Big Motorcycle Accidents - many of us have had one, none of us want to have another and a lot of them leave us thinking “how in hell did I survive THAT?” Mine was in 1982 - I was young, had a powerful motorcycle (by 1982 standards) and was at the tail end of a bottle of tequila when someone said he knew where there was a party and Nurses Would Be There. Of course the obvious happened, and soon after that I was in an ambulance heading for intensive care (where there were lots of nurses). I had a fractured skull, broken bones and a lot less blood than when I started out.

The beautiful nurses (is there another sort?) patched me up and a couple of months later I was out of hospital wondering how in hell I was going to rebuild my very broken motorcycle. While in hospital I received a lot of blood, and ever since then I have been a keen blood donor, donating pretty much as often as I can. The guys at NZ Blood Services are always in need of donors, and are incredibly grateful for any donations they get.

Because us bikers are all kind, decent folk, I thought it might be a good thing to go and do some group bleeding, and when I suggested it the NZBS guys were stoked and will set up a Monday night for us. They’ll organise a sausage sizzle in their donor rooms so we have something to eat, and swap our blood for a couple of chokkie bikkies and a cup of tea (sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me). It will happen in a couple of months, and then my thoughts were to either go for a beer afterwards or a short ride (probably both). They need to know numbers, so can you please email me back if you’re interested. No commitment, just so I can come back to them with an approximate number.

Thunderbirds are Go! I am told by the guys at Triumph that the Thunderbird has been awarded the title of ‘Cruiser of the Year’ by influential American motorcycle magazine Cycle World. Triumph has won at least one category in Cycle World’s ‘Ten Best Bikes’ issue every year for the last five years and full details of the 2009 awards will be found in the August edition of the magazine. We’re still expecting them at the end of August and we will have a demo bike.

Daytona – best sports bike in the world. The Daytona 675 has lifted the prestigious Supertest ‘King of Supersports’ award for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. Putting it into context, no other manufacturer has won the award even twice in a row.
The event, a collaboration between some of the world’s leading motorcycle publications, saw the magazines send their fastest testers to the Almeria circuit in Spain for a back-to-back comparison of the latest sportsbikes on standard tyres. Once again, the three-cylinder Triumph proved quicker than the Japanese machines to remain undefeated in the competition, having won first prize every year since the bike’s introduction in 2006.
Further confirmation of the updated-for-2009 Daytona 675’s superiority came from British weekly newspaper Motorcycle News, which not only declared the Daytona 675 as the best supersport class bike, but the best sports machine of any capacity on the market. In a demanding 2,000 mile comparison test on the iconic Isle of Man TT course, the Triumph was judged superior to the latest 1,000cc offerings from Aprilia, KTM and Yamaha, which MCN had deemed the best in their respective classes.
Commenting on its champion, MCN’s editorial said: “The Triumph Daytona charmed us with its mix of real-world ability, brilliant chassis, characterful engine and slick looks. The Triumph is the bike our testers would actually buy. In that regard it’s a deserving victor and so takes the title of MCN sports bike of the year.”

Mods and Rockers. On the 22nd of August we’re having our first ever Mods and Rockers run, and the interest is huge, and the scooter fraternity are really excited, which is good and bad. It’s good because the more the merrier and it’s bad because one of the criteria we will use to determine whether mods or rockers are superior is how many people are in each class, so get your bikes out, spread the word and let’s have every classic Brit bike and retro classic new bike we can.
That’s pretty much it for this week – as usual, if you want to be taken off my mailing list reply with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject header. Have a good weekend and I’ll see you on the road.

