On bike shops, bikes and Bonneville test rides

One of the reasons working at Street and Sport is so satisfying is because it’s like working at the kind of bike shops that I used to hang around at when I was a youth. They were often a little scruffy, packed with all kinds of bikes and staffed by guys who loved bikes as much as we did, and they were a hub for the motorcycling community. On a Friday night or Saturday morning that’s where you went, and odds were good you’d run into your mates there too.

Our letterhead carries the byline “Supplying the motorcycling community of Canterbury and Westland with what they need to live their dreams”, and that’s what we’re about. We are immensely proud of being Triumph agents, and while we know that not everyone wants to own a Triumph (there are lots of other great bikes out there and there isn’t a shed big enough for them all), we are making a point of stocking the stuff bikers of all types need to enjoy riding. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a commuter on a scooter, a cruiser on a Harley or a racer on a Daytona; we want to supply you with everything you need to enjoy your bike. A few months ago I ran a survey, and the information I got from that was very valuable and is having a major influence on our ongoing business planning on what we stock and what we sell, but I’d value more input. If there is anything you want us to stock that we don’t, please let us know.

But motorcycling is more than just stuff, even cool stuff that’s shiny and new; a huge part of motorcycling is the community. I’ve already talked about waving to the rider going the other way, but there’s more to it. We’re building a community of like minded people who share our passion, and we’re using events and activities to do that. In just over 3 weeks a seething mass of scooters and bikes will terrorise Christchurch for the Mods and Rockers Winter Rumble, and we’re doing that because it’s an excuse to gather a bunch of like minded loonies in one place to talk about our bikes and scooters.

A group of us are riding over to Greymouth in Labour Weekend for the Street Races, and have booked out most of a motel. If you’re planning to ride across and would like some company, we’d love you to join us, and if you’d like to catch up for a couple of cold ones once you’re there, I hear tell they sell good beer in Greymouth. Of course I’m planning to confirm that rumour with careful and extensive experimentation, and will need help.

On Sunday we’re having our monthly RAT run. I don’t know what the weather is going to be, but I do know that I am hanging out for a ride. Meet me behind the shop at 10.30 on Sunday and we’ll leave at 11.00 am. If it’s a nice day we’ll have a longer ride, if it’s not we won’t, but no matter what happens a bunch of us will hang out together. This summer riding season I want to make RAT a bigger part of what we do, and would value input into how to do that. In the not too distant future I’ll set up a time to meet with you guys and pick your brains, but in the meantime if you have any ideas, they will be welcomed.

On how biking is like surfing, a track day at Ruapuna and amorous women wearing pumpkins

Riding motorcycles is a lot like mountaineering, skiing and surfing in that you not only get to be cold and wet, but you’re participating in a sport that carries some risk. The good thing about risk is that it can be managed - in other words you can lengthen the odds in your favour through making a few careful choices. There are basically two components to risk management: minimising the risk and minimising the impact.

Minimising risk requires specific skills, and the great thing about skill is that it can be learnt. Nobody is born a good rider - can you imagine changing a baby’s leathers? Doesn’t bear thinking about. Anyway, I digress. I regularly bang on about rider training and it’s importance, and am looking forward to my next day under the tutelage of the lads at Mainland. I know very, very
few riders that wouldn’t benefit from rider training, and I keep the Mainland course schedule on our event calendar on www.streetandsport.co.nz.

Minimising the impact means recognising that some accidents are unavoidable, and so you take the steps needed to ensure that when you do have an off the damage to you is minimised, and most of that comes down to wearing the right gear. This is a big subject and beyond the scope of this email, and in time I’ll have some information on our website, but in the short term the ACC funded website www.rideforever.co.nz has some good stuff.

There are also things that you can do once an accident is inevitable. For example, when a sleeping driver pulls out in front of you or does a U turn while you’re passing them and you know that you’re going to hit, stand up in the pegs, or better still jump. That increases the chance that you’ll fly over the top and bounce angrily along the road and minimises the risk that you’ll slam into the side of the car having first removed your lower regions on the handlebars. I’ve never tried it, and hope I never do, but apparently it works.

And on the subject of riding season, the days are getting longer and things will soon start warming up. That means rallies, races, runs and events will start winding up, and if you want to plan your life use our events calendar. I am going to do my best to get as many South Island events on it as possible, but I do need your help. If you know of something happening that isn’t on the calendar, please let me know.

