Wow!! What a great day....Great People, Great Roads and Great Weather.....especially considering that after monitoring the forecasts last week, we were tempted to pull-the-plug at one stage as this wasn't a ride one would want to do on wet roads. We had 19 confirmed and registered riders who represented most sectors of the local biking fraternity....that's 3 ST riders and others.... I guess to be fair though, apart from the 3 Grumpy Old Men (Ulyssians) on their comfortable trucks, there was James (XP@) on his Transalp representing the Adventure riders, Ken on his Road King for the Harley Rebels, Trevor on a Volusia for the Cruiser's, Glen for the Beemer Tourers, a raft of nimble Sprotsbikers & KB'ers, the Bandit Riders and Mangell6 for the Iron Butted Rusty Riders and finally a package called SweetP, that represented: Women; Learners; Commuters & Small Bike Riders on her FXR150. Well done to all, especially to Juliette who took this on after only riding for about 5 months and came in with a big smile and none the worse for wear. From my perspective, the day started with the alarm going off at 0500 and the realisation that Bandit Rider and Blue Bandito would be just getting on the road from Palmy. A quick shower and feed and I was away from home at 0539 in 10° and clear skies, dappled with the odd cloud but definitely no rain in sight. As usual, by the time I went through Silverstream the temp bottomed out at 7° but was back up to a pleasant 9° by the time I pulled into Rimutex at 0602 to see Steve was already there with the maps pinned up on the van and a wee table to deal with the registrations. I gassed-up and went in to pay announcing “pump 11”, to which the attendant looked at his screen, looked at my attire, then looked out the window to check the forecourt before turning back to me and saying, “But you're on a motor bike!!??” with a dumbfounded expression on his face. I had just put over $41 of gas in the ST and stated, “I'll need at least one more of those by the end of the day” paid the man then went out to check the tyres and help set-up the table before the first rider arrived at about 0630. As the riders arrived, we met, noted odometer readings and ensured they had a set of ride instructions and pointed them to the maps if they weren't sure of anything. We were all there by 0700, had a quick briefing and I was last off the forecourt with XP@, who I might add, 'looked like he was in-the-zone', at 0709. We soon caught up to Grub who I tacked on behind and followed him over the 'Hill' then took the lead before Masterton and led him through the east side to avoid any town traffic, lights and round-a-bouts and we were soon on the road to Alfredton and Pongaroa and our first sampling of 'Pick-your-line-carefully or-else' riding. Grub soon stopped to check that his back tyre was OK, at which point the first of the riders who had topped-up in Masterton caught up and we pointed it was just a bit of movement due to the scattered p-gravel, so on we went to Pongaroa to find Glen (Beemer) and Greg (ST) enjoying their first rest so Glen could get rid of his 'wets' as by now the skies were crystal clear and the temp was up to 15-17°. While we waited for them, the rest of the 'Top-ups' arrived and we headed onto Weber at the back of a group of 7 or 8. The others paused at the Weber junction while Greg and I carried onwards enjoying the tight but smooth roads through this part of Godzone and were soon upon the worlds longest place name, where I didn't have a Fox Hat to wear but stopped for the photo opportunity anyway and by the time we had done that, we tacked back on to the group until the Porongahau Junction, where 5 went right and I just stopped to photograph them once they came back. We enjoyed a brisk pace through here and I was impressed to see SweetP hanging-in near the front of the group until we got to Waipuk' where they all stopped to gas-up except Greg and myself who continued on to Taupo where we would make our first fuel stop. The Napier-Taupo road, as usual, provided a great ride and it was quite funny because where I had been endeavouring to ride in the wheel ruts on the Pongaroa road to avoid p-gravel, I now found myself riding the hump in between, to avoid any soft tar as the temp was now peaking at 20° and there was no wind at all to cool the road. We were only travelling at 110-120 but were soon gassing-up in Taupo ($43+ this time) and stopped for lunch with Glen (Beemer), Ken (Harley) and Grub (CBR), after which Ken headed off first and Grub went to fill-up and find the others of the group he was with, so three of headed out on Poihipi Rd for the Western Arm, Taumaranui and Raetahi. By this time the weather had clouded over and the temp was back down to 15 – 17° and we encountered some very occasional and very light spitting, just enough to have to drop my visor sometimes. More great quick roads, but we kept the speed down and enjoyed the cruise, not encountering any other riders until we passed Madmals bike (Aprilia) parked at National Park, then saw Ken filling at Raetihi. It turns out he took a wrong turn ending up in Tokaanu and had to backtrack, but still managed to stay in front of us. It was great riding down the Parapara's, which are in pretty good condition, and we made our next stop at the Upukongaro Pub