Another day, another dollar!.....ummm......yeah, nah.......I had the day off and spent nearly three grand!!
There was a time I would have been ecstatic to be riding a $3K bike but we nearly spend that on decent riding gear these days and today I spent that much making improvements that probably won't do anything to the value of the bike. At the beginning of this year I was chatting with Andrew Templeton at a Capital Coast Conehead session and he mentioned how rapt he was with his new rear suspension (a custom made Nitron from Kiwi Suspension Solutions. We swapped bikes (both ST1300's) and went for a ride around the block and I couldn't believe how different the same bikes could feel. It was like getting off a sprotty and onto a cruiser. Mine was twitchy and wallowy while Andrew's was stable and solidly planted on the road. The difference wasn't all to do with suspension as my bike had a set of screwed and squared Z8's compared with a brand new set of PR3's on Andrew's, but I took note, thought, 'bit too much' and left it at that. Then a few months back I was chatting to a client about his insurance and we got onto bikes...as you do. He rides a Bandit which he had had the suspension done by KSS and was bleating the same story as Andrew.....I was convinced. I love my ST's but I have always found the current bike to be uneconomical and soft, or wallowy compared to my old 'red', so I got on the blower to Robert Taylor and next thing you know, I had paid for a new rear shock as well as ordering a Racetech rejig on the front. Two months later I got a call to say, "I can fit you in on Friday, 7th Nov", but I didn't think that would be very convenient as I had the C1KC on the 8th and figured I'd be busy getting everthing sorted on the Friday, so I booked in for today, 10 Nov. Since ordering the gear, I have been taking special note of how the bike rides and this was easy with the North Island 1600 in Oct and the C1KC on the weekend just gone, because both rides incorporated a great range of roads. On Saturday's 1,000Km ride I was negotiating some slumps on the Forgotten Highway and one of them just about catapaulted me off the bike and the bike off the road. I've also been noticing how much care I've been taking to pick my lines and avoid rough patches. I recall reading at some stage how what we see and experience is our reality and, for example, if it is raining where we are we tend to think it's raining everywhere. This is a bit of what it was like with my bike. I accepted it for what it was and persevered....or put up with it! Anyway, today was the day. I had set the alarm to rise at 0400, set out from home at 0500 and pootled up to New Plymouth to get there at 0900. It was quite funny because I had entered the address in the GPS unit last night and this morning I just selected that from the favorites, then had a double take when the ETA came up as 1100!!??? Then I looked at the Km-to-go, which was 584!!, so I backed out on the map and the bloody GPS had me going up via National Park and back over the Awakino Gorge......damn thing knows just what roads I like....never go straight there! I arrived at Bulls and paused for fuel at 0635, getting back on the road at 0646 and finally arrived at KSS in Spotswood at 0904, 353km done at a piddling 17km/Ltr on the economy. I checked in, handed over the keys, they dropped me in town, where I had a feed, took a liesurely look at the museum, then strolled along the waterfront walkway to the port and back to Spotswood. The breeze was cooling along the sea but once I got on the streets it heated up so I ended up getting an icecream soda to cool down, then got back to KSS at about 1230, read a couple of magazines then napped for an hour or so. I was brought back to reality a bit after 1400 when Robert got me, then did the setup before he took it for a test ride, then sent me off to check it out. I had kitted up while he was gone and rode out past Oakura where there is a set of 45kph corners. The first thing I noticed was that the screen was wrong and I assume Robert had dropped it a bit, then I noticed the odo's had been reset...but so had the clock so they'd obviously disconnected the battery. The bike felt firmer right from the get-go and when I got to the 45's it just flew through them. Or at least, they were so easy to negotiate, I felt like I was crawling through them. I turned and went back through them a little quicker and this time I found myself bracing for the 'squash & wallow', but it didn't happen. The bike just went round the corners like it was on rails?? I got back to KSS, had a debrief with Robert, who mentioned that he 'had jacked the rear a bit and did I notice?' I replied that I wasn't that sensitive, but later realised that had been why I thought the screen had been dropped. I finally got away at 1535 and took the Surf Highway for the better ride, plus to avoid the traffic. I felt like I was on a new bike. I filled in Whanganui at 1735 and got home at 1955 and what did I notice. I got great economy!? Hard to say what that is all about? I was using BP 98, and I was riding downwind around the Surf Highway, but once I turned south at Sanson and copped the cross/head-wind, the economy hardly dropped off and I got home with it reading 18.4km/Ltr? That is what I would have expected of the red at that pace. Has jacking the rear adjusted the angle of attack to where it should be and improved the 'slippery-ness'?....that's a bit hard to believe with the big improvement? Maybe also though, I found myself able to take corners at 10-15kph quicker than before, maybe even more. Not having to slow down as much going into a corner means less wrist and 'roll-on' coming out and the ST is a heavy beast that sucks gas under acceleration? This is something I will have to monitor and study to know that the economy has definitely improved and maybe search for an answer? It definitely handles better and is quicker through the corners. I finished with a scoot over the Paekak' Hill and the fang up was a dream while the 'No-Brakes' scoot down to Pauatahanui was much easier and a little quicker than what I was capable of before! Suffice to say it was somewhat quicker than the speed limit. The term 'point and push' comes to mind. The bike just seems to go where I want and I seem to have way more control and scope for adjustment within the corners. It's harder!....But this is good because there's no wallow and it doesn't squash and bottom out. The wheels track where they should and I don't have to worry so much about keeping a clean line to manage the crappy response. I look forward to trying some more technical roads to test this more thouroughly. Bottom Line: I'm rapt'. Was it worth it? Hard to say? It was a lot of ping but..... If the economy has improved as much as it first appears.....I'm doing my bit for the environment and that has to be good! ($3K is a lot of gas but) If the ride is cleaner and capable of being quicker, then it has to be safer! I am less likely to get in the crap or get thrown off line as happened on Saturday and that has to be good. Robert and Dennis at KSS....you rock!!
