Motorcycle books

I have read a number of motorcycle publications and there are three books I can highly recommend.

Firstly the book that needs no introduction, the famous Twist of the Wrist (vol 2) from Keith Code. A performance riding handbook that explains in everyday terms what is happening when you brake, corner and accelerate on a motorcycle which has helped many people. A easy to read book that you can revisit many times and which improved my riding dramatically. The focus is mostly on going faster and my thoughts recently have shifted from performance riding to improving my safety margins so this book is something I think would best be enjoyed by newer riders or anyone doing track days or keen to take their riding up a level.

My most recent purchase has been Proficient Motorcycle Riding (vol 2) by David Hough. The author has been writing for American motorcycle magazines for so long that he now is retiring and has gone back and put together all the best information and articles and stories about every aspect of motorcycles and road riding skills and how to stay safe. The book has a huge scope from motorcycle behavior to advanced riding skills and many safety aspects quite simply it is the best book about real world motorcycling I have ever come across.

Lastly I want to recommend a book that is a great motivator to get out and ride. Regardless of what you may think of the movie stars Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman they did get out and do what so many only dream about and their tv show was some rare positive press for motorcyclists as well as the spark for numerous people to try their own adventure. The book is significantly better than the tv series and a terrific read. I really was disappointed by their second series through africa however purchased that book recently in hope that it may be better as was the case first time round. Will let you know, until then this book rates very highly with me given I like real life travel stories, add motorcycling and alot of humor and private thoughts cut from the tv show makes for a great read.

Japan Motorcycle Tour - reloaded

I find myself somewhat unexpectedly heading off to Japan next month so I have decided to revisit my plans to do some riding there that I had shelved from last year.

Previously I had a rather grand plan for a two week tour however this was canceled when I changed jobs and found myself unable to go. Since then I have forgotten much of the Japanese I had studied and have been so busy with this new job that I really have not had the time to think... Approaching the point of melt down with work coincided with Qantas offering discounted frequent flyer point flights to Japan and so I jumped in to take a holiday.

I cannot see a way to get my Japanese speaking skills back up to speed in a month while still working nor do I have the time or money to do a big tour since the cost blows out not only for accommodation but also because I would need a Japanese GPS unit which are rather expensive compared to ours (which wont do routing with their maps due to the language)

So I am going to try a 3 day 'test run' mini tour to begin with and then build on this if successful. June is considered a rainy season in Japan which may be a show stopper if torrential however I have been to Japan 7 times and except winter when the roads are snowed in it seems to rain every 2nd or 3rd day from Spring through to Autumn regardless of which months are listed as lower rainfall so I am just going to cross my fingers and hope that there is a small window of dryish days.

I have ordered a new rain suit from New Enough in the USA and that should be arriving soon. I had planned to rent a motorbike from a place in suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo to avoid the traffic however I am now thinking of departing from Shinjuku where I can source a more touring focused motorcycle (Honda VFR) and then paying the tolls to ride one of the mega expressways direct out of the city. I have a top 100 rides atlas/book for Japan that I sourced some time ago. It was a limited run book and I searched and obtained one 2nd hand from Amazon Japan. I cannot read it all properly and the map part is useless however the roads can be located more of less on Google map since Japan roads use a numbering system like Victoria or the USA. The nature of the roads becomes obvious upon looking closer ie twisty road over a mountain and so I have chosen to try and ride routes 292 and 299 to Nagano.

Japan of course is pretty much all mountains and has 1000's of superb twisty mountain roads. Take a look some time at it via Google maps and notice except for the blue marked tollroads they are ALL twisty roads due to the terrain. It could be the most famous riding place in the world if it wasn't for the language barrier and possibly the rain.

More on this topic soon.

IC.

Far West ride report.

I decided to try another ride west today. I had briefly considered north however with the exception of a couple of sections mostly find the northern roads uninspiring so west it was.

I had no plan to begin with, just wanted to turn some wheels and try take my mind off work and the selfish people that have been zapping my spirit of late. And so with a small spark of an idea that winter will soon turn places inland brown I set off towards Boonah.


