Motorcyclin'
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Has any used a SatNav on a motorbike?
Thinking of getting one as I'm seriously geographically-challenged but wonder how effective they are in real life or if they are too distracting.
Any recommendations would be great.
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@Victor-Meldrew you could just spend 10 pounds on a strap which holds your phone to the bike and use the google maps on that?
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@MajorRage said in Motorcyclin':
@Victor-Meldrew you could just spend 10 pounds on a strap which holds your phone to the bike and use the google maps on that?
Yeah, I'm going to give that a go but have been told they can be pretty so-so. Tom Tom & Garmin do ones specifically designed for bikes which are way better supposedly.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in Motorcyclin':
@MajorRage said in Motorcyclin':
@Victor-Meldrew you could just spend 10 pounds on a strap which holds your phone to the bike and use the google maps on that?
Yeah, I'm going to give that a go but have been told they can be pretty so-so. Tom Tom & Garmin do ones specifically designed for bikes which are way better supposedly.
I got a Garmin for the London-Beijing ride last year. Super useful for that.
For riding around a country I know... I have never bothered... but I was the only person on that ride who had never used one before. In the UK, I'd always thought it might be useful, as I had no idea where I was going... but in NZ... zero point except in a city.
As to whether it's too distracting - it's like anything... just got to remind yourself to keep your eyes and mind on the road, and only ever look at the instruments when really necessary. -
Anybody done on of these "Ride Forever" courses?
https://www.rideforever.co.nz/coaching/
... I'm assuming it'd give a bit of a reduction in the insurance rates,
looks like it's subsidised, so just $50
(Used to be better than free, it seems - I've missed out on a $200 cashback on rego offer they were doing)
And, I guess - worst-case, it's 8 hours of riding, albeit with some straight-laced strangers.
I figure it's worth it to see if I'm as bad as I think I am, maybe learn some things to practice, and maybe even discover some new routes. -
@kruse said in Motorcyclin':
I'm assuming it'd give a bit of a reduction in the insurance rates
I am not aware of any Insurers that offer reduced rates, so if it does, it isnt well promoted.
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@antipodean said in Motorcyclin':
@kruse how in the hell is it that cheap?
Right?
$50 for 8 hours.
And until July... you also got $200 rebates on rego, spread over 2 years. Money for jam.I've seen the flyers for it around the place, but never bothered to look into it until recently. If the flyers had listed the details a bit better... this would have been done/booked a long time ago.
As it is... it seems a no-brainer... just curious as to whether anybody else had experience.But yeah - as @taniwharugby says - it doesn't look like NZ insurers take it as a factor to reduce rates, which is a shame. Pretty sure in the UK, if you'd done something like this, it helped the premiums come down.
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Go for it. You're always learning new stuff about riding and another experienced rider can tell you what you may be doing wrong. I changed my braking technique after riding with an instructor and it's make a big difference to my confidence.
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@victor-meldrew said in Motorcyclin':
Go for it. You're always learning new stuff about riding and another experienced rider can tell you what you may be doing wrong. I changed my braking technique after riding with an instructor and it's make a big difference to my confidence.
Yeah - definitely going to give it a go.
I don't know what the deal is - but just looking for available spots at the various people who are "accredited" to do this particular course... half of them are now free. I don't know if there's a certain period where the subsidy is 100%, or if there's intense competition so that they're all willing to forgo the "excess" of $50 they were charging, or what... but I guess you can't complain about 8 hours with an instructor for the price of $0. -
When you finally decide t0 add to your collection...
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Just spent a cracking weekend with mates. Almost 1000 km with a big day over and around the Snowy Mountains. Thankfully the weather forecast was wrong and not a drop of rain which meant we could really get on it.
It seemed a hundred other people had the same idea now restrictions are easing.
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@antipodean said in Motorcyclin':
Just spent a cracking weekend with mates. Almost 1000 km with a big day over and around the Snowy Mountains. Thankfully the weather forecast was wrong and not a drop of rain which meant we could really get on it.
It seemed a hundred other people had the same idea now restrictions are easing.
Nice.
I did nearly 900km myself, but got fuckin' soaked on Saturday.
Sat: Rotorua - New Plymouth, hit a thunderstorm just before Taumaranui... standing in the BP at Taumaranui, watching it piss down - considered changing plans, but pulled myself together - braved the 43 anyway... and it cleared up before hitting the shit-parts of that. Lunch at Whangamomona - in the sunshine. Fuck I love that road.
Sun: New Plymouth - Palmy... boring as shit. But had lunch at Brew Union, and then over the Pahiatua Track, some boring SH2, then the Remutaka. -
@kruse said in Motorcyclin':
braved the 43 anyway... and it cleared up before hitting the shit-parts of that. Lunch at Whangamomona - in the sunshine. Fuck I love that road.
Sounds like a great rise. I have decades-ago fond memories of that road on my GT750.
Been pissing down here in Cornwall, but hope to do the Cornwall Loop before Winter sets in. It takes in much of Cornwall's coast and is a pretty special ride.
https://www.adventurebikerider.com/motorcycle-route-in-cornwall/
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@victor-meldrew said in Motorcyclin':
@kruse said in Motorcyclin':
braved the 43 anyway... and it cleared up before hitting the shit-parts of that. Lunch at Whangamomona - in the sunshine. Fuck I love that road.
Sounds like a great rise. I have decades-ago fond memories of that road on my GT750.
Been pissing down here in Cornwall, but hope to do the Cornwall Loop before Winter sets in. It takes in much of Cornwall's coast and is a pretty special ride.
https://www.adventurebikerider.com/motorcycle-route-in-cornwall/
If I ever get back to the UK, even if only for 6 months to sort all my shit out over there... I think I'll add that to the list of stuff to tick off.
- Close down Limited Company
- Ship stuff back to NZ
- Say goodbye to folks at the old Local
- Visit Isle of Man
- Ireland - some route around that?
- Scotland - North Coast 500?
- now added... ride around Cornwall
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@broughie said in Motorcyclin':
@kruse So interested in how fast you can ride in New Zealand. You’ve got some nice twisties there. I know the speed limit is 100kph.
I was up to 150 on Sunday... but that was only because I'd become frustrated with a cluster of cars driving at about 110 normally, slowing down to a crawl on corners, and then going at around 130 on passing lanes. So - I finally cracked... saw a straight stretch, no oncoming traffic, no passing lane, and blasted past. Only to almost immediately come across the po-po in the next cluster, pulling over, and I was just waiting for the reds-and-blues to come on, but... somehow I got away with it.
But - that wasn't normal for me... I'm quite happy with around 120, occasionally 130 on most roads.
160 and above... I'm simply not enjoying it. Would always opt for 80 around twisties, rather than 160 on a straight. -
@kruse yes the frustration of getting behind a bunch of slow moving vehicles on a bike. When I first went to the states over 30 years ago I was driving in Colorado and got behind a whole train of Winnebagos. I came to the straightaway and gunned it, went by probably 20, then as I crested a small rise this cop came around the corner and nabbed me. Because it was a weekend I had to spend a night in the Gunnison county jail because no banks were open. The cop was a bit of a turd too because as soon as I saw him I knew I was toast. I slowed down but he cut over into my lane so I nearly ended up losing it in the gravel. I gave him some grief for it too.
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The CB500X has enough grunt to pass anything reasonably rapidly, but I generally find just enjoying the ride trumps speed for me these days. There's a lot to be said for trundling along a B-road taking in the sights and sounds - particularly in the Autumn.