Antidote for blue Mondays

After a wet weekend and no riding for 3 weeks because of more pressing priorities, Monday dawns fine and warm.  Too good to miss a ride, even if there are things to do later in the day.  An early breakfast and a 200 km trip round the Coromandel Peninsula Loop would be a perfect wake-up!  If you'd like to come for a ride, throw a helmet on and hop on the back for a guided tour........

 
First port of call ('scuse the pun) is to have a look at the Kia Toa fishing boat down in Coromandel Town which is shortly to undergo restoration.  She has quite a bit of history. It may look like an old hulk but she's clearly a magnificent sea boat as it regularly used to motor up the 6000-odd km to Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific to protest against the French holding nuclear tests there.  Must be a tough old girl with her double-planked wooden hull!

Heading south toward Thames, the next stop is at a lookout in the hills that affords a 180 degree view of the Firth of Thames.  The first photo is looking north to Manaia Harbour, the second is looking directly down to a sheep and beef farm with its own bay and launch ramp (cows and sheep are bred with one pair of short legs to compensate for the hilly terrain) and the third is looking south across the Firth through the misty conditions to the many commercial mussel beds.

A slowish jaunt along the waters' edge towards Thames as I feel a bit rusty.  The sea is like a mill pond, just stunning. Pulling up just north of Thames shows the old weatherboard holiday homes by the water.  These are called bach's in the north island - short for bachelor pads.  The second photo is of a newly-restored old hotel in Thames which is now a private dwelling.  There was a proliferation of such watering-holes in the 1800's to satisfy the considerable thirst of the gold miners in the area!

After Thames, it's out into the hills on the Kopu to Hikuai road which runs from west to east across the Peninsula.  Through steep hills with a mixture of sweepers and twisties - a biker's delight.  However, no high speed antics this morning on account of wet roads and probably slippery too in shady parts thanks to a massive thunderstorm in this area last night.

Leaving the wet hills behind and heading north up the dry east coast, a comfort stop in Tairua is necessary - perhaps too much coffee for breakfast!  The photo taken during the stop is across Tairua Harbour to the extinct volcano called Paku.  At least, we hope it's extinct as there are a lot of homes on it now!

Continuing north through the twisties at a good clip with hardly another vehicle in sight, the stomach starts rumbling in anticipation of a scallop burger at the Coroglen Tavern.  The scallop burgers are a sight to behold, all the normal trimmings but packed with local scallops shown a buttery hot pan for a few scant seconds - just divine! This place is packed with bikers at the weekend but on a Monday, where is everyone?  Working presumably but heck, I've miscalculated the time and they don't open for 20 minutes - oh nooooo....!

Despite the strong pull of a scallop burger, I'm hungry and can't wait that long for a feed so it's back on the bike for the short(ish) ride north to Whitianga.  There are lots of good eateries here which would please even the most discerning palate (blogger and foodie Bobscoot to mention just one).  Sadly, a leisurely "slow food" experience isn't an option today as I have an afternoon appointment so to be safe, a relatively quick stop at Subway is made.  It's down the dining scale a bit but healthy and nutritious, not to mention easy on the wallet.

Feeling refreshed, it's a reasonably rapid journey over the section of the Coromandel Loop of which the Triple knows every centimetre, back to Coromandel Town.  Half way back, a quick double-take and photo from the saddle of some creatures in a field which look like they've come from a Stephen King novel, perhaps the Langoliers - can you guess what they are? No prizes for the sheep in the background, but the other two?

They're actually made from the lower part of palm leaves (the NZ Nikau palm) where they attach to the trunk - really clever but nightmarish if you've had a drop too much to drink!

Back in Coromandel Town, The king tide 2 days previously has brought some interesting boats down the creek nearly into the town centre so a quick stop is made to see what's about . The vessel shown in the photo is Sirius, a local all-alloy crayfish (rock lobster) boat which has probably been slipped for its annual marine survey.  Looks pretty big against the Striple!

All in all, a wonderful way to start any day - must do more of it and hope you enjoyed the quick trip round the Coromandel Loop.

Another nice "special"

This post is an appropriate sequel to the last one about the Tricati and what might have been.

After emigrating to NZ, there was another "special" which did occasionally get to run on the road in the late 1980's and 90's, albeit highly illegally. One of my direct reports at work was a remarkably resourceful ex-UK Special Air Service sergeant who seemed be able to lay his hands on anything at a moments' notice. Among the things which came into his possession was a single cylinder racing Yamaha 50 motor with boxes of spares and go-faster goodies.  He was somewhat vague about its provenance but the layer of dust on the boxes suggested that ownership had long ago shifted to the "possession is 9/10ths of the law" category. This thought might have been uncharitable on my part but knowing him.....

Anyway, Len asked me whether I'd like it and whilst it was manifestly unsuitable as a road-going special power plant, it might be just the thing for a "bucket racer", especially as I had two sons who may have been keen to have a go if the hurdle of permission from their mother could be negotiated.  Bucket racers are cheap entry-level race bikes for raw beginners or those who want to have low cost fun.

Len ran the well-equipped apprentice training school on our manufacturing site and once a few second-hand bits such as front forks, wheels and swingarm had been obtained, the training school equipment was pressed into service to make a frame and other cycle parts.  The frame shown in the photo below was bolted construction whilst we played with the configuration, although it would eventually be welded.