Well the grass is already dead and pale brown and the temperature was quite cool so the rolling green hills have gone until we see some more good rains out there again. I steered off before Boonah to stop at Harrisville for a look however besides this nice pub not as historical as I imagined so I rode on to Aratula for fuel which was $1.50 a litre for premium (95). I paid that rate again at Esk and $1.48 in between at Gatton. Three refuels then took best part of $60 which really took me by surprise. I did a ride like today about 2 1/2 years ago on the Buell and filled three times at around $10 each so nearly double now due to price and more being used.


I stopped at the Aratula bakery - a firm favourite of mine now and I noted unlike the petrol their prices have hardly altered. I decided over coffee there to not ride over to Rathdowney as I had been thinking but to take a trip to see what Lake Perseverance was like. The road to the lake runs off the Esk to Hampton road and the ride to the lake had been suggested to me previously by a reader of Motorcycle Paradise.


I rode then up and over Cunninghams gap and stopped at Maryville to visit this old 1950's petrol station now deserted. I like old 50's and 60's buildings and in particular roadside things from that golden motoring era. I then rode on to Allora via 'The Cedar Route'. I have a Ram mount now for my camera but all the photos and video taken on the move is too blurry.

Odd sight, two petrol pumps in the front yard?
The Ram mount allows a quick pic when stopped but totally blurred on the move.

After riding past Allora I made myself stop and go back for a look. It is just so easy to travel past everything on modern roads. They seem to draw you into thinking of the distance to travel rather than the places to stop and see. Allora was great, a real interesting and pretty town.


I rode on to Gatton for lunch via the excellent riding road that is through West Halidon and Ma Ma Creek. I made a slight detour to look at Mt Sylvia just out of curiosity and there isnt alot of cafes at Gatton so perhaps should have kept going to Esk where there is much more open however I was in need of a rest so settled for KFC.
Afterwards on the way to Esk I was pulled over by the Police. I did not get a ticket, I had just passed a car and had been some few k's over as they rounded the bend however I was given the once over, a warning and then let go to which I am very grateful. I think that is first time for me to ever be let off anything, I actually do watch my speed closely all the time - its just at the one moment of a ride where I relax and loose focus or gaze off at the horizon is always exactly where a speed trap is - just the way it seems to roll for me.

I should stop putting the MV in so many photos - the thing is it's just so photogenic

I nearly turned for home however went on up the range towards Hampton and really enjoyed the curves which are actually sweet to ride at the speed limit then turned off to Lake Perseverance. The ride down and back is quite nice, I especially enjoyed the climb back up which flowed rather well. A few tight bits down beside the actual lake itself as well to enjoy and nice view made it well worth the trip.



And so then to the long haul back home. I rode back on the highway over Wivenhoe and then turned off, with some trepidation, to come home over Mt Glorious. I took it easy along Split yard and noticed many bikes all riding very slow, no probs I always expect police action at Mt G so kept my eyes glued on the speedo but nothing.

Now I shall recount some of the reasons I don't ride Mt G:

1. Rider down at the big S in front of the 2nd park, I am passing at walking pace yet getting the evil stares and told to f##king slow down from mob of car drivers that have formed by roadside.
2. Come up behind a NooB on a litre class sports bike who brakes hard and wanders all over the place in the corners at car pace then gasses up it on straights. He sees me but wont move over an inch let me pass - hey I don't mind your new, you don't have to prove anything to me just move over an inch please and let me continue on my way.
3. After I get past and start to enjoy a nice flow then Sirens, Lights - the ambulance going to the downed rider takes my mind away.
4. A car hits the brakes and stops dead in middle of road in front of me to point at a tree - yikes!
5. Another Noob, this time on a new large BMW and has a 2nd BMW in front as escort. I encourage new riders and take care to not crowd them so I hang back for awhile but I dont want to ride all the way to Nebo at 50kph however each time I close to pass this Noob tries to go faster and then brakes messy and runs wide across the middle line exiting these most simple of corners. Hey Noob's nobody cares what speed your at, even going well beyond your current skills is still slow riding to an experienced rider so give it a rest and be safe cause we dont mind.

