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Wigster wrote:Fortunately Ace wasn’t on this ride, so I couldn’t be led astray when I got to the pub at Lithgow and encouraged to drink more than is good for me the night before a big ride like last time.
Wigster:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I never takes much twisting Wiggy! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Sounds like you had a great ride mate. I look forward to catching up with you mate
JEALOUS!!!
Getting in early but have a great ride guys and gals. Wish I was there and it sounds like it is going to be awesome.
Ride safe and can’t wait for the rr’s!!
Consider it done Tom
Now that i won’t be going on the 2 day Nave ride
i remembered i still have a twin room booked for the Friday night at the Commercial hotel in Lithgow.Let me know if anyone wants it so we can swap the names over.
It was $100 and hasn’t been paid yet.
Your preaching to the choir here Eags ol’ mate.
At 38 i am making the decision to work away on a 3/1 roster just to keep my job. My branch is officially closing and i have had to let over 25 staff go since Xmas.
The coal industry in Newcastle is shit with commodity prices halved. No one is spending on infrastructure or maintenance, projects are being shelved left, right and centre and the likes of Rio and Xtrata are telling me that nothing is going to change for the foreseeable future.
I hope your future is safe mate.
All hail the King.
Happy birthday mate
After riding over 5000klm in 10 days on the Tri state tour with a couple of the Bulls, i thought i was qualified enough to give my opinion on the new Arai XD4 Explore helmet i just purchased, so here it is:
I have to say that i was initially disappointed with the helmet as i rode from the Cental Coast to Gloucester. To me it seemed heavy and by the time i reached Maitland, my neck was actually sore. :angry:
I put this down to wearing my motocross helmet for years and the added weight of all the adventure comforts were definately noticable. By the end of day 2, i was well and truly used to it and didn’t give it any more thought.
Another disappointing thing was the supposed non-distorting visor…NOT. This is something that i didn’t get used to and found it to be a pain in the ass for the whole trip.This is a big negative and something Arai need to address.
I would be interested to hear if any other XD4 owners have had the same issue?
Well thats all the negatives…on a more positive note:
* Safety features – While i didn’t need them, it was comforting to know that the helmet was of high quality, conforming to the most stringent of standards and having additional features such as the removable cheek pads(for medical assistance etc).
* Cheek pad and head adjustment – The Arai comes with a removable layer of 5mm foam on the cheek pads and top of the skull for micro adjustments. I found i had to remove the cheek foam for the best fit.
*Vents, Vents, Vents – There are air vents everywhere on the Arai. While the temperature wasn’t extreme on the ride, i could notice the small adjustments so i can only imagine how effective they are in extreme heat and cold.
*Visor – The peak on the Arai is relatively long compared to some of the other brands. This was never an issue when riding at speed and found it very effective when travelling into the sun in the morning and evenings.
*Removable liners and vents – Like most helmets, the XD4 has removable liners for cleaning. In addition though, you can remove the entire cheek pads and top vents for cleaning and maintenance.
* Appearance – I reckon most helmets these days look pretty good, especially some of the graphic designs on the MX style helmets. For an adventure helmet, i think the Arai has the goods. Personal opinion only. Looks become very important when your riding sucks like mine does.
* Comfort – While i said it took 2 days to get used to the weight of the new helmet, the actual comfort was excellent from the time i put it on, and it only got better once it bedded into the shape of my noggan. This is by far the most comfortable helmet i have ever worn.
*Noise – Hmmm, the jury is still out on this one. The helmet is dead silent if you stand up over the bike screen, but there is some noise when you cop the buffeting effect of the wind. I used earplugs from Trangie to home and i think that will be my tactic now regardless.So to summarise:
I hesitated spending the $800 on the helmet but did it anyway thinking that it was at good 5-8 year investment. I read all the reviews and did the comparisons and my conclusion was that the Arai was best for me. I also tried on a few other brands but the Arai just felt more comfortable to me.
The visor is only one issue i have with the helmet, but it is a major issue and something Arai need to address.
Am i happy with my Arai…you bet….Would i buy another one…definately…
No probs Eags. I am in town next week. Catch up then eh?
Cheers mate. Yeah pretty disappointed. This route was looking the goods!
Great series TB. I’ll hopefully make the next one
Unfortunately I am out of this ride
Plenty of notice so someone else can fill the spot.Have fun.
Happy birthday mate. Make the most of it and hope you get spoilt rotten.
Just made it Jeffro as the doors were closing and the attendant was hurling abuse at me :laugh: :laugh:
Good luck over there mate.
