How to Solve Mid Life Crisis & an SV in New Zealand

 

It is late 2002 only twenty four years between bikes and the idea of owning a lightweight V twin has been festering for a year or two.  Family, work and travel seemed to conspire against me owning a new bike of my own.  As birthday 46 rattled past it was now or never. I was working in Houston, all my friends had their Harleys, Indians and the odd rice burner, the company had just been sold and the cash from my small share was burning a hole in my pocket.  What to buy, it had to be a sporting V twin for some reason perhaps it was the effect of that first 916 I heard and then saw? The idea of a sports bike conjured up images of a sore back, aching wrists and I wasn’t sure I would survive all that horsepower and speed, especially in Houston and the magnificent State of Texas.  I loved the look of the Monster range but my reading suggested that I needed to look hard at the SV650.  The press and websites all indicated I couldn’t really make a mistake in buying an SV and there was plenty of aftermarket stuff available to make more horsepower, improve the handling and alter the look.  So there it was, Polaris West, in Katy, Texas that handled Suzuki’s and Ducati’s and it was inevitable, two great marques and a man in mid life crisis with cash to burn.  The 600 Monster with the chromed tank nearly won but the dealer wouldn’t match the price of the slightly used, yellow 2002 SV650. With the transfer of $5,500, a new helmet and proving I had insurance I was out the door and on my way. Funny though I didn’t need to show I had a motorcycle licence to anyone at all.  The big problem now was to own up about the purchase to my lovely wife who was back in New Zealand.  I figured I had about a week until she checked the bank account online and found the debit to the account of Polaris West.  I mixed up several margarita’s, took a digital photo and sent an email with the words “I’ve been a bad, bad boy” along with the photo as an attachment.  Total silence from her, not an email, no phone call, nothing.  Revenge is sweet of course and about two weeks later I got an email saying “I’ve been a bad, bad girl” she had bought some land in New Zealand and had attached a digital photo of the property.  I was happy on both counts and somewhat relieved.

 

The first month was a blur re-discovering the skills to ride the bike smoothly while maintaining some sort of buffer between all those Houston drivers.  I quickly confirmed that rapid acceleration and the resulting clear space ahead and behind was most calming. The biggest problem in Houston was finding some reasonable curves on which to re-learn decent cornering skills.  How did Texas ever produce such great riders such as Kevin Schwantz and Colin Edwards, I have to guess their cornering skills were developed dodging cowboys in huge pickups. If I am honest I  had no long term memories or recent experience that would confirm that the forks and the rear shock could be improved.  As far as I was concerned the bike had plenty of power, it went around the corners okay given my pace and it looked pretty good. Stupid, stupid me and how easily am I influenced by websites, forums and the motorcycling press.  Before long a Holeshot high pipe was fitted along with their fender eliminator.  The bike now sounded and looked much better and I swear I detected an increase in horsepower particularly in the mid-range.  A Penske rear shock was next and improbable as it seems I swear that the bike felt better over those bumps, ripples and everything else those Houston roads threw at me. Because the rear shock was a success I had the forks looked at so in went a Race Tech cartridge fork emulator kit and some Traxxion springs along with some new fluid.  Was the bikes handling transformed, I guess it is like tasting wine, the last glass is always better than the first so the handling was better.  It had to be better because I had spent all that money.

 

 I felt I needed to do something to improve my riding skills so I could explore my limits and improve my chances of survival.  Back to the websites and before long I was heading to Atlanta and the Kevin Schwantz riding school at Road Atlanta. Simply put the Schwantz school was one of the greatest riding experiences I have had.  I felt some trepidation in wondering how I would go.  All the information explains there are two groups sorted by skill level but still you wonder just where you will fit in, you certainly don’t want to put it down and you would prefer not to be the slowest.  I had butterflies at registration, nervousness like you feel before any public performance. Shortly after getting my gear, meeting the team and getting some basic track rules I followed an instructor around the Road Atlanta racetrack at easy pace.  You picked an SV650S or GSXR600 as you liked with instructions to follow the instructor’s lines while dropping back from first to last in the front straight. There were 6 bikes in each group and we all got to follow just behind the instructor.  It started easy and picked up slightly towards the end but it was ok, I kept up and I knew I could actually go significantly faster and still be comfortable.  Any nervousness had now morphed into the buzz of expectation. The next two days were filled with short classroom sessions followed by time on the track practising what had just been taught.  The big things I got out of it were:

 

  • Being smooth especially through the corners
  • Looking ahead
  • Breathing regularly
  • Staying relaxed and light on the bars
  • Braking hard and trusting the tires
  • Do not panic if its not right, look where you want to go and you probably will
  • The bike has more potential than you do
  • Corners matter most, everyone is fast in a straight line
  • It’s fun on a race track with everyone going the same way, fast, with no cars and no policemen
  • I have little talent after watching the instructors ride
  • There were no chicken strips on the tires at the end of the day

 

