I haven't tried it all out yet, but I thought I'd throw up a list of what I've got for camping trips on the bike, just for the sheer pleasure of it.
Tent - High Country "Dargo" Hike Tent
Sleeping bag - Roman Palm IV
Sleeping mat - Thermarest ProLite
Cooking - JetBoil
I can fit all this in my tank bag, if I expand it to its maximum size, and still have a little room to spare. That said, I can no longer see the speedo over the top of the bag! But compromises must be made... I'm working on a solution for keeping an eye on the speedo.
That leaves me my tail bag for clothes and food. If I ever go on a longer trip I will invest in some panniers to complement the tail bag and allow me to take a bit more stuff.
Once I've tried it out, I'll let you know how it goes! But my sleeping bag is only a 2-3 season affair so it will probably not be until spring that I get to go camping.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
throttle control
The slow motion replay on this should be required viewing for anyone wanting to avoid lowsiding in the twisties. Keep an eye on his right (throttle) wrist from about 0:13 onwards, and then repeat to yourself "I will be smooth on the throttle" a few hundred times.
It's worth watching this in a larger window or full screen.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Easter bike blitz
According to The Age, Victoria Police will be out blitzing motorcyclists for our own safety this Easter.
Police will have a strong presence at camping and holiday areas including Mansfield, Noojee, Erica, Walhalla, Kinglake, Toolangi and Tallarook.
Bike of the year
Just wanted to gloat share that Motorcyclist Magazine declared my beloved Ninja 1000 as their bike of the year for 2011. I'm pleased but not overly surprised to find that this bike has received the acclaim that it deserves... it is an excellent all-rounder that is a hoot to ride. I would love to see it come out with selectable traction control modes - I was about to say that selectable power modes would be nice too, but I actually don't think the bike needs it, its power is so user friendly that I'm not sure I'd bother with the power modes - but their kick-arse traction control system off the ZX-10R would just round this bike off perfectly in my opinion.
Thus far it appears that Kawasaki have been listening to what today's riders want... let's see what they throw in for the 2013 model of the N1K.
Thus far it appears that Kawasaki have been listening to what today's riders want... let's see what they throw in for the 2013 model of the N1K.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
What not to do
I'm in the practice of watching motorcycle crash videos (and listening to crash stories / keeping abreast of accidents in the news) so that I can analyse what went wrong and attempt to identify what I would do differently to prevent that outcome from happening to me.
Sometimes this is a very sobering passtime, when accidents happen that I struggle to see a safe path to avoiding. The recent tragedy at Kinglake is one such incident that has spurred me to look at booking in for advanced rider training again, since I believe one would need to have been at the very top of one's game to be able to handle or minimise the risk to life of that particular situation.
Then there are the times that I come across videos like this one, which reinforce my acceptance of Darwin's work. I'll let you draw your own conclusions and lessons from it!
Sometimes this is a very sobering passtime, when accidents happen that I struggle to see a safe path to avoiding. The recent tragedy at Kinglake is one such incident that has spurred me to look at booking in for advanced rider training again, since I believe one would need to have been at the very top of one's game to be able to handle or minimise the risk to life of that particular situation.
Then there are the times that I come across videos like this one, which reinforce my acceptance of Darwin's work. I'll let you draw your own conclusions and lessons from it!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Ninja 650L
I got to ride my brother Andrew's 2012 Ninja 650L last night. Given the Ninja 1000 is my daily ride, I was very keen to see what they'd done to little brother ninja, and I wasn't disappointed!
The first thing I noticed was how low it is! It's not a small bike, and given it handled my 5"9'ish height without a hassle I reckon that even those who are pushing over 6" will find this bike comfortable to ride, but the seat is quite low, and the chassis is quite narrow, which means that it's a breeze to put both your feet flat on the ground - an attribute not to be undervalued on your first bike! It also feels very light - at least compared to my Ninja - and I suspect that many riders could catch and hold the bike up with their leg muscles in the event of a stationary drop or side-stand mistake.
The 2 cylinder engine has a nice rumble to it, and while it won't tear your arms out of their sockets it is prepared to get a bit of a wriggle on when you give it some juice; again, I think it's hit the mark perfectly for a learner bike.
I found the little "eco" light that displays on the clocks when you're not accelerating fast enough to be a questionable use of dashboard real estate, especially when Kawasaki could have put a gear indicator there which arguably would have been much more useful for a beginner rider. But everything about the bike comes across as well finished, and even a little refined, such as the adjustable clutch and brake levers (which is more than the brand new Z1000 boasts).
It has a much more tactile ride than my old Suzuki GS500 offered, though perhaps I'm a better rider now than I was when I had the GS and so I can appreciate such qualities more now, but it happily tipped into the corners without fuss or feeling at all unsettled, and it stopped quite smartly and predictably without any dramas at all. Oh and it comes with ABS as standard, so no rear lock-ups on this bike.
For those who don't like paying for new fairings after a character-building experience, I believe that the ER-6nL is for all intents and purposes the same bike in naked guise, but to be honest I think the Ninja is much more attractive that the cyclopsian nose of the naked, and if you're thinking of commuting on it I reckon the wind protection is worth its weight in thermals. Still it's horses for courses, but with 650ccs of power and ABS to help you rein it in, I reckon the Kawasaki Ninja 650L is going to be hard to beat for LAMS bikes this year. If you're thinking of taking up riding, this is one bike to put on your list to check out.
The first thing I noticed was how low it is! It's not a small bike, and given it handled my 5"9'ish height without a hassle I reckon that even those who are pushing over 6" will find this bike comfortable to ride, but the seat is quite low, and the chassis is quite narrow, which means that it's a breeze to put both your feet flat on the ground - an attribute not to be undervalued on your first bike! It also feels very light - at least compared to my Ninja - and I suspect that many riders could catch and hold the bike up with their leg muscles in the event of a stationary drop or side-stand mistake.
The 2 cylinder engine has a nice rumble to it, and while it won't tear your arms out of their sockets it is prepared to get a bit of a wriggle on when you give it some juice; again, I think it's hit the mark perfectly for a learner bike.
I found the little "eco" light that displays on the clocks when you're not accelerating fast enough to be a questionable use of dashboard real estate, especially when Kawasaki could have put a gear indicator there which arguably would have been much more useful for a beginner rider. But everything about the bike comes across as well finished, and even a little refined, such as the adjustable clutch and brake levers (which is more than the brand new Z1000 boasts).
It has a much more tactile ride than my old Suzuki GS500 offered, though perhaps I'm a better rider now than I was when I had the GS and so I can appreciate such qualities more now, but it happily tipped into the corners without fuss or feeling at all unsettled, and it stopped quite smartly and predictably without any dramas at all. Oh and it comes with ABS as standard, so no rear lock-ups on this bike.
For those who don't like paying for new fairings after a character-building experience, I believe that the ER-6nL is for all intents and purposes the same bike in naked guise, but to be honest I think the Ninja is much more attractive that the cyclopsian nose of the naked, and if you're thinking of commuting on it I reckon the wind protection is worth its weight in thermals. Still it's horses for courses, but with 650ccs of power and ABS to help you rein it in, I reckon the Kawasaki Ninja 650L is going to be hard to beat for LAMS bikes this year. If you're thinking of taking up riding, this is one bike to put on your list to check out.
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