I pull over before I get taken out with them because I can't stand to watch anymore and stretch my legs for a spell. Eventually I get going and at least enjoy my favourite part of the road free of distractions, namely the section of 20/30kph posted hairpins immediately west of Mt Nebo township.

Long ride yet not too tiring as not working the bike all the time on those western roads. The MV continues to be up to the task with the Air-Hawk seat pad in place however the motorcycle is very hard to maintain a slow speed compared to the Buell's lazy V-Twin engine. It's one angry motorcycle as Boris of BikeMe puts it - and he is spot on.

A map with todays route can be found Here.

Motorcycle Nazi's

The QLD government is proposing a raft of new laws for motorcycle riders. These new fees and rules are being sold as safety initiatives however with a couple of exceptions the majority fail to impress me and seem more about gaining leverage to raise revenue and force people from motorcycles to cars. They mostly sound like they come from someone who hates motorcyclists.

The QLD government is already well known for its anti-motorcycle attitudes, one bright spark politician was caught out after she branded all motorcyclists as irresponsible and another has been quoted as saying motorcycles should be taxed off the roads. These are the shining stars who in their next breath are whining how our infrastructure cannot cope with the increasing number of vehicles on our roads and talk of the under supply of city parking, pollution and congestion charges.

Other cities around the world discovered a long time ago that the simple solution is to encourage two wheel transport. Go anywhere in Europe and Asia and the scooter and bicycle are what make these cities work. Here we have the amazing advantage of weather that actually suits two wheel transport yet have narrow minded people in power with no vision.


Some of the new proposals include:

Additional fee to hold a motorcycle license.
Safety levy for motorcyclists, amount TBA.
New motorcycle licensing system.
New license system for scooters.
Compulsory hi-vis clothing.
Compulsory wearing of a minimum level of riding gear.
Surrender of a motorcycle license not being used.
Reintroduction of compulsory headlights on.
New methods of speed enforcement for motorcycles.
Compulsory white helmets.

The two new fees for holding a license and riding a motorcycle IMO will be ramped up very sharply once introduced and will offer the means to force people away from motorcycles in the future - as was publicly stated to be the desire of one of our politicians...

Please have a read then your say about things at the government's site here
Don't think it wont effect you in other states, out PM has already asked the other state transport ministers to look at what QLD is proposing and wants it uniform.

I don't think it is all wrong, just misguided. After reading of the Hi-Vis campaign on another site I posted up recently I did some investigation and discovered a trial was conducted already in the US on this and the real life the results surprisingly didn't match the claims being made. In fact there was little reduction in the 'didnt see you' type accidents and further research found that drivers had tuned out motorcycles from their thought process as their brains deemed they were not a threat to the driver and thus focused primarily on large vehicles and what they were in the process of doing ie shopping or going to work. Bottom line is the rider needs to always treat cars as if they were invisible to them because it seems we really are sometimes regardless of what we wear.

MV Agusta R312C

This is an impressive looking machine from MV Agusta.


Got to wonder how far they can take basically the one same original design. They seem to still have financial problems stopping them from developing any all new models. I do not understand that with the prices they charge however it is impressive to see what they have managed to achieve despite limited to refinements on existing one base design. Imagine what they might be able to do with some R&D if Tata or VW buy in as some have rumoured.

Australia's best motorcycle roads. Wisemans ferry and Bucketty to Woolombi

Wisemans Ferry and Bucketty to Wollombi.

It has been a while since I posted any roads from my Moto-GP tour last year, however I still have a few left to show you and talk about. The rides here north of Sydney are no doubt well known and popular for Sydney based riders who would have alot more information on them, however I come from Brisbane so I will be speaking from a touring point of view. I therefore have grouped these two sections of road together even though local riders may not necessary do the same.

Between Sydney and Cessnock there is two enjoyable routes to choose from, the Putty road or via Bucketty and Woolombi. Now you could also ride via the infamous Old Road and then up to Bucketty which would not be a bad choice perhaps on a weekday however when coming from the south or west it does mean involving yourself in Sydney's traffic or toll roads to get near Hornsby, where as you can skip that hassle going via Windsor to Wisemans. The Old road is also rather short and over as soon as it begins however the approach to Bucketty from there is good.