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Another day in the saddle started just after 0500, a quick scrub, kit-up, the bike and car were already packed and we were on the road to Caltex Rimutaka by 0545 for the start of the 8th Capital 1.000km Cruise. We pulled in to the forecourt a little earlier than usual, at 0610, and there were already more than half a dozen punters eagerly awaiting to check-in and depart, so I gassed up then assisted Ann to get her table and chair set-up, the rider list and strips of yellow and black (Resene) tape ready. The tape is to tie to the rear of the bikes to make it easy for riders to identify each other as Capital Cruisers whilst on the road, and by 0620 the first riders had been checked in and were departing. We had 64 entries this year, but two had to withdraw, then two late entries had us with a starting line up of 64, although 66 donations toward the cause (buying Christmas presents for children with Muscular Dystrophy in the lower North Island), not to mention another couple of donations from non-riders, plus sponsorship from Protecta Insurance, so we are on track to go near $1,000 this year. Of the 64, 6 were starting from Taumaranui, 10 from Masterton and the rest from Wellington (including 2 from Wanganui and 4 from Palmy) and they all trickled in and scooted off until 0650, when there were just 3 to come. One was James, who I knew would be a definite because he wanted to have a good test of his new ST1300, so Ann tried ringing the others to see what was up. James turned up about then, one had had a late night and the other we just had a name as she had paid online but hadn't contacted me so I didn't have any info....so add 2 DNS's to the mix. I had no set plan for the ride, apart from the usual start last and after the frenetic pace we enjoyed on the NI1600, I was figuring I would enjoy a relatively sedate pace, maybe catch up with a few of the Ulybods and ride with them......Yeah right! James arriving late put paid to that idea!! We departed from Caltex Rimutaka at 0708 and straight away the scene was set for the day as James had obviously warmed up, getting down from Ohau, and he set out like a scolded cat.....or perhaps he was the Great Dane chasing the scolded cat and I was the poor sap that happened to be holding the other end of the leash. Some might say I could have just let him go....but fat chance! Why on earth would I let the chance of a jolly good spirited fang go to waste?! I had the GoPro mounted, the GPS programmed and music rocking, I was snug with the liner in my jacket, the heated grips were on (it was only about 4°), the blue skies were crystal clear with sun rising and the promise of a good dose of sun-strike.....and we attacked the hill like the charge of the Light Brigade (but without the guns bit). I'd thought, "New bike, he'll be taking it easy to just get used to it", but not James. At departure, the GPS had predicted our finishing ETA at 1938, but by the time we got to Mauriceville at 0801, the ETA was down to 1920, we had passed two riders on the road and two more were still at the CP, pics were snacked and we lit out like our tails were on fire...?......still on fire! I love the Mauriceville-Kaiparoro road and we had a ball, but then we got back to SH2 and had to behave ourselves!!....well sort of behave?...and we settled back to a sort of spirited pace. We caught our next rider out of Pahiatua and followed him via the Gorge to Ashhurst, but he took the low road via Bunnythorpe, whereas my preference is to avoid 50kph zones wherever possible, and as I had just assumed the lead for the next section to Stratford, we took Colyton Rd across to Fielding to get on the Halcombe road. There's nothing special about the Halcombe road but it is another one that I find delightful as the sweeping curves take one over the rolling countryside. A non-C1KC rider pulled onto the road at Halcombe and he dragged us to the back of what appeared to be a train of 10 or 12 C1KC bikes and we caught them on SH1....but their leader had missed the turn onto Makirikiri Rd and they were just getting sorted as we slipped through unimpeded.....that was bloody gentlemenly of them! We were still following our 'new friend' at this stage and he seemed to have a bee-in-his-bonnet that he didn't want us in front of him and since he was setting such a cracking pace, we were quite happy to follow, so it wasn't surprising that we caught another group of 5 or 6 bikes before SH3. That led to a cluster at the junction, so I just kept left and scooted to the front, arriving right on queue to take a wide arc with the first couple of bikes out of the blocks. Another easy pass. We settled back to sort-of-spirited, passed the next couple and caught Dave on his VTR and followed him to Wangas, but when he stayed on '3 passed the Springvale Park, I nipped to the other side of the park, shot up Parsons and Parkes Rds....and pulled out right behind Dave on SH3. It's not a shortcut as such, but it does avoid a set of lights and traffic and can usually get a jump, but on this occasion, he obviously got the lights and we copped a few interruptions. We passed Dave going up the passing lane out of Kai Iwi, hoofed it along the recommended bypass around Hawera and arrived at Z Stratford at 1055...the ETA was now down to 1857. Z Stratford was both a CP and the first of our two fuel stops and there was no way that the pace we were on would get us to Taumaranui as, with only 360km done, I was already down to 2 bars. We enjoyed a leisurely 15 minute break fueling, snacking and so on, then hit the road with James back in front so I could get some more video footage. The skies were now overcast (although no threat of rain), the temp was hovering between 10-14° and the Forgotten Highway was quite a treat, but perish the thought of doing it in the wet as a lot of the road is very slick. James maintained a relatively brisk pace and we enjoyed the hell out of the 3 saddles leading into Whangamomona, where we arrived at 1155, then paused for a couple of minutes for James to remove a layer as the temp was starting to climb. We then galloped over the Tahora Saddle and I took the lead shortly after that, having to wait for a flock of sheep, then campervans to clear the Hobbit Hole before we hit the gravel. The first half of the Tangarakau Gorge was pretty thick with sharp looking gravel, so the pace was sedate through there, then the second half was much better, but we got stuck behind a campervan who didn't want to pull over so we (and the bikes) were sucking up dust for a bit and it eventually took a bit of tooting before the prat moved across enough for us to slip past. Back on the seal and the temp shot up to 18°, so I was pulling the vent zips on my jacket but with the liners still in, I was starting to stew, but rather than stop, I just kept the pace on to try to get to Taumaranui by 1300 and in the end, we pulled into the BP at 1305, to meet up with Jim and give him the certs, badges and prizes for the northern starters. First thing I did was whip the liner out, then we grazed on bananas and nut bars, went down the road to the JDZ Carriages to photo the CP, then finally got back on the road at 1322....with Chris in tow. At this point we'd got the ETA back to 1900, only to push it back out with the stops, so no more gain there. That was surprising as I thought we would have made good gains through the Forgotten Hiway. We were now on SH4 with James back in front and the boring stint down to Raetihi before taking on the Para's. I wasn't sure on the Km's and whether or not we'd make Hunterville, so planned to fuel in Raetihi, but as we approached, I realised we had plenty for the 150'ish km to Hunterville, so we carried on. The scoot down the Para's was the usual delight (averaging 103kph) I took the lead at Upokongaro and we had negotiated Kaimatira Rd and through Fordell to the Whangaehu River Bridge CP by 1508. About 300km to go, some narrow roads and I was expecting to meet oncoming northern starters anytime. We had a cruisy 7 minute stop here then got onto the Fordell-Hunterville road proper