Lower your MTOW

[facthunter]

 Remember trees and posts only hit you in self defence and the Tin top drivers don't "see" motorbikes. A good bang for your buck, a bike can be, but you have  a bit of flying paradise up there on the right day, with your Sky Chariot. Nev

 

 

[spacesailor]

Bad back brigade !

 

I  have a collapsed disk as well, In the USA they inject  a filler into the damaged disc to fix the problem.

 

Australia doesn't & just fits a steel ladder to your bones to stop any movement, fragile bones won't take much to crack with screws in them.

 

I have to exercise every day to keep my back working, now the hip tells me to sit still so it  doesn't  hurt.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[farri]

Better to try and avoid getting a damaged back than trying to get it fixed!

 

At 15, I got the chance to go horse riding with a mate who had a couple of horses, I`d never been on a horse but me being me, I couldn`t let the chance go by! Horse let me get on ( Yeah! had a saddle and bridle ) and almost instantly, it took off at full gallop, no amount of pulling back on the bridle could stop it, it threw me high into the air and I landed, upside down on my neck and shoulders! I got up, dusted myself and that was that! To this day I`m still amazed that I din`t get a broken neck or killed.

 

At 18, I reckoned motorbikes were easier to control than horses so I took up motorbike racing on short circuit dirt and grass track! This day I was practicing on grass, I got a bad front wheel wobble and the bike threw into the air, this time I came down, upside down, on my head and cracked the Helmet, again, I got up, picked the bike up and kept going! Who knows what long-term damage was done but it didn`t stop me from racing... Believe me! flying Ultralights has been one of the safest things I`ve done. 

 

When I was instructing, a big guy who was a truck driver, came to have a fly! He showed me the scar on his back from the operation he`d had on his spine, but what was really bothering him was the operation he was supposed to have next, on his neck...He told me that even though he`d been told by old truckies not to jump down from the cab he continued to do it and he reckoned that was what recked his spine.

 

Frank, Franco!!!

 

 

[poteroo]

Just past 78 yo and still hold a Class 1 medical with no restrictions. About 6 yrs ago, my cholesterol levels and ratios began to concern my DAME, and, as well, my BSL crept past 5.5, and my weight had been moving up (was 72 - up to 83 kg).  No history of heart or diabetes in known family.  So, I had to take control or my instructing days were over.

 

DAME insisted on statins immediately, and I was on 40mg daily from then on. Then saw the Dr Michael Mosely 'fasting' or 5:2 eating approach story on SBS, and so both bride & I went for it. Helps to have moral support!  Thought we'd die with only 600 cals/day for 2 consec days - but it began to have effects within a month or two. I thought - 'can't do this without serious exercise' - so bought a bike and began to grind out the kms early every morning. Try to burn at least 500-800 Cals per day.  Reason for bike - bad knees, but no probs on wheels!  So far, only 1 low speed accident of my own doing although I cringe when roadtrains pass on one nasty section of port road.

 

Upshot of these efforts has been to wind my cholesterol total & good/bad ratios way back down to happy levels, get my BSL back below 5.0, and my weight down to 73kgs. (Can now wear 32 waist jeans instead of 34!). My knees are a little better too - at least I've gained another 5 years out of them, though a knee replacement looms in next year or so.

 

The interesting thing with the fasting 'diet' is that, although the program states you can eat as much, of whatever you like, on the remaining 5 days............ you actually don't do that. Starvation for these short periods appears to trigger some form of learned response by which your body tells you that you really can survive without rubbish or lots of it. We have cut our wine intake to only 2 days weekly, and then to 1 or 1.5 standard drinks with dinner. Hard, but not impossible!

 

The real problem is how to handle holidays because after only 2 weeks away from the bike, and with 'holiday' level eating & drinking - things begin to slide quickly, especially my cycling fitness.

 

With my medical review falling in mid February each year, keeping the handbrake on all these health indicators has become quite a task over the Christmas/NY period. I know that CASA are 'talking' about allowing instructors to continue on just a Class 2 medical, or even a Basic 2, but it's a point-of-pride that I don't want to drop the Class 1 until it's impossible to maintain. (CASA usually backslide in these matters).  I know it's costly, and often inconvenient to be constantly seeing an audiologist, an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, a blood pathology lab, and my DAME - but I'm going to beat CASA Avmed if it kills me! Might too!

