Motorcycle Paradise

2012

2012-01-11T19:14:00.001+10:00

Revised Jan 23. Just realised I had not posted anything for a month. I guess between my laptop packing it in and holiday season the time just got away. I have been doing some travel as well as changing work so busy times. Todays desktop on my new laptop is an inspiration. This is the Troll Road in Norway which I was at the base of a long time ago but unable to ascend as the waterfall you see

More New Zealand motorcycle tour

2012-01-10T19:51:00.001+10:00

I have finally had some time to edit all the video footage I was provided of the New Zealand ride I completed last November, but it is no Spielberg. This was shot with a GoPro HD camera and all these action cams use a wide angle lens which when mounted high on a helmet of a rider has the unfortunate effect of slowing down movement yet remains not wide enough to capture all the scenery the rider

Review Held RainStar gloves

2011-12-09T21:29:00.001+10:00

Back online after having to replace my laptop. Only so much I can do on an iPad so glad to have a proper computer again. At the risk of sounding like a Held Gloves fanboy – the Held RainStar gloves are truly the best gloves I have ever used and exceeded my expectations by a large margin. I have gone through a number of gloves, more than most people because I have that dermatitis issue. I need

Motorcycle touring New Zealand

2011-11-20T16:10:00.001+10:00

New Zealand is a wonderful place to ride a motorcycle. I just had a week and a half riding the south island and apart from some mixed weather at first I have to say it was some of the best riding I have ever experienced. I flew into Christchurch to meet a mate who was joining me on this ride and wow that city is really in bad shape from the earthquake. The TV cameras have long gone but the damage

New Zealand motorcycle tour preview

2011-11-02T18:25:00.001+10:00

I am packing my motorcycle riding gear in preparation for riding New Zealand. I start holidays this weekend and am r-e-a-l-l-y looking forward to my break from work I have not posting anything the last few weeks, the ‘ol hands have been playing up and I am back on medication. I am forced to really rethink my USA ride and plan an alternative shorter route for North America next year, maybe a

Motorcycle tour North America planning update number 2.

2011-10-16T19:12:00.001+10:00

I am still planning my route at the moment and have been doing some non internet research with the arrival of two books I ordered from Amazon. The Ride Guide to America volumes one and two are not near as comprehensive as the ‘best motorcycle roads’ type sites on the net however they still make for some excellent reading. I have my route going west more or less sorted now however these books

The Now

2011-10-09T18:39:00.001+10:00

I slept in a bit and after hesitating decided to quickly get ready and try for a ride. I had no real plan and just rode south. Almost immediately I had a woman in a Golf GTI merge into my lane despite sounding my horns (CB has two) from the second I noticed her moving over. So much for my thoughts that a sports exhaust might make people more aware of you. I guess I was not in a happy place

First Gear Scout Jacket review (and some long term updates)

2011-10-02T18:56:00.001+10:00

I was going to get out for a ride today but just did not feel up to it. First of all I want to post an update on two items. Dainese Guanto X-ILE gloves. Following on from my previous review all I can say is - very disappointed in these. The way the fingers are stitched means they end up being uncomfortable after 1/2 a day as the seam rubs against the area between your fingers. Look great but

In the groove

2011-09-24T18:39:00.001+10:00

Seems every week recently is mostly fine except Sunday which is forecast chance of rain or occasional showers. So I shifted gear and went for a Saturday ride. Wasn’t the best of weeks for me so a good ride was needed. I decided to do the tried and proven loop to Kyogle riding down via Mt Lindsey and the Summerland Way and returning via UKi and Currumbin valley. There are two perfect radius

North America tour planning update no.1

2011-09-14T22:38:00.001+10:00

I have been planning my 2012 tour when time permits and finished a draft outbound/first half route. I have been thinking about this ride and other major tours for at least 12 months before deciding to bring it forward to next year for reasons mentioned in my first post on this topic. During that time I decided on a rough route for a extensive tour of either North America or Europe. It came

Scattered showers

2011-09-04T17:45:00.001+10:00

That was the forecast and when I woke to blue sky I thought they had predicted the worst case as usual. This time however it was true and by 8.30 refueling at Mudgerraba you could see the rain blowing in from the sea to the south. When my friend from Ballina way arrived he had ridden through some of those scattered showers and so I decided to ride up Springbrook and try Numinbah Valley. They

North America by motorcycle

2011-08-21T13:27:00.001+10:00

I have been sitting on this one awhile but now have made a commitment – I am shipping my motorcycle to the USA next year and touring North America for 10 weeks. I have a real world wish list of motorcycle tours I want to complete and while the full list has a dozen locations that I have been refining for sometime the two big at the top have have always been the alps of Europe and North West