The eagle-eyed amongst us will have spotted a cable running from the front hub and crossing the frame down tubes above the engine.  This is further testament to Len's amazing skills and was in fact, a mechanically- linked brake anti-dive system which actually worked!  Fuel was supplied from a small tank just above the rear of the engine so the principles of mass centralisation combined with a low C of G were alive and well even then.

The apprentice training school was in a highly visible location on site and although most people including the CEO were aware (and highly appreciative) of  Len's ummmm... unconventional ways, it was decided to fire it up at our house for the first time.  This was because the euphemistic term "silencer" was actually a racing expansion chamber with no noise control whatsoever.  For those who have never heard an unsilenced racing 2 stroke at close range, it's quite an experience.  The occupants of our street certainly thought so, together with small furry animals of a nervous disposition and even normally phlegmatic farm animals just down the road.  Len immediately saw that the James family reputation and well-being in the district might be under threat and briskly manufactured a stinger that unsurprisingly resembled a covert weapon suppressor which presumably, he was previously well-acquainted with.  On the next-fire-up, the bike was still noisy, but it had lost the frequency that made your teeth ache.

Len was a big guy so the first test ride shakedown was all mine.  As the bike was road legal only in the sense that it had 2 wheels and working brakes, it was fortunate that we only lived a few hundred metres from a largely deserted country road.  Nonetheless, the noise was still quite a head-turner and I was glad when the confines of town were left behind.  By any standards, there wasn't much torque but it still accelerated cleanly through the gears and the exhaust note was the stuff of erotic dreams!  After the ride, the conclusion was that it was a quick little beast and handled pretty well for something in the early stages of development.  Looking at the photo, a silver object can just be seen on the headstock between the fork stanchions.  This is a simple, but effective steering damper!  It consists of a curved plate attached to the bottom yoke, backed with a flexible asbestos pad which can be tightened against the headstock.  Quite innovative really and another of Len's ideas.

A few more sneaky rides out of town were undertaken and it was a delight to ride but let's face it, anything with the smell of hot 2 stroke oil is great.  However, dreams of getting it onto the local track were fast diminishing as the kids were showing more interest in soccer and rugby and to be honest, most of the enjoyment was gained from building it.  My height might have been passable, but there was no way it would perform at the track with lardy me on it so it got parked in the shed with a tarpaulin over it for a year or two until it was given to a work colleague with similar thoughts for his kids.  Same result, but at least we all had a lot of fun!

As a poignant postscript, Len passed away peacefully in his favourite armchair at home a few short years ago.  A lovely way to pass, given his earlier profession. His technical and motivational skills were legendary and his funeral showed the huge esteem in which he was held, including ex-apprentices coming back from overseas for the occasion and even representation by the NZ SAS; but that's another story.....  A colourful and giant of a man in every sense and in these days when conformity seems to be accepted as a virtue, Len was a wonderful antidote to both conformity and mediocrity.  I don't use the word lightly but it was an utter privilege to have known him and to have counted him as a friend.

What might have been... Tricati

In the mid-late 60's, there was an article in the UK magazine, Motorcycle Mechanics, about a guy who shoehorned a 500cc Triumph twin unit construction motor into a 250cc Ducati rolling chassis, calling it a Tricati.  That article was subconsciously filed away in the back of the brain for future reference.

After giving up competitive drag racing in the early 70's (a combination of building a career and being financially strapped at the same time!), there was a hankering for building an exotic road bike based around my 350 cc Triumph drag motor (Drag Bike) and that article on the Tricati was remembered. 

You may not have heard of the Ducati 200cc Elite as there weren't many about but in my humble opinion, it's still one of the most beautiful bikes ever made and the fuel tank shape is pure sex!  Here's a pristine example:

As it happened, a local bike repair shop had a Ducati Elite tucked away in the back of their workshop.  The motor had a cracked crankcase and heaven knows what state the internals were in.  I'm sure they thought I was insane for even enquiring about it but my interest was in the cycle parts and got the whole thing for next to nothing.

The first job was to see how difficult it was going to be to squeeze the 350cc Triumph twin into what was a pretty small chassis.  There was no intention to transfer the supercharger too, so there was adequate room for replacing it with twin carbs.  Clearance under the tank didn't look like an issue as the short-stroke motor was already lower than standard and it also looked shorter overall  than the original Ducati motor.  Some very crude engine plates and spacers were made and the motor pretty much went in first time. This photo is of the motor although the head was reversed back to standard configuration and the supercharger removed before the transfer.

But aha, I hear the knowledgeable ones say, "The Ducati final drive is on the right and the Triumph is on the left".  Well spotted!  This wasn't much of an issue actually.  Inverting the swingarm and re-welding the suspension lugs on the other side was all that was required and the bonus was that the front and rear chain sprockets were almost perfectly in line.  Precision alignment could be achieved by carefully machined engine spacers.  With all that sorted, some engine plate patterns were sent to top drag racer Alf Hagon and back came some fantastic alloy plates with an engine-turned circular finish; simply magnificent.  Spacers were machined from stainless steel and the engine slotted in perfectly. 