and it is in very good condition at the present time. All the same, between the potential for loose stuff, wayward critters and oncoming nutty bikers on the narrow passage, we proceded with due care. This road is quite beautiful at this time of year with a mix of flat and hilly farmland, scrubby Whangaehu Valley backcountry, then some areas where the road passes by trees or through wooded areas. ....all very nice if you're not on a mission! We rolled into the BP in Hunterville at 1539, gassed up and rolled out at 1548, made our way up to the Vinegar Hill turnoff and over to the next CP in Kimbolton before hitting the Apiti Loop. We passed the first of the Northerners (Topher) just before turning off and took even more care on the unmarked road around through Umutoi before getting to the last CP of the day, being the Piripiri Bridge over the Pohangina River. We got there at 1648, dithered for a bit while Chris contemplated an issue with his rear brake and he decided to let it cool off a bit rather than continue immediately so James and I hit the home leg....a quick scoot to Ashhurst, then sedate riding back to the Parrot 'n Jigger in Lower Hutt. James pulled off at Ohau to collect his daughter for the evenings fireworks display in Wellington but I kept going, enjoyed one last fang over the Parkak' hill and got to the PnJ at 1655, doing 1,010km in just over 11¾hrs on the road for an overall average of 86kph and 10:44 moving time for a moving average of 94kph. There were already 6 or 8 riders in, enjoying a drink and a snack and I settled in to assist Ann process the rest as they arrived...we were there until 2300! It was a good route, albeit a bit slower than the last couple of years with the technical bits through the Forgotten Hiway, Fordell and Apiti. Fortunately the great weather made the riding easier and the majority had a great day. It did transpire however that there were 3 offs, 3 breakdowns and about 4 DNF's for various reasons....so it was a tough day. Bloody typical bikers though....Monie who offed and broke a collar bone within 20km of home was only worried she wouldn't get her badge!!!?? Many thanks to James for making the day a bit more exciting, all the other riders for your contributions...and for assisting those in need. (A couple not getting home until 0230....'cos they really wanted their badges). Protecta for coming to the party with a generous sponsorship and Ann for running the start and finish so efficiently. The bike now has 55,025 km on it and I'm off a 0500 tomorrow to visit Robert Taylor in New Plymouth for a customised suspension....another 700km day. Three years between rides is a bit of a stretch, and I might be a bit biased, but God damn it, I enjoyed the shit out of the North Island 1600!! The last few blogs have outlined the prep' and the weekend before the big event had me in a bit of a panic to fix the stebel horn because I new BrianH was going to be scrutineering the bikes and if he can pick up, that the rear tyre on a Beemer has been fitted back to front, he was sure as hell going to pick up that my horn was neither squeeking nor parping. What a mission! I thought it was the switch contacts but stripping and disemboweling that proved fruitless so next thing the belly pan, lower cowl, inner cowl and right fairing had to be removed and a jumper lead from battery to horn had me jumping out of my skin.....bugger, I had a dud relay. Bike was booked for a service on Monday so old squeeker refitted, fairing replaced and Sunday saw an aux outlet fitted into the topbox so I could recharge the GoPro and remote whilst on the go. Monday saw a new Z8 replacing the 1/3 worn PR4, a new air cleaner to try to improve the economy and a super WoF ….and a new relay which I fitted that night and I was all good to go. Bike was packed Thursday night and after pissing around a bit getting ready on Friday morning, I finally got away from home at 0843, and rode out of BP J'ville at 0858.....yipeee! I was off on an adventure. The usual droll, boring, crap riding saw me exit from Levin with an average of 81kph, but now I had clear roads ahead and could wind up into GC mode (hmmm....I can't really call it GC mode any more but NI16 mode doesn't sound right ...so...) into GC mode and I had a date and a mission to get to Turangi by midday. Easy-peasy you might say, 312'ish km in 3 hours should be a doddle, but no, why would I go up SH1 when the Para's were just along a bit and I had 350km to do, so I cracked on. By 1023 I was slipping onto Speedy and Fagan Roads to bypass Sanson and the average was up to 92kph, then at 1052 I was negotiating Warrengate Rd for 96kph and I finally got onto SH4 at 1057, still averaging at 96kph.....Let the games begin!! Brilliant weather, mint empty Para's, I was warmed up and I was in biker heaven! WooHoo, next thing you know I was in Raetihi by 1143 for a 105kph average up the Para's and 98kph overall and I finally arrived at the Turangi cabins at 1228...that was near enough to midday and I was soon checking-in (queensize bed doesn't leave much room in a cabin) and setting up the hall for the arrivals of all the punters. Ann arrived in the car shortly after me and the rest of Friday was spent getting the bike scrutineered, shopping for the perishables for the weekend's menu, taking a few photos and chatting with other riders as they arrived. We went off for dinner at the truckstop after 1700, arriving back at the hall at just before 1900 to put up the map and start issuing the Rider's Guides. It was a bit strange to be missing out on the excitement and apprehension associated with the unveiling of the route and having to plan and familiarise oneself with it, but it was sort of fun to see all the other poor bastards struggling with it! …....and that was day 1. Day 2 dawned crisp and clear and we dragged ourselves out of the pit at about 0700, I scrubbed and dressed casually (ie out of any bike gear and with jandals), breaked fast, I packed the bike and setup the GoPro and GPS, faffed around chatting with other riders and went off to fill-up and check the tyres at about 1100. Basically, it's always the same and killing time until the start is a pain in the arse, but I finally kitted up just before 1230, the briefing was briefed and the four of us (Mr & Mrs Hitcher, XP@ and myself) hit the road to man the 1st Checkpoint at Z Waiouru. (One of the changes we made to how this event was run was to introduce a combination of manned and photo CP's, with more of them to leave little room for shortcutting and this one ensured a rider couldn't take the easier Napier-Taupo road). James & I finally departed a few minutes after Brett & Jane at 1247 and we enjoyed a quicker than moderate pace over the Desert Road arriving at Z Waiouru at 1323 and the 1st riders started coming through within 10 minutes. We should have been on our way by 1350, but alas, it transpired that a rider had had brake-pad issues and he was ½ hour late starting so Brett & Jane got on the way while James and I waited. My initial plan was to leave Waiouru shortly after the last rider through, then try to work our way through some of the slower riders and capture them on the GoPro....but that wasn't going to happen now so when James and I finally got away at 1409, we had plenty of time to make up and that set the tone for our ride. I led out at a rather brisk pace, but fortunately, James seemed to be hanging back a little so sanity prevailed and we settled into 'spirited ride' instead of 'outright fang'. It was hard not to let rip through here because the weather was great and the road mint and the Gentle Annie is such a great ride. It's like going back in time to the days when shearing sheds littered the landscape and there were cattle in some if the paddocks but they weren't the udder kind. It's also a great mixture of landscape with rolling hill country, speckled with small flat valleys and some rugged bush and forest.....and the road!!....it's mostly corners with a few straight bits to allow one to catch their breath!.....150km of mostly corners!! We managed to catch the Hitchers and were surprised to see a