It was fantastic to have such great riders including Kevin himself demonstrate techniques.  I mentioned in class that I had difficulty in blipping the throttle while downshifting and maintaining hard braking. Prior to the next track session Kevin took the time to personally show me his technique.  It was interesting watching yourself after you had been videoed for a lap.  I thought I was really moving around on the bike, hanging off in the corners, getting my butt off the seat and the knee close to the ground for that magic “knee down” moment.  The video told otherwise, what felt a huge movement on the bike was an almost imperceptible shuffle on the video that had me barely off the centre line of the seat. While the knee was out the puck was well and truly safe from any abrasion, how humbling!  Still I was praised for most of my lines and I looked reasonably relaxed.  I recall that all of us took some positively delivered criticism. It was every enlightening having Kevin explain his cornering technique and walk you through various corners on the track. Then to stand inside a corner and watch as he and the other instructors came through that corner at close to race speed and also at what they called “elevated” road speed.  That showed me how precise, smooth, and fast these guys are time after time after time. I listened and tried to put into practice what I was taught.  It’s hard to relax completely and tension helps make smoothness more difficult but as time built up so did the confidence and limits were extended without pushing too hard.  A fall meant no more riding for the rest of the weekend unless the spill was attributed to someone else. That was a powerful motive not to push too hard and keep the rubber side down.  I got quicker to a point and then I focussed on repeating the corners as I wanted to.  I concentrated on getting all the actions such as moving the body into position, braking and downshifting, the actions that upset or alter the bikes balance, completed just prior to the turn in point.  From the turn in point no action to upset the bike, turning in with a combination of counter-steer, body effort and weight on the pegs while  maintaining a neutral throttle through the turn until back on the throttle, standing the bike up while all the time looking ahead where I wanted to go.  I would try to repeat each corner 2 times then change something like the braking point, braking effort, turn in point, apex point, and exit point, seeing if one combination seemed more natural and faster.  All too soon it was over and if I could do it again tomorrow I would, do yourself a favour, book into the Schwantz course.  I even got to eat Mexican with a legend and watch a MotoGP live with his running commentary.

 

Back to Houston and the search for corners continued until late 2003 when home and family beckoned and the bike and I were on the way back to Queenstown, New Zealand.  If you have seen the “Lord of the Rings” you have seen where the bike and I now live.  It’s a paradise of pristine lakes, rivers, mountains and valley’s.  During the winter I can ski just 20 minutes from my front door and golf in the same day.  For the adrenalin junky it’s all here including bungy jumping, jet boat rides, white water rafting and roads with lots of corners.  The food and wine is pretty darn good as well. The bike only needed a few official checks, the Texas plate was changed for a New Zealand one and we were away.  I am studying to grow grapes, completing a Diploma in Viticulture, a change of career is part of a mid-life crisis in case you didn’t know and the Pinot Noir from Central Otago is world class.  The college is 54 kilometers away, just over 33 miles through a pass known as the Kawarau Gorge.  The road does not have a straight section longer than 1 mile and the traffic is light so that means 66 miles of motor-cycling paradise 3 days a week.  Nirvana however does not exist as the speed limit is 100 km/hr (60mph) on the open road, we have speed cameras and our policeman set speed traps everywhere. The roads are really narrow and tight with nowhere to go if you get it wrong.  The traffic is light but we have a lot of tourists who hire camper vans, not as large as American RV’s, but they still occupy plenty of space.  We drive on the left here so occasionally a driver from a “right side of the road” country forgets what side of the road to drive on and hits a truck or takes out a car or bike.  We also have snow and frosts here so the roads may have grit spread for traction and they suffer from frost heave where a patch of road can pop up and then slump resulting in a patchy, uneven surface.  What does this mean, well I ride 66 miles most of the year, 3 days a week on winding roads where if I get it wrong I am likely to hit a rock wall on one side, armco on the other side or a vehicle coming the other way.  The road surface is uneven which means you need to trust the suspension, the tires and be light on the bars. Smoothness results in better pace than point and squirt so the selection of line and technique through the corners is all important.  If I feel like I have “flowed” through the gorge I am happy.  You also have to be wary of lines of fine grit left after being spread during icing conditions, not good to hit one of these lines cranked over at speed. This is not flat out territory the downside to too great, save that for a track day. Oh did I mention that this is just one of many such pieces of road down here including the Crown Range between Queenstown and Wanaka and the road between Queenstown and Glenorchy. 

 

 

 

These roads are my own little bits of motorcycle heaven within 10 minutes of my front door. I might see another bike twice a week except during the busier summer months.  About 2 hours away is the Haast Pass, a glorious scenic route that is reputably rated as one of the great motor-cycle rides in the world, who am I to argue.  Lindis Pass is another beauty about two hours away as well with some roads north of the pass that let you explore the top speed of your bike if you are prepared to take the risk on being ticketed.  If you exceed the speed limit here by more than 30 mph you can lose your licence for 28 days on the spot. That’s only 90 mph on the open road and we all know just how quickly an SV650 gets there. These are but a few of the fantastic opportunities I have which allow me to lean over while riding and take in truly spectacular views. I have included a few links to show you what the South Island and that other biking paradise, the North Island  of New Zealand have to offer and how you to can try these roads.  Do yourself a favour, get out of your comfort zone and travel to a safe part of the world where Americans and Europeans are welcomed, English is the spoken language and if you pass over a $1.00 US at the bank we give you around $1.43 in New Zealand cash back.  Any country that produces the Britten motorcycle and has Burt Munro as a bit of a hero (go see the movie “The Worlds Fastest Indian) has to be good for any bike rider. If you see a yellow SV650 cranked over around the Queenstown area, wave, it has to be me.  If you play golf drop into the Arrowtown Golf club and ask if Tim is around, who knows we may even hit a ball and enjoy a brew or three at the end of the day.  Keep the shiny side up.

 

http://www.motorcyclesnewzealand.co.nz

http://www.gotournz.com

http://www.mcycle.co.nz