Next step was to sort out some of the cycle parts.  A half-fairing identical in style to the original Ducati 900ss was fitted and a single racing seat not unlike that on Cal Rayborn's racing XR TT Harley was made from polystyrene and glass fibre.  The intention was to manufacture high level pipes and mufflers like the factory 500cc Triumph Daytona racer shown in the last photo of this post: Nostalgia.  However, events were taking an unexpected turn.

Because of other commitments (including the minor issue of getting married and buying a house!) progress was slower than originally anticipated and construction activity virtually stalled.  At best guess, detailed finishing including a new wiring loom and painting would have taken perhaps 18 months working most weekends.  A further complication was that a good job offer working on the other side of the world in New Zealand was made - too good to turn down in fact.

It would be fair to say that the focus at that time wasn't on motorcycles, more on the upcoming new life and when an offer for the rolling chassis was made, it was accepted.  The drag engine was given to a friend I've lost touch with and for all I know, it might still be sitting in the back of his shed.  It was some 12 years after emigrating that an active interest in bikes was re-kindled: Getting back into it and memories of the Tricati also surfaced again.  Not one to have regrets about the past but I'll admit that with the benefit of hindsight, I was a complete plonker to sell as it wouldn't have taken up a lot of space in the container when we moved to NZ.  Also wish I'd had the foresight to take to take photos at different stages of construction just for the memories.

Ahhhh... what might have been! (But there is a happier sequel to special-building which will be the subject of the next post).

Update: For an amazing sequel, go to THIS post.

Beware Canadians

This isn't about  motorcycles but I feel compelled to post it as a salutatory warning to my Canadian blogging friends if they have any intention of coming to New Zealand (Sonja, you are mercifully excluded for reasons which will become obvious).  We don't have any snakes and only one poisonous spider, the Katipo.  It's so rare that very few Kiwis have even seen one and whilst it's poisonous, it's not deadly. It's a distant cousin of the Redback.

On an NZ internet news site not half an hour ago, the following report appeared.

Katipo bites skinny-dipping tourist

A venomous katipo spider bite on his penis was the high price a tourist paid for a skinny-dip at a Northland beach.
The 22-year-old Canadian left his clothes in the sand dunes while he went for his nude swim and slept on his return, according to a report on the case in today's online NZ Medical Journal.
"He woke to find his penis swollen and painful with a red mark on the shaft suggestive of a bite. He rapidly developed generalised muscle pains, fever, headache, photophobia [light sensitivity] and vomiting," wrote Dr Nigel Harrison and colleagues who treated him at Dargaville and Whangarei hospitals.
By the time the man reached Dargaville Hospital, his penis was severely swollen, his blood pressure was up and his heart beat racing.
Chest pain and other symptoms developed the next morning and it was presumed he had been bitten by a katipo. He was treated with anti-venom medicine and rapidly improved.
However, heart problems persisted and he was treated at Whangarei Hospital and Auckland Hospital before returning to Canada.
Katipo spiders are known to have a highly specialised habitat in New Zealand sand dunes and will bite only rarely, and in defence.
This was the first known case of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, caused by a bite, Dr Harrison said.
A prompt diagnosis and the use of anti-venom resulted in a good outcome for the tourist, he said.


I am more concerned for the sanity of a Canadian who wants to go skinny dipping in the ocean on the edge of winter in NZ.  I know it's Northland, but this is hardly equivalent to Hawaii.  With the Pacific North West having just emerged from a cold winter, I'm inclined to think that the victim was from this region, thinking how tropical it is by comparison.  I'm sure this isn't a regional trait and perhaps we have an example of Darwinism at work.

Nonetheless, if you see a fellow motorcyclist who is wearing ultra-baggy trousers and walking with a stoop, perhaps you'd like to offer him some sympathy before you turn away and snigger.

Fond regards,

Geoff

4 decades to discover scooters!

This post is principally directed at esteemed blogger Bobscoot, but also at other scooter enthusiasts.  It is, in fact, an apology for taking so long to discover the joys of riding a scooter!

Let's go back to July 2009.  For much of Mr and Mrs James' near-38 years of married life, we've had a tradition of taking turns to arrange anything between a weekend and 2 weeks away to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  The rules of engagement are that the destination has to be kept a secret from the other party for as long as absolutely possible.  Lies, false trails and any other subterfuge are considered fair play for this event.  Fortunately, we have a good friend who is a travel agent and has long been a willing co-conspirator to all this. This is not without stress you understand, particularly when it's my turn to organise things. Mrs. James, in keeping with female traditions everywhere on the planet always wants to dress "appropriately".  That is to say, she doesn't want to pack a range of flimsy tops, shorts and sandals only to arrive at Scott Base in Antarctica.  My evasive techniques have come close to being too successful on occasions and 4 years ago, she threatened to stab me in the eye with a pen she was holding if I didn't come clean.

However, I digress.  Last year, the planning fell to Jennie and when we left home in the car on a mystery route, my suitcase carried a range of clothing (boy scout motto: be prepared) and we eventually ended up at Auckland International Airport.  She finally revealed the destination as the tropical South Pacific island of Rarotonga.  Whilst waiting for the plane, she handed over the travel pack for perusal. I looked no further after noting that part of the package included the use of a scooter for our stay!!!  I started riding motorcycles in 1963 and in all that time, had never ridden a scooter.

