bikes racing round in spectacular fashion! I completely underestimated just how cool today was going to be!
I did have a thought of possible entering my own bike in the 250 class, but alas, it doesn't comply with the regulations. Rules are that the bikes in the Prolite class have to be of a single or twin cylinder configuration, and mine is a 4 cylinder. No major, I know I'll be having just as much fun helping from the sidelines, and maybe one day I'll have a track-dedicated bike to join in the fun with! For now I'm more than happy keeping my pride and joy solely on the streets, as I wasn't 100% sure about the racing thing on it anyways (read my last post or two...) The one thing that I'm a bit annoyed with myself about is that I could have been getting involved with marshalling a long time ago, I just didn't realise that I could! Never mind, I know about it now, and I plan on doing it a lot more in the future! In fact, I'll be back there tomorrow to see out the rest of the racing!
So, with that in mind, I better get some rest, have to be up bright and early in the morning to be at the track on time, no doubt I'll post again once I'm home tomorrow night!
Until then...
:-)
Friday 16 March 2012
Page 5.5
I thought I should write a little more tonight, seeing as I'm probably going to be away most (if not all) of the weekend. I've put my name down for 'marshalling' at a track a little north of my hometown, and just found out that if I want to I can stay at the venue overnight tomorrow night and carry on marshalling on Sunday too! It's looking like it's gonna be a pretty big event too, going on the information I have so far, so I'm really looking forward to being there all of a sudden! A couple of my mates are going to be there too, it'll be really cool to catch up with them again, due to the fact that they live about 2 hours north of me, we really only get to hang out at group rides or events like this weekend. I just hope I don't screw up the marshalling! I've never done it before, but one of my friends has assured me I'll be fine, he's done it heaps before. And it'll be my first real experience with bikes on a track - I'm gonna be buzzing out all weekend!
The idea of putting my bike on a track competitively kinda scares me, to be honest, I think I'd be way too nervous around a whole bunch of other bikes doing high speeds and cornering a lot faster than I think I'm capable of... Not to say I haven't had any track experience - I grew up in a family that loved motorsports, I've spent a fair bit of time on four wheels on circuits as well as down the drag strip, so I understand the logistical side of things okay... But when it comes to bikes, I guess I'm more unsure than anything. I would really like to attend a few on-track 'rider training' days, just to see how I go, but I would also love to have enough skill to be able to pilot a competitive bike purpose-built for racing as well. At the moment it's more of a financial issue than anything! But I see the guys on TV racing, and I think "how the hell do you do that!" It's like they have absolutely no fear, and when the unfortunate spills happen it's amazing how they can walk away nine times out of ten. That in itself amazes me. Of course, I know they have the absolute best quality gear, their bikes are built from the ground up with only one purpose in mind, and they've all been riding for a lot longer than I have.
I know I am fairly competent on my bike, on the road, and that I'm still learning pretty much every time I go out for a ride, but the skill level of some of the guys that race is so profound to me, I think they must have all been born on a bike! I know my limits currently, and I seem to extend them little by little fairly naturally, of course with the guidance of more experienced riders in our group rides. It wasn't that long ago I would stick to the posted speed advisory around corners, now I find I can add a certain percentage without getting out of my comfort zone. Not by a huge percentage, mind you, just enough to keep my ride 'flowing', instead of having to slow down then accelerate away every time I go through a corner. I've watched video's and read books on the physics and theory of cornering, and applied it to my riding style. I've seen other more experienced riders take 'lines' through bends, chicanes, sweepers, tightening and lessening corners, and I understand why they take the line through the corner that they choose, and applied that to my riding as well. I know I'm a cautious rider, thanks mainly to my one accident a year and a bit ago, and haven't put myself in a bad situation since then. But I do know there is still a whole lot to learn, and that I could keep riding and learning road skills for the rest of my life, which isn't a bad thing at all if you ask me.
So anyways, I'm gonna have a wicked time this weekend, maybe even see that track riding isn't as scary as I imagine, hopefully see some cool bikes and meet some cool people, and come back on Sunday night with a huge smile on my face! I can't think of a better way to spend the weekend!
Until next time... (which will be in a couple of days...)
:-)
The idea of putting my bike on a track competitively kinda scares me, to be honest, I think I'd be way too nervous around a whole bunch of other bikes doing high speeds and cornering a lot faster than I think I'm capable of... Not to say I haven't had any track experience - I grew up in a family that loved motorsports, I've spent a fair bit of time on four wheels on circuits as well as down the drag strip, so I understand the logistical side of things okay... But when it comes to bikes, I guess I'm more unsure than anything. I would really like to attend a few on-track 'rider training' days, just to see how I go, but I would also love to have enough skill to be able to pilot a competitive bike purpose-built for racing as well. At the moment it's more of a financial issue than anything! But I see the guys on TV racing, and I think "how the hell do you do that!" It's like they have absolutely no fear, and when the unfortunate spills happen it's amazing how they can walk away nine times out of ten. That in itself amazes me. Of course, I know they have the absolute best quality gear, their bikes are built from the ground up with only one purpose in mind, and they've all been riding for a lot longer than I have.
I know I am fairly competent on my bike, on the road, and that I'm still learning pretty much every time I go out for a ride, but the skill level of some of the guys that race is so profound to me, I think they must have all been born on a bike! I know my limits currently, and I seem to extend them little by little fairly naturally, of course with the guidance of more experienced riders in our group rides. It wasn't that long ago I would stick to the posted speed advisory around corners, now I find I can add a certain percentage without getting out of my comfort zone. Not by a huge percentage, mind you, just enough to keep my ride 'flowing', instead of having to slow down then accelerate away every time I go through a corner. I've watched video's and read books on the physics and theory of cornering, and applied it to my riding style. I've seen other more experienced riders take 'lines' through bends, chicanes, sweepers, tightening and lessening corners, and I understand why they take the line through the corner that they choose, and applied that to my riding as well. I know I'm a cautious rider, thanks mainly to my one accident a year and a bit ago, and haven't put myself in a bad situation since then. But I do know there is still a whole lot to learn, and that I could keep riding and learning road skills for the rest of my life, which isn't a bad thing at all if you ask me.
