How to take the fun out of riding

Yep; this is another one I agree with (as well as the earplugs and
pretty-much everything else Boxer and Zebee said).
Do a hundred before everything.
Hundred or two before breakky, a hundred before stopping for a drink,
another hundred before having a crap etc.
Keep the stops brief too. The longer you spend off the bike the more
gruelling it is getting back onto it.

 

Number 4
pack something soft and squishy to land on if you fall off

mh

 

They were hanging in the tree right where you left them.

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

- I find that lots of short breaks are better than a few longer stops.

- keep hydrated, even if you're not thirsty

- Carry a bag of snakes somewhere handy where you can have one each time
you stop. The sugar feeds the brain or something. When I'm riding all
day I find I never get around to stopping for food.

- When the weather changes stop sooner rather than later to change gear.
If you've still got 50km to go and you start feeling too cold or too
hot, it's better to stop and get comfortable immediately rather than
suffer through it for a while and then have to stop and add/shed gear
later anyway.

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:25:46 GMT

But never ever ever do more before a rest....

If you feel tired or sleepy,then stop. That extra few km is not
worthy dying for, and it is so bloody tempting to think "I can do it".

Zebee

 

A short sleep on the side of the road, in a park etc can do wonders.

Boxer

 

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

....and, if you _must_ ride in the dark, plan to do it first, when you
are fresher, rather than late in the day when you are tired.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Well, Singleton to wherever it is you turn off the Putty to pick up
Bells near Bilpin(?) is about 140km. Then it's about 150 to Bathurst,
and probably close to 200 from Bathurst to the Hume somewhere between
Yass and Gundagai. But, yes, that still means a lot of laps of Mt
Panorama.

 

What works for me is;

Travel alone.
Stop only long enough for fuel, stretch, visor cleaning, toilet breaks
and sustenance. Add chain lube for some.
If you're tired, stop, nap, get up and keep going. If you're still
tired, stop for the night.
Ride at night if you're game but stick to legal speeds.
Be wary at sunup/sundown.
Don't eat big meals, a couple of toasted sangers and a coffee is OK if
you're hungry.
If you hurt somewhere, keep going. It will eventually become numb.
As long as the bike's running OK, don't let funny noises bother you.
Sing. Loud. It's OK, no one can hear you. Even you can't hear you.
Avoid big cities if you can.
Suck in the freedom.

 

Some of this is not helpful.

"3. Leave your drugs and coffee supply at home."

A couple of coffees a day won't hurt if you normally drink coffee. If
you're drinking it to stay awake, you're drinking it for the wrong
reason. If you're a coffee drinker and suddenly go cold turkey, trust
me, you're gunna be in a world of pain.

"14. Eat healthful foods."

It's not what you eat, it's how much. A small Macca's burger won't hurt
if you're hungry. Eating Macca's every meal is dumb even if you're not
riding cross-country. Just ask Morgan Spurlock.

"15. Eat at the right times of the day."

Bollocks. Eat when you're hungry. Not before, not until. "Beat the
dinner crowd?" If you're eating in a small town roadhouse, there won't
be a crowd.

"16. Separate gas stops from food stops."

No need. Most servos have takeaway food. Get a toasted chicken sanger or
whatever takes your fancy. I like to alternate between toasted ham and
cheese, or toasted chicken, egg and cheese. Add a 600ml flavoured milk
and I'm right to go.

"21. Upgrade your tool kit."

This bloke carries more fuggin' tools than I own!

A couple of shifters can cover a multitude of spanners.

"Wire strippers"? What, don't you have teeth?

"Machinist's scribe". WTF?

"12 Pre-Packaged alcohol wipes, for general clean-up
6 Pre-packaged "Handy-Towels" for your hands, etc.
clean up towels, terrycloth". Oh, come on! Where's this bloke going,
straight to a fuckin' wedding?

"8 in. Tire Iron" Only one, apparently. That's gunna be a fuckin' lot of
use... May as well pack one chopstick.

"6 Straight edge razor blades". What are 6 gunna do that 1 won't?

"Sewing kit". Apparently he "is" going to a wedding. As the fuckin'
dressmaker.

"2 Magnifying glasses, 2X, and 5X". Not one but two! Presumable so you
can burn ants with both hands while you wait for your breakdown service.

"6 new Micro-Point ball point pens". I think he's got his list mixed up
with his kid's list of school supplies.

This bloke's not fair dinkum, surely...

"22. Carry at least one-half gallon of water."

Yeah, 'cos the roadsides are littered with the dessicated bodies of
dehydrated motorcyclists...

"24. Pack a variety of vitamins."

Hey, why not bring your personal trainer along for the ride too. He can
drive the ute carrying your enormous fucking tool kit...

"25. If you own a computer, consider purchasing a mapping program."

If you own a computer, leave the fucking thing at home.

Geez, where's that bloody coffee?...

 

Gee, sounds like I'm doing most of it right, then ;-)

betty

 

Maths is not his strong point.

Theo

 

To have a dead sheep under your bum you will need longer legs. You'll be
surprised how much difference it makes.

Theo

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:46:06 +1000

I have been woken up by coppers asking if I was dead

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:44:42 +0800

I don't need it on the Norge. At the end of 8 hours or more I've so
far not had sore bum.

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:09:50 +1000

However, it is a diuretic. If you drink coffee in the hot weather,
you must drink more water.

I carried water on the Nullarbor because I did it in January. I stopped
every hour to drink a 600ml bottle of the stuff. I usually carry a
bottle of water in the summer because if I did break down and have to
wait long periods in summer, it's a damn good thing to have. Never have
had that problem, but hey...

I also tend to carry plenty of tools, but then I have them on the bike
all the time, that's what toolboxes are for! (Oh how I miss my two
toolboxes that you can get to without having to remove the seat...) I
have used them mostly on other people's bikes, although the fencing
pliers came in handy when I had to liberate some fencing wire for
exhaust repairs once.

Agree about the rest of it though. I thought *I* over packed!

Zebee

 

and what did you say?

regards,
CrazyCam

 

One copper to another; "We took her to the morgue. She insisted she was
alive but you can't trust a bikie to tell the truth..."

 

What? A bloody secretary?

You could suck on the wipes if you run out of Bundy.

Slicing your wrists?

Not on the list? Surely.

Theo

 

Got one for the Norge, from Mario. Replaces the right-hand bar weight. Looks
neat and works well.

Theo