half dozen bikes at Kahukuranui Marae (Omahu/Fernhill), we took our pix and pulled out after a couple of other guys but they kept going straight (towards Hastings) when we hooked off to stay on SH50. I tooted but I guess they needed gas and that was two more we'd passed. SH50 is more good riding. It hasn't got much by way of corners though so the pace seemed to creep up a little and I don't know how but the average through here appeared to be 113kph??? Must have been an error in the GPS and the pace didn't fall off a lot on SH2 either. SH2 from Napier down to Masterton is pretty good riding whereby it's not totally straight but one can make really good time, which is aided by the fact that there's not quite the volume of traffic as elsewhere. We took the bypass just before Woodville and scooted down through the Wairarapa, catching more riders (Dredsy-Mark/Whatastoner and his mate) going into Pahiatua (where the BanditRider was filling), but XP@ didn't think he'd make Masterton so we gassed in Eketahuna and slipped behind those we'd just passed. The skies to the south were looking extremely gloomy at this point and James suggested we don our wets, but I pointed out that we were heading more east and it was clear there. It was an unusually quick fill, taking only about 4 minutes, and we were soon taking the turnoff onto Faulkners Rd to take the diversion through Mauriceville for CP3. I love that road too! Apparently, back in the day, the Mauriceville-Kaiparoro Rd used to be SH2 and although it's a minor country road, it's always mint, clean and a bloody good fang as one returns to Welly from a ride. There's only 4km difference and when you take the turn the ETA on the GPS jumps about 10minutes, but by the time we get back to SH2, we've usually only lost about 2 minutes.....and had a blast......so On On. Through Masterton, out past Te Ore Ore and on to CP4 at Wainuioru School (more spirited pace) then around the Water Towers and through Gladstone. I did stop at this point to put our wets on, because it really looked crappy to the south now and lucky because as we turned to cross to Ponatahi Rd, the heavens opened and it absolutely pissed down. We caught Dredsy and his mate again and hello, no sooner were we pulling into Martinborough than the rain stopped and the skies cleared. That was good so now we could open the taps for the scoot down to Ngawi. We encountered the first returning rider (IanF) before the turnoff and a quick calc estimated we were only about 40 minutes behind. More good riding and by the time we pulled into CP5, we were about half-way in the field on the road, 554km into the ride, it was 1915 and all was good in the world. Within 3 minutes we were back on the road to head over the Hill (the Rimutakas) and CP6 at the Caltex. It was dark by now and just after we had filled and checked in, Steve rolled up after going home to put the liners in his pants and he joined us for the rest of the ride. We pulled out of Caltex Rimutaka at 2041 and by the time we got to Pauatahanui I seemed to have 6 or 8 bikes behind me, but after endeavouring to achieve a 'spirited-no-brakes-ride' over the Paekak' Hill, we were down to four (I did have to jab the brakes a couple of times but!).....and now we had to endure SH1 up to Sanson! More of Friday riding, bypassing Sanson & Wanganui, although we did need to stop in Bulls for Steve to top-up, then a brief photostop at the Upok' Tavern for CP7 and it was up the Para's. It was about this time I started to struggle a wee bit. The temp had dropped significantly, I was getting cold and a bit of fatigue was starting to set-in, probably enhanced by the brisk start, and I was finding I was having difficulty with vision and picking lines. It slowed me down a bit and we only managed to average 93kph up the Para's this time and I was squirming in my jacket to keep warm, I had the heated grips on and keeping a close eye on the temp gauge as dipped to 3°! (I seem to have a dread for black-ice these days & nights.) We pulled into Z Turangi at 0034, 1,014km into the ride, I started filling when Ann strolled over and said, "You’re 4 minutes late!!" I was a bit tired and just looked at her a bit gobsmacked, but I guess she didn't see that as I still had my helmet on. As it transpired, James had been using his wee 'Ap' to check us through the CP's, as well uploading the pix to facebook. From that, Gremlin was able to estimate our pace and arrival at Turangi for Ann......and hence, my fatigue induced reduction in pace had us there 4 minutes late!! Yeah right...it should have been at least 7-10 minutes so get with the programme Gremmy! I thought we'd spent about half an hour resting up at Turangi, but as it turned out, it was only 24 minutes when we followed the Hydes and their 4 man group out. Our 4th man had done a runner as soon as he had filled, but Pete joined us, so we were still a foursome as well. We scooted around Lake Taupo, took the bypass, then headed for Reparoa. We had been warned of roadworks along there and I found them!.....I was still doing 120+ at the time and I shit myself. There were a couple of cars coming the other way and one minute I was cruising along, then the next thing you know, I spotted that the colour of the road was about to change, 1+1 clicked and like I said, I shit myself. Sensitive guy that I am, I was concerned that I might flick a few stones up at the cars, but of more concern was as the bike transitioned from hard pack to looser, thicker crap and the front gave a bit of a shimmy, but I was quickly back on hardpack.....only to transition to even thicker, looser crap and the front shimmied even more and the back started to twitch in response as well. I was just about to kiss my arse goodbye when I transitioned back to hardpack, then back onto the seal, the heartrate settled and we were back on track. The next BHM moment occurred on that road as well when we rocked up behind a big truck and one moment he veered off to the left, saved and settled, then the next he veered across in front of me, to the right, saved that and settled. I was a bit confused as to whether he was falling asleep or just trying to intimidate me, so when a passing opportunity presented I booted down to three and gave it death to get past him as quick as possible. We were soon back on SH5, then turning onto SH38 and heading for Murupara. It was 0157 by now and we took the opportunity to maintain our quickish pace, arriving at Kopuriki Rd at 0215, took our pix, pissed around for 8 minutes, then headed for Awakeri. The going got harder for me through here because the road was narrower and humpier, so I would find myself rising with a black hole in front of me and I'd have no idea if the road was still straight, or about to swing right or left, then I'd peak over the hump and all would be revealed as the front of the bike dipped and the lights came back to the road. Consequently, I found myself hovering around the centre line and prepared to swing either way. Not really good form but we made it through and pulled into Z Awakeri at 0304....and I was frigging freezing. We took our pix, I went for a stroll to see a man about a dog, then I stripped off my jacket to add another layer underneath and we headed out after another 15 minute break, but we were back on SH2 now, so the going was easier and we were soon heading into Tauranga when the dickhead that was leading took the Welcome Bay Rd. In my defence, I will just say that it was shorter and our mission was to do a minimum distance for the ride!!?? Out of Tauranga and staying on SH2 to Waihi, we got there at 0446, still freezing, still very tired, but still making progress. We filled snacked and rested for 33 minutes before embarking on the last two legs and the 250km run home. (Pete left earlier than us though) I felt much better after the break, enjoyed the run through the Karangahake Gorge and life was much easier for me after that as the roads straightened out through Paeroa, down to Matamata and the skies had lightened up by the time we crossed SH1 and scooted down Lake Karapiro to the Puketurua Hall at the junction of