On checking in at our accommodation, we were told that before the scooter could be ridden, a local driving license had to be procured, so it was down to the main police station early in the morning to get one.  I flashed my NZ motorcycle license, produced NZ$25 and within 5 minutes had my Cook Islands driving license.  Behind me in the queue was an American with the same intention but was unable to prove that he had a motorcycle licence.  Trying to intimidate the woman behind the desk with "Goddam, I've ridden Harleys all my life and my say-so ought to be enough" was not a smart move. He was promptly sent to the back of another signposted (and lengthy) queue for non-licence holders to take a test which involved riding a scooter in a circle at the back of the police station for all of 30 seconds (at presumably additional cost).  He'd failed to grasp that licensing was not a test of competence or a challenge to his masculinity, it was simply a significant income stream for the island. Politeness may have seen another result entirely.

Motorcycle riding laws in Rarotonga are delightful.  The island speed limit is 50km/hr.  Some laws were passed a few years back making helmets compulsory but this was amended to no helmets being required below 40km/hr.  The reason for this unlikely legislation?  Pressure from Rarotongan women, that's what!  "Big Hair" is the prevalent fashion and they were outraged at the idea of getting "helmet hair" so a face-saving compromise was reached.  In practice of course, the legislation was unenforceable so everyone continues along helmet-less at whatever speed they choose.  Oh to have the power of those women on our policy makers!

Back at the resort, Jennie and I leapt on the black Yamaha Cygnus 125 automatic that had been allocated to us and promptly leapt off again as the seat temperature due to the sun was close to that of molten lead and we were wearing shorts.  Probably provides continuous amusement to the girls running Reception.  Wheel it into the shade for a few minutes whilst the intricacies of getting it started were explored and eventually, getting back on and heading into town.  A few nervous wobbles with the little wheels up the resort driveway which consisted of crushed shell and then out onto the main road to town.

My safety helmet was a baseball cap turned backwards.  It's well-known that a cap turned backwards bestows magical powers of invulnerability on spotty youth all over the world but my reason was far more pragmatic - with it facing forward, the darned thing blew off within a few feet and was run over by following traffic.  Here's a photo of me and the scoot down at Avarua harbour in full safety gear.... cap on backwards, chick magnet sunglasses, tee shirt and shorts.  As someone who pretty much wears full protective gear including gloves at home to even nip down to the local shops, I was surprised how relaxed I was on the island without all that gear.  Everyone is so chilled-out and courteous that the most likely risk of harm is through a coconut landing on your head.  I did draw the line at riding in flip-flops though having seen what even a minor spill can do to toes. Not possessing the ultimate fashion accessory of pink Crocs, our Asics walking shoes were pressed into service.

The Cygnus was an absolute delight and the perfect choice of vehicle to become acquainted with the island's sights and smells.  The island circumference is about 32 km and no matter how many times we circumnavigated it, it hardly seemed to use any fuel.  Scooters must be the ultimate local commuter vehicle.  The underseat space was cavernous for holding food, trinkets and fallen coconuts procured during the many circumnavigations.  It would have been used earlier if I'd actually been able to find the means to lift the seat in a timely manner.  Nothing more embarrassing than an epic fail on an unfamiliar machine!

As confidence grew in the Cygnus, some spirited riding was attempted but stability seemed to decline a bit and besides; the speed governor on the back delivering the odd blow to the side of the head was a powerful disincentive, so laid-back cruising soon resumed.  The only tricky moment was riding 2-up through soft sand to reach the deserted beach in the photo below.  There was no risk of physical harm, just a blow to dignity if we decked it.  All turned out well though.

So my one and only scooter experience in a long motorcycling career turned out to be a magnificent one and I can see what the attraction is to the legions of scooter owners throughout the world.  Before I finish though, I've add a couple of photos of another bike we chanced upon outside Avarua shopping centre - the Sachs Madass.  Have never seen one of these before and they're really funky - projector headlights, upswept exhaust - a honey of a bike.  No storage space but a great machine to ride, I'll bet.

 

 

Addendum:  Since writing this post, I've accidentally discovered a nice, simple article written by NZ's Accident Compensation Commission on scooter safety.  It's presumably aimed at young riders, but has wider application: Scooter safety

Model motorcycles - never again!

And now for something completely different..... (With a nod to Monty Python)

Hadn't done any model-making since my teens but about 15 years ago, the kids bought me a Tamiya Ducati 900ss plastic kit for Father's Day.  Just the thing for a winters' night so went out and bought some brushes, paints and cement.  Now, if anything is going to show up eyesight problems as the years go by, it's plastic models with a million microscopic parts. Dexterity was also an issue and it felt like bunches of bananas were attached to my wrists rather than fingers.  Whilst the challenge of putting the Ducati together was quite enjoyable, concentration span was an issue so a limit of one hour per occasion was about right to avoid loss of temper.  Being a pedantic engineer, the exhaust pipes were given a bit of colour too.  Here's the result (click to enlarge):

Whilst the outcome was reasonably pleasing, there was no intention to do any more model construction but as is the way of things, in 2001, fate stepped in.  Back then, I owned a BMW K100RS but had just bought a Honda Blackbird.  A workmate was wanting to get back into bikes and made an offer for the Beemer which was duly accepted.  When he came round to pick it up, bless his good heart; he gave me a Tamiya K100 kit to keep the memory alive! It was a naked K100, not the faired RS as there was no RS kit available but it was a lovely, generous gesture so building started again.  This is how it ended up:

Getting eye strain at the dining room table for nights on end was hard going and there was no intention of building another model in the foreseeable future.  However, eating my own words seems to be a speciality and when a Tamiya model Blackbird caught my eye, how could it be resisted?

