patches

Motorcycling IS NOT allowed... This morning I put my motorcycle registration on hold to for 3 months to "winter" the bike and save myself $100, during the rainy(er) season. So for me, and for the next 3 months, motorcycling is not allowed. I'll have to live through your posts!

I forgot to mention 2 of the best parts of this purchase... Got 15% off retail, as the big-box hardware store next door had it for $4 cheaper and the one I was purchasing at has a policy to beat the competitors pricing. Getting a free stand (worth $350) through a Makita redemption offer, unique to the store at which I purchased. With deals that good, how can I not make terrible financial decisions!

Recently finished watching this one: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8681148/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 We really enjoyed it, even if there were some times that one has to look away (we're not ones for too much blood and gore, especially if medical). Highly recommend

Anyone else noticed the increased advertisement efforts to lure kiwis to Western Australia? Not just a tourism campaign, but to live. Higher salaries, lower housing prices, and cheaper cost of living does make it attractive. Oh yeah, and they have Mochachos in Perth! Almost tempting, if the landscape wasn't so flat and beige and it didn't "feel like Randfontein", a term a friend used on our trip there 2.5yrs ago. (No disrespect to anyone from Randfontein. I lived in Klerksdorp once upon a time so cannot judge).

haha Just yesterday I was looking at the daylight hours graph, wondering how much we gain each week until glorious daylight savings times are back. https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/new-zealand/auckland Weather wise though... it's likely that the worst is yet to come. August (even parts of September) can be downright miserable in the AKL.

Have you seen the cost of building materials in NZ lately?! 😂😵 hahaha! Plenty of news articles about builders paying over 6x the retail price for Gib (plasterboard). Nationwide shortage caused by a monopoly that is failing to meet demand. The big construction companies are panic buying the majority of what is available and smaller builders are paying exorbitant prices for whatever they can get their hands on as they are stressing about penalties for blowing out the programme on their projects. Luckily for my projects, I have 4 sheets in my garage that I bought over a year ago. I'd be screwed if I didn't buy them back then. A year ago developers were pushing housing prices up at an alarming rate as zoning laws were changing and an 800sqm piece of land could now be used to develop 5x higher-end townhouses selling for $1.75m (about R17.5m) each (literally happening 5 houses down from us on our street). The hyper-inflated prices locked out plenty of conventional buyers. But now with the building material costs and shortages, the developers are scared to take on new projects, so housing prices are cooling again. Anyway, brief status update on the Auckland housing market, but yea, building is k-a-k expensive at the moment, haha! In Feb 2020 (before all hell broke loose) we looked at a piece of land in the Southern Alps (about 1hr from Queentown). It was 4Ha block with a 250sqm shed/garage/workshop on it and not much else. The vendor planned on building a beautiful 300sqm house, but decided to sell after building the shed (which had a bathroom and power), and casting the services and concrete pad for the main residence. (architectural plans were included in the sale). Price wasn't too bad either, about $500,000. Less than half the median house price at present, and land alone would be worth 1.5x that in today's money. I tried very hard to convince my wife about the merits of the property and how we (or atleast I) could live in the shed, store all the building materials there, and oversee the project. Sadly she didn't bite. I continue to dream!

True! At some point it will be cheaper to buy a new house than keep upgrading tools 😅

Aaand I caved and ended up on yet ANOTHER battery platform (Makita 40V). That brings me to 6. The new addition. Makita 40V 216mm Sliding Compound Mitre Saw (as used by Scott Brown... just for Hairy). Decided it was time to go cordless and compact. I like the idea of the forward facing rails, so can be placed with back pretty close to the wall. Has the AWS chip, so will autostart my cordless vac. LED drop shaddow for cut line (which I prefer to laser on the 36V Makitas), and weighs in at under 16kg. The compromise is cut capacity, but 70mm deep x 312mm long is pretty decent and will do 90% of what I need, and I can just rotate thicker pieces. So now just to sell the 254mm AEG corded mitre saw, which has served well for 2 years, but needs to free up some garage space.

