'ear ye, 'ear ye!

I might just be sounding like everyone's mother here, but I've worn ear protection on the bike for open road riding for years, simply because working in heavy industry pre-retirement; it was a sensible habit to maintain.  This was reinforced about 5 years ago when a UK bike magazine tested a range of both cheap and expensive helmets and not one of them was less than 100 dBA at the ear entrance.  Dunno whether things have improved since then but why take the risk?  Most motorcyclists are concerned about safety in terms of buying good quality riding gear, yet a significant number of riders I know do little or nothing to protect their hearing.

I started off by "souveniring" yellow foam plugs from work, as per the picture below.  They were effective but the dense foam pressed hard on the inside of the ear canal and became a distraction on longer journeys.  A different brand were in use at another branch of the company and in the interests of safety research (errr... and comfortable motorcycling), a handful were liberated.  These are the green Max Lite plugs shown on the left of the picture and they work a treat.  Softer than the yellow ones, easier to insert and just as effective as far as I'm concerned.

Of course, foam plugs are supposed to be disposable for sanitary reasons.  For any number of other reasons however, they tend to get used multiple times and it wouldn't be surprising after day one if whole colonies of hostile microscopic life had set up home both on them and in them.  I'm sure I've seen some of my plugs move under their own steam on the garage bench ;-).

The quest for reusable ear protection lead to plugs which are extensively used in the music industry, or so the marketing blurb assured discerning buyers.  Unlike foam plugs, they are supposed to allow the full spectrum of frequencies to pass through, just at lower volumes.  Resembling mutant rubber mushrooms, they're inserted into the ear canal with a short hollow plastic rod.  In the end of each mushroom, there is a removable plastic insert with a small hole. Three sets of these come with the kit, each set having a different diameter hole to allow differing volumes of sound through.  Here they are:

Wasn't all that impressed with them actually and there are probably an awful lot of deaf musicians about if my experience is anything to go by.  The biggest problem was that it wouldn't take long for them to work loose.  My right inner ear must go through a series of U-bends or something because it's a complete bastard (a technical term) to get a plug of any description to stay in.  Foam plugs had to be compressed to a few microns thick and rammed in at the speed of light to have a chance.  The musician's plug had often popped out by the time I'd buckled the helmet up.

Now, in NZ and elsewhere, there are companies that make custom-moulded ear plugs.  They even make ones with MP3 player speakers in them.  Trouble is, being a country hick, it's a long way to reach anyone who provides this service; so a purchase has been on the back burner for a while.  However, when we were on the recent Raglan ride-out, my mate Richard mentioned that the Hamilton Triumph dealer stocked D-I-Y kits for custom-moulded earplugs for NZ$50.  The typical male love of cool stuff prompted a call to the dealer on the Monday morning and the kit arrived in the post next day!

The kit consists of detailed, clear instructions, 2 pots of  silicone, (one with a hardener) plus a carry-bag for the finished articles.  There is sufficient silicone for 3 plugs.  Following the instructions and pictures, I kneaded enough for one plug which took less than a minute, rolled it into a ball and with some trepidations, proceeded to gently work it into my ear canal and also shape a little flap to locate under one of the external ear folds to hold it in place.  The instructions say to leave it for a minimum of 15 minutes to set and I left it for 30.  Didn't have to extract it with pliers or a drill thank goodness, so the process was repeated for the other ear.

The photo below shows the kit and the two finished plugs.  Now I know that from the picture, the plugs resemble something blown into a  handkerchief but the weird shape is the profile of part of the external ear surface and ear canal!  They are perfectly smooth on the outside and look fine. Washable and hypo-allergenic too.

A loud hi-fi test with both plugs inside the house (accompanied by much eye-rolling and sighing by my Chief Executive) revealed a greater noise attenuation than with either the foam or musicians plugs, but how would they be on the bike?  Well, I went for a local open road run to test them out.  Had a bit of difficulty getting them in place first time but it was just a matter of technique and didn't have any subsequent problems.  In terms of noise reduction, they work superbly but interestingly, you appear to be able to hear across the full range of frequencies, just at a significantly reduced level which is great.  One exception is that wind roar seems to have disappeared completely, I don't know why.

For the 80 km round trip, they were perfectly comfortable on the inside of the ear but there were a couple of slightly raised bits on the outside of the plugs that the helmet seemed to press on.  This caused a localised pressure point just above the ear lobe.  It was easy to see where a spot on each plug sat slightly proud and was quickly fixed with the aid of a craft knife .  So all in all:  yep, they work well and they'll be progressively tested for comfort over longer distances.  The manufacturers are a Scottish company and this is the link to their website: DIY Ear Plugs.

No more riding or blogging for a couple of weeks as I'm surprising Jennie with a trip to a secret destination to celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary - leaving early next week.  As far as I know, there's no motorcycle or scooter hire there, but it should still be fun!

A mid-winter outing

There are 5 of us, possibly 6, riding as a group at the Grand Challenge endurance ride in October (see Part 1 and Part 2 ).  Only 2 of us have done the event previously although most have ridden together on day rides and weekends away.  We know and implicitly trust each other's riding styles but as the event approaches, we need to get out for some decent night runs to get used the blackness of the countryside again; not to mention build awareness of nocturnal creatures of all shapes and sizes just waiting to blunder into the path of unfortunate motorcyclists!