So anyways, I'm gonna have a wicked time this weekend, maybe even see that track riding isn't as scary as I imagine, hopefully see some cool bikes and meet some cool people, and come back on Sunday night with a huge smile on my face! I can't think of a better way to spend the weekend!
Until next time... (which will be in a couple of days...)
:-)
Page 5
Well, the work week is finally over, the weekend has begun! I think I enjoy the weekends even more knowing that the closer to race day we get, the less weekends off I'm gonna have. This weekend, I have a decision to make: I can either go south to see some friends at a track day, or north for the same thing! (Just a different venue, obviously!) Southbound is about three times as far though, and if I go north, I can help 'marshall' for the day and get paid for it! So, as much as I'd love to catch up with the guys that are at the track down south, I think it's in my best interests to go north... Unless anyone strongly disagrees? :-)
I do have another little 'moan' to get out of my system today: the local council in their infinite wisdom have decided to rip out the roundabout at the end of my street, which makes traffic flow a crawling pace at best, and means every time I have to go out my bike gets covered in mud and shit. I reckon I should send the council a bill for making me have to clean my bike as much as I have been! I can't stand it looking filthy, so the garden hose has been put to use several times so far this week. I'll probably be out there cleaning it again before the end of today, for the ride tomorrow... Is that a little too obsessive...? Some might think so. I dunno, I just like having a clean bike!
The only downside to being so tied up with work is that it's going to seriously start to restrict my weekends away riding, but the upside to that is that I can start saving some serious dollars for my 'special trip' which should be taking place at the end of the year / start of next year... I should try start a fundraiser for it, I think! Anyone keen to help kick it off...? Hehe...
I know from first hand experience, when things get hectic is when I do my best, I love a challenge, the thrill of accomplishing a goal, so I know I'll be looking forward to my trip more and more the closer it gets. I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag just yet, just in case the 'plan' changes, but I'm fairly confident that within a few months or so it'll be concreted down. I've got a lot of planning to do to make sure it goes well, I've already started researching it and pencilling out ideas... However it works though, it's gonna be so much fun!
Well, I hate having to cut this short, but I'm running out of ideas for things to talk about now (if you hadn't already guessed!) so I'm gonna go relax for a bit with a nice cold beer in the sun!
Until next time!
:-)
I do have another little 'moan' to get out of my system today: the local council in their infinite wisdom have decided to rip out the roundabout at the end of my street, which makes traffic flow a crawling pace at best, and means every time I have to go out my bike gets covered in mud and shit. I reckon I should send the council a bill for making me have to clean my bike as much as I have been! I can't stand it looking filthy, so the garden hose has been put to use several times so far this week. I'll probably be out there cleaning it again before the end of today, for the ride tomorrow... Is that a little too obsessive...? Some might think so. I dunno, I just like having a clean bike!
The only downside to being so tied up with work is that it's going to seriously start to restrict my weekends away riding, but the upside to that is that I can start saving some serious dollars for my 'special trip' which should be taking place at the end of the year / start of next year... I should try start a fundraiser for it, I think! Anyone keen to help kick it off...? Hehe...
I know from first hand experience, when things get hectic is when I do my best, I love a challenge, the thrill of accomplishing a goal, so I know I'll be looking forward to my trip more and more the closer it gets. I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag just yet, just in case the 'plan' changes, but I'm fairly confident that within a few months or so it'll be concreted down. I've got a lot of planning to do to make sure it goes well, I've already started researching it and pencilling out ideas... However it works though, it's gonna be so much fun!
Well, I hate having to cut this short, but I'm running out of ideas for things to talk about now (if you hadn't already guessed!) so I'm gonna go relax for a bit with a nice cold beer in the sun!
Until next time!
:-)
Thursday 15 March 2012
Page 4
There's something to be said for guys (and girls) that are out there working all hours of the day and night. I've just finished a shift working on a job at the local shopping mall, it only took about 3 hours but luckily I had some help from a few guys that were finishing their night shift. They'd been on site for 15 hours by the time we finished, and in all honesty, they looked pretty haggard... I'm starting to feel all the odd hours catching up to me, but I haven't been doing nearly as many as they have! When good work is as hard to find as it is these days, I guess employers are pushing there workers ever harder to make a dollar. While I have no problem working so hard, I have to admit sometimes it feels like an uphill battle. Sometimes it feels like margins are so tight, profits are so minimal, that everyone is being asked to go that little bit further rather than the company having to spend a little bit more for more labour. That seems to be the way things are going for my company, running on a skeleton crew for the biggest event of our year. It doesn't really make sense to me, but I just have to make do. Anyway, that's my little moan for the day, on to brighter subjects now!
I've been spending a lot of my spare time cleaning up our house for an inspection today, giving the whole place a good spring clean, including my 'spare parts shed'. It's like christmas all over again when parts that I'd completely forgotten about emerge from the pile of boxes! Re-organising everything into a more manageable semblance of 'tidy' has been cool, although I have found that I don't want to throw anything out for fear of needing it in the future. I'm not really a 'hoarder' as such, but when it comes to the bike, I've got almost enough spares to build another whole bike! But then, I do admit to being a bit of a fanatic when it comes to my bikes maintenance, I do all the servicing and fixing myself. I did take it to a fairly reputable workshop a while back for a retune, but found out I can do a better job given I don't have to be conscious of how long it takes me to do any work on it. When I rebuilt the engine, for example, it took me the better part of a week to get the carb's all sync'd up nicely! Maybe I'm just a little too much of a perfectionist with it... Lol!
Well, that's all for now, I better go finish cleaning up the house before the landlord arrives.
Till next time!
:-)
I've been spending a lot of my spare time cleaning up our house for an inspection today, giving the whole place a good spring clean, including my 'spare parts shed'. It's like christmas all over again when parts that I'd completely forgotten about emerge from the pile of boxes! Re-organising everything into a more manageable semblance of 'tidy' has been cool, although I have found that I don't want to throw anything out for fear of needing it in the future. I'm not really a 'hoarder' as such, but when it comes to the bike, I've got almost enough spares to build another whole bike! But then, I do admit to being a bit of a fanatic when it comes to my bikes maintenance, I do all the servicing and fixing myself. I did take it to a fairly reputable workshop a while back for a retune, but found out I can do a better job given I don't have to be conscious of how long it takes me to do any work on it. When I rebuilt the engine, for example, it took me the better part of a week to get the carb's all sync'd up nicely! Maybe I'm just a little too much of a perfectionist with it... Lol!