From Windsor you head off as if going to Putty then turn right to Wisemans ferry. The road reminded me of rides out of Brisbane northern suburbs at first with very similar feel. I rode via Sackville for my first ferry crossing of this trip, then on to the Hawksbury river to the Wisemans ferry crossing. Some excellent curves along the way and I imagine it would be very scenic on a fine day however a some fog and haze spoiled the views on the morning I was there.





After the river I mistakingly explored the wrong road which turned to gravel however it was such lovely countryside I did a loop to St Albans village and back to the river just to enjoy the scenic valley. I perhaps wouldn't have minded to ride on via the gravel either except I wanted to see what the road along the river was like.
This road would have been much nicer on a clear day and I will revisit again however the road surface was rather poor on this section, and for me to say that you can guess how bumpy it is. (photos not of the bumpy sections)


Once back on the main route north you will be on smooth fast roads with some excellent corners. This road seems very popular with sports bikes and I stopped at a popular motorbike servo for a rest and coffee break and watched dozens of groups of riders come and go. Dropping down from the hills the temperature warms up towards Woolombi and the road changes to a series of interesting sweepers through the countryside which any rider any bike will find very enjoyable, an excellent section of road both in its surveying and rural scenery.




Seems nearly all the bikes I saw stopped there and then perhaps return via the same or possibly swing over and back down the Putty road. I have ridden both of these in both directions and it is difficult to say which works best in what direction. I would simply choose according to what route you have on the other side of Sydney. South via here then the Old road then toll roads past Sydney to the Hume then Kangaroo valley and Princess h-way works well for a quick way south. Via Putty and swing west via Bells line of roads also seems to work well. Riding around the outskirts of Sydney to go via this route in either direction seems the much longer and slower route.

Chefs summary: Curves a plenty, surface poor in a few places next to the river, enjoyable ride.
Route map

The wrong motorcycle

Have a look at this hilarious video. The BMW GS series is the brunt of the gag however no need for any owners to get offended as it's a tongue firmly in cheek effort given BMW is the benchmark for reliability, just makes it even more funny.



For those who don't know it uses re subtitled footage from the superb German movie 'Downfall' which if you have not seen is an truly exceptional movie full of the most amazing performances and a very moving viewing experience.

PS. there is a car version of this sketch which picks on just about every manufacturer, perhaps not as funny but a close 2nd and often bang on the money as far as comments go.

Indian Premier League

Off Topic #3


I don't go off topic too often here on Motorcycle Paradise, and besides Motorcycle Racing I pretty much don't follow or comment on any other sport however I happened by chance to find myself in front of the TV last night when network 10's broadcast of the new Indian Premier League commenced.I have not followed cricket for a long long time, I knew nothing about this new league until last night but I have got to say it was some of the most entertaining cricket and indeed sport in general I have had the pleasure to view. Very exciting play with so much energy. If you didn't see the first match of the series, Kolkata Knight Riders V Bangalore Royal Challengers then take a look at the highlights here for free. Brendan McCullum 13 sixes and 10 fours from 73 balls - unbelievable!

Excellent Kawasaki Z750 promo video

Kawasaki have done a rather good job producing this promo I think. It has some good camera angles and overall smooth but not slick feel. Nice that it runs for a decent amount of time too.

Enjoy:

Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Centre

I recently came across an organisation in the the USA that has halved the number of motorcycle crashes in their state with a comprehensive approach to motorcycle safety, training, public education and licensing.

Here is sample of some of their campaigns.





Nice to see something not just about speed. Our politicians continue to skew data so they can ignore the facts that the majority of accidents are simply not speed related.
Our number 1 road killer has always been fatigue but there is no means to profit from that so it is still largely ignored. For motorcycles not being seen by cars is often the cause of accidents yet not enough attention is paid to this problem.

Get over there now and have a read, some good info on their site. I was especially interested in their current hi-vis campaign and how headlights turned on in daytime rated low for making you more visible.