For now, however, getting some mid-winter daylight rides under our belts in a wide range of conditions  and getting used to heavy winter riding gear is all part of the toughening-up process.  Actually getting together for ride-outs is a major mission in itself as we live up to 200 km away from each other.  Add the fact that family commitments, weekend duty at work and other competing tasks get in the way; it's a bit like herding cats - nearly impossible!  Three of us, Andy from Auckland, Richard from near Hamilton and me from Coromandel  managed to get together for a back road run last weekend to the small coastal settlement of Raglan. The round trip was a modest 420 km, but that will be ramped up over the coming weeks.  The twisty, unfamiliar backroads were also a good test of my GPS, which rarely gets used on the bike.

 

Coromandel to Raglan - a 420 km round trip

With the temperature below freezing, I leave Coromandel with multiple layers of clothing on.  Take it really easy in the Coromandel high country as the fields are white and there is a band of frost down the centre of the road.  Going down on my arse a few km from home won't get a sympathetic response from my mates! The trip across the Waikato province to the rendezvous point at Woodleigh on SH22 north of Raglan is uneventful and although the frost has largely disappeared, extreme care is required on shaded bends.  It's a beautiful ride and the road running due west from SH1 at Huntly to SH 22 at Woodleigh,  follows a ridge which gives incredible views of the countryside both north and south. Gorgeous farming country at its very best.

View looking north

View looking south

Arriving at the rendezvous point, it is less than a minute before Andy and Richard show up. Andy from the "sophisticated" metropolis of Auckland thinks that Richard and I are inter-bred country boys and the moment he spots the 3-fingered Rain-Off mittens I'm wearing over my winter gloves for added insulation, he reckons they're the perfect accessory for both of us.  We might both live in the rural backblocks, but it's hardly "Deliverance" country and as neither of us can play the banjo, he's got a bloody cheek!  He'll keep....

Andy and Richard rocking up

Richard and Andy having words about 3-fingered gloves

After a quick chat, Richard on his GS 1200 leads off as he knows the Waikato back roads fairly well.  SH22 is a biker's paradise with no straights at all longer than a few tens of metres although how it gets a "State Highway" designation given its narrow width and remote location is beyond me... maybe because it's actually tar sealed, unlike a lot of the other nearby roads.  Richard sets an excellent fast pace although showing a lot of wisdom in riding conservatively in the shaded parts of the road as frost is still evident, even though it's just after 11am.

The main street in the coastal village of Raglan is packed due to school holidays and it being a weekend so we ride straight through and out to the wharf where the Marlin cafe is situated right on the harbour.  There are other riders there already enjoying the winter sun and it's surprisingly warm.  Everyone is chilled out and bikers and non-bikers alike enjoy each others' company.

The Marlin Cafe and Grill, Raglan

Geoff, Richard and Andy eagerly awaiting sustenance

Lunch consists of seafood chowder, John Dory and chips with salad, washed down with great coffee and spiced tomato juice in Andy's case as he's a sophisticated Aucklander ;-).  Unlike our esteemed Canadian bloggers, I don't take photos of the meal but it tastes great! The conversation briefly turns to the big ride in October and how to protect our butts from terminal damage due to hard bike seats over the 1000 miles.  Andy reckons an inflatable haemorrhoid ring might be the way to go.  The conversation then takes a downward spiral with Richard suggesting that a kid's  rubber swimming ring complete with a blow-up duck on the front of it would really fill the bill.  Oh dear......

Raglan harbour and big sky across from the Marlin cafe

After a most enjoyable lunch, it's time to head to our respective homes, with Richard heading just south of Hamilton and Andy and me re-tracing our steps back up SH22.  The road is now frost-free and dry and it's a rapid trip north with Andy setting a cracking pace on his K1200.  The fantastic wail from his 4 into 1 aftermarket can is an added bonus!

Saying goodbye at our morning rendezvous point, I head back to Coromandel across country where there is virtually no traffic - absolute biker heaven.  Riding up the Thames-Coromandel coast, the radar detector pays for itself yet again!  A member of the Highway Patrol is cunningly hidden by some trees to collect revenue from inattentive motorists.  Although I'm not "a lot" above the legal limit, the detector picks up the microwave emissions several hundred metres from his position so the wallet-opening ritual is easily avoided.

Coming into Coromandel,  a thin veil of cloud is moving over the sun, casting a beautiful light over the harbour so I stop to take a couple of shots.

Coromandel Harbour and one minute away from home

Coromandel Harbour as the winter sun sinks

All in all, a wonderful winter ride with treasured friends - no room for the winter blues on a day like this.  In fact, such a day genuinely rejuvenates the soul!

1000 miles in 24 hours, part 2

Following on from the introduction to what the Grand Challenge involves (see Part 1  ), the following notes are some personal musings about preparation; not in any particular order of importance. Both age and the 7 years elapsed since last taking part in this painful  marathon suggests that it would be wise to do a little planning prior to the event!

Nutrition on the ride
On a couple of the early rides, I ate food that didn't really suit me, at least under those riding conditions.... gas station meat pies of dubious vintage, chocolate bars and caffeine-laden energy drinks . Felt slightly sick, wired and a made a few "close call" unscheduled comfort stops!  My personal preference is for a big bag of scroggin/trail mix, i.e. dried fruit and nuts which give a more linear energy release and you don't feel over-full. That's what I'll be sticking to this time unless any cravings intervene - I do like pies though!

