Thursday 15 November 2012

Road Safety, Motorcyclists and IDIOT car drivers.

Just emailed this off to the Qld Road Saftey section of the Transport Dept....

"Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm a returning motorcycle rider aged 52. I come back to riding in March this year after an 18 year period raising my daughter on my own.

As such I was very much aware of the dangers with the massive increase in road traffic, so I took my time to get my 'riding-legs', insured I did some emergency braking practice in wet and dry conditions, and put in the effort to keep a high focus on the vehicle movements around me while on the road.

But, all my efforts are almost in vain it would seem. Riders have a joke they like to share amongst themselves.. "Remember everyone else on the road is out to kill you!"

Sadly, this is very true in Queensland. In the 8 months that I have been riding again I have had over half a dozen instances of car/truck drivers doing things that endangered my life, causing me to take evasive manouvres in order to survive.

A few have been young Red P Platers not giving way at roundabouts, two were Police doing the same thing, two have been people braking very hard so as not to miss their highway turnoff, one was a person at a cross junction pulling into the furtherest lane on me and the rest have been idiots changing lanes on me with no indicators.

My bike is brightly painted with lots and lots of chrome, the exhaust has been opened up to a safer sound level and the headlight is constantly on.. so there is no excuse about not seeing me.

This is NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!

Please, Please, Please place Motorcycle Aware advertising on Television and in the Print Media in order to educate car drivers about Motorcycles sharing the roads with them in the hope that these IDIOTS might actually learn to drive safely. And so that I may LIVE beyond the next 8 months
."

Probably some wheezer desk jockey will read the email and have a good giggle before deleting it.

Monday 12 November 2012

Awww Crap!! So much for a holiday!!

Grrrrrrr bhgffffuuuccchhhhwwllkdnuerst!!

Over 20 years since I last had a real holiday and with it all planned out, routes now mapped into the GPS, just enough dollars sorted and everyone informed... I have to cancel it.

Damn and blast... I was so looking forward to having a real time-out.. time in the wind riding interstate with no worries about anything.

Now I have to replace the rear tyre on the bike before I can go anywhere.. so there goes three quarters of my dollars for the road trip. Bloody cops.. couldn't just let it go since it's only almost bald right in the centre and has a shitload of tread left everywhere else.

Grrrr... not a happy Oldie at the moment.

Friday 9 November 2012

Road Trip !!!

About bloody time with my Gap Year flying past way too fast for my liking. Started the GY in March and these past 8 months I've hardly ridden anywhere and done next to nothing.. so now that is about to change.

Two weeks, about 3,000km, lots of fuel and food, a sore butt, getting lost around Sydney.. yep.. sounds like a great adventure to me.

Can't wait to see what has changed in almost 40 years since I was last down that way. I expect traffic and housing to have multiplied by some gigantic factor, roads going everywhere and little signage to show me the way before I hit the place to turn, so much going on that it will be hard to focus purely on going where I want to go.. and all on a super-tight budget.

I prefer to camp out at night, so will be looking for rivers and camping areas nearby, maybe roadside caravan and camping parks for the facilities.. hot showers, phone recharging and a camp site far enough away from everyone else that my snoring disturbs no one. lol

The highlight I am looking forward to will be in the last week where I get to ride out to Bathurst, do a slow lap or three and visit the Motor Racing Museum near The Chase. Haven't been to Bathurst since the mid 70's and the Easter Bike Races that were on each year until the COPS screwed it up for everyone with their heavy-handed tactics.. the BASTARDS!!

But, I digress.

Will be heading into Canberra for a couple of days, have a good look around there too as I was last there in 1977.. so do expect to see a lot of change.. except those bloody big roundabouts will still be there.

For preparations i've only put a set of highway pegs on the bike, ordered some pullback risers for the handlebars that should be here next week from the States.. and a tent coming next week. Will be able to load up the bike and sit on her like she is a big armchair.. soooo comfy.

I figure one saddle-bag will be my food fridge, the other will carry a couple of days worth of clothing.. extra jackets and stuff for if it rains or gets colder. Spare full face helmet on the sissy bar and everything else tied on to the two small luggage racks.. woohoo.. did I yell ROADTRIP yet ?

Can you tell I'm getting excited about now ? I can. It's been far too many years since I rode a bike interstate on a roadtrip.

The days of easy rider are not over !!