Is motorcycling allowed?

[Hairy]

Been using a buff over the ears on the commuter as of late, and this does dramatically reduce wind noise....will keep doing this then.

[Hairy]

looks a bit fugly when all fitted though

 

[Hairy]

ok, skip to the 6min mark to avoid all the talking

[patches]

Impressive. How the heck do you ride on that surface?

You just go....

I asked Jade Gutzeit that question once when we were about to hit some stones alongside a railway track. His answer was pretty simple.

 

Stand up, look up, open up....

Yup, that's pretty much it! Stand up, keep the front as light as possible (I have Steg Pegz which help with that), and keep momentum.

 

There are loads of pebbley trails in Canterbury, so one gets used to it.

 

Some of the pebbley jeep tracks (average pebble size approx 40mm diameter) feel pretty comfy at 70 - 90kph on the straights, and to me cornering on that type of surface feels far more predictable than loose over hardpack. One just has to look up and ahead for the bigger outlying rocks.

[patches]

Enjoyed the post

 

Are you using your phone as a GPS and what phone mount is that?

Yup, I'm using my old phone (Galaxy S7) for navigation.

 

I use Viewranger and another NZ specific app for loading routes and tracks.

 

I don't really trust any of the gripping type mounts for the bumpy stuff, so my solution was to stick a GoPro mount to the back of the phone, then use the Ram attachment for a gopro to connect it to a 100mm Ram arm which is in turn connected to a Ram base plate bolted to the nav tower.

 

It's not pretty (on the phone), but it's solid, VERY adjustable to suit any angle, and I can always throw a GoPro in it's place if desired.

 

Unfortunately my bike is 1000km away, so have to resort to an older, less detailed pic.

 

Edited April 29, 2019 by patches

[patches]

Not a motorcycle, but this vid gives one a better idea of the valley and braided river (Wilberforce) I found myself trekking through.

 

Even this guys better camerawork doesn't do the place's beauty justice.

 

A pretty cool way to get around...

 

[Grebel]

Yup, I'm using my old phone (Galaxy S7) for navigation.

 

I use Viewranger and another NZ specific app for loading routes and tracks.

 

I don't really trust any of the gripping type mounts for the bumpy stuff, so my solution was to stick a GoPro mount to the back of the phone, then use the Ram attachment for a gopro to connect it to a 100mm Ram arm which is in turn connected to a Ram base plate bolted to the nav tower.

 

It's not pretty (on the phone), but it's solid, VERY adjustable to suit any angle, and I can always throw a GoPro in it's place if desired.

 

Unfortunately my bike is 1000km away, so have to resort to an older, less detailed pic.

 

20190430_040030.jpg

Aah OK. GoPro to the rescue! I cobbled a mount together with some old fittings I had lying around to mount my phone (also an S7). I stuck my mount to the back of a phone case so I could still remove the phone and use it. (I originally had the GoPro mount attached to the phone but it was getting caught on my pants pocket) lasted a few months and then a plastic arm broke. Luckily in my driveway... I was looking at the RAM mounts as an alternative. Will need to revisit the idea. I am using Google maps, GPX Viewer and OsmAnd. Edited April 29, 2019 by Grebel

[sawystertrance]

I tried OsmAnd and couldn't get it to work satisfactorily. Have you tried maps.me? It requires an initial download of a region but then you can use it without connectivity.

[dirtypot]

Not a motorcycle, but this vid gives one a better idea of the valley and braided river (Wilberforce) I found myself trekking through.

 

Even this guys better camerawork doesn't do the place's beauty justice.

 

A pretty cool way to get around...

 

 

 

That looks like fun!

[Grebel]

I tried OsmAnd and couldn't get it to work satisfactorily. Have you tried maps.me? It requires an initial download of a region but then you can use it without connectivity.

 

For the usual urban type or marked road navigation I use Google Maps. If we plot a route through the bush using way points marked on Google Earth and create a GPX track, then I use OsmAnd. I have found it isn't the most user friendly app but one of the few that you can upload a GPX file to.

 

Will check out maps.me

[the nerd]

I bought a Garmin Oregon but just havent gotten around to buying maps... 

 

A bit more robust than a phone

[Spokey]

I just use paper maps, good old Slingsby. I love to stop for a coffee and check out the map when out on my day trips.

[dirtypot]

I just use paper maps, good old Slingsby. I love to stop for a coffee and check out the map when out on my day trips.

 

I toured around Spain using only paper maps and loved it.  Look at the map, try to memorize the route and turn off I need to find, forget what I'm looking for, ride 20km in the wrong direction, stop whip out the map and figure out a new route to get lost on again.  I ended up on dirt roads in the mountains, roads that had broken and were closed, tiny essentially foot paths between villages, and so many incredible things I would never have seen otherwise. So much better than a GPS telling you where to go.  Plus its easier to look for squiggly roads on a paper map.  Old school FTW.

[patches]

On the topics of maps and navigation I use the NZ Maps and Viewranger apps for android.

 

Viewranger is useful for editing tracks or routes. Sometimes my adventure involves riding the downloaded GPX files in reverse. Viewranger allows one to switch and edit these on the fly. Without having to sit at a PC.

 

Viewrangers navigation of routes is pretty good, but I prefer the NZ Maps app, for a very off reason... lack of connectivity!

 

Yes, having a map downloaded for offline use is good, but when it comes to on-on-the-fly waypoint following, I find the map makes the route hard to see.

 

So when I run NZ Maps I like having a blank background with only my waypoints and route showing.

 

Here's case-in-point...

 

NZ Maps with topo map loaded, route in green, and waypoints as black dots.

 

NZ maps with no pre-downloaded map or data connectivity. As you can see the green route line is more visible, making it way easier to navigate in situations where light, dust make it hard to see, or speed and tricky terrain mean that one can only take quick glances down.

 

I know NZ maps is not very useful in SA from a topograhical perpective, but I'm sure it can be used the way I use it, no matter where one is located.

 

And as for the paper navigation... with my lack of skills, I would still be lost in the Wilberforce valley if I had to rely on a paper map or even a roadbook.   

 

Paper maps may work well when one is on prescribed roads etc. But in a valley where everything looks the same (no visible trail most of the time), a little digital help to avoid washouts, trenches, etc is pretty handy.

Oneday though, I would like to have the skill to use a roadbook and ride flat out at the same time like the rally guys & gals 

[Spokey]

That is a cool system there. For me, I take a good gander at my paper map the night before and then I head on out. However, unless in the forest when I can see stuff all, it is all rather easy. Keep the sea on one side and the Karoo on the other. I do fill up with gas at every opportunity if i am unsure of the route and I do carry a 10 litre fuel bag. The humble KLR can do 350 kms with out the fuel bag and near 500 with.

The way I see is that sooner or later I will intercept a main road and then I need to choose a direction based on time of day and location of the sun in the sky........don’t laugh.......that is how I do it.

 

And yes, I carry the most basic of nav aids.........a compass ha ha!

Edited April 30, 2019 by Spokey

[IceCreamMan]

You know, this motorcycling is not without its risks. Be careful out there.. Had some sad news today bout a guy I knew.

 

Just take care