|
Collateral Damage posted:
There's a reason England birthed Orwell
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 00:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 21:48 |
|
|
I was born in Macedonia. My father already went through this. The Macedonian government requires that you visit them in person to get a passport and they don't have a consulate here. But he couldn't visit them in person because he couldn't leave the country because he didn't have a current passport.... So it was easier to just get NZ citizenship. My mother was born a soviet so I'm hosed if I know what she did.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 00:05
|
|
|
Slavvy posted:I was born in Macedonia. My father already went through this. The Macedonian government requires that you visit them in person to get a passport and they don't have a consulate here. But he couldn't visit them in person because he couldn't leave the country because he didn't have a current passport.... As much of a pain in the rear end as this situation is, at least it's interesting.  When you do figure out the situation, you'll always have a room in San Diego so we can hoon it before you ultimately visit San Francisco Bay Area and wonder why you ever came to San Diego.  Also hell yeah my name change went through. Thanks, Noni!
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 00:17
|
|
|
 Christ, I thought NZ was cool, turns out it's just Outraged Geriatric No Fun Zone.Slavvy posted:My mother was born a soviet so I'm hosed if I know what she did. My parents, too. Getting a proper passport after the ussr collapse wasn't hard, they just... issued new ones pretty much. It's the dual citizenship process it fucks with.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 00:25
|
|
|
M42 posted:
John Britten and the World's Fastest Indian guy were both Kiwis.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 01:17
|
|
|
Armchair Calvinist posted:As much of a pain in the rear end as this situation is, at least it's interesting. I'm holding you to that M42 posted:
My mother has an industrial engineering degree which is pretty much just a worthless piece of paper with CCCP on it. NZ is cool if you like to do outdoorsy tramping/sailing type stuff. Also Auckland is much, much stuffier than most of the rest of the country; in a small town with a handful of cops where everyone knows everyone, it wouldn't be too big a problem.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 01:18
|
|
|
Turn zx10 into sweet uberboat, ride across the ocean to san Francisco and come hang out or some poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 01:24
|
|
|
World's fastest paddleboat, or world's fastest ocean-going loop-de-loop device?
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 01:25
|
|
|
Take a page outta top gear's book 
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 01:28
|
|
|
Speaking of emigration... I've starting to change my mind on moving the gently caress out of the frozen wasteland that is New England and going to California. I'm sick of seeing all the cool bikes that other countries get that we don't because there's no room on showroom floors with all the insectoid supersports, HURR LOOKIT MY HAWG cruisers and other assorted poo poo. I'm thinking about Ireland... Am I completely loving mad? Rain I can deal with, but snow and sub-freezing temps - I've had enough. I work in broadcast engineering, would that get me a job over there? I know the economy is in the tank there lately, but hey, cheap real estate now, amirite? P.S. Hey Slavvy, I'm imagining your neighbor lady like Hyacinth Bou-quet from Keeping Up Appearances... :-)
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 21:52
|
|
|
She looks almost exactly like this and has the accent to match.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 21:56
|
|
|
Ah, allow me to substitute: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Were_Warriors
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 22:04
|
|
|
The_Raven posted:Speaking of emigration... I've starting to change my mind on moving the gently caress out of the frozen wasteland that is New England and going to California. I'm sick of seeing all the cool bikes that other countries get that we don't because there's no room on showroom floors with all the insectoid supersports, HURR LOOKIT MY HAWG cruisers and other assorted poo poo. Ireland doesn't get much snow, but their economy (and roads) are completely hosed. Britain has some nice roads but we hate all (non-rich) foreigners so good luck moving here. France has great biking roads, relatively low VAT rates (which are one of the main reasons bikes are so much more expensive this side of the pond), and a pretty good quality of life if you're white and relatively well-off, but is full of French people. Best compromise then - get a job in Cobh working for a British company, jump on the ferry to Brittany to buy and ride your bikes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 22:07
|
|
|
Aren't French superbikes all limited to 100hp because of some retarded law?
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 22:21
|
|
|
If you don't have a job in France, it's near impossible to get a job in France. That may work differently for foreigners who already have a padded resume. The French also have a full brace of their own silliness; the very mildest example I can think of is requiring motorcyclists to carry breathalyzers every time they ride. Talking about going from New England to California to Ireland to France is like a world tour of wrecked economies. Go for Japan next!