Good hydration is essential for alertness and to keep cramp away.  For me, plain bottled water is sufficient or light sports drinks with any Red Bull or other concentrated caffeine drink strictly held over until the last checkpoint before finishing. Personally, pills are an absolute no-no; apart from the odd mild painkiller if absolutely necessary.
 

Dawn, 1996 event - fried eggs, fried bacon, fried sausages, fried hash browns, fried cholesterol.... ewwwwww....

Clothing
This has been pretty much covered in the earlier post: Wet weather gear but staying warm and dry is essential for such a long distance.  I don't like feeling constricted with thick sweaters and the like, which is why the Icebreaker brand pure merino layer system under riding gear is the clothing of choice.  Just to add a note of levity, I will throw the word "underpants" into the ring!  Whilst trying to avoid this post descending into the gutter, it does have a serious side!  Without being too unseemly, briefs in the shape of minimalist swimwear drove me nuts on the first event.  When they weren't periodically climbing up between the buttocks, the raised seam on the leg cutaways seemed to be pressing right into the flesh and reducing circulation.  I tell you, these seemingly trivial things take on major significance on a long ride and the gymnastics attempting to rectify the problem whilst on the move defy description!  The problem was subsequently solved by riding in the sort of close-fitting stretchy boxers which good-looking young male athletes endorse on billboards and in magazines.  As I'm at the opposite end of the scale on all counts (apart from being a male), keeping quiet on the subject would be preferable but in the interests of comfort, it would be remiss not to reluctantly share the tip with any readers.  You may now snigger :-)

Oh yes... and helmets!  How is it that a helmet which is perfectly comfortable for "normal" riding can develop into something like Chinese Water Torture on long hauls?  I used a Vemar brand helmet on one ride which at around the 1000 km mark, pinched the tip of one ear.  It was really distracting and I almost attacked the lining with a knife.  Fortunately, common sense prevailed and a bit of strategically-placed duct tape solved the problem.  It ain't the big things which normally conspire against you, it's little things like this which can make or break the ride and its enjoyment!


Fitness
Physical and mental fitness both fall into this category. Ride fitness is probably a better description than physical and it definitely helps to have a longish ride or two not too long before the event proper to toughen wrists, backsides and numerous joints.  A practice night ride with your mates is also a smart move to dial in with each other and get mentally used to riding in the dark on unfamiliar, unlit roads.  (Covered in more detail on this previous post: Night riding ).  I'm carrying some old sports injuries to my knees which are becoming more of a problem these days so I'm progressively getting out on a mountain bike to build a bit more stamina whilst minimising joint stresses. This is my token gesture for building fitness apart from riding the Triumph over longer distances as the event draws closer!

Mental fitness is something I don't have any real experience of, apart from possibly questioning the sanity of anyone who enters this event.  However, the sheer distance can overwhelm some participants causing a withdrawal from the ride; normally in the early hours of the morning.  I reckon that it's more about mental toughness that either physical fitness or the type of bike you ride. We've always found it helps to treat the distance between checkpoints as separate rides and reset the mental horizon for each one.  I seem to suffer from anxiety in the small hours before dawn.  I'm not sure whether this is because the body clock is trying to shut down for sleep or what, but a cure has eluded me.  However, having good friends along definitely helps. Swapping the lead at gas refills if travelling in a group also helps with stress levels, allowing time to relax and recover if you're not up front.

Stretching, waving extremities about, standing on the footpegs, all whilst on the move helps a lot.  It also provides amusement for the following riders and probably alarms members of the general public.  A decent saddle is a major reducer of fatigue.  I had a custom one made for the Blackbird with varying density foams to eliminate pressure points and it was literally possible to ride all day without discomfort.  Other long distance regulars use sheepskins, large cell packaging bubble wrap taped to the seat and I'm tempted to experiment with this latter option on the Street Triple. An Airhawk inflatable pad is also on offer from a friend and this will be investigated in the coming weeks.

2003 competitor with sheepskin seat cover.  He also had a camelback for drinking whilst riding

Route planning and riding
With the organisers not disclosing the route until the riders actually arrive the previous evening or on the day of the event, there's little to be done except to transcribe the route onto a large scale map of the north island and discuss various aspects of the route with riding partners to pool any road knowledge (or to panic over some miserable goat track that we have to negotiate at 3 am!).  I've owned a GPS for a few years but have rarely used it on the bike so might give it a go this year, in addition to a back-up paper map which will never misbehave. As we have 3 riders in our group who haven't previously done the event, we'll have to be a bit careful about who leads at what stage.  After all, the purpose is to enjoy the event, not turn it into a nightmare for the first-timers.  Oh yes, and the organisers inspect your bike minutely for defects, even if it does possess a current warrant of fitness sticker. If there's anything even slightly dodgy, it has to be fixed or you don't ride!

Something we did for our first ever Grand Challenge was to make up a simple time/distance chart (see below).  It might seem like overkill but in the middle of the night when you're tired, hurting and under stress, performing mental arithmetic to figure out if you're on schedule takes a bit of nosedive. Looking at the actual time and actual distance covered, then seeing whether you're above or below the line on the chart was a simple means of assessing progress and although we haven't used it on subsequent rides, it might be of use to our newcomers, or if we encounter adverse conditions or any other form of delay.  Clearly the influence of an anal engineer, (who, me?) sigh.......