Well, that's all for now, I better go finish cleaning up the house before the landlord arrives.
Till next time!
:-)
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Page 3.5
Hey guys, it's 11pm now and I've just finished a nice short shift... The reason for that is that I've gotta go back to work at 5am, to do a job for a retailer at a local shopping mall. Fun fun. Well, that's how it goes, things change on an almost minute by minute basis!
Tonight was good though, we got a fair bit done in 4 hours, the mammoth task that is the V8's is slowly getting done. I'll be glad when the race is all over and done with to be honest, it's getting to be a bit of a drag already. Not that I don't enjoy it anymore, just having to work out all the logistics of the event planning is doing my head in. Every day it seems like something isn't right, or the plans need changing, altering, or completely re-writing. I'm supposed to be able to just look at it and go put the fence up, but nine times out of ten it doesn't work out properly the way the plans are drawn up, so I have to figure out the correct way of doing it, all the while keeping the event supervisor happy, using as little amount of fence as possible, but still keeping it relatively easy for myself and my team. Such is life I guess. What surprises me most is the fact that this is the fifth (I think) year that the V8's have been here, and they still can't get it right. No wonder why it's not coming back next year! Of that fact I'm kinda happy...
Apart from that, things are going well in my life right now, the home situation is good, my personal life is ticking along nicely, I'm keeping in touch with my friends all over the country a lot more than I have done in the past... All in all I think things are pretty good. I'm happy, which is nice for a change! I know that seems trivial, but for me it's kinda a big thing. For example, sometimes things happen that completely upset the balance in life, and it feels like everything is stacked up against you... Well, for me, I think my 'balance' is pretty well concreted in place now, it feels like there isn't anything that could happen that would upset it. I'm finding putting my thoughts down in writing good, it has this nice way of keeping my head fairly clear, or at least somewhat organised!
I have found a new 'goal' to work towards, although it might take some time getting there, but a friend of mine has inspired me towards it. I'll put up more about this as it gets a little closer, but for now I'm keeping it relatively hush hush, but will leave you with this to ponder... It involves a very long distance bike ride, spanning a few thousand miles, over a period of at least a month... Let's see if you can hazard a guess from that! Feel free to take a stab in the comments section below!
Well, being that I have an early start tomorrow morning, I'll sign off here I think... I do hope everyone out there is doing well, keeping safe, and having fun reading this!
Until next time!
:-)
Tonight was good though, we got a fair bit done in 4 hours, the mammoth task that is the V8's is slowly getting done. I'll be glad when the race is all over and done with to be honest, it's getting to be a bit of a drag already. Not that I don't enjoy it anymore, just having to work out all the logistics of the event planning is doing my head in. Every day it seems like something isn't right, or the plans need changing, altering, or completely re-writing. I'm supposed to be able to just look at it and go put the fence up, but nine times out of ten it doesn't work out properly the way the plans are drawn up, so I have to figure out the correct way of doing it, all the while keeping the event supervisor happy, using as little amount of fence as possible, but still keeping it relatively easy for myself and my team. Such is life I guess. What surprises me most is the fact that this is the fifth (I think) year that the V8's have been here, and they still can't get it right. No wonder why it's not coming back next year! Of that fact I'm kinda happy...
Apart from that, things are going well in my life right now, the home situation is good, my personal life is ticking along nicely, I'm keeping in touch with my friends all over the country a lot more than I have done in the past... All in all I think things are pretty good. I'm happy, which is nice for a change! I know that seems trivial, but for me it's kinda a big thing. For example, sometimes things happen that completely upset the balance in life, and it feels like everything is stacked up against you... Well, for me, I think my 'balance' is pretty well concreted in place now, it feels like there isn't anything that could happen that would upset it. I'm finding putting my thoughts down in writing good, it has this nice way of keeping my head fairly clear, or at least somewhat organised!
I have found a new 'goal' to work towards, although it might take some time getting there, but a friend of mine has inspired me towards it. I'll put up more about this as it gets a little closer, but for now I'm keeping it relatively hush hush, but will leave you with this to ponder... It involves a very long distance bike ride, spanning a few thousand miles, over a period of at least a month... Let's see if you can hazard a guess from that! Feel free to take a stab in the comments section below!
Well, being that I have an early start tomorrow morning, I'll sign off here I think... I do hope everyone out there is doing well, keeping safe, and having fun reading this!
Until next time!
:-)
Page 3
I've often wondered why I enjoy being a biker so much... The funny thing is, it's only partly due to the fact that I love being out on the road on two wheels, the feeling of freedom that comes with that... I actually think the main reason I enjoy being a biker is the sense of 'family' that you get when you see other bikers out there doing just the same thing you are, enjoying the road, getting away from the stresses of life, finding that little bit of freedom. I think that's why a lot of bikers wave out to each other on the road. The best feeling is when you're riding in a big group of bikers, and another big group passes you on the other side of the road, and everyone waves out together! The concept is so simple, but I think every biker 'gets' it. It's the sense of community, even though you may not know each other, or never even see each other again on the road, or even if it's your mate from just down the street - a happy little wave says "Hey, good to see you out here!" from one free spirit to another.