where I spotted Nasty (Trailer Rider) enjoying the time with her mum, bike-spotting for C1KC riders. She informed us that Wannabiker (Ducati) had done a tyre and that group had been delayed about 40 minutes in Taupo so after another little bout of social intercourse we took to the Fordell-Hunterville road. There were now 6 in our group as we had been joined by Rob (Ducati) and Mal and this section is very tight in places and only to be ridden with care, on full alert, thanks to the potential for loose-bits and wildlife. On this occasion we only encountered 2 Turkeys, 2 Pukekos, 1 lamb and 4 sheep and got through to Hunterville with only a minor oopsie moment for Ken. We topped up the tanks and as time was getting on (about 1800) we hit the road for the final run back via Vinegar Hill, Colyton, Ashhurst, Pahiatua Track/Mangamaire and the 'Hill'. I was intending to do the ride in 12 – 13 hours but we eventually got to the Rimutakas on dusk, with the weather finally delivering some of what had been promised earlier in the week. It was drizzly rain, enough to be a nuisance combined with high winds, which on rounding one corner, virtually brought me to a standstill thanks to a poor gear selection. No worries I powered on through it to arrive at the Rimutaka Tavern at 2039 with Rob, and shortly after the rest of our group, where we received our certificates from Steve and chatted about the days events, while we waited for the next lot of riders. We found there were only 3 others already in (+ the Bandit Riders who completed there ride on return to Palmy) then Ken and Greg had to take off back over the hill for home (poor Buggers) but good on you fellas for making the effort. Grub had also done a tyre at Wanganui so was coming back with Nasty and the last two groups came in around 2130 and 2230. I finally got home about 2330, 1119Kms for the day at 18.4 K/Ltr economy and 24550Kms on the bike. (Big service booked for Tues). Everyone appeared to have enjoyed the day which took in many of the best roads/rides in the Lower North Island and was quite demanding. It took longer than I expected but I enjoyed taking it easy after the pace and intensity that was required for the GC + Extension. A big thanks to Steve (Twosup) who helped organise the event, Nasty for giving her time to look after us and Nudematalz for the trailer and all the riders who took part. I met some great new people that enjoy the cameraderie of being bikers and I look forward to the next ride. After all, it's only 3,500 Kms 'til Christmas
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Thanks to a big tank capable of 400+Kms at uneconomic speeds and a hard arse to endure 22½ hours in the saddle at those speeds…I completed the RNGC 1000 mile ride plus 500km extension. That’s 2100Kms to mark the 21st anniversary of the event. After last year's GC I was elated to finish in 21 hours and keen to make it an annual pilgrimage. I found I was even more motivated after starring in and viewing the DVD of last year's event and when Lee advised of the extension to mark the 21st Anniversary, I thought that would be cool to achieve. I had a quick chat to my riding buddy, Steve and we decided to apply for the extension and pay our $40 donation (on the basis that we probably wouldn't make it but if the weather gods were good and the route planner was kind, at least we would be able to attempt it, and if not, it was only the equivalent to a tank of gas lost) In preparation this year, I had a couple of longish solo rides a month or two out, but had to limit my riding to keep my tyres to between 6 & 7,000Kms and in good condition for the event. During the week before I took the bike in for it's pre-GC check-up, a new Air cleaner and rear brake pads, gave the corduras a silicon spray and after studying the weather for the week, bought some pvc gear from the Warehouse and Rain-Off Gloves to ensure I remained cosy. Steve had a bad ‘Off’ a month out and would not be coming so it was just Adrian (ST1300) and I who rode up together, departing Johnsonville at 1030 hrs Friday, travelling up via the Wairarapa, Gorge (a last minute adjustment after wind and rain put me off the Track & Saddle), lunch in Ashhurst, then on through Vinegar Hill and SH1. I wore my new 'wets' which seemed to do the trick as the fine weather in the Wairarapa only lasted until Masterton and from there on it was a mixed bag of rain and more rain. On arrival, we went straight through scrutineering with no problem, settled in and waited for 1900hrs when the route would be posted. I traced it out on my map then went back to my cabin to study and prepare for the ride. It appeared to be fairly straight forward, up to Kaitaia and back, but I hadn't been on most of the roads and those that I had driven on, was 30 years ago!! Saturday was spent killing time before the ride. Breakfast, final preparations of gear and bike, wander around chatting until I could finally gear-up, get in on the Ulysses photo, get briefed, win a raffle prize and depart with the other green card holders in the second group at 1503 hrs. (Adrian was in the third group but not eligible for the extension so I went ahead and if he caught-up we would ride together). At this point I was entered for the extension but was doubtful I would make it, so would ride out, get