The temptation to be pedantic again reared its head as the kit was an early carburetted Blackbird and mine (the real one, that is) was injected. Now, train-spotters, obsessive-compulsives and other anoraks (an English term for sad bastards like me who need to get a life) will recognise the dilemma.  The ram air intakes in the fairing of the kit had mesh in them and the injected real bike had vertical bars.  Consequently, I started rummaging through boxes of bits in the workshop to see if there was anything which could be adapted to make it look like an injected version.  Here's where a slight miscalculation was made by mentioning to Jennie what I was up to.  Her reply was laced with words that I hadn't heard her use before so it was a fair pointer that some sort of invisible line had been crossed.  Oops, mesh grilles they'd stay, and there was no way that I was going to add fuel to the fire by mentioning that  there was a small difference in the tail light between the earlier and later models which was originally going to be addressed too!!!

Although plans to build an exact replica of my bike were now clearly in tatters, there was nothing to stop a paint job to match it, so some Tamiya translucent blue was procured, along with silver metallic base coat.  Buying an airbrush for just one model would have seen me sucking hospital food through a straw so the plan was to apply multiple coats (7 from memory) of highly thinned blue over the silver base.  It worked out pretty well too as you'll see from the pictures below.  Oh, and I did adorn it with my own numberplate as a silent act of geeky defiance!  Construction and painting was such a difficult process that it nearly got hurled against the wall on several occasions and there's little likelihood of another one being built - EVER! Even the rear shock and chain got painted - really obsessive!  We still have all 3 models but they remain packed in one of the many boxes that haven't been opened since we moved home a couple of years ago and there are absolutely no plans to add a Street Triple to them!

Radar Detectors - worth having?

Introduction
On NZ motorcycle forums at least, one of the regular topics is radar detectors - do they work, what make is best and so forth.

I've used a detector since 2005 so thought I'd take the opportunity to share my personal experiences about what they will and won't do.  There's clearly things I'm not aware of but the experiences and knowledge listed here will hopefully be a good starting point.  These are in the New Zealand context but apart from legality of use issues, the technical aspects will largely apply to any country. Legality of use varies from country to country and state by state.  In NZ, they are legal but if you get pulled up and the enforcement officer sees a detector, don't necessarily expect a sympathetic response!  Interestingly though, an academic research study from Western Australia on the use of detectors shows that there is a strong international correlation between the use of detectors, safer driving habits and reduced serious injuries.

Before going any further, a radar detector  merely confirms the presence of transmitted signal activity. It is only an aid, not a guarantee of avoidance and relying on your situational awareness in combination with a detector is still essential.  Too much reliance on a detector will still see you in a world of grief! Active countermeasures will also be commented on further on in the post.


Why would you want a detector?
Owning a detector doesn't automatically mean that you're Public Enemy #1 who has no control over his or her right wrist!  Most riders like a good blast from time to time but choose an appropriate time and place to do it.  It's not normally these circumstances where a detector is really useful.  It's where speeds are over but closer to the legal limit where your attention is perhaps temporarily diverted from your speedometer.  The trigger for me getting one was in 2005 when putting in an entry for the Southern Cross 4500 km round NZ in 5 days endurance ride.  I doubted that I'd be hitting hyper velocities on the ride but a detector could be a useful warning when, for example, overtaking slower traffic at "perhaps" 20-30km/hr above the legal limit to minimise overtaking time.  Get the drift?  I can also say in all honesty that having a detector on the bike and being paranoid about it going off has increased my overall situational awareness.

What do detectors detect?
There are several radar bands used to detect vehicle speed, the most common of which are X, K, Ka and Laser. Most quality detectors will emit a different signal for each type of band.  Personally, I only look at the detector visual display AFTER I've hit the brakes as scrubbing speed off is a sight more pressing than knowing what band has been picked up! Similarly, the rate of beeping and intensity will increase as the emitter gets closer but that's academic for the same reasons.

X band is largely outdated these days but most detectors will pick it up.  Unfortunately, X band is commonly used for automatic door openers and other security systems in shops and offices etc, so any X band signal is likely to be a "false" warning.  Good detectors will allow X band detection to be turned off, cancelled or muted to stop it becoming an annoyance, particularly in town.

K Band is similar to X Band in that it has commercial uses although some K band mobile speed cameras in unmarked vans have recently appeared in NZ.  Consequently, I've re-activated K band detection and simply switch it to mute in town.