 

And that's my story. Hope it helps lower your BEW too.  happy days,

 

 

[onetrack]

I no longer ride my pushbike on major public roads, after nearly being wiped out by a dopey woman who changed lanes, as if I was invisible. She missed my handlebars by less than 20mm.

 

Seen way too many good people wiped out by cars or trucks, when riding bicycles.

 

The problems are, simply - vehicle drivers don't see bicycles, they're looking for cars, 50% of vehicle drivers are distracted - and vehicles sneak up on you from behind, so you can't see what they are doing.

 

I only ride my bike now on local traffic streets, footpaths, and on dual bikepath/pedestrian paths.  There's inadequate room on most major roads with heavy traffic, for cars, big trucks and bikes combined.

 

These cyclists can whinge all they like about nearly being flattened by a road train - but the simple solution is, don't ride your bike on roads such as this, which are heavily trafficked, have no overtaking lanes, no bike lane, and the bare minimum lane width.

 

You want to argue with 65-70 tonnes of combination semi, with your bicycle, I know who's going to lose.

 

Watch this close encounter between cyclists and a road train - Perth Hills

 

 

[facthunter]

I stopped riding with a local group years ago as I just felt it would be a certain  bad outcome  not "if" but "when" Usually when I go away I take 2 bikes and use dedicated tracks.. The pushbike is easier on the knees than many other exercises using the legs. Nev

 

 

[farri]

A friend took up cycling when he retired! he was cycling on the highway, a Semi-Trailer going in the same direction passed him, he fell over and later died in hospital... An eyewitness in a car behind the Semi later said they couldn`t tell if the truck had touched him or not... I reckon just the displacement of air by the Semi could have been more than enough to knock him over!... we`ll never know.

 

 

[shafs64]

As a tanker driver in QLD i give pushbike more room and even change lanes and move back over after the pass. its bad for bike riders they can't pass the traffic like motorcycles thats why i would not ride a pushy on the road. 

 

 

[shafs64]

So the job is now done made BMI a few weeks ago. from 127kg to 83.7

[pmccarthy]

Nice story, but who is the handsome lad in the photo?

 

 

[M61A1]

What about the poor who don't have a spare two hundred?

 

[shafs64]

Nice story, but who is the handsome lad in the photo?

funny you say that. on a recent visit to Melbourne, I had some friends walk straight past me.

 

 

[spacesailor]

"vehicle drivers don't see bicycles, they're looking for cars, 50% of vehicle drivers are distracted "

 

Make the "flashing LED lights mandatory !, With the speed zones changing every hundred or so metres, Driver's eyes should be on the speedometer, 75% of the time !.

 

Pushies don't work for crook hips.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[red750]

Flashing LEDs give some people migraines.

 

 

[old man emu]

I reckon it's a sign of bad driving training if a driver has to refer to a speedometer to control speed. How many of you concentrate on the ASI while in cruise? You know that a certain RPM setting will produce a certain air speed. It's the same with a car. I have a 2.7 litre V6 engine connected to an automatic transmission. I know that 1500 RPM = 60 kph; 2000 RPM = 80 kph; 2250 RPM = 100 kph, and 2500 RPM = 110 kph. I don't have to look at my speedo, with its numerous marker for intermediate speeds. I just look at my big figure tacho and I know how fast I am going.

 

 

[turboplanner]

I reckon it's a sign of bad driving training if a driver has to refer to a speedometer to control speed. How many of you concentrate on the ASI while in cruise? You know that a certain RPM setting will produce a certain air speed. It's the same with a car. I have a 2.7 litre V6 engine connected to an automatic transmission. I know that 1500 RPM = 60 kph; 2000 RPM = 80 kph; 2250 RPM = 100 kph, and 2500 RPM = 110 kph. I don't have to look at my speedo, with its numerous marker for intermediate speeds. I just look at my big figure tacho and I know how fast I am going.