I absolutely love group riding. It's a completely cool buzz, to be surrounded by friends on bikes cruising down the road, being part of something that a lot of people will never know, going through towns where all the locals look at you like some kind of outlaw... The visual representation of a whole bunch of bikes rolling in unison down a main street is just too cool! The sound of so many exhaust pipes all in symphony, whether they be big and lumpy or small and sharp in pitch, it's music to my ears. It's like an orchestra, but more natural, and it's different every time you go out in a group. The dynamics of a group ride are really cool too, seeing old friends, looking over everyone's bikes, having a laugh at a refuel stop, telling stories over a beer at the end of a day's riding. I literally can't get enough of group riding! The group I ride with are an amazing bunch of people, from all different walks of life, but all united by the passion of motorcycles. There's no rivalry, no 'my bike is cooler than yours', it's just so many individual characters and characteristics that it gels into 'one' so effortlessly. The people that put in all the effort to organise the trips we go on deserve so much credit, I know every other member of our group will back me up in saying thank you again! I mean, I'm in awe of every spot we've visited so far, the views and the locations that I would never have been to or seen if it hadn't been for these rides, it just blows the mind. Waking up as close as you can physically get to one of the most spectacular ocean views just makes you so thankful to be alive! Riding down a barely used stretch of road, with beautiful rolling hills on your left and right, it's no wonder the rest of the world considers New Zealand a paradise! Yet so many Kiwi's will never see even half of the beauty this country has to offer, it's almost a shame. Which is just another reason I am so glad to be a biker, so have witnessed first hand so far a handful of the picturesque vistas on offer, all you have to do is get out there and find them!
Until next time!
:-)
I absolutely love group riding. It's a completely cool buzz, to be surrounded by friends on bikes cruising down the road, being part of something that a lot of people will never know, going through towns where all the locals look at you like some kind of outlaw... The visual representation of a whole bunch of bikes rolling in unison down a main street is just too cool! The sound of so many exhaust pipes all in symphony, whether they be big and lumpy or small and sharp in pitch, it's music to my ears. It's like an orchestra, but more natural, and it's different every time you go out in a group. The dynamics of a group ride are really cool too, seeing old friends, looking over everyone's bikes, having a laugh at a refuel stop, telling stories over a beer at the end of a day's riding. I literally can't get enough of group riding! The group I ride with are an amazing bunch of people, from all different walks of life, but all united by the passion of motorcycles. There's no rivalry, no 'my bike is cooler than yours', it's just so many individual characters and characteristics that it gels into 'one' so effortlessly. The people that put in all the effort to organise the trips we go on deserve so much credit, I know every other member of our group will back me up in saying thank you again! I mean, I'm in awe of every spot we've visited so far, the views and the locations that I would never have been to or seen if it hadn't been for these rides, it just blows the mind. Waking up as close as you can physically get to one of the most spectacular ocean views just makes you so thankful to be alive! Riding down a barely used stretch of road, with beautiful rolling hills on your left and right, it's no wonder the rest of the world considers New Zealand a paradise! Yet so many Kiwi's will never see even half of the beauty this country has to offer, it's almost a shame. Which is just another reason I am so glad to be a biker, so have witnessed first hand so far a handful of the picturesque vistas on offer, all you have to do is get out there and find them!
Until next time!
:-)
Page 2...
It's just past 2am, and I've just finished work for the night. 'Twas a pretty good shift, had a guy from a local temping agency helping us tonight, he was really good to work with! Also found out today that one of the guys that I worked with on the track build last year is coming back to work again, so that should be fun too.
I thought I'd share something that I've only recently rediscovered - I love riding at night! Something about the quietness, the peaceful air, the distinct lack of traffic on the roads, it's a cool feeling to be all alone on a nice stretch of road with the bike performing extra well with the cold air being drawn into the intake. Does anyone else out there like night rides? I haven't really had the chance to go for many rides at night lately, but just on the ride home from work about half an hour ago I thought to myself "I need to be doing more of this!" I mean, riding in the daylight is cool too, don't get me wrong, but there's something special about being out on the bike in the darkness... :-)
I know I tend to prattle on a bit, but that's kinda the point of all this, isn't it? Anyways, someone recently reminded me of something I wanted to do a few years ago, so I thought I'd share...
I have always been good at putting words down on paper, ever since school I've been 'a bit of a writer', and I have started thinking about a book I was going to write a while ago, but never got around to for some reason or another. The synopsis went something along the lines of this...
Basically, it was to be about an older gentleman, who suffers from Alzheimer's, to the point where he wouldn't remember something from more than an hour ago. Anyways, he lives in a retirement home, with other retirees and nursing staff, and one day decides he wants to go for a walk. Without letting anyone know, he manages to wander off the property, and down the road. He gets to a park, and sits down to watch some children play. He is reminded of a family that he can't completely remember, from a time years past that he has very little recollection of. When it starts to get dark, he decides it is time to go home, but he can't remember where home is, so he walks down a street, unfortunately in the wrong direction. He asks a local shopkeeper if they might be able to point him in the direction of 'Francis Street', where he is sure he lives, and the shopkeeper happily obliges with directions. Again, the man continues to walk, not knowing that the retirement home isn't on Francis Street, and that he is going the wrong way, out of town. As the sky gets darker, his legs grow tired, and he stops for a rest. He has no idea where he is, but he is sure he is heading the right way, so he decides to keeps walking. The streetlights are on now, and he follows them to the edge of his small town. No-one has stopped him, or asked if he needs help - in fact no-one has even bothered to look at him twice as they drive past on their way about their busy lives. The old man keeps walking to the end of the streetlamps, then keeps going. His memory of the shopkeeper giving him directions fades, and under the moonlight, the old man continues walking...
I have a few ideas as to what might happen to the old man, where his journey might take him, and whether it would end on a happy note or not... It's all just 'ideas' at this stage, but writing this blog has stirred my interest for writing again so it might well become reality soon enough!
If you guys out there reading this have any ideas of your own, or any comments, please feel free to write to me in the area below!
I'm off to bed now, it's been a long day, but a good one!
Until next time!
:-)
I thought I'd share something that I've only recently rediscovered - I love riding at night! Something about the quietness, the peaceful air, the distinct lack of traffic on the roads, it's a cool feeling to be all alone on a nice stretch of road with the bike performing extra well with the cold air being drawn into the intake. Does anyone else out there like night rides? I haven't really had the chance to go for many rides at night lately, but just on the ride home from work about half an hour ago I thought to myself "I need to be doing more of this!" I mean, riding in the daylight is cool too, don't get me wrong, but there's something special about being out on the bike in the darkness... :-)
I know I tend to prattle on a bit, but that's kinda the point of all this, isn't it? Anyways, someone recently reminded me of something I wanted to do a few years ago, so I thought I'd share...
