Accelerated Rider Training - Motorbike Training on the Northshore

12/09/2022

22/02/2018

https://www.facebook.com/david.horner.1232/posts/10157217964778345

Journalist David Fuller made the first full documentary about Jordan Peterson, and also used to work at Channel 4 News as producer and reporter for over a de...

18/04/2016

Quick poll.... if you were going to hire a bike for the weekend, or longer, say a week, to explore a bit of NZ, what would it be?

If you had the choice of say...

Klr650 / v strom 650 / dr650 / Bmw f650 dual purpose

or

Triumph speed triple 675-1000, zx10, vtr1000, Ducati 996 or similar, Ducati monster

Or

Kawasaki zx14 , bmw1200, etc fast tourer

Or cruiser ...?

17/03/2016

ouch...trademe is expensive...
if you know anyone who wants a cheap big bike...

Well cared for, used daily, including today, as I'm a bike instructor, bought with 35,000 kms on it, now racked up some more kms but nothing this solid, grunty ...

17/03/2016

and here's another bike that I need to find a new home for... not quite finished yet (as evidenced by the brown tape and cable tie holding most of the wiring loom on..) but runs well and I'm looking forward to tidying up. Once I've got the shape of the rear end correct I think it will look pretty good..

17/03/2016

Got your full licence, want a cheap reliable powerful but easy to ride bike? my trusty 2004 Suzuki. bandit 1200 is up for sale. Used daily, bought it at 35,000 kms, now done + another 60,000 kms in just over a year so time to find a new owner.

Has had new whatever it needed when it needed it. Oil changes, wheel bearings, brakes, chain, sprockets, recent new wet weather tyres, intercoms/radio not included, givi box and rack can by thrown in for +$200. Looking for $3250 or thereabouts..make an offer, need it gone now as have too many bikes and not enough room in new house..

10/12/2015

Who wants to do a silver ride forever course with me this Sunday?

Got 2 places left -$50 for several hours of training and fine tuning. ACC subsidised. Good for test prep and general revision / riding in a group practice.

Let me know if interested...

28/11/2015

17/11/2015

One of the guys at my flying school drives this. Absolutely stunning car. Beautiful, even stood still

Drooled for a while, then got into my 250,000 km diesel Land Rover..
Great flying today in strong crosswinds, near full control deflection needed just to stay aligned with runway wahooo great fun :-)

10/11/2015

So I used the tour to test out a Sena SMH10R Bluetooth intercom ( retail $670) connecting to my iPhone 6 which I had mounted on the handlebars via a Givi phone holder ( retail $70).

I normally use UHF radios for training rides, with good results. For this trip I had different requirements though.

I didn't need to talk to students; I simply wanted to follow directions if needed, or change my route while on the move, if we encountered road works or slow traffic.

I also wondered if it would be helpful to be able to take calls while on the road, given I would be travelling for several days.

Previously I've had mixed feelings about being distracted by devices - I don't, for example, listen to music while riding after a near miss with a piece of Scottish granite mountainside many many years ago when aged 18 and onboard a heavily loaded up Kawasaki zx10 ( yes the FIRST version !). I was listening to and getting carried away with some Iron Maiden and failed to notice some gravel in the road while cranked over at "making good progress" speed in a fairly interesting right hander..

And now, after the trip, I still have mixed feelings.

Summary of initial +/- points:

my phone lasted most of the day ( needs a usb power connection really though - how do I make that watertight? ) while the intercom batteries were still fine after 12 hours. I wasn't talking or making calls though - just had navigation on in the background at times. The intercom is easy to use and connected to my phone automatically after the first setup. No hassle at all.

I did briefly answer one call at 80kmh and the person could hear me fine. I didn't like the distraction though.

Worse though was the fact I had to remove my glove to operate the phone through the screen of the Givi holder.

And more annoyingly, on a warm day in the sun, the phone got so hot in the case that it switched off and needed placing in with the Magnum ice cream in the local dairy freezer for a short while..

The intercom sits on the outside of the helmet and at low speeds there is little wind noise. Maybe it was where I had placed it, but I found at 100km/h + there was considerable wind noise on that side, but better with an ear plug in. I needed to hear directions with the other ear through the helmet mounted speakers, so only used one ear plug.

It is worth the $700+ investment? Not sure, for a trip like this. I like to
mix things up if necessary and generally carry a rough idea of a route in my head. And I don't generally want to call people when riding, or receive calls. I'm trying to get away from all that!

I will probably use it for advanced rider training though, when I need good 2 way Comms with a rider I am training. Although that means fitting the 2nd unit to their helmet too.

08/11/2015

About half way around, below Paihia