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 22:30
|
|
|
Immigrating in general is really hard unless have: a shitload of money, a really sought-after degree/skills, or familial ties. Like most countries won't even let you in if you're not in one of those three groups. Just move to CA.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 22:36
|
|
|
The_Raven posted:I'm thinking about Ireland... Am I completely loving mad? Rain I can deal with, but snow and sub-freezing temps - I've had enough. Its pretty hard to get a visa for Ireland unless you have some skillset that's in big demand and demonstrably cant be met by an applicant from within the EU. It rains more than you think is possible and our roads are pretty poo poo. Its lovely here when the sun is out though, and you can watch road races in the summer. HNasty came over to visit and made this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpJ1ziu_U4w
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 22:40
|
|
|
Snowdens Secret posted:requiring motorcyclists to carry breathalyzers every time they ride. What? That's pretty bizarre. Also, pretty stupid if the cops are relying on those readings and pretty useless if they aren't.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 22:59
|
|
|
IIRC the EU parliament voted against instituting the 100 hp limit in all of the EU, thereby effectively forcing France to accept bikes with more than 100 hp from 2016. Parts of Europe had manufacturers voluntarily restricting their bikes sold here to 100 hp in the 80s to prevent legislation (and bring down soaring insurance costs). I believe the last year any bikes sold in Sweden where restricted to 100 hp was in 1996 or so. (The first year the Super Blackbird was sold in Sweden it had a whopping 98hp.)
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 23:28
|
|
|
Sagebrush posted:What? Bizarre until you consider The French. There was this one road sign on the highway up to Chamonix that goes over an inhabited valley which advises you not to throw litter out your window because it'll hit the people below. The picture on the sign? A wine bottle being tossed out of a car window.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2014 08:51
|
|
|
I've started bunching up my suit so the knee pads are above my knee cap. Being tall on a bike loving sucks and suits not only are either WAY too big or way too small, but when you opt for one that doesn't look like a garbage bag you end up feeling straitjacketed making it impossible to feel mobile and flexible while positioning yourself. Nobody makes Aerostich-like oversuits for skinny people with stupidly long legs.  Helimot needs to start doing this ASAP
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 01:43
|
|
|
Armchair Calvinist posted:I've started bunching up my suit so the knee pads are above my knee cap. Being tall on a bike loving sucks and suits not only are either WAY too big or way too small, but when you opt for one that doesn't look like a garbage bag you end up feeling straitjacketed making it impossible to feel mobile and flexible while positioning yourself. I think you can get your 'Stich custom sized, yes?
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 01:44
|
|
|
At most they can add 4" above the knee, but the suit's torso is also too short. I need a 42L with 4" above the knee but then I need to be about 350 pounds to fill it out and it will cost about $1200 for this setup. They had a sizing room here in Oceanside and got all my measurements done. It was comically baggy in all the wrong places, even if it did give 2" extra room in the crotch.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 01:49
|
|
|
I share your pain. My custom-made by arabs two piece suit is on it's way. Hopefully it isn't too dreadful; the guy emailed me after a week telling me to re-confirm measurements because the tailor couldn't understand how I could have the same sized waist and chest, the chest must be bigger, surely? 
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 02:35
|
|
|
Armchair Calvinist posted:I've started bunching up my suit so the knee pads are above my knee cap. Being tall on a bike loving sucks and suits not only are either WAY too big or way too small, but when you opt for one that doesn't look like a garbage bag you end up feeling straitjacketed making it impossible to feel mobile and flexible while positioning yourself. I'm of the same build, and while I'm not happy with the quality of their boots I'd check Frank Thomas' one-pieces, their XTI two-piece fits me perfectly.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 22:25
|
|
|
I went for a spin on my favourite road to wear in my new leathers on sunday and discovered, to my dismay, that the police serious crash unit have decided that this road, literally 30km from anywhere in any direction, needs to be monitored for problem speeders because people with sportscars and bikes go there. A female cop waved me down and gave me a big lecture about not speeding et al. Now I have to find somewhere else to go. NZ has lots of amazing roads but none of them are anywhere near loving Auckland.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 08:49
|
|
|
Wait. Where you speeding and she let you off with a lecture, or did you not speed but she just decided you needed a stern talking to?