I have always been good at putting words down on paper, ever since school I've been 'a bit of a writer', and I have started thinking about a book I was going to write a while ago, but never got around to for some reason or another. The synopsis went something along the lines of this...
Basically, it was to be about an older gentleman, who suffers from Alzheimer's, to the point where he wouldn't remember something from more than an hour ago. Anyways, he lives in a retirement home, with other retirees and nursing staff, and one day decides he wants to go for a walk. Without letting anyone know, he manages to wander off the property, and down the road. He gets to a park, and sits down to watch some children play. He is reminded of a family that he can't completely remember, from a time years past that he has very little recollection of. When it starts to get dark, he decides it is time to go home, but he can't remember where home is, so he walks down a street, unfortunately in the wrong direction. He asks a local shopkeeper if they might be able to point him in the direction of 'Francis Street', where he is sure he lives, and the shopkeeper happily obliges with directions. Again, the man continues to walk, not knowing that the retirement home isn't on Francis Street, and that he is going the wrong way, out of town. As the sky gets darker, his legs grow tired, and he stops for a rest. He has no idea where he is, but he is sure he is heading the right way, so he decides to keeps walking. The streetlights are on now, and he follows them to the edge of his small town. No-one has stopped him, or asked if he needs help - in fact no-one has even bothered to look at him twice as they drive past on their way about their busy lives. The old man keeps walking to the end of the streetlamps, then keeps going. His memory of the shopkeeper giving him directions fades, and under the moonlight, the old man continues walking...
I have a few ideas as to what might happen to the old man, where his journey might take him, and whether it would end on a happy note or not... It's all just 'ideas' at this stage, but writing this blog has stirred my interest for writing again so it might well become reality soon enough!
If you guys out there reading this have any ideas of your own, or any comments, please feel free to write to me in the area below!
I'm off to bed now, it's been a long day, but a good one!
Until next time!
:-)
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Chapter 1, Page 1...
Well, it's the morning of Tuesday the 13th of March, and I thought I better start this thing off on a good note. I'm working night shift this week starting from tonight, which means I get the house to myself all day, so as you can imagine I've got the stereo up loud! I'm listening to the 'Dear John' soundtrack at the moment, it's pretty mellow but kinda moving at the same time... I really liked the movie too, for the same reasons I think.
I had a really weird dream last night, just before I woke up, which in itself is kinda strange... Normally I don't have any recollection of my dreams, but this one I do. I remember driving a nice new black Mitsubishi Evo 8 (or maybe 9, but it doesn't matter) that was having fuelling issues. I had the accelerator pushed to the floor but it wasn't accelerating at all... Strange, huh? That's all I remember. Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn't. Maybe I'm just too obsessed with mechanical stuff! Lol
Anyways, I've got a pretty relaxed day today, before I have to go to work at 6 this evening, although I do have to mow our lawns because the rental agent is coming to do an inspection on Thursday... He's cool though, and we keep the house neat and tidy all the time anyways so it's not a big issue. The lawns only take about 15 minutes anyways, we don't have a big section. Other than that, I've gotta go do a little bit of shopping, then I think I'm gonna relax out in the sunshine with a book for a bit. Nice, huh? :-)
Oh yeah, while I remember, I found out last night that there is an event on for the bikes at the Taupo racetrack, which I'd be keen to go have a look at, depending on whether or not I have work on this weekend or not... I think the event is over Friday and Saturday, so if I'm not working I'll head down on Saturday. Should be fun! Not gonna put my bike on the track just yet though, I want to get everything finished before that happens. I don't think there are any 'spots' left on Saturday anyways, so no major. A few of my mates are going so it'll be nice just to catch up with them and see them tearing around the track!
I have to admit, I am loving Facebook more and more - not to the point of obsession - just that it makes it so much easier to keep in touch with people wherever they may be. I usually check in a couple of times a day, just to see what my friends are up to, but I don't subscribe to the theory of putting everything up on 'Status Updates' for the world to see when you're "going to the shop for a pie"...! Although, one of my friends runs a MC (motorcycle club) whose main symbol is a pie, so when he posts up things relative I always crack up! Keep that up, I say!
I think I really have been blessed, to have met and built up friendships with so many really cool people in the last year or so, it really feels like I've finally been given a chance to move on from the past and start fresh. Things haven't always been so peachy, in fact, but I'm not gonna drag this blog down with all the crap I've had to go through to get to where I am now. All I will say is that for everything I've been weighed down by, it's only made me stronger, wiser, and more appreciative of the good things in my life. And the fact that I'd happily go out of my way to help any of my friends who might find themselves going through any similar stuff. Isn't that how the world is supposed to work?
I don't understand why certain people have to drag others around them down, why their lives always have to be full of drama, stress, and issues. I have enough trouble just trying to keep myself occupied and happy to be worried about all the other crap out there! The way I figure it, so long as the bills are paid, the bike's tank is (relatively) full for an outing every now and then, and I have a little bit left over in the bank for bits and pieces, what do I have to complain about? I know that is the grossly simplified version of how life really works, but really, what else much more is there out there that actually deserves us stressing ourselves out, other than keeping ourselves and our families happy and fed, clothed, and sheltered. Yeah, it's nice to have all the flash things in life, the brand new hundred thousand dollar car, boat, heaps of money in the bank, kids with the latest iphone, blah blah blah... I just don't get it. I met a family a little while ago who barely had enough to survive for a week, they boiled a pot of water on the stove and used milk powder to offer me a cup of coffee, yet they were the closest knit family I've ever seen in my life. Three kids, watching a 14inch TV in their lounge (that was smaller than my bedroom), all their furniture was second hand... it was such an amazing sight to behold. Not for their lack of financial status, but for their incredible warmth, humbleness, and obvious love! They knew they weren't the most fortunate family in the world, but it didn't matter to them. I was in awe, that's the only way I can explain it. I believe everything happens for a reason, which is why I recently got their Dad a job interview with one of the companies working on the V8 track, and he's been working on site for a little over 2 weeks now. Prior to that he'd been out of work for almost a year, being unable to find employment in his field anywhere in the Waikato. I know that his being back at work again will hugely benefit the whole family, which makes me happy!
I'll sign off here for a little bit I think, might put some more up later on this afternoon before work.