On Thunderbirds, Mods and Rockers

Many of you will be familiar with one of my favourite watering holes, The Twisted Hop. It serves outstanding beer, good food and has a garden bar where I can park The Beloved and admire her over a cold pint, and across the alley is The Vespa Room. It dawned on me the other day that having a pub selling traditional English beer across from one with a Vespa theme just lent itself to motorcycling madness, or more specifically a Mods and Rockers run.
So in August we’ll be running the first Mods and Rockers run entitled “Winter Rumble 2009”. I’ve invited every scooter club I can find to join in, and we’ll be leaving from Street and Sport at 2.30 on Saturday 22 August and riding to New Brighton for a (non-violent) rumble to decide whether Mods or Rockers are superior. The tests will include a tug of war, a quiz, turnout numbers etc, and the winning faction will lead their vanquished foes on a ride back to Christchurch to Poplar lane, home of The Twisted Hop and The Vespa Room. Once there the good landlords of the aforementioned hostelries have promised to throw open their doors, wind up their beer taps and fire up their BBQs, all the while enjoying music and entertainment. And I have arranged secure and enclosed overnight storage for bikes and scooters, so we can enjoy the hospitality without worrying about drinking and riding.
Now comes the catch. The party is open to everyone, but the run is only open to classic (modern Bonnies, Thruxtons and Thunderbirds) and genuine period bikes (Nortons, Triumphs etc) and vintage and classic styled scooters. There will be prizes, including best dressed, best bike and best scooter. To find out more check out our website.
Thunderbirds. The arrival date of late August is fast approaching, and the buzz about the new T Birds is building. Triumph have released four You Tube videos of the bikes being built:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH6UbZ_j1fo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juZSUL2SllI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StvQZzioVkE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSEaT6sl2ao
They’re well worth a look, especially when you watch this video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-ABelgFdjA as a comparison.
New stock and demonstrators
We have a brand new Speedmaster in black, and there are a couple of people interested in it already so if you’re interested in one of these stunning bikes I suggest you call in and have a look quickly. We also have a brand new Bonneville A1 in black as a demonstrator which is available for test rides right now, and finally we have just taken delivery of a late 90s Thunderbird triple with 13,000 ks and in absolutely immaculate condition. It still has the sticker on the tank telling you how to run it in! Price is to be confirmed so give me a call or call in if you are interested in one of these bikes.

On not hitting trees, Greymouth 2009 and missing out on a RAT run

Greetings, a few years ago I took up mountain biking, and like most new mountain bikers I found myself blasting (or more accurately gasping) around Bottle Lake. Now for those of you who don’t know the area, Bottle Lake is a forest which means lots of trees, and the track often passes between said trees. Being a careful rider I’d keep my eye on the trees I was riding between to make sure I didn’t hit them, and most of the time I did just that – hit them.

After a while the novelty of hitting trees wore thin, so I slowed down, which was good because I hit the trees at a slower speed and bad because I still hit them. Then it dawned on me – target fixation. Instead of looking at the tree, I looked at the area of track between the trees, and as if by magic I stopped hitting trees and fell off in completely different places. Which is why I don’t ride a mountain bike any more.

Target fixation describes the phenomenon of going where you’re looking and on a motorcycle (or pushbike) can work for or against you. If you look at this You Tube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZFpIpaFMlc, you will see that the first rider was obviously worried about going over the bank so instead of watching the corner looked at the bank. Which he then rode down while his mate, who was busy watching him head into the ditch, damn near followed him.

If you look at a racer taking a corner you’ll see that they’re usually almost looking over their shoulder around the corner they’re taking. What they’re doing is looking at the exact piece of track where they want to be because the way bikes work means that is exactly where they will be.

On the road the same applies – set your line through the corner, look where you want to go through the corner and where you want to exit, and that’s where you’ll go.

However on the road you need to add an extra facet – intentionally don’t look where you don’t want to be. That may sound like gobbledygook, but if you see a pothole, a possum or a tourist in a campervan in the middle of your lane, ignore them and look at the piece of road beside them (unless you want to take some time off work on ACC) because if you look at the possum/campervan/pothole etc, you will almost certainly ride into it. The same applies to the white line in the centre of the road when you’re in a right hand turn. Focus your eyes on the road at least a metre to the left of the white line, not the white line because if your wheels are on the white line and you’re leaning to the right, your head is in the opposing lane which could have you head butting an SUV. Potentially very ugly.

On a different subject, somewhere I’m definitely looking at being is* Greymouth this Labour Weekend for the 2009 Street Races *and I’ve booked enough beds at the Breeze Motel for up to 22 people (including seperate rooms for up to 5 couples). Accomodation works out to around $50 - $60 a night and the Breeze is a great motel and one of the closest to the track (and the pubs). Call/email me as soon as you can to book your place.

And thanks to those who came on the *RAT run last Sunday *- it was a great ride, the traffic was light and we had no rain. In the last 18 months I think we’ve only had 1 ride where it rained for more than a few kms. I've had a couple of people say "I don't want to come on a RAT run because I'm too slow, which is an understandable concern because many of us are experienced riders on fast bikes, only thing is we don't ride all that fast. The open road speed limit is 100 kmh, and because I love having a license; that's the speed I tend to ride at (or close to it). Some people like to go on ahead, and often come the windy bits some people will give their bikes a bit of wrist, but most of the time we travel at a pretty leisurely speed. And it doesn't matter what you ride either - we often have several non-Triumphs on a RAT ride and I don't think anyone really cares what other people ride.We take regular breaks (usually every hour or so) and while we usually have a pub as our midway point, most of us only have one small beer with a meal because drinking and riding is pretty dumb. The people on RAT runs are usually pretty friendly and we focus on careful and considerate riding.