On the first ride, we stopped for 2 decent breaks for dinner and breakfast which was a mistake on our part.  Getting back on the bike after a good break was tough as we were starting to stiffen up and that affected the mental side of things too. On subsequent events, it was preferable to stop at a checkpoint to register arrival, check on each other, gas up, a quick bite to eat and drink, meet the needs of nature, do some stretches and get going again; all in the space of around 15 minutes.  Looking at it another way, you probably make 6 gas stops on the ride.  6 stops at 15 minutes is 1.5 hours of stationary time.  Adding another 2 + hours just for eating with questionable recovery benefits means that you have to go just that bit harder on the road with all the potential disadvantages and risks. On one previous ride, we covered the 1000 miles in a little under 19 hours but that was mainly resulting from uncharacteristically good weather and 3 experienced riders in phase with each other.  There was certainly no intent to do a fast time and there won't be this time either.

Going really hard is physically and mentally fatiguing, even with the benefit of a big screen or a fairing. Our personal preference is to cruise a "wee bit" above the legal speed limit which also reduces the risk of getting pinged for serious speeding and coming to a grinding halt whilst summary justice is administered.  Besides, I'm the only one with a radar detector and I'm definitely not going up front for the whole ride!  On a previous ride, two of the entrants spent an hour hiding behind some shops whilst evading the Highway Patrol for excessive speeds in the dark.  That's not a good position to get yourself into although we had a good laugh at their expense!

I previously lived only 160km from the start/finish of the Grand Challenge so I would ride from home directly to the event and then home again straight afterward, covering close to 2000 km in a touch over 24 hours. Now living about 350km away and 7 years older, it might be a smart idea to spend the 2 evenings either side of the event somewhere a bit closer!

 

 1997 - Minutes before departure and no smiling now!

Well, that's probably covered off all the basics.  All we need to do now is organise some decent rides in all weathers to start mental and physical conditioning without leaving it until the last minute!  More on this in future posts.....

Update:  2010 Grand Challenge ride report and photos:  2010 Grand Challenge

Classic British bikes

I took the following photos at a classic bike ride-in a few years back.  The emphasis was on a ride-in rather than drive 'em in on a trailer and ride them the last few hundred metres; some of them coming over over pretty long distances.  All were beautifully restored but they certainly weren't show ponies and on the open road section of the ride-in, some were being pushed along at a fair old pace!  These photos are just a small selection but it's wonderful that so many older bikes not only exist, but are used quite regularly:

 1963 AJS CSR 650

 1956 Triumph Tiger 110 650

 1960's Royal Enfield Constellation 700 - not all that reliable but nice-looking!

 1960's Norton Atlas 750

 Late 1950's Velocette Venom 500 (capable of a genuine 100 mph)

The following two pictures are of me, my BMW K100RS and some friends whilst at the classic bike weekend.  The Beemer is hardly a classic but the scenery in Taranaki province is really nice!   The first photo has Mt Taranaki, a 2500 metre high dormant volcano as a backdrop.  The second photo is with the same friends, parked up on an old timber stagecoach road bridge a few km from the classic meeting.  It was noteworthy in that it had been closed to traffic for some years due to rotten timbers but we managed to squeeze the bikes through the bollards and carefully ride them onto the bridge!

If there was one great thing about 1960's British bikes and earlier, it was that the seat heights were perfect for vertically-challenged people - nothing over 800mm.  At 5'8", many modern bikes rule themselves out of my consideration on seat height alone!

1000 miles in 24 hours, part 1

1997 - 7 friends about to enter a world of pain

Many Kiwi riders know all about the the reputation, pain and anxiety that is the annual Rusty Nuts Grand Challenge, but comparatively few are inclined to take part.  Internationally; it probably isn't that well-known other than to a few other long haul specialists dotted around the Globe. 

What is it anyway?
NZ's equivalent of a U.S Iron Butt event.  Sounds pretty straightforward if you say it quickly. Cover 1000 miles (1600km) within 24 hours, an average speed of 41.67 mph or 66.67 km/hr.  Surely not that difficult, is it? 

Now let's add a bit of context...........

It's held annually in October when NZ weather can be quite variable. (In fact, the 1996 event was a nightmare of almost continuous rain and gales, with quite a few other GC's having being run in less than pleasant weather too).

It starts and finishes at Turangi in the central north island but the actual route through manned checkpoints changes each year and is only disclosed the evening before the event to keep it a surprise.  The organisers are sadists and much of the route (especially in the middle of the night) is on unlit, poorly-marked twisty back-roads miles from anywhere.  In NZ, there are no motorways or freeways as such apart from through a couple of major cities so nearly all the event is on 2 lane sealed roads, mainly twisty and of variable quality.  That's one heck of an obstacle, particularly with respect to both fatigue levels and keeping to the schedule.

The event starts mid-afternoon on a Saturday which only gives around 4 hours of daylight riding, then  11 hours or thereabouts of darkness before finishing in daylight sometime the following day. A hundred or so riders start the event, being sent off in bunches a few minutes apart to spread them out on the road.