Till next time!
:-)
I had a really weird dream last night, just before I woke up, which in itself is kinda strange... Normally I don't have any recollection of my dreams, but this one I do. I remember driving a nice new black Mitsubishi Evo 8 (or maybe 9, but it doesn't matter) that was having fuelling issues. I had the accelerator pushed to the floor but it wasn't accelerating at all... Strange, huh? That's all I remember. Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn't. Maybe I'm just too obsessed with mechanical stuff! Lol
Anyways, I've got a pretty relaxed day today, before I have to go to work at 6 this evening, although I do have to mow our lawns because the rental agent is coming to do an inspection on Thursday... He's cool though, and we keep the house neat and tidy all the time anyways so it's not a big issue. The lawns only take about 15 minutes anyways, we don't have a big section. Other than that, I've gotta go do a little bit of shopping, then I think I'm gonna relax out in the sunshine with a book for a bit. Nice, huh? :-)
Oh yeah, while I remember, I found out last night that there is an event on for the bikes at the Taupo racetrack, which I'd be keen to go have a look at, depending on whether or not I have work on this weekend or not... I think the event is over Friday and Saturday, so if I'm not working I'll head down on Saturday. Should be fun! Not gonna put my bike on the track just yet though, I want to get everything finished before that happens. I don't think there are any 'spots' left on Saturday anyways, so no major. A few of my mates are going so it'll be nice just to catch up with them and see them tearing around the track!
I have to admit, I am loving Facebook more and more - not to the point of obsession - just that it makes it so much easier to keep in touch with people wherever they may be. I usually check in a couple of times a day, just to see what my friends are up to, but I don't subscribe to the theory of putting everything up on 'Status Updates' for the world to see when you're "going to the shop for a pie"...! Although, one of my friends runs a MC (motorcycle club) whose main symbol is a pie, so when he posts up things relative I always crack up! Keep that up, I say!
I think I really have been blessed, to have met and built up friendships with so many really cool people in the last year or so, it really feels like I've finally been given a chance to move on from the past and start fresh. Things haven't always been so peachy, in fact, but I'm not gonna drag this blog down with all the crap I've had to go through to get to where I am now. All I will say is that for everything I've been weighed down by, it's only made me stronger, wiser, and more appreciative of the good things in my life. And the fact that I'd happily go out of my way to help any of my friends who might find themselves going through any similar stuff. Isn't that how the world is supposed to work?
I don't understand why certain people have to drag others around them down, why their lives always have to be full of drama, stress, and issues. I have enough trouble just trying to keep myself occupied and happy to be worried about all the other crap out there! The way I figure it, so long as the bills are paid, the bike's tank is (relatively) full for an outing every now and then, and I have a little bit left over in the bank for bits and pieces, what do I have to complain about? I know that is the grossly simplified version of how life really works, but really, what else much more is there out there that actually deserves us stressing ourselves out, other than keeping ourselves and our families happy and fed, clothed, and sheltered. Yeah, it's nice to have all the flash things in life, the brand new hundred thousand dollar car, boat, heaps of money in the bank, kids with the latest iphone, blah blah blah... I just don't get it. I met a family a little while ago who barely had enough to survive for a week, they boiled a pot of water on the stove and used milk powder to offer me a cup of coffee, yet they were the closest knit family I've ever seen in my life. Three kids, watching a 14inch TV in their lounge (that was smaller than my bedroom), all their furniture was second hand... it was such an amazing sight to behold. Not for their lack of financial status, but for their incredible warmth, humbleness, and obvious love! They knew they weren't the most fortunate family in the world, but it didn't matter to them. I was in awe, that's the only way I can explain it. I believe everything happens for a reason, which is why I recently got their Dad a job interview with one of the companies working on the V8 track, and he's been working on site for a little over 2 weeks now. Prior to that he'd been out of work for almost a year, being unable to find employment in his field anywhere in the Waikato. I know that his being back at work again will hugely benefit the whole family, which makes me happy!
I'll sign off here for a little bit I think, might put some more up later on this afternoon before work.
Till next time!
:-)
Monday 12 March 2012
Introductions
So Hi! I'm Scott, I've just turned 31, I live in Hamilton, New Zealand, and I'm a self-confessed 'biker'. By that I mean I love motorcycles, I ride a 1990 Honda CBR250RR (MC22), it's my pride and joy! I figured I'd start this blog to share my thoughts, my ride experiences, and probably a whole bunch of other stuff that has yet to happen!
I'm a pretty 'happy go lucky' kinda guy, I'm currently working as a fencing technician for a big event here in Hamilton, this is the last year that the city is hosting the "V8 Supercars", the major Australian race event between Holdens and Fords for those of you that aren't familiar with it. Basically, I'm working alongside the fencing contractor, putting up all the security fence, crowd control barrier fence, and a bunch of other bits and pieces that we have to get done before the 20th of April, when racing starts. It's a street circuit, and we've got about 10km (just over 6 miles) of fencing to put up in a little under 5 weeks, then we have to take it all down again within 2 weeks! (to clear the streets for regular traffic, otherwise we start getting fined big bucks!)
I enjoy the work, it's pretty simple, mostly just manual labour, and my boss Dave is pretty easy to work with too. He just gets a bit stressed out by the deadlines, and the fact that half our fence still hasn't even been made yet! I worked for him on the track last year too, which was an 'experience' to say the least! It was Dave's first time at the V8's as well, and I think he didn't realise how big a venture it was! This year we've done a fair bit more preparing, a lot more planning and organising, but the company owner is slacking with organising the fence for us... Should be interesting to see how it turns out anyways, I'm not particularly stressed about it, I don't get paid to stress!
Back to the bike anyways, I've had the CBR for just over two years now, I bought it to use as a daily runner, and it still is to this day. I've done a few long trips, some with friends, some on my own, and I'm fairly confident as a rider. I have ridden other bikes previously, but the CBR is definitely my favourite! I've often been given a little bit of stick for being so obsessive about the bike, but I figure it's the most expensive thing I own so of course I'm going to take care of it! To put it in perspective, I've spent almost the original purchase price of the bike on aftermarket pieces (including a full engine rebuild, more about that later), and I'd be pretty confident in saying it's the most modified CBR250 in New Zealand. I'm a member of a few forum groups, that are great for advise and tips with my bike, but mostly I've learnt how to fix things on it myself. I have a bit of a mechanical background, I'm a qualified auto-electrician by trade, and I grew up playing with cars, so the bike is pretty simple really.