Pearson and Old Taupo Roads. A mere 6 minutes and we were heading for Whakamaru and down the western lake road for Kurutau. It's easy to keep a steady pace through there and we were soon turning onto SH41 and into Turangi, pulling up at 0758. What a relief. The GPS was saying we had maintained a rolling average of 100kph doing 1613km in 16hrs 9mins road time and correcting for our CP duties at Waiouru, we managed the trip in 18.5hrs. We always expected it to be a 'fast' (easy flowing) route but it was still a good ride with the right mix of twisties and highway riding. I felt OK but apparently the eyes looked like pissholes in the snow and I had made hard work of the night sections....We had a ball but!!! Photos were taken of odometers, we checked in, had a hearty feed, shared lies, some went for naps, but I just laid back and watched as the rest of the field came in, finally going for a snooze between about 3 and 5...or maybe 6, in the afternoon. Then went back to the hall for another feed and to socialise over a few beers. ......and so the inaugural North Island 1600 had been smoked.......but we still had to clean-up and get home. Sunday night saw me thrust into a coma whereby I could have been sleeping on a bed of nails and I would have got a good kip. We awoke and arose about 0630 to start preparing breakfast and we'd been fed, cleaned up the hall, checked out and were pulling out of the holiday camp at 1003. Stretch was leaving as we were so he joined James and myself, dawdling over the Desert Road. Unfortunately a dawdle was a little too sedate for Stretch, so he passed us and had soon invoked a car to turn on theri lights and hang a uee. Naturally, I pulled over immediately but she didn’t want me, so James and I continued to Taihape for our fuel and coffee stop. Stretch pulled in a bit later and I couldn’t believe he’d got pinged when he had a car in front of him and two bikes behind!? *Sigh*....oh well, thems the breaks and the vagaries of life. We continued on and because I had to go via Palmy to return some serving dishes to Robert Harris cafe on the square, James & I turned off at Mangaweka to take Rangiwahia Rd....and what a wee peach that is right now. By Kimbolton, all the cobwebs had been blown out and we settled back to our sedate pootle through Feilding and into the square, where we enjoyed another coffee with Barney, then headed for home, finally pulling into the office at 1403. What an adventure it’s been. James dragged four of us together about a year ago and things have slowly fallen into place. We nearly pulled the pin due to lack of entries at one point, but stuck with it and although the field was a little light on entries, we budgeted conservatively and should make it through OK. The feedback has been positive and the other nutters like ourselves, that just want to get on their bikes and stay on them all night, seem happy to have a big ride back on the calendar. There were heaps of volunteers to help make it run smoothly and a big thanks to them all. I enjoyed the hell out of it. I just have to get through the Capital 1,000 km Cruise next month, the TT2000 in Feb, and then we can start looking at something for next year. And finally, I’d just like to share an wee anecdote for any that are considering the next NI16. You may recall mention earlier of tyres being fitted back to front and buggered brake pads, why, there was even one silly prat that turned up without a current WoF (but no more shall be said about that.....aye James). Anyway pads and tyres and 30 minute delays was same guy and that would be enough to rattle ones wits. We’re prepping to leave Waiouru and Beemer Boy says, “It’s just down to Vinegar Hill from here aye?” I look at James and James looks at me and I turn to the chap and say, “Yeah...Nah, that should be Spooners Hill Rd and it’s about 15km down the road.” And away he goes with us following a minute or two later. After installing his pads (and forgetting to pay for fuel) Beemer Boy ends up tacking on to our rear out of Paaekak’ and whilst stopped at BP Bulls he asks, “It’s just up to Turangi from here aye?” to which I reply, “Yeah....nah, that should be Wanganui and the Para’s, perhaps you should stick with us.” Which he duly did until sprinting from the blocks after filling at Turangi. One might think that that was the end of it, but no, there’s more! I mentioned that we got in at 0800 and awaited the return of others, but when asking of Beemer Boy, there had been no report, until late in the morning I heard reports of someone calling from.....Napier.....&/or Whakatane....or maybe that should have been Gisborne, because our man Beemer Boy had ended up going through Waikarimoana!!!! Technically he didn’t complete the ride, but he did manage 1944km not completing....as opposed to my corner cutting 1613km. We were obviously too slow so he streaked ahead....and came in 4 or 5 hours after!!! The moral of the story is that in this type of riding, faster isn’t always faster.....and planning and preparation is everything! I had the bike serviced last week and also now have a pair of Z8's waiting to fit. The Z8 on the front had about 9,000km on it with perhaps 2-3.000km left and the PR4 on the rear only has 3,000km on it. However Having decided to replace both prior to the North Island 1600, I needed to rack-up some km to chew out the front and wear as much as possible on the rear. Having done 3 conditioning rides of 375, 740 & 490 km, I wanted to do at least one more of about 1,000km,....plus whatever else I could fit in. This ride needed to include some night riding and I was hoping to do it with XP@, but I'm not really a masochist and was waiting for some more favourable weather but he got too impatient and took off on a jaunt on Friday night...and the jammy bugger scored a good night against the odds. When I looked at our timetable over the next few weeks, it was looking most unlikely that I would get time to fit my decent ride in, so I thought, 'be damned, I'll go tonight, ready or not.' Decision made, I prepped/packed the bike yesterday morning, including cleaning and refitting the pinlock into the visor and settled back for a cruisy, relaxxy, nappy day, constantly checking and hoping upon hope that the weather would improve. Oh well, it's not like it could throw anything at me that I haven't experienced before. I programmed my route into the GPS, watched some telly caught not enough Z's, and about 2000 I scrubbed to freshen and kitted-up, leaving home at 2104 and BP J'ville after filling at 2117. At this point the weather was clear and occasionally drizzly so I was wearing my winter Spidi gloves but no Rain-Offs. The ride up SH1 was pretty mundane with a minor amount of traffic (probably thanks to the test) and clear but cool conditions. Early in the piece I tried closing the visor but it fogged straight away....or at least, my glasses fogged, Damn, I had checked the vents prior to leaving so I tried fiddling the screen up and down to see if that improved the flow....marginal. As I progressed up SH3, the weather turned and the visor started to become problematic if there was oncoming traffic, then after I turned onto Warrengate Rd it really started to piss down and my vision became hopeless. By now, it was inconvenient to divert to Whanganui, so I limped on to the Upok' Tavern,..... but I hadn't counted on it being 2330 and the pub was closed and everything dark. Fortunately I had my trusty LED headlamp and a dry porch. 20+ minutes later I had pulled the pinlock, cleaned up my glasses and visor, dumped the wet Spidis for the liner gloves, summer Darbis and Rain-offs and my plan was to carry on, see how things progressed and turn back for home if there was no improvement. The improvement came by way of a clearing in the weather, but between the wet roads and a lack of night riding in recent times, the pace was very sedate. I would have to say that my night vision was poor and all in all, the night ride was very much needed, plus it was handy to have the adverse conditions to identify the helmet issues,......(or at least, re-identify the pinlock is a waste of time).
