I posted up various reasons why I left my couriering job as a reply to a comment: http://dr650courier.blogspot.com/2012/05/left.html?showComment=1358179626515#c1101460403086454602
I might take it up again one day in a part time capacity when I decide to become semi-retired from whatever career path I take.
Monday, 14 January 2013
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Left
I decided the job wasn't for me, so I've left. There won't be any more updates on this blog, unless one day I do courier work again.
Friday, 27 April 2012
So I started my first day of actual work on Thursday, and just finished my second day today.
A few little hickups, trying to find where places are. Finding the streets/roads/parades/courts/etc isn't too hard, but it often takes a little bit of figuring out to find the building I need to go to because often the numbers are hard to spot or they don't exist on the particular building at all. And sometimes it's hard finding the right room within the building to go to. I'm starting to learn how to find the mailrooms and the delivery/pickup stations that many buildings have, though. All very interesting! With a bit more practice, I'm sure I won't have much trouble finding where to go in the future.
I was using my phone as a GPS which wasn't a very good idea. It works quite well, but it takes a while to enter in the place names, you don't tend to learn how to get to the streets/roads as well, it runs out of battery in a few hours, and on the odd occasion it wastes your time by taking you to the wrong place - I once put in 'Yarra Street Sth Melb' meaning Yarra Street South Melbourne. It took me to Yarra Street in Melbourne, when Yarra Street in Melbourne is 14 minutes away from there.
So I've resorted to using my Melways, which is much more reliable and will get me learning more of the streets leading towards my destination, as well as slowly building a partial map of Melbourne in my head.
I'm really enjoying the job, and I'm getting used to it already - I feel much less tired today than I did at the end of yesterday. It's such a great job for someone like me to be doing, I think!
A few little hickups, trying to find where places are. Finding the streets/roads/parades/courts/etc isn't too hard, but it often takes a little bit of figuring out to find the building I need to go to because often the numbers are hard to spot or they don't exist on the particular building at all. And sometimes it's hard finding the right room within the building to go to. I'm starting to learn how to find the mailrooms and the delivery/pickup stations that many buildings have, though. All very interesting! With a bit more practice, I'm sure I won't have much trouble finding where to go in the future.
I was using my phone as a GPS which wasn't a very good idea. It works quite well, but it takes a while to enter in the place names, you don't tend to learn how to get to the streets/roads as well, it runs out of battery in a few hours, and on the odd occasion it wastes your time by taking you to the wrong place - I once put in 'Yarra Street Sth Melb' meaning Yarra Street South Melbourne. It took me to Yarra Street in Melbourne, when Yarra Street in Melbourne is 14 minutes away from there.
So I've resorted to using my Melways, which is much more reliable and will get me learning more of the streets leading towards my destination, as well as slowly building a partial map of Melbourne in my head.
I'm really enjoying the job, and I'm getting used to it already - I feel much less tired today than I did at the end of yesterday. It's such a great job for someone like me to be doing, I think!
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Got the job.
So I got the call from the courier company last Friday morning, asking if I was still looking for work. I said yes, and told them I can start on the Thursday, No problems with that. So I'll be starting my new job on Thursday. Hopefully I can get my brake rotor issue sorted by then otherwise I am a bit stuffed!
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Rounded-out rotor bolt
Ages ago I tried swapping over my front brake rotor for a metalgear piece with fresh pads, because my rotor is warped. Most of them loosened just fine, but when I came to the last one, it rounded out. I tried heating it with my soldering gun and letting it cool to get it loose, but that didn't work. So I tightened the other bolts back up, installed the fresh pads (the last pads, Ferodo, were worn out), and just kept on riding.
The warping has gotten progressively worse and has worn out the Metalgear pads quite quickly, to the point that there is no pads left and only metal. Not good. So I got the tools out again, and have attempted to remove the stripped rotor bolt with zero success.