A little over a year ago, I had a fairly bad 'off', where I made the mistake of thinking a car driver saw me but actually didn't, and went for a slide down the road. Thankfully, my injuries healed up pretty quickly, but the bike faired a bit worse, unfortunately. I'm still in the process of returning it to it's former glory, but I see the whole ordeal as a bit of a blessing in disguise now. After having the accident, I am now a lot more cautious on the road, I look at everything out there: cars, pedestrians, the road surface, etc etc. The other benefit of having the accident is that I know now exactly how my bike works, having stripped it back to a bare frame in the rebuild process (three times now actually), and put everything back together piece by piece.
All that awaits the bike now is a bit of powdercoat, and a new set of fairings. When I bought the bike, it had Repsol fairings on, and I intend to keep with this look, having purchased a set from a reputable company. I'm still waiting on the delivery, but they are coming from overseas so I understand they might be a little while. Before I put them back on I plan on powdercoating the frame, subframe, rearsets, fork legs, triple clamp, and clip-ons, but at this stage I have to wait for more finances... I will be completely pulling the bike down again, sending everything away as one package, and hopefully this time the powdercoaters will get it right.
The frame that I have on the bike currently isn't the original, it's actually the third frame. I sent the original away to powdercoat a while back, in the bike's initial rebuild, but when it came back to me they'd plugged all the bolt holes thick with powder! Suffice to say, it would've taken a fair while to scrape all the powder out of the holes to use the frame again. Instead, I purchased another frame that I found at a wreckers pretty cheaply, but alas, when I got it home and tried installing the engine I found it was bent inwards a bit and the engine wouldn't fit. So, long story short, I bought yet another frame (the one I'm using now) and refitted everything to it...
At the moment, the bike looks a little like a streetfighter, with cut down fairings (modified after the accident), a vinyl blacked frame and swingarm, rebuilt engine, completely rewired, and a few other bits and pieces that I won't bore you to death with. On the road, it runs really sweet, apart from the fact that it doesn't like being cold at all... But I'm pretty sure an oil flush and change would sort this out, it's about 150km overdue... (next on the list of things to do...)
So, as you may have gathered by now, I do have a bit of a soft spot for my bike... It's as I say 'a work in progress'... when that progress will end, I'm not entirely sure, but that's the fun part of it all!
I've been riding with a really cool group of people for a little while now, mostly they are from Auckland, so it's a bit of an extra hike for me to go out with them, but we have been for a couple of amazing weekends away together, and have put a lot of kilometres on our bikes together. The first big ride I did with the group, I added up over 1200km on the CBR, all the way to the top of NZ and back! It really was so much fun! I look forward to the next ride I get to go on, after work settles down a bit, the group are an absolute blast to hang out with, and the scenery on the rides we go on is nothing short of spectacular.
There are a couple of people in the group I've made very good friends with so far, apart from the 'ride organisers', who already know that I think of as my 'biker foster Mom and Dad', who have been good friends of mine for a fair while now. One of the other guys that I've become good friends with has gladly put me up for two weekends in a row, without asking for more than a spare cigarette every now and then! I truly am humbled by the level of acceptance and warmth shown by this individual, he has a heart of gold, and I cannot say thank-you enough to him for being a friend. The way it worked out was that I had kind of organised a little send off for one of our biker friends, who was flying out to Canada for an year(ish) long trip, so a bunch of the biker group converged upon Auckland Airport to say goodbye. It so happened that my birthday was the following day, and I hadn't really made any plans for it apart from having a relaxing day at home in front of the TV... Well, said mate kindly offered me to go back and stay at his place, which was really cool to start with, then he took me out to a party on the night of my birthday even after he'd had a pretty harsh day at his work. This, to me, is the definition of a really good friend, because little did he know, if I had stayed at home being bored and with no-one to talk to, it wouldn't have been any different to any other day. So just the fact that he let me stay and share good conversation was really huge to me. I don't know if the way I've tried to explain it makes much sense, but it was just the simple little offer of a friend to talk to, that's what was huge to me.
Oh yeah, the other friend, the one we all said goodbye to at the Airport, well it turns out that she and I have been talking a lot online too, and for some reason I feel really connected to her in a cool way too. The funny thing is, we only met about a week before she left, but the way we talk is like we've been good friends for ages! She's a really cool chick too, she seems to understand me in ways that I'm not even sure I understand myself in, but that's female intuition for you I suppose! Hehe. The look on her face when she saw everyone at the Airport to say goodbye was so cool, made me feel pretty good to have (kinda) organised it all. I do hope we keep talking online throughout the year or so that she's away, and that I can surprise her again with everyone when she flies back into New Zealand!
Wow, I just realised that I've written a pretty long introduction so far! Might have to leave it at that, for now... The plan is to write something up on here every day or so, even if it's only a couple of short sentences or so, just to keep track of my year, I wonder what it'll be like to look back after 12 months and read what I wrote today, how I'll feel and how things in my life will have changed... I can only imagine at this stage!
Until next time!
:-)
I'm a pretty 'happy go lucky' kinda guy, I'm currently working as a fencing technician for a big event here in Hamilton, this is the last year that the city is hosting the "V8 Supercars", the major Australian race event between Holdens and Fords for those of you that aren't familiar with it. Basically, I'm working alongside the fencing contractor, putting up all the security fence, crowd control barrier fence, and a bunch of other bits and pieces that we have to get done before the 20th of April, when racing starts. It's a street circuit, and we've got about 10km (just over 6 miles) of fencing to put up in a little under 5 weeks, then we have to take it all down again within 2 weeks! (to clear the streets for regular traffic, otherwise we start getting fined big bucks!)