Mods and Rockers is now 4 weeks away and things are hotting up. We’re using the event to fund raise for the NZ Spinal Trust and for you $20.00 registration fee you get a patch, go in the draw to win a $450.00 helmet and get to have fun while feeling nice and self-righteous, but you need to register before 15 August or you pay more and miss out on the patch and the helmet draw. You’ll also pay more ($30.00), which means you get to feel even more self righteous, so it’s not all bad. Visit our website to enroll online.

Finally, we sell a lot of Ixon clothing. It’s bloody good gear and well priced, but Ixon are a French company. There’s nothing wrong with that (we won’t talk about the Rainbow Warrior or a couple of Rugby World Cup games), but the French don’t speak English. Despite this handicap they seem to have done OK for themselves, but the names Ixon chose for some of their jackets caused me some amusement. For example, us blokes get to show our style in a Specious, a Diablo Fiction and an Esko (short for Eskimo?), while the ladies stay safe and warm in a Pumpkin, a Capricious or a Chimera. And for the woman who wants to improve her love life, there are the Amorous leather pants.

I was talking to a chap just the other day, and he commented that he’d seen Sean and I out on our bikes, but didn’t wave because he thought I was on a Jap bike, and it was only when he saw Sean’s Street Triple that he realised who it was. Needless to say, I was flabbergasted. Not that The Beloved could be mistaken for a Jap bike, but that there are still people who don’t wave at other bikers because of where their machine was built. I know they’re out there (usually the guys who don’t wave back), but I have never understood how someone can or can’t be acceptable to talk to/wave to just because of the writing on their tank. To me the caliber of the person holding onto the bars is more important in determining whether or not to say hello than where their bike was made, and I like to think that anyone on a bike is a good bastard and worth a wave until I am proven wrong.

But having said that, I am immensely proud of the writing on the Beloved’s tank, and love selling Triumphs – hell, I’d even go as far as saying they make some of the best bikes in the world. There is something very cool about owning a bike made by probably the last fully privately owned motor vehicle company in the world – John Bloor is the 100% owner of Triumph. And Triumph motorcycles are also different from any other bikes – in a world filled with four cylinder and V Twin bikes, Triumph build triples and parallel twins.

Something that makes me proud to sell Triumphs is the combination of legacy and vision. Triumphs have been a part of motorcycling since people first realised that sticking an engine in a bicycle was a better idea than riding a horse, and they’re very much part of New Zealand. I think all of us have had a Triumph in our lives at some stage – either through owning one personally or having a family member with one. I can still remember the awe I felt when my big brother turned up on his Daytona T100 – 500cc - what a monster!

While there is great pride in the brand’s legacy, Triumph is not resting on their heritage. As an example, the 2009 Daytona 675 is amongst the world’s most technologically advanced motorcycles, and is getting rave reviews from motorcycling journalists worldwide. And the Street Triple has become one of the most respected and sought after bikes in the world -just ask Sean. Triumph have invested heavily in state-of-the-art design and production facilities and I believe that their bikes are designed and built to be ridden in the real world, not designed with looks or race track performance as the primary design criteria.

There’s a lot of pride in riding a Triumph – you’re riding a bike that is as good as any bike on the road, you’re riding a brand with a great legacy and you’re riding something a little different - the Triumph byline of “go your own way” puts it perfectly.

Mods and Rockers: Momentum is building up and I’m regularly getting calls and emails from all over the country, so something tells me there’ll be a fair few of us. I’m looking forward to riding through the Lyttleton tunnel surrounded by dozens of bikes and scooters – the sound will be deafening, and I think we’ll turn a few heads. I’m charging $20.00 for pre-registering and going to donate the money to the NZ Spinal Trust – they’re a great organisation who help a lot of us out, and they don’t get a lot of money so we can really make a difference. If you register before the 15th of August you’ll get a fabric patch and go in the draw to win a KBC VR2 helmet valued at over $500.00. After the 15th the registration increases to $30, you won’t get a free patch and won’t go in the draw – I want as many people to pre-register as possible so I have a clear idea of numbers. There is a registration form on our website www.streetandsport.co.nz or you can register in person at the shop.

New bikes in stock. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a black Speedmaster that is unallocated and one of our customers was unable to go ahead with the America he ordered due to medical problems, so it’s now for sale. We also have an absolutely pristine 09 Daytona 675 with tons of extras and just 1600 kms on the clock, so if you have a hankering for the best sports bike on the road, now’s your chance. Check out our website for more info on these bikes. We also have a 2009 Bonneville A1 Demonstrator on the floor, so come and have a play with this lovely bike.
Phil is on holiday for 2 weeks, so don’t come looking for him because he’ll be on a beach in Rarotonga. Bastard.