as far as I could before the weather hit and then see what eventuated. The first leg was from Turangi, out to Kuratau Junction, up the western arm of the lake and turning off on Old Taupo Road (just prior to Tokoroa) to the first 'Time Check' at Puketurua. I started off at about 120kph to ease into the ride, passed a few other riders, was caught by BanditRider & Blue Bandito in their Green mohawks, then about 10 or 15 Km up the western arm, we were passed by the leaders of the 3rd group as they fizzed along. About three or four minutes later, that was repeated and again and again until I latched onto a couple of other riders who were sitting at a slightly quicker pace than i had been on, and as we turned onto Old Taupo Road, Adrian caught us. We left the time check and followed a few riders along Pearson and Arapuni Roads into Putararu when the group got separated in traffic and we latched onto another couple as we turned onto Whites Rd and were sitting were sitting at 140'ish through SH's 28 & 29. It was a bit fast so we let them go when we finally got onto Old Te Aroha Road. That was quite a nice ride and we joined another group of 5 or 6 after they passed us and dragged us through Te Aroha to the first checkpoint at Paeroa. By this time there must have been about 30 riders in front of us and most of the other riders stopped here for fuel, but we just had our tickets clipped and hit the road at a sedate 110 – 120kph. That is until passed by a couple of quick riders and I threw caution to the wind. We slipped in behind them but Adrian got separated through traffic as we raced along SH2 for the Bombays, but I managed to stay with them until the heavens opened at dusk and we stopped in Orewa, them for Wet gear and me for fuel. That was good as I was able to thank them for the lift. I had worn my PVC's from the start, which was a good call in anticipation for the predicted weather, so I quickly fuelled, had the usual natural break, scoffed a banana and nut bar, swigged on the electrolytes and headed off for the next stop at Dargaville. Back on the road, I eased back into the ride as a torrential downpour kept the speed down through Waiwera, to the turn off at Brynderwyn and it was all new roads from here. It was quite pleasant as the rain eased and I got the speed up to around 140 until about 5 Km's out of Dargaville when two more riders passed me, so naturally I tagged on, followed them into Dargaville, got clipped and left as they were gassing up....and now the fun begins. The third leg took us to Kaitaia, via the Waipoua forest and Kaikohe. My first incident was about 20 km out of Dargaville when I was getting along at a brisk pace and noticed the distinctive odour of cowpoos. Within moments, as I was flying through a big right hand sweeper, I saw what appeared to be a 5 metre wide river of shit flowing across the road....but in truth it was probably only about 1 metre. Anyway, I had about enough time to say 1½ of the three Biker Hail Marys (BHM's) (Oh Shit, Oh shit, Oh Shit...or words to that effect), no time to react with any changes to throttle or brake and the front and rear had both let go. I would estimate a half metre adjustment to my lateral position before both tyres grabbed again and it all happened so quick I didn't even have time to pucker, and the sweat was already there from wearing PVC's in the balmy 14-17º. I skipped the rest of the BHM's and quickly gave thanks to my guardian angel, dad and other host of ancestors for looking after me when I was literally 'up shit creek without a paddle'!! That was the first of several such moments when the back twitched out on slick 'seal, wet paint, or other unidentified foreign objects that littered the road. I tried to avoid the slick patches but on one occasion, as I was travelling straight, I rode over a strip and suddenly the revs shot up as the back wheel started to spin and track to the left.....Hmm....more BHM's and thanks given. I was soon enjoying the delights of the Waipoua forest!! Whoever said that was a great ride needs a frontal labotomy! It was wet, pitch black, and foliage blown off in the gale force winds littered a road that was as tight as a tangled kite string. I was down to a crawl and cursing myself for being a nana and expecting Cam and his mate to scream past me at any moment, but that didn't happen so I guess it got most of us. 20+ Kms I kept thinking, take it easy and just minimise the losses, which I did, was soon out of the woods, through a few more windy (you may read that with a long or short vowel) sections and I pulled into Kaitaia for checkpoint 3, and a much needed pit stop. Just as I switched off, Cam and his mate arrived and just as I was about to get ready to leave, Adrian pulled-in. I was really surprised to see him as I had been riding reasonably quickly, we had a quick chat and I headed on with the expectation that I would soon be caught-up......unfortunately that was to be a big....Yeah Right! The next stage took us down through Kerikeri and Whangarei, across to Helensville and down to the service centre at Bombay. This stage was another mixed bag with the first part from Kaitaia to Wellsford being quite quick as in places the road had partially dried, but I was attacked by the odd vicious squall and on one occasion, I was hit by a gust