You have to look at something to know you're not exceeding the speed limit + 3 km/hr tolerance in order to avoid speed camera fines, or point to point radar fines. The reason you need a good reference is that the standard of driving has increased enormously over the past 30 years; the old fogeys who used to move along at 50 in an 80 zone have all died off, and the bottom end speed is quite close to the speed limit. As a consequence of that everyone knows what distance they need to react to the next person's probable action, so we are able to process higher volumes of traffic with less accidents.

 

 

[spacesailor]

I've had two car's, that if you didn't watch that speedo, then the speed would keep creeping up, (with-out any throttle input) until those Blue flashing lights, brought me back to earth.

 

How do you equate flying speed to Bureaucratic "Revenue raising speed zones".

 

How would flying into controlled airspace then having to keep a certain Hight & Speed, be normal flying ?.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[old man emu]

I've checked my tacho reading against a GPS-derived speed reading on many occasions and know what engine revs give me the the correct road speed. I'm glad I don't live in a Police State where motorists are treated as milch cows to fill the Treasury coffers, while the proffered reason for speed enforcement doesn't tally with the fall in road accident fatalities.

 

I like to get a wriggle on, and given the chance, always travel close to the posted speed limit. I know how long my journeys in the metropolitan area should take, and plan my departure times accordingly. What gets on my goat are people who get right up your arse, expecting you to go faster than the speed limit, then they pass, giving you a foul look. And there they are, just starting off after the next red light has changed to green to change while I roll through without having to stop.

 

Spacey, would you mind engaging your brain before you go to press? Or try to understand what has been written before you blather on.

 

 

[old man emu]

I've found that, without fail, the manufacturer's speedo over-reads by 10% on just about every car I've driven. That's why I can sit on 100 kph according to GPS and pass lots of other vehicles which are doing 100 kph according to their manufacturer's speedo. I'm lucky that my car is an older one that does not suffer the interference of a computer-controlled gearbox.

 

This is the device which causes breakdowns - the Mechatronic.

 

 

The mechatronic is the name given to the electro-hydraulic control unit that is responsible for controlling the gearbox, and it’s a very expensive lump. Replacement costs on a VW Golf GTi is around $9000.

 

 

[mAgNeToDrOp]

So the job is now done made BMI a few weeks ago. from 127kg to 83.7

Congrats good job, I decided to give up the grog, New years resolution (yawn). Still eat crap and don't exercise enough but dropped 10 kegs anyway... If only i could get motivated to do the rest might get back to into my old Jeans!

 

2 kids under 2 is my excuse ;) too busy - cue worlds smallest violin....

 

 

[shafs64]

Congrats good job, I decided to give up the grog, New years resolution (yawn). Still, eat crap and don't exercise enough but dropped 10 kegs anyway... If only i could get motivated to do the rest might get back to into my old Jeans!

 

2 kids under 2 is my excuse ;) too busy - cue worlds smallest violin...

Don't give up I have had a few false starts before getting all the weight off. And I don't have kids. So I was able to stay focused

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Now 3 weeks off the grog, sustained by comments here. Will report when kg's respond.

 

 

[w3stie]

Congrats good job, I decided to give up the grog, New years resolution (yawn). Still eat crap and don't exercise enough but dropped 10 kegs anyway... If only i could get motivated to do the rest might get back to into my old Jeans!

 

2 kids under 2 is my excuse ;) too busy - cue worlds smallest violin....

I was 93 kg, dropped to 74 kg from quitting drinking, no other changes. I've reached a plateau now though, and probably need to cut out the cakes and biscuits if I want to get under 70 kg. But that's a big if ;) I went shopping for a jumper for the cooler weather, just wandering around vacantly at Lowes menswear. A lovely young shop assistant came and politely advised me I was looking in the Big Guys section, and I should find what I want in the regular sizes. Yes!

 

 

[mAgNeToDrOp]

Yeah it's amazing ( obvious I guess) how just giving up alcohol results in weight loss. I guess regular beers over 20 years adds up. And it's great not having hangovers anymore, and a few extra$$ in the bank...