[Dave Ross]

in reply to: New Kid on the Block… #14511

Hallo Regina,willkommen im forum :-). Wir wohnen auch in Auckland, vielleicht sieht man sich mal. This should be sufficient to intrigue some of the regulars. Great choice of bike, as you would have found out, it's absolutely perfect for NZ.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: The GS thing……..does anyone else not get it? #14404

Happy New Year to  you too. The house is going slowly ahead. We should be able to move in by March. Were you at the Rally? We had to give it amiss this year, but are already looking forward to Cromwell 2012.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: The GS thing……..does anyone else not get it? #14402

I think the fundamentel problem with the transition between road riding and gravel riding is the ability to read the road surface lets face it on tarseal all your looking for is the entry point apex and exit you dont worry so much about the surface its all tarseal right.

Well, I hope you are not saying that you don't have to read the road surface on tar seal? As far as knobbies go, if it makes you feel more comfortable, there is no reason not to use them on gravel roads. On a freshly graded gravel road I prefer a 21' front well with an MT21. But that Black Forest road isn't exactly a challenge on Anakee, even if they are on road pressure. You would have taken your 1100 down that bit on the last CCA, Gerard, but probably not 2 up :-). Anyway, we weren't really talking about this level of riding. I was just trying to encourage people to have a go. Get used to the looseness you'll find on gravel, pick your line and don't go too fast too soon. It's more about sightseeing anyway.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: The GS thing……..does anyone else not get it? #14398

Just to make a point, for the following rides you do want knobbies and an R1150GS is not a good choice. Mainly because the gearing is too tall. The R1100GS had a lower first and was a little lighter.I used my R80GS (214kg) for this with appropriate tyres.Here the Gs is just resting. The guy further down had lost control of his DR650. He nearly took me out on the way down. This was the road

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: The GS thing……..does anyone else not get it? #14397

Gerda and I at the start of the Black Forest Station Rd. South Island last year. It was a bit wet.Here we are on our way.Gerda showing how it's doneThere were a few roughish bits and a couple of minor water crossings.She got through alright. While she's not riding an 1150, it's still a 200kg bike. You can she that she's on tippy-toes in the first picture.Learn by doing :-).

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: The GS thing……..does anyone else not get it? #14394

Off-road and gravel is not really the same. On most gravel roads knobbies make very little difference. Some gravel roads are as easy to ride on as seal. Loose gravel requires a different riding style to road riding. Beginners usually get overwhelmed by all the feedback they get from the bike. Most of this can be ignored. You need to relax, and point the bike where you want to go. Do not let the bike "float". By that I mean that your are either on the power, or you are braking. The front brake still does most of that. In a straight line you will have lots of traction on most surfaces. The tricky bits are corners with loose metal. For those you need to be slow, but still have enough speed so that you don't stall or lose steering input. You should probably be standing up. You initiate the turn by weighing the inside peg. This allows you to lean the bike below you. You then immediately put your weight on the outside peg. Your body doesn't lean with the bike, because you need to maintain the centre of gravity above the contact patch of the wheels. In other words,  it's all about balance.  The 1150GS is fine for gravel roads. The only time you'll curse its weight is if you've stopped/stalled on a steep hill and want to get going again. That's not likely to happen without help. On that note, don't try to hold a falling bike. Just let it go. Don't try to pick it up immediately. Think first. sometimes, while you're still thinking, other people will rush to pick it up :-). Don't try to lift it against the hill. If you are alone, spin it on the cylinder heads so the wheels face down hill. Put it in gear, so it won't roll away from you. Don't worry if you've dropped your bike. It's a GS not an RT. If it was an RT, well you should have bought a proper bike for gravel roads.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Arai Point #14497

Rule #1 make sure you have the only camera :-).  The water was just right. I hadn't been there before. While I also like endless beaches, I prefer to have a few rocks to crawl over. There is always something to look at in the rock pools.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Big Day Out, Twin Bridges etc. #14487

I remember coming over the top of the hill at Omapere being stunned by the view of the dunes, only to go “oh shit” a second later, dragging the pegs to get around that tight turn.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Big Day Out, Twin Bridges etc. #14486

Proof reading suffers when typing while talking old soldier's tales on the phone to a fella in Hamiltown.  Arithmetic has been corrected.I was just kidding, young mr. bell does it to me all the time. But then he never writes more than a couple of sentences himself.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Big Day Out, Twin Bridges etc. #14481

That's a neat ride, thanks for the report.

I had expected to have about 4 people turn up, it being New Year's Day and an early start, but we had nine bikes and a total of three people.

So who were the six people who came to park their bikes and left again?

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: Tyres-for gravel and highway use #14441

Slightly lower pressure on gravel is a good thing.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: tank water filtration question-no motorcycle content :-) #14461

It's like most other things where there is a risk involved, Phil. Often not much happens, but when it does everybody ducks for cover. New Zealand has reasonably strict rules covering town water. However, private tank water supplies are completely exempt from any regulations. A lot of people don't even trust or like the town water supply, judging by how well bottled water sells. I'd rather not drink from a tank that contains bird and possum shit, dead birds, snails, contamination from spray drift etc. that happens to have accumulated in there. While it's probably healthy to challenge your immune system every now and then, I'd rather not do it using the above method.  I know that there is a level of maintenance required, but a good system will need a lot less looking after.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: tank water filtration question-no motorcycle content :-) #14458

Thanks Artig, that's very useful information. I'll have to talk to our plumber to find out how he's plumbed up the system. I should have thought about this earlier, but I had just assumed we would be getting water of sufficient quality out of the system they've installed.

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: tank water filtration question-no motorcycle content :-) #14455

More than a Ferrari? Don't think so 🙂

[Dave Ross]

in reply to: tank water filtration question-no motorcycle content :-) #14453

Thanks for the responses guys. Here are the specs for the system.The unit consists of 1 x AM252D25: Washable pre filter with 25 Micron removable disk (Washable or replace) followed by Giardia & Cryptosporidium removal 1x 20BWH Jumbo 4" x 20" housing 1x 20BST1 1Micron jumbo 4" x 20 " polystring wound cartridge (Flows up to 100-litres per minute when cleaning) 2 x 25-mm Ball valves 1 x S12QP UV Sterilliser rated up to 90 litre/minuteI guess they might be trying to sell me a Ferrari system, when a VW one would do.I have to find out what's already in the tank. Maybe we can do with less for the rest.

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