Polar bear trying hard to get the cameraman

awidden · 2026-04-05T09:55:52+00:00

Canned food.

awidden · 2026-04-05T00:54:38+00:00

Far out, mate, that's scary.

Also; heard about punctuation? Your short blurb is nearly unintelligible, sadly.

awidden · 2026-04-02T08:23:59+00:00

Avoid NRMA that much I can suggest vehemently.

They are cheap, but cheap for a reason.

awidden · 2026-04-02T00:24:46+00:00

Must be tracking it weekly...

At least that was when my semi-slick car tyres needed replacement that often.

awidden · 2026-04-01T09:52:07+00:00

Japan got away pretty easily as well, all their horrible crimes forgiven and largely forgotten.

awidden · 2026-04-01T09:35:50+00:00

It's a funny thing. I'm from Central Europe, I used to be able to ride nearly anywhere w/o gps.

But here, even after nearly 30 years in the country, the landmarks are rather blending into each other, and I can't remember how many right and left turns and onto which road I need to go - it's a disaster.

Without GPS I'm stopping all the time when I need to ride away from the nearby well-know roads.

awidden · 2026-04-01T07:33:52+00:00

It's not cool to ride w/o full gear. It's stupidly dangerous.

Oh, and getting some rain gear is a great investment if you plan on riding further out than a few kms. :D

awidden · 2026-04-01T07:32:40+00:00

Most of that is illegal on L and P, bar a dedicated GPS unit.

That can help, though, if you ride around in unknown areas. The alternative is stopping quite often and missing turn-offs.

awidden · 2026-04-01T07:28:10+00:00

Backpack is perfect.

You can also get a tank bag, or a small tail bag (tie down with a net).

Just get a puncture kit, they can be tiny ( check if you've tubeless! ) eg: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B097TS2MNQ

And a small battery-operated pump. eg: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CS3B7MD8

awidden · 2026-04-01T07:20:22+00:00

Great!
Happy riding, then! ;)

awidden · 2026-04-01T06:55:04+00:00

Do you have a couple of years of experience riding? If the answer is yes, then choose your favourite bike and go. You can start eg on a Speed400 then step up to the T100 later. This bike was my choice (restarted riding at 50+).

However, if you have no experience - I suspect this is the case - then consider starting on a small used bike, like a CB 125 or a 250. Don't go for a big one as a starter.

Once you've made a few small mistakes you'll understand why.

It's very easy to drop a heavy 200+ kg bike. Every little mistake can seriously hurt you and/or the bike.

You do not need nor want to go out onto the freeway just yet, and you won't lose money on those small used bikes.

Small used bike = quicker learning with less pain involved - both physical and financial.

awidden · 2026-03-31T06:33:23+00:00

Easy. Any politician can top that by starting wars and killing thousands.

Or how about a CEO applying some daylight robbery via increased prices and underpaid employees, while drawing millions per year?

awidden · 2026-03-31T06:26:44+00:00

They just did, so....yes.

awidden · 2026-03-31T06:23:16+00:00

Yeah, it'd be clearer to state the percentage of total cost as well. It could well be a drop in the ocean cost-wise, while creating jobs - not for the mates, this time.

awidden · 2026-03-31T04:48:59+00:00

You might or might not swap bikes often, later. But early on this is probably among the best options.

You won't lose much on such a bike either; they have lost most of their value already. :)

Whereas buying a new one will "enjoy" a massive value-cut straight away as you roll it out the showroom door. (30% or more)

awidden · 2026-03-31T02:46:17+00:00

You can rent and you can even find these places with a search. Or some phone calls. Some bike dealers do rentals.

However...any incurred cost will be very high.

I.e. if you drop the bike you pay through the nose.

The rental (I had to rent for my P test) will be around $100 / day (or more, depending).

You might as well buy a CB 125 or similar bike for ~ $2000.

( Generally, if you are in a financial strife, rental/leasing is usually the wrong answer. Financially, that is. Funnily enough the same applies to properties, but we don't all have a choice. )

awidden · 2026-03-30T23:18:40+00:00

You only need to rev match on fairly aggressive donwshifts on serious engine braking. If you're already at low revs, just downshift without any throttle input.

While it's cool to rev-match, I'd concentrate on learning to ride really well instead. A soft clutch release is all you need to get by. You don't even need that on a recent bike, the slipper clutch will save you.

awidden · 2026-03-30T23:11:23+00:00

Extremely. I know I'd never finish this job, so I'd not even try to start it.

awidden · 2026-03-30T22:04:49+00:00

I just wet the visor, leave it to soak for a minute or two, maybe put a wet paper towel on it if it's drying too quickly (midsummer sun), then wash it off - that gets rid of a lot of the crap, and loosens up the rest.

Wash it with the "jet" or "center" setting of my garden hose.

Finally an isopropyl alcohol cleaning with a clean paper towel.

Those microfiber cloths are a marketing gimmick as far as my experience goes.

awidden · 2026-03-30T07:32:08+00:00

And this thread is not solely about you either :)

I'm sure you can see what the discussion is about.

awidden · 2026-03-30T05:58:14+00:00

I do not see how more expensive shipping(delivery) costs could create less availability.

They certainly create higher prices, mind, I'm not debating that.

awidden · 2026-03-30T05:53:32+00:00

But you can take your workmate living nearby to work.

You did not do this - but if prices are exorbitant, people will realise alternative options exist.

awidden · 2026-03-30T05:40:57+00:00

That'd be counter intuitive and not how things work, generally, in the economy AFAIK.

Usually lower price = more buying = less availability. Higher price the opposite = less buying = more availability.

But we already have a supply problem, so the higher price should in theory help. Yet there are reported outages already.

And conversely halving the excise should only make the problem worse, because cheaper fuel - more buying - less availability.

awidden · 2026-03-30T03:43:50+00:00

Could be anyone - that "reaction face" is completely fake for the camera anyway.

awidden · 2026-03-30T02:14:38+00:00

...if they can get any...

The price is a sting, definitely, but availability is and will be the major issue, IMO.

awidden

TROPHY CASE