Yesterday, after having a Sausage McMuffin from my local Maccas (Kiwi & Aussie term for McDonalds), I impulsively walked over to the VW dealership next door and ordered another bike carrier, expecting it to take a few days like last time. This was around 10:30am. To my surprise they called around 2pm to say the carrier was ready for collection. I collected, installed, tested, and tadaaah! Due to the narrow width of the racks and the width of our bars (running 800's on my bike), I had to face the 2nd carrier backwards. This did pose some issues with the auto boot opening, and the spoiler hitting the bike's front wheel. But some shifting and fiddling and it looks like it'll work! So yeah, now I can transport 1x cycling buddy to the trails. Now just to figure out a pricing plan to recoup the R3,500. At 6 rides a year, my ROI might have to extend into 2-3 years... Just kidding! Looking forward to the first trip already!

Yeah, the XC40 only shares its platform with newer and more expensive cars (Volvo C40 and Polestar 2). On the towbar front, there are generic options available here (approx. R10,000 equiv.), but all are the tongue mount and although removable, they are still pretty visible. I’d prefer the gooseneck type that becomes invisible when removed (so yeah, me being fussy 😅). Vs The other issue is the electronics. As the wiring links into the ECU somehow, Volvo seemed to indicate that generic options may void warranty. It was the sales guy speaking, so he may have been bluffing. As for the weld, rivet and strap option Hairy… I value my life and have only been married a year with no current plans for divorce 😅

Haha, yeah, I’m paranoid about that. Seen a number of horror stories, even a friend that worked at Thule did it to his car 🤣 When I had a rooftop carrier on a previous car, I used to stick a red post-it on the dash as a reminder. I’ll do something similar this time.

Oh dear, there’s a whole other discussion (hashed out somewhat on the Toolbox thread) about lending tools to friends. General consensus was no, but like you say, the average chain breaker seems harmless and inexpensive enough. Your neighbour’s son has earned the title of Chain Breaker-Breaker, and ironically unable to break the chain, haha

Tow bar mount? Have you seen what a tow bar for an XC40 cost?! …yikes! That plus a one of them Thule platform racks would cost more than my bike! 😅 Plus I need roof racks for other endeavours.

Transport for 1… for now. Cycling buddy bike carrier coming soon.

I bit the bullet and procured some bike transportation for the vehicle. Black Thule Wingbar Evo Edge racks and a Thule Proride 598 I think the blacked out rack, carrier (and even bike) look pretty good on the black top roof. FYI, got a VW branded Thule 598 from the local dealership, which was $70 (approx R700) cheaper than a regular Thule one.

I'm late to the party on this one, but recently been watching and enjoying The Last Kingdom (Netflix). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4179452/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 Similar vibe to Vikings, but I think I prefer it. Binge watched seasons 1-4 on my daily commutes and in the evenings. On the side I'm also watching the weekly instalments of Obi-Wan and The Boys.

So answering your questions with relation to bicycle tools... 1. I haven't done stage races or the like for many years, but when I rode a lot more, I had a "bike van" (Citroen Berlingo). I carried my complete toolbox with me, along with other supplies. The 2 black boxes below contained spares and sundries (chain lube, cleaners etc) in one and my body armour in another. In front of those I had 2x Keter tool boxes (approx. 450L x 350W x 300H each) with decent first aid kit in one and tools in the other. 2. Now days, as I don't ride much anymore and my tool focus has shifted heavily towards carpentry and woodwork. The bike related tools have been relegated into 2 boxes. 1 flat tote for spares etc, and a shared toolbox for bicycle and motorbike specific tools. Dirt bike wise, I have a Kriega tool roll which I carry with on longer rides, and supplement with spare tjoobs on multi-day adventures, but on the MTB side I go super light with just a OneUp EDC tool mounted on the stem.

So I cheaped out and just got roof rack and 1 bike carrier. Winter is upon us and Auckland gets rainy and muddy over the next few months so rides will be few and far between. I'll get a 2nd one when spring rolls around. I did manage to get a good deal on the bike carrier. Similar to the suggestions here (about getting Volvo branded Thule accessories at below Thule prices), I got a VW branded black Thule Proride 598 for about R700 less than a non-branded one. I would have gone for a Volvo branded one, but Volvo only does the silver version. I'll use a kokie to colour in the VW branding 😅

I haven't financially immigrated from SA, but I do still keep an account open there and put money into it (for family) each month. About 2.5 years ago I contacted a financial emigration consultant to see what was required and their response indicated that for me, there wasn't much to do, as I have broken SA tax residency (different from financial financial migration) Below is the email they sent me. Hopefully that clears things ups a little:

Another option is to use Splitwise (or any similar app). We use this with the friend group we holiday with. It's pretty handy. when it comes to keeping tabs, although all of us are have the opposite approach where we feel like we haven't contributed enough. With Splitwise we: Create a group Any expenses incurred by an individual on behalf of the group added in and apportioned (either equally or itemised) At the end of the month/trip/quarter we review the balance and EFT monies owing between the parties It also automatically simplifies debts, so if Peter owes Paul, and Paul owes Patrick, Peter just pays to Patrick. Might be useful for regular riding groups, or weekends away. EDIT: I just looked at my Splitwise all-time spending and it's scary. Shows how quickly this friend group's activities add up over 3 years. Pretty sure someone would be a few hundred dollars outta pocket if it wasn't tracked. Above) example of the amounts entered. Not huge... but as you can see (below) they add up

Years ago I went to Panarotti's for all-you-can-eat pizza. Our group was quite big and so was the bill. When it came time to pay and everyone was putting in their cash, adding for a decent tip, the final person (an acquaintance) decided that we'd paid too much and not only did they not contribute towards the bill or tip, but took R10 out of the cash pile, to pay for their parking. They did this without flinching or even seeing the error in etiquette. The rest of us were speechless.

Either that or the order and pay at the counter. Don't order and pay. Don't get food. Simple as that. It's a bit of an "everyone for themselves" approach, but culturally it's the norm. The only time a person could expect you to pay for them is if you offer beforehand.

When I moved to hobbit-land I initially thought it was strange the way orders were placed and bills were split at restaurants and cafes etc. Generally the service methods falls into 2 types: Order and pay at counter. Receive a table marker (or state table reference). Waiter brings food to you when ready. Some places have a more modern variation of this with QR codes on the table, with menus, ordering and payment via mobile phone. Overall individual ordering and payment on order is the more common method. Order from waiter. Pay bill at counter when leaving. State items ordered and they get checked off-the bill. Each person pays for what they ordered, or splits the bill by percentage (50/50 etc). This is more for finer dining. Not really the places one would go post ride. Yes it does help that NZ isn't a tipping culture, which does simplify those incidents when a bill is split and some parties under-tip. But even so, with the above mentioned methods, any places that does have optional tipping, simply has it pop-up on the EFTpos/card machine, and most people just press "Skip", haha. Here the general vibe is that people don't mind or get offended when itemising a bill and others only pay for what they ordered. Yes it adds a minute or 2 at "checkout" but I'm sure it has prevented many an argument or passive-aggressive thought between friends.

Yup, you got it! It's all part of a wider plan to up the safety of any vehicles on the road. In NZ even car registration fees are affected by the safety rating of your vehicle, with lower fees for safer cars. Part of the vehicle rego fee goes into the ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) fund, which compensates just about accident (like falling off a ladder etc). So for motorcyclists, the rego fee is high as they are statistically more likely to incur medical bills and lose income from a vehicular accident than a motorist. Also, the government has an initiative to have a zero road death toll by 2050. So anything that makes road users safer plays into that. As for the motorcycle stats, here's a snippet for 2020 Sadly it looks like incidents are on the rise, possibly as more people take up motorcycling to alleviate congestion and high fuel costs.

Was recently browsing the classifieds for a decent condition "plated dirt bike" (for a friend), and it's slim pickings here in NZ. Ever since they introduced that ABS law (last November), it means no new KTM or Husky enduro bikes can be road registered as they do not have ABS (and yes, although the 690 and 701 do have ABS and hold "enduro" in their title, I'm referring to their 500cc or less more agile little brothers). Not only are options limited (mostly one or 2 KTM's that snuck in just before the law change, or 2009-ish Yamaha WR450's, all of which seem to be fetching ridiculous prices (like R75,000 equiv for a 2009 WR450, R100,000 equiv for a 2013, or R190,000 for a 2020 KTM EXC 300 TPi, just because it's road registered). I'd also bet that brand new EXC 450/500's and FE 450/501's sales are going to decline massively in NZ due to that issue. And bikes like my 2016 FE 450 (rally kitted and road registered) will only become more rare (and hopefully appreciate), but what do I replace it with? Definitely sold my plated 2015 FE350 for too cheap, hahaha!