As the organisers quite properly state, it's not a race and there are no prizes for finishing first.  In fact, all you get is a badge a certificate and a large feed on completion. All that's irrelevant as the reward (perhaps not the best choice of word!) is simply taking part and if you're fortunate; finishing safely within 24 hours. The real battle is with what's inside your own head as completing the ride has more to do with your mental and physical fortitude than the bike you're riding.  In fact, some entrants ride scooters, 50cc motorcycles and so on, just to make things really difficult, bless 'em!


Why would you do it to yourself?
Hmmmm...  good question and there's probably no single answer.  Maybe the closest to a common response is the reasons we all ride - the thrill, enjoyment and challenge in extending ourselves. Doing it tough in comparison with our normally comfortable and relatively soft lives, perhaps.  You certainly find out quite a bit about yourself, that's for sure!  In my case, I saw a magazine article at the end of 1995 where a journalist entered and ended up hallucinating with pain. If memory still functions, he missed the time limit by just over an hour.  Some friends and I talked it over and decided to enter for the 1996 event as it sounded like something which would stretch us (a magnificent understatement, uttered by idiots).  As already mentioned, the weather was appalling for most of the ride, we were in a bit of a state (another understatement) at the end but the sense of accomplishment on finishing with 45 minutes left on the clock was indescribable.

The aftermath of that first event was memorable too, for all the wrong reasons:  Almost unable to hold utensils when eating a meal after I got home.  Laying in the bath nodding off, with Jennie sitting on the side to make sure I didn't slide beneath the waves (the outcome might be different now with decent retirement funds and insurance so I'll stick to a hot shower in case she's tempted to hold me under). Going to bed early and waking up in the small hours with severe cramp, screaming my head off and colliding with bedroom furniture in the pitch blackness in a futile attempt to straighten a leg.  Going to the bathroom in the early hours and shaking with fatigue so badly that the aim was..... well.....ummmm... you get the picture.

I guess that the atrocious weather in combination with not knowing what to expect magnified the memories of that first event.  Subsequent Grand Challenges have all still been a real test but I don't remember being in quite such bad shape at the end of them.

 Grand Challenge '99. 2am and looking a lot better than we feel

 Grand Challenge '97 finish, just having a wee lie-down

1997 - Bladder control problems and there's always a mate with a camera...

1996 - Steve, feigning death at a gas station to avoid any more riding

Three more Grand Challenges have been completed since the first in '96, the last one being in 2003 and I thought it would be the last.  However, since then, I've blinked and moved well past 60, changed from the faired Blackbird to a naked Street Triple and stupidly got to wondering whether it was still possible to successfully complete another one.  A half-hearted email was sent out to my riding partners, half hoping that the answer was to get stuffed.  However, a close friend who has done the previous GC's with me was keen to have another go, together with 2 other good mates who haven't previously done it (suckers) plus a relative of one of the other lads.  So here we are, entries having been accepted and due to start at 3.03pm on Saturday October 16th; 2 days before my 63rd birthday!  An eclectic range of bikes amongst us - Triumph Street Triple, Kawasaki 500, Kawasaki ZX10R (fool!), BMW K1200S and a BMW R1200 GS.

Fellow NZ blogger Bandit Rider (Andrew) will also be doing the event for the umpteenth time so it will be great to meet him in person at long last. Hopefully, he'll blog his involvement too.
 
Because of increasing age and being currently less fit than for previous GC's, I thought I'd try and be a bit more systematic in the preparations this time rather than being too casual about it. Reporting the preparations (or lack thereof), thoughts, apprehension, blind panic and everything in between might provide some light amusement at my expense; so more reports to follow at odd intervals over the coming  weeks......

 2003 - Apprehension and not long from getting underway

Some wonderful bikes!

There are some interesting bikes popping up in NZ at present on TradeMe (the equivalent of eBay). The first is a 1987 Triumph Tiger still in its original crate!  Just sold for NZ $30000.  Here's the link: 1987 Triumph Tiger and a photo:

This is what a Tiger 750 looks like out of the crate:

How about this for a fabulous bit of engineering?  A replica of an 1896 Roper steam motorcycle built from scratch by a guy not far to the south of us here in NZ.  Link is here: Steam bike for sale with 20 photos.

I'd buy it myself except that I have this nagging feeling that death at the hands of a loved one might follow shortly thereafter.  Just the thing for fellow blogger Bobscoot to buy though as he seems to acquire farkles on an unrestricted basis!

So many toys, so little permission.  Sigh.......

3 cylinder Triumphs - full circle

I guess that most people know that I currently ride a Triumph Street Triple which is now 8 months old and I love it to bits - perfect for the type of riding I do at present.  There's a nice symmetry to owning a Triumph now because after the Suzuki 50 which my grandparents bought me to learn on in 1964 whilst still at school (arrrgh... 46 years ago!), my "formative" years were all spent on Triumphs; including a spell on the drag strip.

The 675 cc 3 cylinder motor in both Daytona and Street Triple guise is a peach of an engine and the bikes have won many awards and continue to distinguish themselves creditably on world racetracks. However, you probably have to be a Triumph enthusiast or a sad old git like me to know that the origins of it go back 48 years to 1962!  This was the year that two talented engineers at Triumph (Hopwood and Hele) laid down the original design for an across the frame triple.  Typically for Triumph at that time, politics and poor management delayed the launch and it wasn't until mid-1968 until they were launched in the guise of the 750cc Triumph Trident and the BSA Rocket 3.

