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    Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist
    Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist
    Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist
    Ebook114 pages2 hours

    Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist

    By Paul Fris

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    About this ebook

    At the time of writing this book I’m fifty four years old and have ridden over three hundred thousand kilometres on motorbikes. I have ridden often on my own and many times in small and very large groups. I have organised rides that have taken us over New Zealand’s most technical roads and had over a hundred motorcyclists turn up from all backgrounds and experience levels.
    This book will not be “English grammar” correct but it will give you a taste for “Kiwi” humour, language and more importantly the joy and sheer exhilaration of riding on good old “Kiwi” back roads. Any person who has experienced the liberty and let’s face it, has the “balls” to ride a decent sized motorcycle at speed will instantly be at home reading this book.
    I love riding. I love a good twisty road and I am so pleased I found out the thrill and enjoyment of riding a powerful motorbike. There are not too many other activities that can take your mind off the cares of the world and have you concentrate totally on the task at hand and arrive at your destination, exhilarated, refreshed and enjoying the freedom of being on a bike on the open road. Riding is truly an awesome experience. To that end, I share that experience with you in this book.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPaul Fris
    Release dateJan 11, 2012
    ISBN9781465780539
    Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist
    Author

    Paul Fris

    Paul Fris is an avid writer with Predestined being his first Science fiction/Fantasy work. He has contributed articles and training programs to varied organisations and written reviews on motorcycle test rides and life experience articles for several websites. The loss of his sixteen year old son from Cystic Fibrosis some years ago and the more recent loss of his much loved wife who finally succumbed after a two year battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer, has given him rare insights into the areas of grief, loss and dealing with some of life's major issues. These deep valleys in his life have also given him a unique ability to discern the moods of others and to understand the intricacies of human nature. A keen hunter, tramper and motorcylist along with a knowledge of electronics, electricity and computer systems enable him to write his material from a position of practical experience evident in his novel "Predestined" and his latest book "Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist." "Predestined" is a work that may echo mankind's future on this planet and "Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist" is a light hearted look into riding in New Zealand.

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      Book preview

      Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist - Paul Fris

      CONFESSIONS OF A KIWI MOTORCYCLIST

      By

      Paul Fris

      CONFESSIONS OF A KIWI MOTORCYCLIST

      Published by Paul Fris at Smashwords

      Copyright © 2012 by Paul Fris

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist is a work of non-fiction. Some names have been changed to protect the identity of the persons involved and any online names used are not the actual names of the persons mentioned.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles or reviews.

      Introduction

      At the time of writing this book I’m fifty four years old and have ridden over three hundred thousand kilometres on motorbikes. I can honestly say that I’m surprised I’m still here but happy that I am so that I can share with you the joy and passion of Motorcycling in New Zealand. I do know that as I grow older, the negatives of my motorcycling past are going to haunt me during the cooler seasons of the year. For some unknown reason, healed broken bones and winters do not mix very well.

      There is much I could discuss and many tangents that could take me down other paths but you bought this book to learn more about Motorcycling in New Zealand and my own confessions and that is exactly what you are going to get. Of course, the tips and odd training sections are applicable anywhere in the world. I have ridden often on my own and many times in small and very large groups. I have organised rides that have taken us over New Zealand’s most technical roads and had over a hundred motorcyclists turn up from all backgrounds and experience levels.

      At the end of each chapter I will post a quote from some of these riders about how they perceived my riding. These quotes are anonymous and taken from a well-known forum. Only those who know the online names will recognise the characters. Many who read this book will not know me and it’s easy for you to think I speak from my own perspective, so I believe it’s important that third party quotations are thrown in to make sure you know exactly what kind of animal you are dealing with here.

      I’m not a trumpet blower and I don’t normally go around expounding my knowledge and making out I’m an expert but in this book I’ll write about what I believe every reader will enjoy and relate to in some way. You will read about incidents that have had a marked effect in my own life and you will share the joys and the heartache of an avid rider. Thrown in will be real life practical training because I want you to be a survivor and you will find a couple of reviews and some information for new riders.

      This book will not be English grammar correct but it will give you a taste for Kiwi humour, language and more importantly the joy and sheer exhilaration of riding on good old Kiwi back roads. Any person who has experienced the liberty and let’s face it, has the balls to ride a decent sized motorcycle at speed will instantly be at home reading this book.

