THE OLD BLOKE'S BLOG
Welcome to The Old Bloke’s Blog! Well, more than just a blog actually; more of a blog combined with bits ‘n’ pieces, smaller items of interest etc.
The inspiration for this came mainly from having things that I thought were worthy of writing about (like a particularly interesting event, or checking out the latest offerings at the annual Motorbike Show etc), but that weren’t really worth doing a separate article on. It would be good to have somewhere to write these things.
And blogs seem to be the thing to do these days! So I thought that recording some details of the day-to-day happenings might be a worthwhile addition to the site. I hope you enjoy it anyway.
Now, a word on how this will work. Like the Feedback pages, the blog will go in chronological order going down the page, from top to bottom; not the other way around. I know that many blogs add the latest entries at the top, but with the addition of photos etc, this is a little harder to do; you’ve got to keep moving everything down when you post the latest entry. And to some extent it seems strange too, reading the latest thing first. It’s a bit like reading a book and starting at the last page and reading towards the front! Yes, I know each time you visit the blog you’ve got to scroll down to the bottom of the page to read the latest entry, but I’ll try to keep the pages relatively short. And anyway, if you place the mouse-pointer in the right-hand scroll bar at the bottom and hold down the left button you’ll very quickly whiz down to the latest entry. But if you really don’t like it and think it should go the other way, just let me know, and I’ll do it the other way around. Oh, one more thing; where appropriate there’ll be links to existing articles throughout the blog too. (So if you haven’t read those particular articles, you can go there and it will put the blog comments in context when you read them). Okay, so let the blogging commence!

November 2007. Sydney Motorcycle Show. I thought this would be a good place to start; and lets me put a couple of “action-shots” right at the start! You can read my light-hearted account of visiting these sort of shows by clicking here. This year I didn’t meet up with my mate John – not because of any embarrassment I caused him last year (or so he says!), but we just ended up having to go on different days. But it was still interesting!
Okay, so I’ve put the photos up first. These demonstrations, which happened just outside the main area, were very entertaining, and drew a large crowd each time they were put on.
They were interesting because I think they were about a couple of things I often have issues with; rear suspension and seats.
I missed the start of the demonstration, so I'm not sure, but I think the first bloke was demonstrating how to overcome the problem of a bad rear-suspension! (Could be a bit hard to do if you wanted to accelerate though!).
The second guy is obviously demonstrating what to do if the seat gets too hard. And doesn’t he looked relieved! (Umm, I’d recommend keeping the helmet on though; doesn’t he know it’s unsafe – as well as illegal - to ride without a helmet?). Okay, I’ll get serious.
I spent a bit of time trying to decide on my ideal type of bike. Now, if you’ve read much of this site at all, you’ll know that my preference is for sports-tourers. But I’ve been re-considering. (See the article on "The Search For The Perfect Bike"). I’ve been thinking that a more up-right riding position might actually be preferable for the old bod; provided, of course, that the bike has a decent rear suspension! (Look at almost any BMW, which are legendary long-distance comfort machines, and you’ll notice that the riding position is relatively up-right).
So I spent a bit of time sitting on the Yamaha TDM900 (which I originally eliminated fairly early in “my ideal sports-tourer” comparison), and the Suzuki V-Strom650. The Suzi is incredibly good value, and highly praised from owners and the press, but in the end I preferred the Yamaha. (Although I have reservations, from my test of it, on the ride). Also I’d want a bit more power than the V-Strom 650 delivers. (I don’t need it, but I’d like it!). (And before you suggest it, most people in the know reckon the V-Strom 1000 isn’t as good as a day-to-day all-round bike as the 650).
I like the look of the Yamaha XJR1300 (except for the white stripe down the middle of the top of the tank and guards), and still found it comfortable to sit on. A ride on an old XJ1200 had showed that the twin Ohlins were capable of delivering a good ride too. But is a 1300cc naked muscle-bike really my ideal bike? No, it's not really me. Isn’t it strange; I still like the Suzuki Bandit (although the latest version has taken a further slight step backwards in seat comfort), which is almost as big in engine size and actually heavier than the XJR, but somehow it seems smaller. Perception – it’s a strange thing isn’t it!
The Triumph Sprint felt like home when I sat on it, (which was strange really, because it’d been quite a while since I’d sat on one). The Tiger wasn’t as comfortable as I expected. Showing that they have a sense of humour, Triumph showed that mock-documentary on how the Rocket 3 was developed. (Apparently it was made by Triumph, although they won’t publicly admit it!).Very funny anyway!
I was impressed with the Moto Guzzi Norge; a comfortable bike. Also the Yamaha FJR1300 was comfortable to sit on, and has a very plush-feeling rear suspension. Yes, I’ve said I think they’re getting a bit too heavy now, but it’s still a comfortable bike, and I still like them!
Maybe it was my old trail-bike past catching up with me, but I liked the Yamaha XT250. I reckon it looks good, it’s got electric-start, and it’s cheap. If I wanted something to ride around town and the nearby 'burbs, or if I was too old and weak to handle a heavier bike, I reckon I’d buy one of these!
Interesting to see the Chinese on display. The Zongshen 250 looked okay, and seemed to be fairly well-built. And cheap! But would you buy one? Hmmm, maybe not yet!