I have ground, cut, hammered and drilled at this farken thing. I can't get it loose by hammering it with a flat blade screw driver. My drill bits keep on breaking inside the bolt because I am too impatient. I tried cutting a slot into it and cranking it out with vise grips on a flat bladed screwdriver but I just keep on removing material from the buttery bolt head. I tried grinding one half of the head down so that I could get at the other side better with the screwdriver, but that didn't really work. So I am a bit stuck.
I can't really do courier work with no front brake pads. It's only a matter of time before I get pulled over when the police hear, "screech, grind, slide". The front brake still works surprisingly well but with no pads the rotor is very very scored. The rotor and what once had pads on them will be posted onto the 60 Degrees Motorcycles motorcycle workshop wall of shame, as long as I can get them removed!
So I am going to google, "how to remove a stripped rotor bolt" and see if there's anything that I can still do which I haven't already tried. Hopefully I can get all this damn shit off!
The warping has gotten progressively worse and has worn out the Metalgear pads quite quickly, to the point that there is no pads left and only metal. Not good. So I got the tools out again, and have attempted to remove the stripped rotor bolt with zero success.
I have ground, cut, hammered and drilled at this farken thing. I can't get it loose by hammering it with a flat blade screw driver. My drill bits keep on breaking inside the bolt because I am too impatient. I tried cutting a slot into it and cranking it out with vise grips on a flat bladed screwdriver but I just keep on removing material from the buttery bolt head. I tried grinding one half of the head down so that I could get at the other side better with the screwdriver, but that didn't really work. So I am a bit stuck.
I can't really do courier work with no front brake pads. It's only a matter of time before I get pulled over when the police hear, "screech, grind, slide". The front brake still works surprisingly well but with no pads the rotor is very very scored. The rotor and what once had pads on them will be posted onto the 60 Degrees Motorcycles motorcycle workshop wall of shame, as long as I can get them removed!
So I am going to google, "how to remove a stripped rotor bolt" and see if there's anything that I can still do which I haven't already tried. Hopefully I can get all this damn shit off!
Thursday, 12 April 2012
First day - Job Trial
Today I had my job trial, it went very well. I thought I was going to be on my bike following another guy around, but no, today I was in the passenger seat of another courier's van who acted as my trainer. He gets extra pay for doing that and trained one guy yesterday and he has another guy tomorrow.
Anyway, the purpose of today was for me to learn to work the PDA, to see how I am with picking up and delivering parcels and to get a good idea of what sort of fellow I am. I had no trouble at all using the PDA and I think I went quite well picking up and dropping off deliveries. My trainer thinks I should have no problem getting a job with the company. I will get a call from the recruiter by the end of next week, hopefully to figure out a day for me to start!
I will upload photos of how I have attached my box as soon as I get/find a cable for my digital camera.
Also, my DR650 just ticked over to 21,000 kilometres today. Such a rock solid reliable motorcycle.
Anyway, the purpose of today was for me to learn to work the PDA, to see how I am with picking up and delivering parcels and to get a good idea of what sort of fellow I am. I had no trouble at all using the PDA and I think I went quite well picking up and dropping off deliveries. My trainer thinks I should have no problem getting a job with the company. I will get a call from the recruiter by the end of next week, hopefully to figure out a day for me to start!
I will upload photos of how I have attached my box as soon as I get/find a cable for my digital camera.
Also, my DR650 just ticked over to 21,000 kilometres today. Such a rock solid reliable motorcycle.
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Preparation
Today I attached my Starmaid container to the back of my bike. I'll upload pictures of how I mounted it tomorrow. I put my spare helmet and a few tools in the box., and my lunch will go in there as well.
I better go to bed because my job trial is tomorrow and I have to be there at 8.30AM. I've forgotten the name of the lady who is supposed to show me where to go, so I hope I can find her.
Goodnight!
I better go to bed because my job trial is tomorrow and I have to be there at 8.30AM. I've forgotten the name of the lady who is supposed to show me where to go, so I hope I can find her.
Goodnight!
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