I pressed on in more variable conditions and attended to the other purpose of my intended destinations, to take a couple of sample pix for the NI16 Riders Guide,.....so that's all I have to say about that and the guts of my route! Anyway, much of the time I was maintaining a good pace on wet roads and I would have to say that for all my misgivings of the PR4 on the rear, both that and my worn Z8 on the front performed admirably today, and it just goes to show what a headcase I am. I returned down SH1, which often has a marginal surface at best, but with no twitches or issues. I stopped at BP Taihape for fuel, a scrummy pepper steak pie and a freshen up before embarking on the last couple of hours. The 30 minute break was well spent as the boring stretch home was tough going to keep the concentration on track. By the time I got home at 1016, I had done 1,098.2km (or 1,081 if I am to believe the GPS) at an moving average of 92kph and total average of 82kph , economy around 17.5 km/Ltr. the bike now has 49,018 km on it. The wet ride conditions in 6° - 13° certainly warranted being fully kitted and the use of my heated grips on level 2, and by the time I got home I was pretty shattered and resorted to a nap in a hot bath. I was pretty happy with the butt condition and figure I will hack the 1,000 miler OK. I wasn't planning on a ride today but I ran into Woody yesterday, when I was putting some air in the tyres at BP J'ville and next thing you know, we had a plan. There was a Uly ride today but because it was programmed for the Akatarawa Rd (which I think is a waste of time ride) and because I'm in more need of more kms, we decided to scoot up SH1, nip over the Fordell-Hunterville road and Vinegar Hill, have a spot of lunch in Ashhurst and make our way home. Since we were embarking up SH1, we opted for an early'ish start at 0900 and ended up departing BP at 0910. I thought we would beat the traffic but the motorway and highway was pretty thick with traffic all the way to Levin and from there it was steady, consequently our average to Waikanae was barely 75kph, but it rose from there to be 80kph by Foxton and 83 by the time we turned off onto Campion Rd, to go around Ohakea and a more respectable 85kph by the time we rejoined SH1 at the Bulls Bridge. More easy riding saw us up to Warrengate Rd and over to Fordell for the fun parts. It's been awhile since I've been on this road and it always requires the utmost respect and should be ridden with an expectation for smatterings of loose crap on every corner. On this occasion it was quite good, but there was a big stretch of hard pack road works around the Kauangaroa area, then a stretch that must have been resealed 6 months to a year ago that still had bits of grit about. We arrived in Hunterville at about 1200, Woody fueled and we were on our way again at 1207, scooting up to Vinegar Hill, across to Cheltenham and through Colyton to Fusion Cafe in Ashhurst for lunch.....although I was forced to have a very late breakfast....and very nice it was too.
Just over an hour later, we were back on the road for the Track, and I must say that that is in pretty good condition as well. The only cause for concern through there was the odd gust in places, but even the wind calmed as we came off the hill and through Nikau. I'd started the day with 50-60 km out of the tank and I find this bike significantly less economic than the old Red, in that I was sitting on 17 km/ltr where, for the pace we were on, I would have expected the Red to be between 18-18.5. Consequently I figured I probably wouldn't make it home on the tank, or I'd have to drop back to 80kph or start drafting, so I decided to pull unto GAS Eketahuna, but as we were about to pull in, a car and three Harleys beat us to the two pumps.....so we continued to the Mobil on the bypass in Masterton. Before that though, we needed to sample one of the best bits of the road the 'rapa has to offer, the Opaki-Kaiparoro Rd! It only adds 5-10 minutes to a scoot up or down SH2 and it's pretty much always in very good condition....bloody marvelous....and after that we just had the hill.....but there was a reasonable amount of traffic on that so nothing flash there. It was a pretty good day of smooth flowing riding at a moderate pace and I finished the 491 km feeling pretty fresh and didn't have to stand or squirm around at all to alleviate the butt, although we did have a few stops, so the conditioning for the big rides is coming along well. One thing though is the tyres. When topping up the air in the tyres yesterday, I found the front is further along that I thought (maybe 2-3,000 km on it) so I'll need to order one straight away, but I've been struggling at times with my cornering and often find myself reluctant to push on...or rather, swing in. I've been finding myself cranking in too early and coming out wide, or if I hold off, finding myself not comfortable to crank into the apex...and coming out wide! Today the rear twitched on dry paint, (not that I should have been near the paint) but it made me realise the Pilot Road 4 on the rear has me feeling the same way I did when I was running Pilot Road 2's....which I never, ever liked. I've generally found it good, and can certainly get the bike well over on it, but with it now about a third the way through its life, I've decided that I don't really trust it! Nothing solid, just a feeling, but that feeling and confidence is what it's all about, so my jury is out. I'm thinking I'll go back to the Z8's! So, good ride today in 8° - 15°, with the signs that conditioning is going well and I've made a decision on the next set of tyres. Stats are that we did 491km at an moving average of 85kph and the bike now has 47,819 km on it. I'll be ordering tyre tomorrow and booking in for the next service. In a past life (my 2nd of the current one – or chapter 2 perhaps), I was an Aircraft Electrician in the RNZAF, and eventually they told me I was an Avionic Technician. Big deal, I worked on batteries, power generation, distribution and regulation, all sorts of motors used for all sorts of purposes and lighting systems. I changed bulbs on teeny weeny lights that lit up gauges and instrument panels, on small lights that lit up other bits and bobs in cockpits, on still and flashy flashing Nav Lights, on big mother landing lights and oscillating or spinny-winny anti-collision lights. I even changed anti-coll lights on the tails of DC3's and Andovers, but fortunately, since I'm just a tad shakey when it comes to heights, I never had to scramble up the tail of a Herc or Orion to change their ones!!