November 2007. Weather! Although it’s the last month of Spring, it often feels almost like it’s still winter. I know that 70% of Australia is in drought, but I live in the 30% that isn’t. And the rain that keeps it in that 30% seems to be falling mainly on weekends!
I lost most of August due to weather. Well, kind of. I got a bad dose of the flu; which is unusual because I don’t get colds and flu much. I went out on the bike one day when it was cold and windy. It wasn’t the coldest I’ve been on a bike, but it was cold. That night the dreaded flu symptoms set in. “How does that work?” I asked the doc. “I know that being cold doesn’t give you a cold, but it seems connected somehow”. He explained how viruses love cold body temperatures. The bug can be in the nasal passages and when the body temperature (and particularly nasal temperature) drops, the virus really takes off. Anyway, I was crook for almost the whole month; and the constant coughing also aggravated another problem. And I didn’t get to do much riding, being told by the doctor, “Don’t go out on the bike until you’re over the flu”. #$@% flu!!
So I bought a balaclava. I’d never used one before. I found there were three basic types. One was very thick – so thick you’d need to go up a couple of sizes in helmet to fit it under. In fact, it was so thick you mightn’t even need a helmet! The next one down was cotton. I bought that one. Still makes the helmet a tight fit. Then there were the satin ones. They’re very thin, and more porous than the cotton, but are all you’ll mostly need. I bought one of those too; and that’s the one I use. A couple of problems though. Firstly, it’s hard to put your glasses on when you're wearing it. And when you do get them on, they instantly fog up. It’s okay if you don’t breath though! When stationary or at slow speed it’s pretty much a white-out. You take off hoping not to run into anything before the glasses clear.    

December 2007. Toy Run. As I mentioned in my article on these, the Annual Toy Run is something that I like to be a part of. This year I organised a group of riders from our church to do the ride together. Then we were joined by a riding mate and friend of his. It was an interesting group of bikes and riders; from a young guy on L-plates to a couple of “old blokes” like me; and from a GS500 (the L-plater) to a Rocket 3.
It was an interesting ride down to the start. I followed the L-plater for a little while, and it was interesting to watch his lines through roundabouts and some corners. Instead of straight-lining his way through the roundabouts, he swung around in an exaggerated movement. Maybe he just liked the feel of the bike swinging around and leaning over!
For a couple of the riders it was their first time on the Toy Run. “I’ve never seen so many bikes!” exclaimed the L-plater. It’s always fun being part of a group like that.
The actual ride was fun too. Unlike some Toy Runs, ours stops at traffic-lights, well most of them anyway. At one stage one of our group (our assistant-minister) on an SV650, and I were side-by-side at the front line of the lights; with about a hundred bikes behind us! He looked over at me, grinned and said, “Pole position!” We laughed. Later he said it had taken great restraint not to gun it away from the lights! On the way back home after the presentation we ended up on the front line of a set of lights again, along with the L-plater. This time, when the lights went green he gave the SV a big squirt. L-plater wound on full throttle and went after him. Poor little thing must’ve been revving it’s heart out, leaving behind a tell-tale cloud of thin gray fuel smoke. Of course there was no way he was going to catch the SV, but he was sure trying! I didn’t bother; they’d already got the jump so I just followed at a reasonable pace and laughed!