Ka band is the most commonly used form of microwave radar used by the police in NZ and is fitted to Highway Patrol vehicles as well as most mobile speed cameras. It's early detection of this band which has saved me multiple times more than the cost of a detector! The broad signal beam (or scatter) paints a large area and good detectors have 360 degree signal detection. Microwaves will pass through objects like windscreens and the human body.  Consequently, you can pick up Ka signals from other roads but that's no bad thing anyway. OH, AND THERE ARE NO PRACTICAL MEANS OF JAMMING Ka SIGNALS WITHOUT TOWING A VIRTUAL TRUCK LOAD OF ELECTRONICS!

Laser band is less common in NZ than Ka band and as far as I know, can only be used statically as opposed to on the move like a Ka microwave radar.  Once you've been hit by a laser particularly if you're not in traffic, it's likely that you're going to be a goner if you're above the legal limit as the beam width is very narrow and therefore very specific in its aim!  A laser beam won't penetrate a solid object and is also affected to some extent by tinted screens and the like so the positioning of a detector for good pick-up is more critical than with microwave radar. The good news is there are laser countermeasures, although there are a few considerations which go with them - more on that later.

Detector in waterproof case mounted on left handlebar

Hearing any warning
Most detectors have a an inbuilt speaker with volume control but even on maximum, it's largely inadequate for motorcycle use.  I started off using a small speaker attached with velcro inside my helmet and connected to the detector via a jackplug and cable.  Whilst it worked well enough, there were times when I'd accidentally disconnect the jackplug or break the lead by forgetting about it when I dismounted the bike! Bluetooth is another approach although I have no personal experience of this

Another alternative is a commercial system called H.A.R.D. which uses a helmet-mounted LED on a small stalk just within peripheral vision.  Connection to the detector is by radio frequency and when a signal is detected, the LED flashes red.  The system works well although there are two potential downsides.  The first is that it is battery-powered and it's essential that the batteries are kept charged and the unit switched off when not in use.  Secondly, a visual cue is less effective than an audible one in terms of the brain's reaction time.

I use a device called a "screamer" which is of proprietary manufacture.  It emits a scream similar in intensity to a domestic smoke alarm at the loudest setting and I'm told **grin** that it's perfectly audible at well over 200 km/hr!  It's compact, hooked directly to the detector and powered by the bike electrical system.  It's the round black object in the picture below mounted on the right of the Blackbird top yoke. (Not the heated grip control on the left).  It's mounted behind the twin headlights on the Street Triple.  It has 2 volume settings and an "off" position, all easily reached by the thumb via a switch mounted next to the left handlebar grip.  I haven't found any significant disadvantages with this system.  It's also worth adding that a friend built his own version, using the internals from a smoke detector.

 "Screamer" is black circular object to the right of the headstock

Practical experience to date

I've only been lasered once and was travelling at legal speeds so all that can be reported is that the signal was picked up at about 100 metres with no other traffic around.  However, with Ka microwave detection, the number of potential "saves" have been numerous.  The terrain has a bearing on detection distance but in flat, uncluttered countryside, my maximum known detection range was around 5km.  On twisty, hilly roads, range has been as low as 100 metres but still provided adequate warning in those conditions.  Camera vans using Ka band are usually picked up at 100-400 metres.  This is probably due to the beam being angled across the road and perhaps the strength of the signal itself.

The biggest influence on early detection is how the Ka signal emitter in the police vehicle is being used.  If the radar is left running in target acquisition mode, then it's easy to pick up a long way out and this is a relatively frequent occurrence from personal experience. I guess that members of the Highway Patrol can be as lazy or forgetful as other sections of the community.  More of a problem is when police are using the  "instant on" technique and then there's almost no warning unless you pick up the ground calibration pulse and react immediately.  Your best chance of "instant on" detection is when it is is being used on traffic further down the road and the wide microwave beam scatter and reflection off solid objects allows it to be picked up by your detector.

It's worth adding that as with most things, you get what you pay for and there are plenty of detectors on the market which perform poorly. The Escort, Bel and Valentine brands consistently score highly in independent tests (available on the 'net). I've used an Escort Passport X50 for several years.  You really do get what you pay for.

Laser countermeasures
Laser countermeasures are a bit of a minefield for two reasons.

Firstly, from the legal perspective.  Technically, they are legal in NZ as well as some other countries.  However, the understanding is that it would be possible to bring a prosecution under perverting the course of justice or a few other legal avenues.  Even so, no known prosecution has ever taken place, perhaps because they can be discreetly located and also, because not many people have them.  2019 edit:  I read about a court case in early 2019 where a UK driver was jailed for 3 weeks and incurred a massive fine and driving ban for perverting the course of justice!

Secondly, product performance.  Independent testing has shown that a number of so-called countermeasures simply don't work - a rip-off in other words.  The only two I'm aware of that have solid credentials are the Blinder and Escort jammers although there may be more.  There's no intention on my part to buy one because of the relatively low frequency of use of lasers in NZ.  Besides, detection and active jamming are rather different issues.

In summary
So there we are.... detectors are a very useful device but personal vigilance is still required.  My Escort X50 has saved me from trouble countless times, not from hyper velocities but those times when you're "a bit over" the limit.  It has certainly paid for itself many times over.  They are also a genuine aid to better riding which is only fully appreciated after you've owned one for a while.  Hope that the post has been of interest.