Anyway, one can read that I've changed a bulb or two in my time! Well, it was recently brought to my notice that the left mainbeam headlamp bulb had blown on my ST1300. Normally I would just get the nice man at Boyles to change it on a service, but the lack of riding had me over 2,000km from a service and although there was no haste as no night riding in the immediate future, and there’s a spare fitted and operating right next to it, but I have got the big NI16 all-night ride coming up in October, plus a practice night ride before that, so I attempted to attend to the problem. How hard could this be....it's just a bulb. So, I rang Mr Boyle, had a chat and mentioned that I needed a bulb. That perhaps I should change to Night Breakers or some other flash thingy might be worth considering, but hell, the lights on the ST are pretty damn good and it all got too hard so I just turned up one Saturday and bought an H4 off the shelf. It was just a bulb, so when I got home that evening, I tried to fit it! It looked interesting, a ring at the base with three locating tabs, funny little dish under the main filament to direct the light output up to the top reflector.....or perhaps that was blocking the light from getting down to the bottom hi-beam reflector...should be easy enough to change! First off, I put the bike on the centre stand, pushed the bars one way and then the other to see how easy it would be to get a hand in there and on the item in question, then I headed upstairs to pull up the workshop manual on my notebook and see what it had to say about changing a main-beam bulb....and what a load of toss that was! I went back down to the garage, had a fiddle but nothing worked or made sense....so I went back up stairs and rang Ken because he used to have an ST and did his own servicing. Sure enough, he's changed a bulb but couldn't really remember...”go on YouTube” he says! I tried YouTube...nothing ….so I tried the ST-Owners site, found some guff went down to try it....didn't work....so I went back to look some more and sure enough there was some more guff that was much clearer....so back down and voila!! There is a knack to remove the connector and once one has that knack, it just pops off. I worked out how to remove the spring clip that holds the bulb in place, the old shot bulb pops out and I'm ready to drop the new one in. Yeah right!! Being careful not to touch the glass, I get it in place and try to line it up. I spend a bit of time on this and by now, Ann is home so I call her down to assist (I can't see into the front of the headlight while working to get the bulb in from the rear.) Ann guides me, “twist it this way, twist it that way, point it left, right, up, down”....it won't. I ask her to fetch a mirror so I can see for myself.....that doesn't work either! I find that by turning the wheel to the right, there's less room to get my hand in, but I can fiddle at the back and see in the front.....big deal, still won't work. I then give up, pulled the bulb and put the old one back in. It just slots straight in! I grab the new one,...still won't go, so I pull it and study them both. Well I'll be damned. A close inspection/comparison reveals that the tabs on the new one are slightly smaller and where the old ones are spaced at about 135°, the new ones are about 130°!! …or vice versa…FFS!! I eventually go back to the shop...... “Oh shit”, he says “You need the Honda one. That'll cost!!!” I contact them again a few days later. I had already returned the $24.50 H4 and he reassures me that he’s ordered the Honda jobby and it’s only going to be $60-something!!!! “Holy Shit”, I blurted, perhaps I need to cut the tabs off the ordinary H4?....or perhaps I better re-visit changing/upgrading to some flashy bulb? I’ll probably get a pair for less than that!!” In the end I can’t be bothered and say, “Oh bugger it! Just get the bloody thing.” *Sigh*…..I was just changing a bulb. It's something we do all the time and take it for granted. I don't consider I wasted an hour or two pissing around,….(although I might have been able to earn some coin to go towards buying the bulb in that time). I learnt (re-learnt) one of life’s lessons....or was that one of Murphies Laws? Thank God our Air Force never had any planes designed and built by the Japanese!! At least I now know I can change the main bulbs on the ST in 5-10 minutes and if I carried a spare, I could do it on the side of the road.....in the dark! FFS...it's just a bulb!!! Umm….and I won’t be carrying a spare! I better do some homework to see what else is out there….FFS….it’s just a bulb!!! After getting a bit tingly 150km into last week's ride, I had a meeting and decided I needed to Harden The Butt Up and conditioning rides were needed for the upcoming Nth Is 1600 and C1KC. With the weather forecast for today looking pretty good, I figured a 500-800km ride was on the cards, but nothing north of Hunterville due to all the snow induced road closures this week and a plan formed that included a squirt into the Pohangina Valley, followed by a scoot into the Hawkes Bay. A quick call to Steve confirmed I would have a buddy, who also need to Harden the Butt Up and we were on for an 0830 meet at BP Mana. The day dawned dry, but overcast and I got away from home at 0810, had just started to fill at BP when Steve arrived and we got on the road at just after 0830 with the GPS telling me we had an ETA (at home) of 1701. That should be a nice wee ride ….or would be if it were a bit warmer than 5°!!....so I flicked the heated grips on. As is usual when Steve and I get together for this sort of ride, we pretty much slot straight into GC mode, although since we were going up SH1, it was a sedate but steady pace and we were soon turning off before Levin, scooting through Shannon, around through Linton, on to Ashhurst and straight through to a point about 25km up the Pohangina Valley. We were in our element and after the slow start up the Kapiti Coast, we now had our moving average up to 89kph, and the ETA was down to 1650, but the low temps meant that with only 170km done, I was making a beeline for the bushes! Damn.....Go away bladder!!