December 2007. I've been seriously considering a new (2nd-hand) bike. If it comes off I'll tell you more about it. Only downside is that it's almost 300km away! With Christmas coming up and other family things etc I haven't had a chance to go and look at it. (And the wife has a lot of other things she'd rather us spend the money on!). Oh yes, and still a bit unsure as to what style I really want to own. It gets me looking, and trying to decide though. Interesting times! 
(This page)
December 2007. Christmas. Christmas didn't bring a surprise set of keys to a new bike; (funny, that! Santa's getting slack!). But it did bring a couple of bike-related items. One was this model - the type that is made out of nuts and bolts and other metal parts. I'm sure you've seen them. One different thing with this though (compared to most I've seen) is that the wheels are ball-bearings - so they actually turn! Cute!
The other bike-related present was "The Long Way Down"; Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's latest adventure. It's similar, of course, to their first epic ("Long Way Round"), but seems a bit faster-paced (the first one, which I also have, dragged a bit to begin with I thought). Very disturbing too, with the inhumanity they discovered in some African countries. A testament to it's interest / entertainment value is that my wife started watching it with me and watched every episode until the end.

January 2008. I'm on holidays now, so have more free time to test-ride some bikes! So watch out for a couple coming up soon! I've also had more chance to get out on my own bike for the occasional ride; although it's amazing how quickly the holidays fill up with other things!
I had intended doing a tour, probably solo this time; although there are intentions for me to go to my mate Steve's and do a short tour from there when we can. So I'll try to fit in a tour if I can. If I do, you'll read about it here!

January 2008. I almost bought a new (2nd-hand) bike. A late-model, low-mileage, Triumph Sprint ST 955i, just like the one pictured on the left. (Same colour too). If you've read the tests, you'll know that the Sprint is a bike I've admired for years. I rode this same model about a year ago and was very impressed with it. (Click here to read the report). And the current model won my comparison of Sports-Tourers I did early last year.
If you've read the item above on the Sydney Motorcycle Show (and some of the other articles) you'll know I've been going through a bit of a re-think on what type of bike I'd ideally like. But lately I've become more settled back into the sports-tourer style. So a Sprint ST was the obvious choice. I couldn't afford a new one, so this should have been ideal!
The bike was so right in so many ways; excellent condition, well-maintained and cared for, full service-history, etc. I had to travel a fair way to look at it, on what turned out to be a very wet day, but when I got there it was as good as described. When I sat on it though, the riding-position felt more "lean-forward-sporty" than I remembered. The foot-pegs seemed higher and more rear-set too. Strange! Then I took it for a ride.
During my test-ride it started to rain; and then it bucketed down. I hadn't put the wet-weather gear on, so I ended up very wet by the time I got back! The jacket soaked, and water dripping from my Draggin jeans! But, back to the bike.
The seat was just as comfortable as I remember; maybe even more so. (It's a very comfortable thing!). The ride was good, although perhaps not quite as plush as I remembered it being. (Just adjustment?). But the main concern was the riding-position. I didn't have an issue with this when I rode it before, so, as the seller and my wife both asked; "What's changed?" Well, I think one factor might be that you view things a little differently when you're about to hand over a heap of money for something that will be your own personal bike that you intend to keep for many years. When testing a bike, up to a certain point anyway, you accept it for what it is; although my tests are always done from a fairly subjective point of view, and I do comment on things I don't personally like. But, as I said, when it comes to assessing a bike you're about to buy, it's different. Perhaps validating this point was my comment in summarising the current model Sprint in my comparison. I said, "It's significant that this bike was the only one that I came back from testing thinking, "I really want one!'"
With this particular bike I could see myself getting home and loving it; but I could also see the possibility that I'd get home realising I'd bought the wrong bike for me.
It's still a great bike though! It's comfortable, it performs well, and it handles well. There's no doubt it's a great sports-tourer! Riding along the highway at 120kph in pouring rain it felt great! It was just the doubts I had - for me personally - on the riding-position. So I left it. I figured it was better not to buy the right bike, than to buy the wrong bike! And that's left me totally confused! (It's just a pity the budget doesn't run to a new one!).
(Still January 2008). As I said above, I'm on holidays at the moment, so that gives me a bit more time to get out on test-bikes, and also on my own bike. (Although the weather has been a bit fickle lately!).
One of the things I like doing is exploring back-roads, taking the "road less-traveled" as the saying goes. The photo on the left was taken on one of these off-the-main-road excursions. It was in an area I visit fairly regularly, but on this occasion I turned down a side-street and followed the road to see where it went. It ended up at someone's gate, but along the way there was this impressive view of the coast-line.
It's great to be out on a bike, isn't it!
(Still January 2008) See the item above on almost buying a 2nd-hand Triumph Sprint ST. I found another one to test-ride, so I could have another evaluation of how I felt about it. This was interesting because it was a 1999 model, so I could also see how the bike held up over a few years and a lot more kms. (Click the link and scroll down to read the report). I've since found that there is a riser-kit for the bars that lift them about 38mm. That would make it good.
By the way, if you think it's just me having a few "seniors moments" over this ride-position thing, in a test in 2002 by "the Bear", he mentioned that he would "prefer the bars to be higher for distance work". See, it's not just me! It was a very hot day too, and once again I noticed the disadvantage of fully-faired bikes in the heat. (So I'm still unsure!).
The bike had a flat battery, and the salesman said just to give them a call if I stalled it. "But don't stall it and you'll be okay!" he said with a grin. And what did I do? I stalled it! I came to a T-intersection and as I approached it the road had a section of bitumen that had melted in the heat. I slowed right down and clicked back through the box, rolling over the sticky surface very gently. Turned left, let out the clutch, and ... it died! I obviously hadn't changed back as far as I thought! I tried the starter but no go. The road I'd come up was slightly up-hill, so I thought if I could get it back to there I could try clutch-starting it (now slightly down-hill). I pushed it back, turned down the road, let out the clutch and it just locked the back wheel on the molten tar! I let it run a bit further - past the sticky part - and had another go. This time it coughed a few times, but I coaxed it into life. Yes! Embarrassment avoided!!