And one more thing......  in NZ advertisements for radar detectors, you will frequently see "Tuned for NZ conditions".  This is marketing nonsense presumably aimed at deterring you from buying from overseas often at a significantly lower price. The "tuning" is simply turning off the bands which are not used by NZ law enforcement to reduce the risk of false alerts.  This is a job you can do yourself in about 5 minutes or less by following the detector instructions, so don't be fooled!

Farkle day!

Jennie has gone to the next town on a shopping/lunch trip with one of her mates.  As I've not been presented with a list of chores, a very happy morning has been spent fitting my newly-acquired radiator guard and a quickly detachable mount for a GPS.  I mentioned in a previous post that in October, I'm competing (if that's the right word) in the annual Rusty Nuts Grand Challenge 1000 miles in under 24 hours endurance ride.  For the 5th time actually, which is probably a good mental state indicator given the world of pain that is the Grand Challenge!  Anyway, the front guard on the Triple is very short which exposes the radiator to missiles flicked up from the tyre.  A punctured radiator in the middle of the night on some crummy back-road miles from anywhere doesn't bear thinking about, so a guard seemed a sensible precaution.

After perusing the 'net, a titanium guard from Cox Racing Products in Oregon was chosen.  Beautifully made, perfect fit and weighs nothing.  Fabulous service too, only 5 days from ordering to delivery in NZ.  Took about 15 minutes to fit.

On the previous 1000-milers riding the BMW and the Blackbird, I've always used a paper map with the route marked on it but in the middle of the night when you're on some unlit goat track in the pouring rain, it's easy to miss a critical turnoff!   We've had a Garmin GPS for use overseas and in the car for 2 or 3 years so now is the time to give it a try on the bike.  We get a few hours' notice of the intended route before the ride starts so there's no problem programming it before setting off.

The hollow headstock spindle seemed a good spot for a quickly detachable mount so found a plastic rod in the workshop (I knew there was a valid reason for never throwing anything away!) and epoxied and screwed it to a car GPS cradle.  Ran a power source from the switched side of the electrical circuit and we're away! Must test it in the next few days, particularly in the dark but ergonomically, it feels fine.  The GPS doesn't have voice alerts, just visual signals and alert beeps but that should be fine.  What an excellent morning it's been!

I love Autumn weekdays

Autumn is absolutely the best time of year to ride a motorcycle on the Coromandel Peninsula where we live. The temperatures have dropped a bit meaning that wearing leathers is no longer your own personal sweat lodge!  More than that however, the number of tourists are dropping off and whilst the roads are rarely clogged, there is virtually nothing on them; especially on a weekday.  Monday chores taken care of in the morning and then it's off to play on the peninsula.  Thought I'd take you on out for a ride on our local roads so hop on board.  It's ok, I'm a careful rider, especially when there's precious cargo on the back, honestly!

Here we are in our front garden with the Triple all loaded up and waiting for me to stop stuffing about and get the riding gear on!

First stop is Kuaotunu beach, towards the east of the peninsula.  Parts of the Coromandel Peninsula and Firth of Thames is where the Bar-tailed Godwit lives.  So what you might ask?  This incredible bird begins its trek from NZ in late March to Alaska - some 11000 km in 5 or 6 days.....  almost unbelievable!  Sadly, they've all packed their bags and departed and there's just me (and you of course!) on the deserted beach contemplating the marvel of these amazing birds.

Next stop is the town of Whitianga on the east coast of the Peninsula.  Static population of around 5000 although it swells enormously in summer with tourists and holiday home owners.  I'm in two minds about this place.  Clean and tidy, good cafes and restaurants but some of the developments are unsympathetic and  make it look like a lot any other beachside development in the world.  I'm simply not sure what it's trying to be.  Guess the locals won't be giving me the keys to town anytime soon with remarks like that.  Really nice harbour and people though.

The man-made waterways above are in the process of construction and whilst nicely done, a couple of years will see the views totally blocked by developments.   Wonder how much silting will eventually occur as these are well over a kilometre inland.  This is a development that sort of grates with me.


Right, re-trace our route back to the west coast of the peninsula north of my home town of Coromandel where the coast remains pretty much undeveloped save for a few farms and forestry blocks.  Absolutely lovely and I can count the other vehicles I've seen for the last 20 or 30 kilometres on the fingers of one hand.  Twisty roads running right alongside the upper Firth of Thames - doesn't get much better than this!

More twisties and a slight scare with unmarked gravel on a bend up the coast until the tiny settlement of Colville is reached - I LOVE this place!!!  Colville and the surrounding hills have a lot of alternative lifestylers who have been around since the hippy days of the 60's.  The dense native bush no doubt hides more than a few plants of a ummmm.... more recreational nature but the people are just lovely - always happy to chat or help out in any way they can.  The store shown in the photo is run by a local commune and the range of goods is amazing, including great tubs of beans and grains that no-one has ever heard of.  Want a mantle for your ancient camping lamp?  No problem, they're bound to have one.  From Colville north, the tar seal turns into a fairly well formed dirt road which runs up the coast for another 40 km to the top of the Peninsula. The Department of Conservation has a handful of well-maintained camping areas right by the water up here.  Fabulous for families, hikers (called trampers in NZ) and fishermen wanting solitude in stunning, unspoiled, safe surroundings.

