[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Coast 2 Coast St. John Charity Ride Kariotahi Beach to Whitianga #9308

Not to confuse you, but to avoid looking like a complete idiot (some people don't know me, so I've got to keep up appearances.)

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: FIT ADDITIONAL HEADLIGHTS AND BE SEEN? #9083

Interesting comment on not covering the handbrake. I have a habit of doing that. However, from what I read, the concern is of overreacting and squeezing the lever too hard initially, which would cause the wheel to lock up. I guess this could be fixed by practicing emergency braking. The time it takes to reach the lever is lost time, in my opinion. People with ABS would not have to worry about this anyway. Since my tyres are pretty much stuffed at the moment, I haven't been shy with emergency braking practice. The front knobbly is easily locked up, and I 've had to let go and reapply the brakes once in a while. With a steady squeeze you can keep the front just turning, with out locking it up. In an emergency this may not work as advertised. What has worked for me is to keep my distance, keep an eye out for trouble and the other one for a way out. I am sure I would have rear-ended vehicles in the past, had I relied on braking alone, without taking evasive action.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Coast 2 Coast St. John Charity Ride Kariotahi Beach to Whitianga #9305

Naah, you wouldn't do that, would you? I didn't realize people would be reading this stuff.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: F800GS test #9296

I suppose the lack of oomph low down could be fixed with a different sprocket. Top speed is pretty much irrelevant in NZ. I could live with a 160km/h top speed in return for torque and acceleration. The F800GS looks very much like a 1200, on at a second glance do I notice the missing cylinder and the under seat tank.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Pictures from the Northern Motorway extension #9289

The bridge seen below is a single lane bridge that was build to connect privately owned land that would otherwise have been separated. What's interesting about it is that it was constructed on the surface of the land, on temporary supports. Later the soil beneath it was excavated and the temporary supports removed. Of course the support was not removed until the actual steel support had been installed.This stump remains from the temporary support.Support foundationsThe space beneath the bridge still has to be excavated another 12m to bring it down to road leve.Stay away from these guysThe digger shown below also get's his instruction via computers and GPS.My hostanother enginee... ahem a vistor 😉On to the next bridgewith a good view to Hatfields Beachbelow you can see the replanting that is being doneHere we are looking at the segments..that make this bridgethat leads into this tunnelThis hole needs to be filled to bring it up to bridge level. It will only take 6 weeks or so, but you need the big toys for the job. Trust me, this is not a Tonka truck.I hope you've enjoyed your tour around the building site. I hope I got most things right. I forgot to mention that there will be a tool booth that will photograph your license plate as you drive past, so that you can be invoiced automatically. I am sure this method will eventually catch on with other government departments. Well, it was/is a costly project and no slugs were harmed and very few twigs were snapped during the construction, your tax dollar made sure of that. Actually, I fully support this attitude towards construction if it is truly warranted. Let's hope it was. Thanks for the tour Dave.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: F650 Supermotard at Paeroa #9287

I am glad it did well, because it certainly is ugly. What's the purpose of the solid wheels?

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: South Island Weekend #9285

Oh, that Emma  :-o.Excellent photos, the cars fit nicely into this environment. How did they cope with the steeper downhill sections of the road? The brakes must have been running hot.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Kawhia #9278

I did the Kawhia to Raglan gravel route as well on the way home. Do you know why the detour is in place along Te Papatapu Rd instead of the normal Kawhia Rd route past the Bridal Veil falls? There was no sign with any explanation. At least none that I could see.On the other hand, it's quite obvious why Kawhia Harbour Rd at Waiharakeke is closed. The guy from Inglewood actually rode over that bridge to get to Kawhia.

There seems to be a kink in the middle of the bridge, I can see how this would slow traffic 🙂 Did he really ride across? The Kawhia harbour road is closed due to a land slip. If you are heading towards Raglan it's only a few hundred meters past the turn off. It is possible to get around it, but only if you cross farmland and are prepared to ford a small  stream. I would not attempt it alone. I have no idea why they are not repairing it, there must be ab underlying reason.It was good to see you again at Kawhia.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Touratech #9244

no VAT they took it off the purchase price

It's called Mehrwertssteuer and it's at 19%, so it's well worth it. But I am sure you've declared the actual value and have paid GST over here. Still a 6.5% saving is not to be sneezed at.  😀

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Touratech #9242

i just ordered a heap of stuff from ze motherand yesterday and shal post once it arrives

vat did you get?

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: help please – rear seat of 1150gs will not unlock #9177

Thanks Malcolm  😀

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: help please – rear seat of 1150gs will not unlock #9175

That's a good point, I did feel a bit guilty about riding off the track at times. I have have often seen tracks on hillsides that looked to be ancient. Any scars on the land seem to take forever to heal. At the end we did not have a choice and had to carry on. None of us had expected the track to be as it was. I guess the 4x4 crowd would have to take most of the blame. There were several areas where they had created alternative tracks, with lots of parallel ruts. I suppose most people who ride up there do so on more capable machinery, with less resulting impact on the environment.  I am a strong believer in reducing one's footprint to a minimum, but I  still like to ride a GS over a 250.Alex

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: help please – rear seat of 1150gs will not unlock #9173

Pwhen there seems to be good dry solid ground right next to the bike 😕 

You are right Malcolm it only seems that way. Maybe not on the first mud hole, we may have just walloped into it for fun, but the others were mud in a 50+ metre radius. There were quite a number of them. We did not photograph every event.Cheers,Alex

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Abandoned weatherboard buildings -Post them here- #5237

Try again in 90 years, but make sure you have some cattle grazing around it. Don't be tempted to paint it or even lock it up. I am sure the committee will view the application in a favourable light.  😀

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Wespac Rescue Helicopter Charity Ride Feb.24 #9230

Oh no, I should have put that on ages ago. Thanks for doing it. Plus, I am not sure you can actually add to the Calendar section.Cheers,Alex

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