Spring may have sprung

2011-08-07T22:49:00.005+10:00

Looked like it would be a fine day when I woke early this morning, the clouds were already breaking up so I decided I should go for a ride and perhaps think some things over. Traveling south I ‘flat slabbed it’ as the Americans put it to Currumbin where I refueled and along the way came up with a new variation on some of my favourite roads. First I rode over the Currumbin border range. The air

Gympie ride

2011-07-31T18:54:00.010+10:00

Today I was determined to make up for last Sunday when I had planned to ride before drinking too much the night before. And so I headed north to Gympie. The forecast was for occasional showers in the Sunshine Coast district however one look this morning and I made up my mind it was going to be a perfect day so I loaded up the camera rather than my rain gear. It was not real cold but not exactly

Local Ride

2011-07-17T16:56:00.004+10:00

Weather improved today so I decided to do a small ride after lunch. Local ride Share your motorbike routes @ MotoWhere.com After a slow traffic light crawl out of the city I rode via Bunya Road and Clear Mountain Road which were mostly free of cars. The clouds looked rather dark and heavy and I was wondering if I had made a bad call. After Win road I rode back to Samford and up the road

Common Sense

2011-07-05T17:55:00.002+10:00

I went for a ride Sunday, not far from home guy pulls up beside me and asks where is my number plate? Sure enough the plate was gone so I just turned about and went back home. Mystery as to how it came off as both bolts still in place and bike has been in secure lockup since last ride My only rational thought is the bolt heads are small and the tin plate very thin so maybe by a fluke one head

Winter riding

2011-06-19T19:18:00.001+10:00

I hit the road early today and despite being one of the coldest weekends this year I was not cold at all having learned a few tricks to ensure I keep warm. Starting at the base layer I wear a thermal shirt rather than a regular t-shirt. I use merino ones which are pricey here but not too bad if you buy from New Zealand and much better than the regular polyester ones. Besides holding the body

Just saying

2011-06-17T22:21:00.001+10:00

I have started to wonder if there is some real safety value in a sports exhaust system on a motorcycle in an urban environment. Before the CB1100 I had a Buell with standard muffler, which I liked very much, but I had a number of occasions where cars beside me on the M1 motorway moved over into my lane until I sounded my horn and they noticed I was there. I cannot recall that happening on my

Go your own way

2011-06-05T23:18:00.001+10:00

Yesterday was a beautiful winters day with no clouds and a mild temperature. And so I rose early today hopeful of the same however the day was gray and gloomy. Never mind I am awake now so off for a small ride. Riding south I turned off and went to Mt Tamborine via Logan village. Very cold riding next to the Logan river just after 7.00am, I should have gone in my full winter gear however

Lockyer Valley ride

2011-05-29T18:49:00.001+10:00

Despite the forecast of showers I rose early and they were all sitting off shore so I decided to try a ride to the west. One thing about Brisbane is you have good riding to the South, North and West. Too bad about that Pacific ocean to the East or we might have even more I elected to take my winter outfit which is also waterproof and of course this ensured that I had dry riding all day. Good

Shark RSR2 Carbon helmet review

2011-05-27T21:49:00.001+10:00

Updated 25.06.2011 Yes I ended up buying one of these from BikeBiz, half price seemed too good a deal. So now I seemingly have 3 helmets however none are without problems. I retired my old Shark RSR1 to back up duty after the fall in Japan. The Nolan N43 is a great summer helmet, it flows so much air, but it is not so good in winter. Additionally the Nolan has developed a pressure point

Crampbuster Vs Throttle Rocker

2011-05-14T15:44:00.002+10:00

Updated 23.05.2011 I own both of these and now having tried both to ease cramp on long rides I want to share my findings. Both are small devices that affix to the throttle grip to allow you to hold the throttle open by your palm so you can release your grip around the throttle and stretch your fingers for a bit. Both when installed need to be angled slightly higher than horizontal due to the

Gold Coast ride

2011-05-02T20:40:00.002+10:00

Near perfect riding weather yesterday and today, last day off so I went for a small ride.I didn’t feel like doing many miles, just wanted to get out so headed off to a couple of my old favorites. Starting from Mudgeeraba I rode up Springbrook mountain and took in some views. I have not been there for some time as I always ride south over Currumbin which is mostly car free early on and was not

Easter 2011 Ride

2011-04-26T23:57:00.001+10:00

Easter 2011 was already a 5 day weekend due to ANZAC day falling at the same time. Now the following weekend is also a public holiday so it was no surprise that many people, myself included opted to take the days in between off to form a week + off work. I had been toying with going to ride the Oxley highway again this year and then in the days leading up to the break saw the weather down

Motorcycle Roller Stand

2011-04-16T17:04:00.001+10:00

A down side to my new exhaust system was they were unable to find a way to keep the centre stand. I probably would never have looked at one of these roller stands if I had not enjoyed the centre stand on the CB so much when cleaning the rear wheel and lubing the chain. I do still own a race stand which has been on loan to my mate for the last couple of years. Not so easy to operate those things