Unfortunately, the production delays only saw it launched weeks before the first Honda 750 4 which was a higher specification bike in all respects.  Nonetheless, the 750 triples enjoyed huge racing success in both Europe and North America.  I was privileged to attend the first UK Transatlantic Match Races in the very early 70's where the UK's finest competed against the likes of Nixon, Mann, DuHamel, Rayborn and many more.  At one stage, both teams had factory-backed Triples and in my humble opinion; hearing the howl of 6-10 triples with unsilenced 3 into 1 megaphones warming up in the pits is still one of the greatest motorcycle sounds ever.  I saw a replica Rocket 3 racing in a classic meeting in Auckland early this year and the howl still gave me goosebumps!

Here are two photos I took at the 1971 event.  Despite it being nearly 40 years ago, these bikes still look fantastic!

Dave Aldana's Rocket 3

Paul Smart's Trident

Completing the symmetry between the original 1960's 750cc Triple and today's 675, it's interesting to compare a few key specifications.  Top speed of the 750 was around 130mph (210km/hr) with a 0-60mph time of about 4.1 seconds.  The Street Triple has a top speed about 5 mph up on that but the 0-60 mph time of ~3.3 seconds is far superior thanks to the better power to weight ratio (~220 kg for the 750 compared with ~170kg for the 675).  So despite the passage of time being over 4 decades, there's not a huge difference in straight line performance and the same goes for the racebike versions of both capacities too.  In the handling stakes of course, there's no comparison! 

There's also no comparison in terms of reliability.  A close friend of mine in the UK still has an early 70's Trident.  Admittedly, it rarely comes out of the shed these days but he has so many memories invested in it that selling is completely out of the question.  When he used to ride it regularly, electrical (un)reliability was such that his wife claimed he was on first name terms with every Automobile Association recovery team in half the country!

Personally, it's almost Karma for me having returned to Triumph after an association which started so long ago - long may it continue!

Motorcycle tyre performance in the real world

If ever there's a subject guaranteed to raise blood pressure and provoke circular (no pun intended) argument, look no further than tyres!  Anyone incautious enough to ask on a forum "What's a good tyre?" will not only get conflicting results, most of the feedback will contain plenty of hot air and stuff-all in the way of qualitative facts.  Motorcycle magazines are only marginally better - lap times with the same bike using different tyres but how representative is that of the real world either?

In terms of main brand modern motorcycle road tyres, there's probably little difference between them in the performance envelope that most of us operate in, although there's no question that overall, tyre performance has improved markedly over the years.  Good news for all of us given the critical role they play in keeping us safe.

It's that old question about "fitness for purpose" because the term performance means different things to different people. Basically, sports tyres give incredible grip but (relatively) limited life and at the other end of the scale, touring tyres give longer life but a bit less grip. Manufacturers now try to blur these distinctions with additional options and we as consumers have seemingly endless permutations whilst trying to decide what's acceptable for the type of riding we do.

I wonder what others think about the subject of tyres?  Here's some personal experiences over the last few years that have marked the quest for tyres that fit my purpose.

Acquiring the Blackbird in 2001 was the first foray into riding what might be termed "hyperbikes" for want of a better word.  Enormous horsepower, heavy with a forward weight bias and conservative steering geometry that "pushes" the front end - those factors are an extreme test for any tyre.  It came equipped with Michelin 90X radials.  For the first few weeks, it could have had sugar-coated doughnuts on the rims and would have still been safe because I rode like a complete granny whilst getting used to it.  As confidence grew, a bit more power was applied, particularly whilst leaned over driving out of corners and the first limitations became apparent - the rear would spin up with little provocation in all but perfect road conditions.  The Michelins would have lasted forever because they were a pretty hard compound but in terms of grip, they struggled to cope with the new generation of performance bikes.  After 6 months of ownership, the tread depth had hardly dropped at all but they had to go because I'd lost confidence in them.  In wet weather, they were a nightmare.

The replacements were Dunlop D220's.  Better in terms of grip but as confidence grew in them and they were pushed a little harder, another problem manifested itself.  Have a look at the picture, particularly towards the bottom of the tyre:

As distance on them increased, the front tyre developed a terrible profile with big flats (almost concave in fact) from just off the centre line of the tyre running out towards the edge.  An under-inflated tyre could exhibit similar symptoms but it wasn't that as I was anal about pressures. The handling was horrible with it wanting to flop into corners. Fortunately, there was a lot of collected experience on the 2 major Blackbird websites and there was a strong body of opinion that most tyres simply weren't up to supporting the dynamic loads generated by heavy, powerful bikes when cornering and were almost certainly deflecting badly under load.  As already mentioned, the standard Blackbird has fairly conservative steering geometry with a weight forward bias.  To drive it quickly through corners requires a fair bit of countersteering and that exacerbates the problem.

Some manufacturers clearly recognised the problem and Avon brought out the Azaro "B" specification tyre which had additional reinforcing to reduce carcass deflection.  When the Hayabusa was released, Michelin shod it with the HPX, another reinforced tyre, for the same reason.  As soon as the Azaro "B" was released, I put a set on the Blackbird and the alarming front profile wear pattern disappeared.  Overall grip was pretty good too.  Clearly, the weight component and less extreme steering geometry compared with pure sports bikes had created their own particular set of issues.