After a quick look around and a chat, the ETA was back to 1705, we headed back to Ashhurst and over the Saddle, (which I must say is in rather poor condition at this time), then we bypassed Woodville and took Top Grass Rd to Dannevirke, up SH's 2 & 50 to top up fuel in Taradale, then headed back to the chocolate factory cafe on Links Rd. (Last time we stopped there was on the way to the start of the Southern Cross in 2009). We were half way into the ride at about 360km and by this time the ETA was back down to 1644 and the moving average up to 95kph, but over an hour for lunch put paid to that and by the time we were ready to hit the road again, our ETA was out to 1610. Damn! That didn't leave a lot of scope for variations or explorations! By now the temp was hovering around 12° as we nipped across to Clive and a new road for me...and that would be Kahuranaki Rd. I've decided that Kahurunaki Rd is quite nice. There are few off camber corners, but generally it just flows along and does wonders for ones ETA because by the time we got to Patangata, that was back to 1750. All good though, and with that road checked out, we settled back into our groove and from Waipawa, Steve led the quite-brisk scoot for home. That in itself was quite the mixed bag as early on, it looked quite gloomy and the temp bottomed out at 7°, then as we got close to home, we were treated to some sun and more 11-12°. The ride over the hill was quite brisk going up, but relaxed and just sitting in the flow going down, then Steve pulled off at Brown Owl and I hunkered down for the last 30km. As far as taking a cement pill and Hardening The Butt Up goes, the day was very good. The 1st 350km was a breeze and doing a solid 340km for home saw me starting to drop a leg about half-way along and I didn't start to get too uncomfortable until about 250km. Nothing a bit of jiggling about and standing on the pegs couldn't sort, but I was pretty glad to get off the back when I pulled into the garage at 1741. Bloody great day though. A real pleasure to just get on the bike and get the job done with no pissing around or waiting for others, and to be riding with a long time buddy, or kindrid spirit that likes nothing better than a curly road and lots of it. Stats for the day: bike says I did 739.3km but the GPS says I only did 729km?? Moving time was 7:52 for an average pace of 92kph. The temp varied between 5 & 14° and the economy was around 17.2 Km/Ltr.....and the bike now has 47,178Km on it. One or two more of these and I think I'll be good to go for the thousand miler! I decided this week, that weather permitting, I would be hitting the road today....and the weather certainly permitted. I had no real plan and early in the week the forecast was looking marginal, but when it all cleared up yesterday I gave Ken a call to see if he was up for a ride. I really needed to start conditioning for the long rides coming up in October (NI1600) and November (C1KC), but as it's early days and mid-winter, I figured a short foray into the southern Wai'rapa would suffice, so Ngawi and the Water Towers it was. I packed the bike and checked the tyre pressures last night and both tyres needed a couple of psi, but I couldn't be bothered doing them then, so left it for Z Crofton this morning. I called/checked in and confirmed with Ken at 0900 for a 1000 meet at BP Hutt Rd and things looked sweet...except perhaps for the fresh 6°...and his reports of sheets of ice in Karori? I was a bit late, had a quick fill and we hit the road at 1017, not a cloud in the sky but as the temp dipped to 4° through Silverstream, it was a good reminder to take care. Traffic on the hill was easy and remnants of icey-snow on the sides of the road near the summit was more evidence that we were in the grips of a really crappy winter, but dropping into the Wai'rapa saw more blue skies and a rising temp that edged back past 8° and onto 10°. It was a change not to have to bother with any regroups etc and we flitted straight through Featherston out to Kahutara Rd, right towards Lake Ferry and although it was 10° by now, I did resort to turning on the heated grips.....after all, I did have my Summer Darbi gloves on!!?? It was sweet riding though as we clipped along at a steady relaxed pace and interesting through here, that across towards the east coast there were some hills that still had a dusting of snow. I say interesting because there is very little evidence of snow on the Tararuas and as a school kid in the 60's, there was always a liberal dose of snow on them from May to September/October. It seems to have been awhile since I recall going out to Ngawi and today was a wee gem. There were a few patches that hadn't seen any sun, a wee touch of gravel and a couple of spots where the stock was grazing in paddocks open to the road, but at least they were calm cattle and we made good time....and being gentleman that are exiting from our prime middle age, we both headed for the dunnies as soon as we arrived, then had a chat, took a couple of pix and got back on with it. I had forgotten to fit the GoPro at the garage, so I took the opportunity to fit it in Ngawi and filmed the ride out, which was slightly more spirited and it was truly magnificent to be slipping along the coast and through the countryside, into a high sun. We scooted into Martinborough, then out on Middle (Ponatahi) Road as I didn't fancy picking my way through what would be a potentially slippery road through the Tablelands. It was quite noticable through here that the area must have had a lot of rain as there were fields with ground water on them, a couple of places where the stock were in mud and some stock yards near the road that were pretty messy.
After a brief pause at the Gladston Tavern for coffee and fries, we finished the day with a scoot around the Water Towers to Wainuioru, into Masterton and home. More mint riding and a jolly good fang over the hill this time, but we got separated and although I slowed down all the way to Melling, that was the last I saw of Ken. Mind you, it's hard once one gets into the lights and I seemed to get a clean run all the way through. Bloody great day though. I ended up doing 375km at an average consumtion of 17.1Km/Ltr (the ST seems to operate much more efficiently in hot weather) and moving average of 83kph. The temp did make it up to 14° and the bike now has 46,377Km on it. Hmmm....7 weeks between blogs is just about getting as bad as Gremlin! ...and what's worse is, I can't say I've really been for a ride!
I have been doing some big hours at work with weekends required to keep up and a few weeks ago I could feel myself getting twitchy, so a ride was needed, but with time being at a premium and because I couldn't be bothered doing the 30+Km to get to the Rimutakas for a fang.....I just settled for a liesurely scoot over to Makara, then back and around the bays. It was a great day on that occasion and although the hill between Karori and Makara only has a 50kph limit, it's enough to blow the cobwebs and did result in a big scrape on the right peg in one corner. (Most unintentional as I never scrape my pegs). No traffic always helps too. Then it was OK going around the coast and harbour, but one can't do that without encountering traffic....still, I did get out and felt much better when I got back to the office. All this week has been crap! Crap, cold, dismal weather well below 10°, crap coming at me at work at 100 miles an hour that I had to deal with, an empty flat that needed a tidy up...that's always crap when I need to be at work in the envenings to keep up....just crap, crap, crap...and crap weather forecast as far as the mind can imagine....or Thursday if that comes first! The twitches and tics were starting to make their way back so I figured, 'Bugger it, IAM had a ride on today, I better go'. After all, I do ride an ST with all the elemental protection a bike can offer, my corduras are pretty new, the liner is in the jacket and there's heated grips there if I need it. The tank was full from my last outing so I just checked the tyres and threw some gear on board last night, stayed in bed as long as possible this morning, peered out the window after showering to check the weather wasn't too dismal, kitted up and scooted down to Z Crofton Downs to put a couple of psi in each tyre. It was 0900 by this time so it was straight to the meeting point at Avalon and there were two there already, Ross & Anita, so we would be riding. After a bit, Neil and Stu turned up and the five of us headed out at 0930, over to Wainui', then out to the coast and back to Eastborne. The rain was holding off, with just a bit of intermittent drizzle, but the roads were all wet and the temp hovered between 6-8°, so it certainly wasn't a 'spirited ride', but a ride's a ride and a bit of wet riding practice is always good. I must say that the lack of riding in recent times, plus the big off a couple of years ago has left me a bit more careful on marginal roads and always looking for lines providing the best traction available and this ride was certainly a timely reminder that I should be getting out more to start conditioning for the big rides later in the year. Our wee scoot led us back to the Days Bay Pavillion for a coffee and date scone before riding home through proper rain and hunkering down in front of the fire and tv for the rest of the day...instead of going to work...oh well, tomorrows another day...and it's just crap out there. As far as other/good rides go, we now have a goodly dose of endurance rides scheduled for the summer as the North Island 1600 (Grand Challenge replacement) is definitely on in October, to be followed by the Capital 1000Km Cruise in November and the TT2000 site for the February event went live a week or so back. Although I haven't been riding, I have been finding time to do a bit of homework on route planning for the NI16 and C1KC ….so now I better start hitting the roads more often to prepare and condition!!................Oh yeah.....and the Pilot Road on the rear seems bloody marvelous! |
Old Blog?
These blogs were posted on the KiwiBiker forum but I decided it was time for a change. Archives
January 2017
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