January 26th 2008. Australia Day! I spent Australia Day test-riding a British bike and a Japanese bike, while my wife wandered around a nearby market - where everything for sale was no doubt made in Asia somewhere! (Are we patriotic, or what?!). Oh well, we did (at my suggestion) buy an Australian flag to fly from the car! (Yeah, my wife bought it at the markets, so it was probably made in China or somewhere like that!).

February 2008. I noticed an add in a bike magazine for a bike-shop's demo model Honda Transalp. A 2006 model. They advertised it as "Never been ridden". The add said it had 1.5km on it, "from being pushed around the bike-shop!" Didn't anyone want a test-ride on a Transalp? 
February 2008. Procrastination! It's the curse of the thinking man! I missed out on buying a bike I really should've bought. A late model 2nd-hand Triumph Sprint ST. Fitted with factory panniers, rear hugger, factory exhaust, and most importantly the riser-kit for the bars that I mentioned above. And just over 10,000km up, with full service-history etc. And in immaculate condition.
It was at a dealers, but it was at a good price too. I took it for a ride and when we got to talking money, I got $1,000 off for a cash-price. I should've bought it, but I was still a bit unsure; even though the higher bars certainly made a difference. And I was still thinking of alternatives. In particular I wanted to have a look at the Yamaha FZ1 (the pre-2006 model). We've had a few family things happening too, which kind of took up some of my attention, so I pondered it for a week or so; in the meantime taking an FZ1 for a ride. When I finally phoned them to see if it was still there (and probably to buy it), of course it had been sold. I really should've bought it! So kicking myself a bit now!

