Rsser's accident.

[rsser]

Nice riposte Neil ;-}

At this stage I'd give someone a strapping for nix!

No TL, not me. Tho cashed up fit folk in their 50s have been guided to summit Everest without any real mountaineering or high altitude experience.

Why do climbers do it? The intensity of the experience - narrows existence down to just effort and survival, banishes trivialities. The views on the way. But there's usually no jubilation at the summit: many climbers are mentally sub par (hypoxic) by then, can't spend much time there and are not even half way cos going down is harder than getting up.

PS, a Sherpa holds the record for the most ascents. Most Sherpas do it as a living; to summit will boost the demand for their services. That said, Tenzing Norgay, who summitted with Hilary in 1953, was as taken with the splendour of the mountains as many western climbers.

[tea lady]

Kilimanjaro is supposed to be not bad for actually being able to enjoy it once you are there.

[rsser]

Yeah.

I enjoyed the trek to Annapurna Base camp at 4200m. 2nd last day was a hard route with 1200m vertical gain; I had the trots much of the time, but that altitude is not really altitude sickness territory, and the views were extraordinary. I relish physically hard work; like nothing better than skiing in high winds with snow falling and where navigation is not a problem.

Where I live on the edge is riding the sportsbike fast. There's no adrenaline without risk of danger. The art is staying on the right side of the edge, and in 100,000 km since my return to riding, the only injury down to me has been a wrenched thumb. Well that's bad enough given what I need to do with my hand, but I know why the accident happened and how to avoid or minimise the risk of a repeat.

I also know that with age comes lengthened reaction times, and the riding style needs to be adjusted accordingly. So I'll be reducing the aggression in my riding and maybe changing it altogether, splitting touring from fanging and saving the fanging for track days.

Anyway, I ramble. I'm back to touch typing with two hands and you, kind reader, get the benefit

[hughie]

[
So why DO people put themselves on the edge?

The intensity of the experience - narrows existence down to just effort and survival, banishes trivialities

Pretty well sums it up

But on another note, its the doing of something that not every body can or could do and often confronting ones demons and conquering them, if only momentarily.
But the scariest part is seeing how much of the edge or how close you can get to it. Here the rational falls away for the exhilaration, heady stuff.......

[rsser]

Yes.

Pushing yourself further, partic twds the point where what you cannot control by way of major risks increases in proportion to what you can.

We talk about riding risks in terms of 10ths in the bike community. So 10/10ths is where you're riding in such a way that there is no margin for recovery where additional risk is encountered.

So eg. at this level you can estimate the max speed possible through a blind corner and do it, and if there's gravel or a tightening radius beyond what you can see, you are in trouble. Your only option is to run wide, and sometimes you can do this and recover and sometimes you go off the road or maybe hit oncoming traffic head-on.

I've only ridden this way once, thru Gippsland sweepers at high speed. Boy, does it give you an adrenaline high

Normally I ride with a margin to spare, anticipating the possibility of unseen risks ahead. But still often enough I go into a corner too hot and have no option but to brake later than I'd like and/or lean in further. This also provides a high.

But I run a well-fettled bike, with the suspension customised by an expert for my weight, riding style and road types. The suspenders are serviced every 15,000 km, with oil and gas changed and seals, bushes and O-rings checked. Reasonably grippy tyres last about 5,000 km rear ($330 to replace) and about 8,000 km front.

So when needs must, more can be asked of the bike and it will give it. Most crashes in the twisties happen because the rider loses his or her nerve, not because the bike runs out of capacity.

Seems Everest climbs are similar in some respects: climbers have to have the right gear, it has to be in good nick, and they have to know how to use it almost automatically. But up there the weather and the snow conditions are big variables, along with exhaustion and the various altitude sicknesses. Of every 4 climbers that summit, another will die trying or on the way back down. Some of those who succeeded in the infamous 1996 season were stepping over the corpses of those one in five. At 25,000 feet and above, rescues are rarely attempted.

[Grumpy John]

..................................
Reasonably grippy tyres last about 5,000 km rear ($330 to replace) and about 8,000 km front.
.................................

Is that because the front wheel is in the air 40% of the time ?

[rsser]

I wish!

Speaking of choppin and Chopin, apparently the maestro said he'd happily give up all credit for his compositions if he could only be known for the score of Danny Boy (not the words, which apparently succeeded the music).

[ToothFairy]

. . . The suspenders are serviced every 15,000 km, with oil and gas changed and seals, bushes and O-rings checked. . .

Mate, after just reading that , my underwear needs servicing!

- Michael

[rsser]

LOL.

Good idea; might control the bouncing better ;-}

But yeah, I can feel it when the oil's past it in the front forks. The action becomes harsh and/or erratic.

[tea lady]

I get my adrenalin doing stuff in front of an audience. Solo singing with the choir ad stuff. Or acting. (Not that I get much of that. ) The most I can hope for is a bunch of flowers hitting me. Going for the grading in my tai chi last year was pretty good too.

[rsser]

Singing in public ... that'd scare me witless

and the audience.

[wally peat]

But yeah, I can feel it when the oil's past it in the front forks. The action becomes harsh and/or erratic.[/QUOTE]

(showing large amounts of personal bias here) That's because you ride a Honda Ern - maybe you should get a bike from somewhere that makes bikes instead of just engines



I've been away from the forum for a couple of weeks - hope your recovery is progressing well.

[rsser]

LOL. Them's fighting words my friend! ;-}

Yeah, love the vid.

But bottom line is, all the good sportsbikes have 'good' suspenders. We have Beemers, Dukes, Kwackas, Suzis and Hondas in the club. Their suspension systems are designed for some notion of the av rider on av roads. But when you're pushing for some personal version of Everest, av won't cut it.

Oil is at the heart of suspension systems, and it wears out. Sadly most riders don't know this and put themselves at risk by failing to notice the gradual degrade in their systems.

Spring rates are also at the heart - OK, can't have 2 hearts so say another ventricle ;-}

My Honda came from the factory with fairly soft rate springs in the forks, and also dual rate jobs. So on the highway there was a plush ride as the front end rode up and down on the soft rate section.

Trouble was, when much more was asked of them on one occasion, the soft rate section compressed rapidly, and then a series of corrugations compressed the hard rate section, and shooot, there was nothing left to give. Alpine Way in the Snowies, not far north of Khancoban. Ran wide in a deep cutting facing a wall of dirt. Well, I live to tell the tale. After that, no amount of investment in suspenders is too much.

Anyway, in defence of Mr Honda, all sportsbikes from the factory involve compromises, but can and must be customised to suit the rider's needs.

Enuff of this stuff. How's the Black Beast treating you?

[Calm]

Interesting story on nine news (melb) tonight (Motorcyclists outrun...) - police looking for 2 bikes clocked at 190 + on the black spur road - showed on tele - i couldnt see the dangerous bit they were raving about - It was overtaking down a hill. straight road, clear weather and vision - and the cops couldn't keep up

Go bike go

[rsser]

Hmph!

Typical VicPol exaggeration in order the feed the moral panic about speed.

And/or they need their speedos checked.

Only spot you could crack those speeds on that road would be around Narbethong, which is NE of the Black Spur.

Er, did I just give something away?