      Those who may be contemplating taking the next step and throwing a leg over a mechanical beast that has more power to weight ratio than anything short of an interplanetary missile booster, should enjoy the ride but be warned… there are some squeamish moments that are unavoidable when you participate in this kind of activity.

      There are many who would never even consider riding anything that has only two wheels and affords no protection at all should things go belly up but after reading this, you may hopefully have a better understanding of what drives a Kiwi Motorcyclist.

      I hope you enjoy this work as much as I did writing it.

      One who is passionate about riding…… Paul Fris

      ~*~

      Quote: Superdaveriding a GSXR600 on the Coromandel Loop commenting on my riding my Suzuki GSX1400.

      Giving you rep for that wicked riding of yours. You really lean that thing over! I saw you warming up your tyres before that first good stretch of twisties and I was thinking why the hell is a guy on a bike like that bothering he's just gonna cruise and take it at a leisurely pace but then I saw you go into those corners and I was like ha-ha.

      Chapter One

      Mortality

      As you get older, you really do have to ask yourself the question, how long will you live?

      Are you really aware of your own mortality? How many of us know exactly how many heartbeats are allotted to us in the short time we have on this world and if we did know, would we do things differently, try something new or out there?

      When we are young we do not think of these things as we consider ourselves to be indestructible and we expect to live a good long life. We took greater risks and when things didn’t turn out as expected; we healed quicker and dealt with the knockbacks in a more efficient manner.

      What will it be that finally extinguishes the flame of your life? Will it be cancer, an accident, a disease or some new virus that sweeps the world or simply old age?

      We live in an extremely complex world with so many things that can go wrong and yet the millions of things that can affect our intricate bodies are dealt with by an awesome immune system in most cases. Check out a medical dictionary online sometime and be amazed at the fact you are actually still here. We think nothing of the fact that we live and breathe when so many things could go wrong and end our lives in so short a time and yet many of us ride or have ridden a motorbike and think nothing of that either.

      How stupid is that? We throw our legs over a machine that in comparison to bikes that existed 30 years ago, are so much faster, more powerful and able to end your life with the simple twist of the throttle in a blink of an eye and all that with no protection whatsoever. We rely totally on the oncoming motorist to stay on their side of the road, or we have little chance of surviving if they decide at the last second they prefer our side of the road to their own and for some strange reason, many do.

      Between our legs is a tank full of highly ignitable substance, gleaned from the bowels of the earth from extinct creatures that lived millions of years ago, that could also make us extinct in a second should a spark find its way anywhere near the vapour. If you survive that sort of mishap, you are unlikely to father any children and a certain appendage will take on the look of a well-cooked barbecued sausage.

      What is it that causes us to risk our lives astride these mechanical monsters full of fossil fuel? The naysayers will tell us that we are mad, that we are temporary citizens of this world and we won't see old age. What if our bones and their bones and the gloop from billions of people before us, are what powers the machines of the future? Will they say the same thing and complete another cycle of life and death the same way we do?

      It has nothing to do with how you ride. You can be the best rider in the world and on the open road, anything or anyone can take you out and there is not a darn thing you could have done about it. Simply put, when your numbers up... it's up. Sure, you can minimise the risk by improving your riding skills, by riding within your own safety margin envelope, by wearing the best gear, but when things go belly up, there's not a lot you can do.

      I often weigh up why I ride against what I have to lose and what those left behind will feel when I’m gone. Like any risky activity, this is both healthy and normal and makes us stay within the bounds of common sense to aid in self-preservation. In the end, every person that lives is merely a temporary citizen in the scheme of things anyway. Tell me otherwise, that in a perverse way we are all born to die and there is nothing surer than that.

      I love riding. I love a good twisty road and I am so pleased I found out the thrill and enjoyment of riding a powerful motorbike. There are not too many other activities that can take your mind off the cares of the world and have you concentrate totally on the task at hand and arrive at your destination, exhilarated, refreshed and enjoying the freedom of being on a bike on the open road. Riding is truly an awesome experience.

      So, we weigh up the risks as do many other people in different pursuits and hobbies and we decide that what we want to do is worth the risk. If we didn't do this, every human being would simply sit at home in front of TV too paranoid to move or do anything a little adventurous.

      But, the freedom of the ride, the sense of oneness with the universe, the road, your bike and you and an awesome ride

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