February 2008
As people who live on the Eastern side of this great continent will know, we've been having a bit of rain lately; more than a bit, actually! Isn't it good we're getting all this rain and the drought is easing! Well, yeah, but it ain't great for riding! My bike hasn't moved out of the shed for about 3 weeks now! (Although I did get in a test-ride during that period). Very unusual! Can't it rain only at nights and during the week, and not on weekends?
February 2008 A little while ago a mate sent me a DVD which had been compiled from downloads from YouTube. The video was called "Adam's Outback Bike Trip", and is the story of a young (30ish) guy called Adam, who sets out on a solo bike trip into the outback (Birdsville and the Flinders Ranges etc) on his Suzuki V-Strom 650. 
It's obvious he's been watching "Long Way Round", and this is his own version of "a significant trip". There's the usual "diary-cam" piece at the end of each day, plus some on-bike footage and descriptions of locations he passes through. But, unlike Ewan and Charlie, he doesn't have back-up vehicles and a camera-crew! As such, it has to be said that this isn't a professional production; there's often quite a bit of wind-noise in the microphone, and the background music is a bit loud compared to the voice, etc. But that said, he's really done a good job of the video! I really enjoyed it! And I'll watch it again. The landscape he passes through and roads he travels makes it interesting, but the enjoyment factor is also due to the bloke himself. He comes across as a very likeable guy. He's no macho bad-arsed-biker; he's sensitive and vulnerable. Neither is he at all big-headed or egotistical, which he could easily have seemed to be when making a video of his own adventure.
Right from the start he got me in! It's his first bike trip, and his first trip away from his wife. On the first day he expresses his apprehension at the trip, his thoughts of loneliness at leaving his family, and his appreciation for his wife taking time off work to look after the family so he could go. If you've read my story on my first bike tour, you'll understand that I can identify with this! So he got me in. And held my interest for the whole trip!
It took a while to find it on You Tube, but I did get there. Go to You Tube and click the video tab and type "adam's outback bike trip" into the search box. There are three episodes, and each one has been broken into 3 or 4 parts (to make them easier to download and watch). (Watching it on DVD, where each episode was complete, was a good way to do it!). Well done Adam! And very inspiring! 
February 2008. I had to put this photo here! The Ducati test fleet came to town; all in typically Italian red! (Okay, there was one yellow one that snuck in!).
Look good don't they! And I took a couple for a brief ride. The one closest in the photo is the top-shelf Monster, the S4RS. And I rode it! (On one wheel even!). The other one I rode was the Multistrada 1100.
You can read the reports by clicking on the high-lighted names above.
March 2008. I've just read an article in last month's (February) Two Wheels magazine. (I missed buying it and went down the library to read it). The article was about crashing. There were the statistics of crashes, which editor Bowdler tried to analyse, and also 10 tips on how not to crash. It was a great read! We're never too old to learn (or re-learn) something useful about staying alive out there!
It's well worth reading! But I'll give you just one of the tips here. "Target fixation"; that's what it's called when you fix your attention on something. It's like when you see a big pot-hole and think, "I hope I miss that!" as you continue to stare at it. What happens? You hit it, don't you! We tend to go where our eyes are looking. So the tip is to look where you want to go. If you want to avoid an obstacle, don't look at the obstacle itself, look at where you need to go to miss it. And you will. That's just a brief one. There's lots more! Congratulations Jeremy, on a great article!

March 2008. In case you've been wondering, the search for a new (well, a 2nd-hand "new") bike continues; although it's hit a bit of a lull at the moment. I got fairly serious about a Yamaha FZ1 at a dealer in Queensland recently. Yes, I live in NSW, but the internet is a wonderful thing! I even had a local inspection service check it out for me. But negotiations failed to proceed. There were a couple of minor queries I had, but the dealer ended up not answering my emails. Perhaps the process got more involved than they wanted? Oh well, I can wait! There've been weekends where I could have gone to look at some possible bikes, but when the weather has been good, I think, no, I'd rather just get on the bike and go enjoy a ride somewhere! Still not decided definitely on what I'd buy either. If I had the money, a new Triumph Sprint would make it's way into my shed, but in 2nd-hand ..... (Any donations can be sent to www.buy-the-old-bloke-a-bike.com. No, only joking!!!).

APRIL 2008. I was coming up to an intersection, one with one of those tiny roundabouts in the middle. Two cars were approaching from the opposite direction. Check the first; no blinker, yep, going straight through. Check the second; blinker on, so obviously turning right. I focused on the second car, comparing speed; do I need to stop? No, I’ll be through in plenty of time, so I kept on going. Then I saw the first car turning straight in front of me! Now with the blinker on! A big squeeze on the brakes; the back wheel locked and the back-end wriggled a bit, but all stayed under control and I stopped with plenty of room to spare. Hmm, can’t even remember the last time I had anything like that happen! Normally I’m very cautious about the possibility of cars turning at intersections, and don’t trust the lack of a blinker, but he did seem as if he was going straight on. Blame the errant motorist perhaps, but I mentally chided myself; I should’ve kept a closer eye on that first car and not focused as much on the second car. Not close enough to frighten me, but a good reminder!