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 12:59
|
|
|
Knowing what we know about NZ only from this thread and from slavvys posts, I'd hazard a guess that its the latter
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 15:48
|
|
|
Slavvy posted:I went for a spin on my favourite road to wear in my new leathers on sunday and discovered, to my dismay, that the police serious crash unit have decided that this road, literally 30km from anywhere in any direction, needs to be monitored for problem speeders because people with sportscars and bikes go there. A female cop waved me down and gave me a big lecture about not speeding et al. Sometimes that poo poo happens here in the States as well. If a road gets popular with bikers and sports cars out in the middle of East Bumblefuck then the amount of police presence can get obscene. Other than the bikers and a few mom & pop corner stores there's literally no one around. I feel like the plice could make better use of their time than harass bikers. But then they would have to turn down that sweet sweet ticket money.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 15:52
|
|
|
Coredump posted:But then they would have to turn down that sweet sweet ticket money. I notice that increased police presence often coincides with the election signs.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 16:02
|
|
|
Most of the civilized world don't hold elections for law enforcement though. Sure, I don't get much say in who beats the poo poo out of me on saturdays, but at least it won't be the same guy that looks the other way when cousin Dewey sets up his meth lab because of MA KIN.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 17:31
|
|
|
I lived near a popular biker road for a while, and can tell you the Venn diagram of people who liked bombing down it overlapped significantly with the 'loud pipes save lives' crowd and the guys who think chopping the crap out of their exhaust or just straightpiping it is the key to horsepower and speed. I wouldn't think of doing it but I can see the old farts in the neighborhood having the po-po on speed dial every time they hear engines running out there. For better or worse the police Venn diagram here overlaps with the 'loud pipes save lives' crowd, too, so the effect is (heh) muted.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 17:38
|
|
|
Well, Swedens biggest motorcycle magazine had an editorial where they told people that "well of course loud pipes save lives". 
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 18:02
|
|
|
Loud pipes do save lives... if you're a poo poo rider. After enloudening the KTM I did notice that drivers seemed much more aware of where I was and what I was doing, especially filtering or in slow multi-lane traffic. It hasn't saved my life though, because I try to actually pay attention while riding and shoulder-check, stay out of blind spots, etc. Related: I've nearly hit two pedestrians on my bicycle now. Both just walked out into the road because they couldn't hear anything coming.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 18:33
|
|
|
Well obviously if you had loud pipes on your bike they would've heard you coming.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 19:02
|
|
|
Loud playing cards in the spokes save lives!
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 19:10
|
|
|
ReelBigLizard posted:Related: I've nearly hit two pedestrians on my bicycle now. Both just walked out into the road because they couldn't hear anything coming. This is why you need to constantly be going "blubblublubbublabahBRAPbuBRAPBRAPBRAPbuhBWAAAAAAAAA" while riding your pushbike.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 19:15
|
|
|
Jim Silly-Balls posted:Knowing what we know about NZ only from this thread and from slavvys posts, I'd hazard a guess that its the latter It was this. As it happens, I was giving it death but the road has a 100km/h speed limit and I was going around a very low speed corner so wasn't breaking the limit. Coredump posted:Sometimes that poo poo happens here in the States as well. If a road gets popular with bikers and sports cars out in the middle of East Bumblefuck then the amount of police presence can get obscene. Other than the bikers and a few mom & pop corner stores there's literally no one around. I feel like the plice could make better use of their time than harass bikers. But then they would have to turn down that sweet sweet ticket money. Yup. Voting has nothing to do with it. Targeting bikers is easy because they're enough of a minority to have no ability to lobby the government in defence, and they're an extremely easy source of revenue. Especially when you factor in the 'speed kills' moral high-horse the police operate on currently.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 20:02
|
|
|
Slavvy posted:they're enough of a minority to have no ability to lobby the government in defence This is less true than you might imagine. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2014793478_apwaxgrbikerprofiling1stldwritethru.html I was pretty surprised it was A-OK to single out motorcyclists before that.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 20:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 21:48 |
|
|
Spent ten minutes riding to perfect Roadcraft standard because there was a bike with Police written across the front behind me - then when we got to some lights he pulled up and it was one of these fuckers: (Click if you want the unnecessarily huge version) Then when he got in front of me I counted 5 test fails (Failure to indicate, two failures to shoulder check, unsafe speed and failure to stop at a stop line) in less than a minute. Normally I just find the plastic cops on their ickle three-wheelers adorable but this twat added two minutes to my ride home and himself rode worse than a loving pizza boy.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 20:35
|
|