Avon then released the Storm sport-touring tyre which was a further development of the Azaro "B".  This proved to be a real winner among sport-touring bike owners and is the Blackbird tyre of choice in the UK and NZ as well as with a lot of SV650/1000 and Hayabusa owners world-wide. I've had several of these tyres and whilst the good dry weather grip is probably on par with other major competing brands, the wet weather performance is the best I've ever encountered.  The other thing I like about Storms is that they keep their profile through a large percentage of their life, which means that handling remains uncompromised for longer.  Life was around 7500 km from a rear Storm which mainly consisted of spirited riding rather than touring or they would have lasted longer. Front Storms lasted nearly half as long again.  Overall, not bad for a heavy performance bike being pushed on grippy surfaces. Tyre life comparisons without replicating the exact road and road temperature conditions are pointless.  Where we lived pre-retirement had less-twisty roads with smoother surfaces and lower temperatures.  It is noticeable that the tyres lasted longer than where we live now.  This is a photo of a Storm rear:

Superb tread pattern for clearing water!

Mind you, new tyre development isn't always smooth sailing.  Four of us with Blackbirds fitted the newly-released Storms in readiness for a South Island tour in early 2007.  All of us experienced a low speed front end shimmy, two of them so severe that even rebalancing had no impact whatever.  A bit of networking both in NZ and around the world revealed quite a number of other cases and Blackbirds seemed to be particularly affected.  To cut a long story short, we worked with the NZ importer to gather data as well as with overseas users and Avon were able to identify an intermittent manufacturing issue and addressed it promptly. Far from the fault putting me off Avon tyres, it actually gave me confidence that here was a company that was willing and able to respond quickly to feedback.

Working with the NZ importer had a useful spin-off and I was subsequently approached in 2009 to formally evaluate a new pure sports tyre, the Avon VP2. It was a new generation tyre with a radical carcass construction to increase contact area when leaned over and had an overlay of 3 different types of rubber plus grip additives for wet weather.  I had severe doubts as to whether a pure sport tyre on a heavy bike was a smart idea but was pretty surprised at the outcome.  Firstly, the grip.  The VP2's were still effortlessly holding on long after my nerve had given out, both in wet and dry conditions.  They also had a great "feel", progressively rolling into corners rather than "dropping in" despite the aggressive profile (a high crown).  This was a clear example of just how good modern tyres are.  Most of us will never explore the outer limits of traction during normal riding but it's comforting to know it's there for those occasional "oh shit" moments!  Secondly, life.  The rear VP2 lasted for just over 5000 very hard kilometres which was a real surprise as I wasn't expecting much more than 3000km.  On a lighter pure sportsbike, the life would have been significantly greater.  I subsequently replaced the worn rear with a Storm sport-touring tyre, but kept the front VP2 on and it lasted for around 7500 km all up; a pretty good result considering that the 'bird tends to "push" the front end.  Had I kept the Blackbird, a Storm rear, VP2 front would have been the combination of choice for the type of riding I do.  The photo below shows the rear VP2 at 5000km.  The centre tread is down to the minimum depth indicator, yet there is no real indication of "squaring off" in the centre, a remarkable achievement by the manufacturer.  Carcass construction and the use of different rubber compounds for the centre and sides clearly have a significant influence in keeping a good profile for a big percentage of total tyre life.

VP2 profile has remained excellent over its life

Moving forward to recent times, the Street Triple came equipped with French-made Dunlop Qualifier pure sport tyres and I was prepared not to like them because of my past experience with the Dunlop D220's.  This proved not to be the case as dry weather grip far exceeded my modest abilities although in the wet, I didn't feel as confident with them compared to the Blackbird with Avons.  However, this is akin to comparing apples with oranges because of the differences in the 2 bikes - far too many variables to reach a meaningful conclusion.  At just over 6000 km, the rear tyre  needed replacing.  I was expecting a little more distance given that the Triple only weighs 167kg dry compared with the 230kg of the Blackbird but it's still ok for a pure sport tyre, especially given the type of roads where we live!  The front still had plenty of centre tread but it was developing flats on the sides and whilst the handling was still acceptable, the transition from upright to leaned right over was no longer linear in terms of "feel".  Here's a photo of the front profile and the flats are quite noticeable.

The following photo shows a different view of the front tyre wear.  Despite the high crown of sports front tyres, it also shows how far a bike can be comfortably leaned over in perfect safety.  The rear has no "chicken strips" at all and the high angles of lean weren't noticeable at the time because the bike felt so planted.

So what now?  A set of tyres that would last up to and beyond the forthcoming endurance ride in October were needed so the VP2 sports tyres I'd really like to have fitted might be pushing the boundaries of life until that time.  Besides, there aren't any in the country for a few more weeks and waiting that long wasn't an option. The new Pirelli Angels looked  interesting and early feedback seems very promising, but full-life evaluations over a whole range of conditions don't appear to exist yet.  However, Avon have recently released the Storm 2 Ultra based on the VP2 technology, only with sport-touring compounds so those are the ones I've just had fitted. Ok, so no-one has done a full-life evaluation on these either, but the purchase decision was based on the considerable experience mentioned above with the forerunners of this tyre.