APRIL 2008. I was traveling along a two-lane highway, on a straight section of road; nothing around me. I was cruising along at just over 100kph (the limit was 100). Suddenly, rrrRRAARRrrr - a bike flew past like I was standing still! Must’ve been doing at least 180. Frightened the daylights out of me! I hadn’t looked in the mirrors for a few minutes, and chided myself (again!) for not seeing him coming. Although 30 seconds previously he was probably still pulling his helmet on his driveway! Anyway another bike came shooting past at around the same speed. I looked in the mirrors and there was a gaggle of about 4 or 5 bikes racing up behind.
By now we’d reached some corners, and also caught up to a car. The bikes jockeyed around behind me, so I pulled over to the left and let them pass in my lane. Which they did. With no acknowledgement. They followed the car until the road straightened just a bit and then whooshed past. Across double lines. Then they disappeared into the distance.
I followed the car, feeling almost embarrassed to be on the bike! The driver was probably looking back at me thinking, “There’s another idiot still behind!” I tried to work out what hand-signals I could use, when eventually I did overtake, to indicate I thought they were idiots too and wasn’t like them. But by the time we came to a spot where I could overtake safely (and legally), I figured he’d probably realised I wasn’t like them anyway.
Using the road as a race-track doesn’t do anyone any good! It’s potentially dangerous to those doing it, and it’s bad PR for the rest of us who ride bikes in a more responsible manner.  

APRIL 2008. Still looking at up-dating my bike. A pre-2006 FZ1 is still the main choice at the moment. Another one came up that looked interesting; but it had too many km and not as "immaculate" as described.

MAY 2008. I've been out riding some test-bikes - interesting times! Now I've just got to try to find the time to write up the reports! There are a couple of other articles I want to do too. Stay tuned!

JUNE 2008. How much do you trust electronics? I’ve just read a report on Honda’s electronically controlled combined anti-lock brake system. It’s due to be fitted to models like the Fireblade from 2010. Here's how it works. At speeds below 6kph the brakes work normally; so fluid pumped by your hand or foot reaches only the caliper you actuate. Above 6kph a valve in the brake line diverts brake fluid to pressure sensors. When you pull the front brake lever you're now not working the caliper. Instead the sensor sends a signal to the brake control unit (BCU) telling it what you're doing. The BCU then sends a signal to a pump which generates the pressure at the front caliper. So it’s an electronic device that’s operating the brakes, not you. At the same time the BCU also sends a signal to the rear brake pump, which is how the combined system works electronically. If you use the rear brake the system works in reverse. It’s claimed that the system will provide increased braking stability and reduced stopping distances for non-expert riders; and greater chance of stopping safely for all riders in a panic situation. Hmmm, maybe, but I’m not sure I want to trust all the braking to an electronic control unit!

JUNE 2008. My timing is about as good as a sun-dial at midnight! The demo-model Yamaha XJR1300 that I first rode was put up for sale a few months ago. I had considered it as a replacement bike for me, (yes, I am still intending to up-date, when I find the right bike!) but at that stage it was really out of my budget, and I had issues with the bars and ride-position anyway. But since doing the “extended test,” I’ve been thinking more seriously about the model; especially as my problem with the bars appears to be a very easy fix. Add a screen and it’d probably suit me quite well! (I did say in the test that I would’ve been quite happy to ride that one home!). Then I noticed that the first one I rode, which was still for sale, had been reduced in price. So I phoned the dealer and had a chat to the sales manager about it. That was a few weeks ago. Then a couple of days ago I phoned him again. Yes, the bike was still there, and he was willing to negotiate even further to fit the bike into my budget. That was going to make it a real bargain; the sort of "too-good-to-miss" type bargain that just might finalise the decision. So I said I’d come and take it for another ride and we could sit down and work out a deal. Now, the dealer is some 120km away, so I had to wait until the weekend before I could get there. Saturday morning I phoned to say I was coming, and the sales manager said ….. the bike had been sold the day before! I couldn’t believe it! It’d sat there for sale (albeit at a higher price) for a few months, then about three weeks at the reduced price, and it gets sold the day before I go to look at it! Disappointing; because I probably would’ve ended up buying it!
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