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Message started by jcstokes on 09/29/15 at 23:47:13

Title: Five years, and a friend
Post by jcstokes on 09/29/15 at 23:47:13

Slightly over five years ago I developed an "affair" with a brand new Suzuki S40. Today I celebrated five years of "marriage", I left it in the garage. Like all good relationships I failed in my "marriage" , I had hoped to have logged 50000 kms or 31069 miles in that time, but I failed and only achieved 49000 kms or 30464 miles. Virtually all happy miles, because of a wet winter here I hadn't used the bike, and a fine sunny day was a reason to push her over 49000 kms. My friends were with me.
I have remarked on this forum, that you have three friends in motorcycling, your two mirrors , and the big gap in front of you. I set off from home and followed a SUV. We both turned left at a stop sign, travelled down the road and merged right into the beginning of a slip lane to turn right into a minor road. I had good visibility, there was nothing in front of the SUV, then he stopped, indicator on, all legally correct to go to a pie shop on the other side of the road. Foork, the front brake did what little it could, the rear brake locked up and the bike began to fish tail, the SUV loomed closer, and the rear brake locked up and fish tailed again. Fortunately I had kept the reasonable, if not big gap. If it had been wet, I would have been down. After quarter of an hour or so ,I'd calmed down enough to enjoy the rest of the ride and get my 49000 plus km. About three and a bit years from now, I might get one of Sewrobot's 50000 mile awards.

Title: Re: Five years, and a friend
Post by Dave on 09/30/15 at 02:59:00

Glad to hear your riding style kept you from becoming an SUV DOA!

I am amazed how often we need to be making immediate riding adjustments on the fly. Last Sunday I was riding on one of the popular curvy roads around here.....and on one corner a group of 4 "Assphalt Junkies" came around the corner and the lead rider was riding above his ability and was in my lane - so I had to move over to the far side of my lane to give him room. On another weekend a minivan was pulling into a driveway on the left and as I watched them to make sure they continued off the road.....their little dogs came running across the street in front of me to welcome them home. And on just about any nice day somebody is mowing their grass and blowing the wet grass clippings out onto the road in the middle of a sharp blind corner!

It is a jungle out there.....be careful!

Title: Re: Five years, and a friend
Post by engineer on 09/30/15 at 07:30:14

That's a lot of miles on your bike. Did you do any special maintenance during that time?

Title: Re: Five years, and a friend
Post by jcstokes on 09/30/15 at 11:38:51

No Engineer I've never done any special maintenance, although this will get me thrown out, the maintenance is done be the much maligned "stealership" and I'm happy enough to pay them. The only time the bike has let me down, was when the battery died, right in front of the "stealership". The bike isn't ridden that gently either. My criticisms would be poor quality chrome and the coating on the aluminium.

Title: Re: Five years, and a friend
Post by Sonny on 10/05/15 at 15:40:58

Hey, JC, I just looked at the Google satellite map of Dairy Flat, NZ. That sure looks like nice country, with good riding roads, forests, seacoasts and close enough to Auckland to access the city amenities and services and the seaport. At least glancing down from space, it looks like you have it good. Better than the steaming car pile of the DFW metroplex, I guarantee you that. ;)

Title: Re: Five years, and a friend
Post by jcstokes on 10/05/15 at 22:35:20

Sonny, Dairy Flat has both good and bad points, I've lived there over half my life and the vast bulk of my adult life. Yes, there are very good motorcycling and vintage car roads, the climate would be temperate by some American standards but it can get very wet and as the soil is poor draining it becomes a quagmire in the winter. It is handy to Auckland, the major city here by road, but our lame excuses for motorways get pretty clogged in peak hours. The clogging will only extend for about five miles, but it's a nuisance none the less. There is better land in the adjoining suburb of Coatesville, but it's dearer. Yes there are many beautiful beaches and the big deal in Auckland is boating/yachting, although these things aren't high on my list. The forests for the most part are quick growing pines. The native timber was milled out by the mid twentieth century if not earlier. This excludes an area known as the Waitakere Range which has a lot of native forest protected. If you want to get real accurate Google map 273 Postman Rd Dairy flat.