I've often thought *Sidecar racing* looks like a lot of fun and if you've ever wanted to have a go on a sidecar, Graeme Harris is organising a have-a-go day at Ruapuna next Friday the 19th of June. Cost is a donation to cover costs which would have to make it the cheapest adrenaline fix in town - how does 0 - 100 mph and back to 0 in under 8 seconds sound? Phil will be there on his old rig, so get on down there - there will be 4 sidecars there, so you'll definitely have a go. Give me a call or drop me an email.

Finally we’re planning a *Mods and Rockers run on Aug 22^nd , *which will be open to all Vespas and classic scooters and 60s vintage Brit bikes, Bonnevilles, Thruxtons and custom café racers. We’ll ride across to Brighton (where else) where we’ll have a contest to decide the superiority between Mods and Rockers (nothing violent), then ride back to Christchurch and meet at Poplar Lane for drinks and motorcycle/scooter admiration at The Twisted Hop and The Vespa Room. You will hear more.

That’s it for now, have a great weekend and if you want to be taken off the mailing list simply reply with “unsubscribe” in the subject line.


David Thompson
www.streetandsport.co.nz

On winter riding, the Hundalees and Greymouth

Greetings, it's now around 4 months to what is, in my rarely humble opinion, one of the highlights of the motorcycling calendar - the Greymouth Street Races. If you haven't been, book Labour Weekend now. Street races are a fantastic spectator event because you can watch the whole race from everywhere on the track - sick of one corner? Simple, walk to the next, or a straight or a chicane; and if you find that thirst has got the better of you there are several pubs staffed by experts in saving people from the ravages of thirst. And the ride to Greymouth beats the ride to Ruapuna hands down (unless you're a Coaster).

Last year a dozen or so of us rode across together, installed ourselves in a motel and had one of those legendary weekends that life should be filled with. We're doing it again this year and if you'd like to be part of the fun I need to know before the end of the month so I can book motel accommodation. As always it doesn't matter what you ride or how you ride (or even if you ride - support vehicles are always welcome), just as long as you love bikes and want to have a great weekend. If you want to know what it's like at Greymouth check out our website - in the Across the Divide section there are some photos I took, and for a full experience don't forget we're selling our DVD of the event - normally $34.95 but you can have it for $29.95.

This Sunday we're having our monthly RAT ride and I'm planning a ride to Kaikoura up through the Hundalees and am intending to leave from behind the shop at 10.30 and I'll be riding regardless of weather (unless it's snowing). If you're interested, I have put together an article on winter riding which is available if you want - just reply back to this email with "article" in the subject line and I'll send it to you.

Finally, I was musing in my philosophical peregrinations (my jeans were in the wash) on the truly sensual experience that is motorcycling. People often comment that sound and looks are an important factor in their bike choice, something they're sometimes a little embarrassed to admit. Personally I think how a bike looks and sounds is as important as the horsepower, the suspension and the comfort. When I walk out to the shed, open the door and look at The Beloved, the first thing that pops into my head is "damn that's a beautiful looking motorcycle". When I go to the pub or a cafe I like to park her where I can see her because she is such a stunning example of motorcycle art, and I love the sound of that triple when I wind her out - there is no sound that sends tingles up the spine like an angry triple. Our most popular accessories are aftermarket pipes because not only do they give more power but they release the note that Euro 3 noise restrictions have imprisoned in red tape and paranoia.

I once heard riding a bike described as perfect dancing, and that's an analogy I can agree with. When you watch expert dancers, they share an intuitive connection where both partners know exactly what their partner is going to do, seemingly before they do it, as they respond, flow and move together with a grace that is crafted by the music. Dancing is not something I do very often (much to the relief of potential dance partners), but when I ride, my bike and I flow together in a unity that shaped by the curves and corners of the road. I don't need to dance, riding is much better.

Maybe that's why bikes are so addictive? They sound good, look good and feel amazing; there really is nothing that compares. And on that note, I have work to do so I'm outta here. As usual, if you don't want to get any more emails, reply with "unsubscribe" in the subject line, and this email has been posted on my Blog which can be found on our website www.streetandsport.co.nz for those who want to make comments.


David.
Street and Sport Motorcycles, 03 366 2201