The afternoon is getting on and time to re-trace the route to Coromandel, my home town.  Coromandel has a population of around 1600 although this is considerably increased by tourists, particularly in the summer. Coromandel came to prominence in the 1800's when gold was discovered on the Peninsula.  Unlike Whitianga, Coromandel has kept its old buildings and the main street is utterly charming.

It's only a couple of kilometres to where we live down on the harbour so saddle up and head for the lookout near our house before the light fades.  The dots in the water near the island are commercial mussel beds and it's a wonderful area for fishing.  This is where Jennie and I anchor our runabout and occasionally take our kayaks for a good paddle.

Well, its been a lovely afternoon's ride with almost no traffic and in gorgeous scenery that never fails to stir the soul.  Hope that you've enjoyed the journey as much as I have!

Aftermarket suspension - value for the average rider?

For most of my riding years, I've stuck with stock suspension, and probably much of it was with tired units because as young 'un with not much money to throw about, most of the early bikes were second hand or worse.  Still, you don't know what you don't know so you ride to the best of your ability and if it wallows like a pig on corners, produces the odd tankslapper or bottoms out on savage bumps in the road; it's all part of riding a motorcycle eh?  If there was any surplus cash to throw about, it always seemed to be spent on bling, farkles - call them what you will.  OK for "pose" value but probably with little impact on performance!

Owning a Honda Blackbird was where I started to really wonder about a suspension upgrade. A fantastic bike in virtually every respect. Trouble is, some of my mates had pure sports bikes and once we got into the tight stuff with uneven surfaces, trying to stay in touch on a fast ride required so much physical work wrestling the heavy old girl through the bends that it was like doing a full aerobics workout at the same time, not to mention the odd fright from pushing the boundaries.  Raising the rear ride height to sharpen the steering helped quite a bit but by 50,000-odd km, the standard shock was definitely past its best.

It was more or less at this time when I read an article on checking sag and found that both the standard front and rear suspension had significantly greater sag than the recommended values.  This wasn't really a surprise given comments I'd seen on various Blackbird websites about the relatively budget standard suspension.  I did think about replacing the rear shock with a new standard unit but one of the American 'bird sites was organising a group buy of Penske units through Cogent Dynamics Motosport in North Carolina.  From a bit of research, it appeared that the Penske brand was pretty much on par performance-wise with Ohlins albeit less expensive; particularly with the group buy discount. The owners of Cogent, Rick and Joyce Tannenbaum; were a joy to deal with and very exacting in getting details of my weight, riding habits and road types so that they could spring and valve it to my specific needs.  Most impressed with the specification but still some reservations at this stage as to whether an average rider like me would really notice much difference in improved damping control and  a custom spring.

At least it took care of my birthday present from Jennie and she even had the grace not to ask how much it was going to cost - phew!

The 8983 Penske rear shock duly arrived what a beauty!  Rose joints top and bottom to reduce friction and alignment issues, with a remote compression damping reservoir for easy adjustment.  Also a comprehensive manual for set-up and maintenance.  All I did prior to fitting it was to increase the length by 8mm to match the ride height spacer previously used with the OEM shock and fitting took less than 2 hours.

Before heading out on the first test ride, sag was checked and it sat right in the recommended range, so the temptation to fiddle was resisted!  I know every bump and corner on my favourite racetrack (errr... sorry, favourite public highway) and the new shock was an absolute revelation.  There are bad truck ripples on one of the bends which threw the 'bird badly off line at speed with the old suspension and with the new rear shock, it just about completely evened them out with the superior damping - incredible!  What this also meant was that corner entry and exit speeds could be higher with no greater effort and with better levels of control.  Similar advantages were apparent on straight roads with poor surfaces - bumps and other annoyances were hardly noticeable.

However, the downside of having a top drawer rear shock was that it exposed the stock Blackbird front end for what it was - grossly under-sprung and probably under-damped. Wasn't game to push my luck with my Chief Financial Manager for a full rebuild so settled for some longer, heavier rate springs and shorter spacers from the UK. A piece of cake to install and what a difference!  No excessive diving or bottoming out under hard braking or road shocks being transmitted through the bars over rough surfaces.  As well as having precision steering, I was now less fatigued on journeys - an additional safety bonus!

So would I recommend a suspension upgrade for an average rider?  The answer is unequivocally YES and buy it well before bling like aftermarket mufflers and so on - you'll be faster where it counts anyway!  I'm probably a slow learner and you'll be rolling your eyes and saying that I'm stating the bleeding obvious, but it really was a revelation with respect to just how big the difference was despite having ridden bikes for so long.

I think that my Street Triple will also benefit from having better damping.  Although the handling is superb, its light weight means that it tends to dance about a bit at speed on uneven surfaces, albeit not in a really unsettling way.  However, as it's only 7 months old, there might be a Disturbance in the Force if the matter is raised in the immediate future!

Oh yes, and a final benefit if you're of a mind to approach your infinitely Better Half for permission to spend money on a suspension upgrade....  I reckon that conservatively, tyre life on the Blackbird increased by at least 2000 km due to lower stresses.  In other words, the tyres weren't trying to compensate for inadequate suspension any longer.  So there you are - go and discuss the saving on tyres with a straight face and (almost) clear conscience!