In the dealer's workshop for new tyres

Far too early to comment on them other than saying that they feel very predictable and directional changes are rapid.  More performance comment to come in due course but for what it's worth, here's a  photo of the front hoop taken at the end of the delivery trip home.  As previously mentioned, the Storms have a deserved reputation for exceptional wet weather performance and that's a feature I'm particularly keen on!

Avon Storm 2 Ultra front tyre

From personal experience, its clear that all the major manufacturers are heavily investing in continuous improvement and that's great for us as consumers.  It probably doesn't matter at all what major brand you choose as long as it's matched to the type of riding you do and whether it's suitable for the bike in question; particularly whether carcass construction will adequately support the dynamic loads imposed by heavier bikes.  The real test is does it "feel" right and give you the confidence to ride in the conditions that you normally encounter.  For me, as previously mentioned; the decision to stick with Avons at least this time round, is largely based around my historical experience of their performance.  Incidentally, I was so used to the performance of the Avon Storms that it was possible to tell when tyre pressures were as little as 2 psi different from my normal settings!

I also mentioned earlier about being anal with tyre pressures.  This comes from bitter experience of gas station gauges which are notoriously inaccurate and correct pressures have such an impact on both grip and tyre life.  I carried an analogue AccuGage brand on the bike for some years.  These are bourdon tube devices constructed like a barometer and are very accurate.  Sadly, it slid off the seat at a gas station forecourt and that was the end of that!  I now have a reasonably expensive digital gauge which looks a bit more robust!

Whilst on the subject of tyres, some small CO2 cartridges and plugs for emergency repairs are normally carried.  Thankfully, they've never been used yet but I've always fretted about whether the 3 cartridges would be sufficient for a full inflation, especially when you're a long way from home.  They're no good of course for small pressure adjustments on the run either.  What I did recently was modify one of those cheap 12V compressors that you buy in automotive accessory shops.  They have large plastic cases which would be a pain to carry on a bike but the internals are very compact.  The case was removed and the accessory plug replaced with crocodile clips to attach directly to the bike battery.  Stick it in a plastic bag and instant air when needed!  The compressor gauge is ignored as it's just as inaccurate as those at gas stations.  My trusty digital gauge is in the photo too.

Mini-compressor for the bike

Finally, it's worth reiterating a comment from the earlier post on aftermarket suspension.  After the OEM Blackbird rear suspension was swapped for a top of the line Penske unit and the fork internals were replaced with upmarket components from the UK, the average improvement in tyre life was close to 2000km.  This is almost certainly a result of  the tyres having less dynamic stresses due to the suspension doing its job effectively.  Something else to ponder on!

Addendum: For an update on Michelin PR3 performance, click HERE

The weather gods hate me!

Acknowledgement this photo: Steve Ferguson, local resident and fellow motorcyclist

Well Mr Bobscoot, thank you for offering to send good weather after my rainbow post but it arrived a bit late for which I hold the NZ Quarantine Service personally responsible.  A strongly-worded letter will be sent off forthwith.

We continued to have cloudbursts but by the next morning, it had eased to showers.  Just as well as we had arranged to drive the 160 km to Hamilton.  Thankfully, this was not a bike trip.  Our neighbours are going to make us stained glass windows for part of the house and we went down in our 4x4 with them to buy the glass we needed.  The weather was lovely in Hamilton, we had a fine time choosing the glass, followed by a sumptuous lunch and were about to head back to Coromandel when  my phone rang.  It was another neighbour and his call went like this, "We're having a severe storm on the Coromandel Peninsula, there's been torrential rain all day and the west coast road is flooded in several places.  Oh, and you can't come up the Eastern side of the Peninsula either because there's both flooding and 2 big slips"

So, with some words that would cause my late mother to scrub my mouth out with soap, we head back to see how far we can get.  It all seems a bit bizarre as the weather is still lovely in Hamilton.  As we approach Thames, the gateway to the Peninsula; the sky turns from  blue to almost pitch black and the rain starts to fall heavily.  A quick stop at the information centre confirms that we're stuck so the 4 of us check into a motel.  A quick visit to the local supermarket to stock up on cheeses, French bread, salami, wine (several bottles), breakfast goodies and so on sees us set for the night!

This morning, the weather is clear and calm and a phone call to our rural mail delivery driver reveals that the slips will take a while to clear but the water has subsided from the most direct route as he's been down the coast to the regional mail centre at first light.  Caution is advised as there are mini-slips and tree debris but we should be fine with a bit of care.

So, here we are.... arrived safely home an hour ago in dire need of a shower, shave and change of clothes.  After that, I must appease the NZ Weather Gods.  I'm undecided whether it should be setting fire to the Triumph or telling the Weather Gods to pick on Bobscoot for offering to send Canadian weather over here!

Somewhere over the rainbow....

The only connection that this post has to riding is that I'm not doing any today as we're having torrential downpours and I washed and waxed the bike a couple of days ago!  However, whilst mooching about indoors and organising lunch not 30 minutes ago, the sun momentarily came out and created a rainbow over the harbour.  I thought I'd share the picture I took from our front deck.  It would have been slightly more photogenic if the tide had been in and covering the oyster beds in front of us, but it's still good for the soul to see something like that!  Click photo to enlarge.

 Just as a counterpoint, the following photo is one I took at the end of winter last year right on sunset when the tide was in.

.... and one taken at dawn a couple of years back to split the day up nicely!