I enjoy the work, it's pretty simple, mostly just manual labour, and my boss Dave is pretty easy to work with too. He just gets a bit stressed out by the deadlines, and the fact that half our fence still hasn't even been made yet! I worked for him on the track last year too, which was an 'experience' to say the least! It was Dave's first time at the V8's as well, and I think he didn't realise how big a venture it was! This year we've done a fair bit more preparing, a lot more planning and organising, but the company owner is slacking with organising the fence for us... Should be interesting to see how it turns out anyways, I'm not particularly stressed about it, I don't get paid to stress!
Back to the bike anyways, I've had the CBR for just over two years now, I bought it to use as a daily runner, and it still is to this day. I've done a few long trips, some with friends, some on my own, and I'm fairly confident as a rider. I have ridden other bikes previously, but the CBR is definitely my favourite! I've often been given a little bit of stick for being so obsessive about the bike, but I figure it's the most expensive thing I own so of course I'm going to take care of it! To put it in perspective, I've spent almost the original purchase price of the bike on aftermarket pieces (including a full engine rebuild, more about that later), and I'd be pretty confident in saying it's the most modified CBR250 in New Zealand. I'm a member of a few forum groups, that are great for advise and tips with my bike, but mostly I've learnt how to fix things on it myself. I have a bit of a mechanical background, I'm a qualified auto-electrician by trade, and I grew up playing with cars, so the bike is pretty simple really.
A little over a year ago, I had a fairly bad 'off', where I made the mistake of thinking a car driver saw me but actually didn't, and went for a slide down the road. Thankfully, my injuries healed up pretty quickly, but the bike faired a bit worse, unfortunately. I'm still in the process of returning it to it's former glory, but I see the whole ordeal as a bit of a blessing in disguise now. After having the accident, I am now a lot more cautious on the road, I look at everything out there: cars, pedestrians, the road surface, etc etc. The other benefit of having the accident is that I know now exactly how my bike works, having stripped it back to a bare frame in the rebuild process (three times now actually), and put everything back together piece by piece.
All that awaits the bike now is a bit of powdercoat, and a new set of fairings. When I bought the bike, it had Repsol fairings on, and I intend to keep with this look, having purchased a set from a reputable company. I'm still waiting on the delivery, but they are coming from overseas so I understand they might be a little while. Before I put them back on I plan on powdercoating the frame, subframe, rearsets, fork legs, triple clamp, and clip-ons, but at this stage I have to wait for more finances... I will be completely pulling the bike down again, sending everything away as one package, and hopefully this time the powdercoaters will get it right.
The frame that I have on the bike currently isn't the original, it's actually the third frame. I sent the original away to powdercoat a while back, in the bike's initial rebuild, but when it came back to me they'd plugged all the bolt holes thick with powder! Suffice to say, it would've taken a fair while to scrape all the powder out of the holes to use the frame again. Instead, I purchased another frame that I found at a wreckers pretty cheaply, but alas, when I got it home and tried installing the engine I found it was bent inwards a bit and the engine wouldn't fit. So, long story short, I bought yet another frame (the one I'm using now) and refitted everything to it...
At the moment, the bike looks a little like a streetfighter, with cut down fairings (modified after the accident), a vinyl blacked frame and swingarm, rebuilt engine, completely rewired, and a few other bits and pieces that I won't bore you to death with. On the road, it runs really sweet, apart from the fact that it doesn't like being cold at all... But I'm pretty sure an oil flush and change would sort this out, it's about 150km overdue... (next on the list of things to do...)
So, as you may have gathered by now, I do have a bit of a soft spot for my bike... It's as I say 'a work in progress'... when that progress will end, I'm not entirely sure, but that's the fun part of it all!
I've been riding with a really cool group of people for a little while now, mostly they are from Auckland, so it's a bit of an extra hike for me to go out with them, but we have been for a couple of amazing weekends away together, and have put a lot of kilometres on our bikes together. The first big ride I did with the group, I added up over 1200km on the CBR, all the way to the top of NZ and back! It really was so much fun! I look forward to the next ride I get to go on, after work settles down a bit, the group are an absolute blast to hang out with, and the scenery on the rides we go on is nothing short of spectacular.
There are a couple of people in the group I've made very good friends with so far, apart from the 'ride organisers', who already know that I think of as my 'biker foster Mom and Dad', who have been good friends of mine for a fair while now. One of the other guys that I've become good friends with has gladly put me up for two weekends in a row, without asking for more than a spare cigarette every now and then! I truly am humbled by the level of acceptance and warmth shown by this individual, he has a heart of gold, and I cannot say thank-you enough to him for being a friend. The way it worked out was that I had kind of organised a little send off for one of our biker friends, who was flying out to Canada for an year(ish) long trip, so a bunch of the biker group converged upon Auckland Airport to say goodbye. It so happened that my birthday was the following day, and I hadn't really made any plans for it apart from having a relaxing day at home in front of the TV... Well, said mate kindly offered me to go back and stay at his place, which was really cool to start with, then he took me out to a party on the night of my birthday even after he'd had a pretty harsh day at his work. This, to me, is the definition of a really good friend, because little did he know, if I had stayed at home being bored and with no-one to talk to, it wouldn't have been any different to any other day. So just the fact that he let me stay and share good conversation was really huge to me. I don't know if the way I've tried to explain it makes much sense, but it was just the simple little offer of a friend to talk to, that's what was huge to me.
Oh yeah, the other friend, the one we all said goodbye to at the Airport, well it turns out that she and I have been talking a lot online too, and for some reason I feel really connected to her in a cool way too. The funny thing is, we only met about a week before she left, but the way we talk is like we've been good friends for ages! She's a really cool chick too, she seems to understand me in ways that I'm not even sure I understand myself in, but that's female intuition for you I suppose! Hehe. The look on her face when she saw everyone at the Airport to say goodbye was so cool, made me feel pretty good to have (kinda) organised it all. I do hope we keep talking online throughout the year or so that she's away, and that I can surprise her again with everyone when she flies back into New Zealand!
Wow, I just realised that I've written a pretty long introduction so far! Might have to leave it at that, for now... The plan is to write something up on here every day or so, even if it's only a couple of short sentences or so, just to keep track of my year, I wonder what it'll be like to look back after 12 months and read what I wrote today, how I'll feel and how things in my life will have changed... I can only imagine at this stage!
Until next time!
:-)
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