of wind so strong that my PVC jacket burst open, taking out one of the domes that didn't want to let go. I paused in Wellsford to do it up and continued on through more windy roads finally coming out through Helenville and Kumeu, where I expected to get onto the motorway. I don't know what happened but the next thing I knew I appeared to be riding alongside what I assumed to be the western motorway under (re)construction, then was looking at signs directing me to Albany and Greenithe....Bugger!! Missed a turn somewhere so zipped through to Albany and got onto SH1 there. I don't know how much time I lost but as I got to about Manukau, I caught-up to Adrian and as we pulled into Bombay Cam and his buddy were just finishing their coffees. We had a few minutes here for another break and at this stage, we were looking like finishing at about 0800hrs.....he said as he reached for another Tui!!! Adrian and I were finally back together and ready to attack highway 22 from Pukekohe to Ngaruwahia, nip through Otorahonga, on to Te Kuiti, out to Eight mile junction and over to Ohura. This proved to be the worst stage of the event and we came to understand why it was NOT designated 'State' highway.....it was a bloody goat track. Narrow, tight and more slick spots and downed foliage than you could shake a stick at. I led the way and would try to pick lines sticking to the centre mounds that appeared to have a bit of grip but invariably, I managed to get out of shape on a few paint lines and slick spots and aborted corners on several occasions. It's a bit hard to look 'through' the corner, which tends to drag the bike through a good clean line, when all you’re worried about is all the crap you have to avoid on the way through. That gets even worse when there is no line through because the lichen covered mound in the centre of the road is hemmed by lovely slick wheel ruts which in turn are nicely trimmed by wet, very slippery painted lines. Oh well...there was only 88 Kms of it!! We finally got out to Ngaruwahia and Adrian pulled over under a light. I wondered what he was up to as I continued down to the turnoff, having a quick check of the ride instructions as I waited there. It turned out, he realised he hadn't paid for his fuel in Bombay and called in to make arrangements for it too be covered. We were now back on nice, albeit wet roads through Otorahonga to Te Kuiti where we decided to fill-up again. I knew I would make it to Turangi, but this would leave me half a tank to start the Extension and Adrian’s bike didn't seem to be running quite as economically so it meant there would be no worries for him about fuel over the last few Kms. We were now on the run in to the finish, but the Rustys hadn't finished with us. We still had the Ohura loop, and just like last year, it was wet. I adopted my best nana pace again because I don't like slip sliding away, and we endured another 80 odd Kms of bad lines, aborts and uncomfortable riding on roads that weren't built for ST's. That is, until a bit after the final check point at Ohura and I realised we had lost about an hour on the Waingaro and Ohura Roads. It was time to start taking a few risks and put the pressure on. Fortunately there wasn't any traffic and corners were cut safely, although as we neared Taumaranui, we did encounter a large milk tanker who was flying and if he had met us earlier, I would have been toast.....(more thanks to dad and friends) We were finally out through Taumaranui, on to SH41 and a brisk pace through to the finish, although I did manage to overcook a corner, retaining just enough control and road to avoid an oncoming car....more BHM's, puckering and thanks. We arrived at 0907 18hrs 04 for me and 18 flat for Adrian, had time for a quick photo before checking in and out, being warned of severe wind and cold, donning my helmet again and charging off to Foxton and back on SH1. It was soon apparent that this easy little jaunt would prove to be as challenging as the rest of the ride. I had to ride through an onslaught of wind and rain but mostly the wickedest cross winds I have ever experienced. Within 10 Km from the start my PVC jacket was again ripped open as I transitioned from a sheltered bluff, through a cutting and all the way across the exposed top, I had to run a gauntlet of highsided B-Trains which were whipping-up all the crap in creation from off the road and presenting it to me as a solid wall which had to be punched through. Now, with me on the ST, a moderate fuel load and a bit of luggage, you have a 400Kg missile that carries a fair bit of momentum. The problem here was, I would be riding with the bike cranked over at about 15-20° to maintain a straight tack and each of these behemoths set up a shelter belt, like the bluffs, that would cause the bike to lurch to the right. Not a problem, except, as you were correcting, you would hit the wall of filthy (with spray, dirt & turmoil) air stirred up by the truck, which would cause another wee shuffle for control. By this time I would have shifted from the left side of my lane to the centre and heading for the convoy of up to 10 cars in tow as I struggled to correct …and then I get hit by the crosswind again and have to avoid being blown off the road. I had to maintain a position on the road which would tradeoff between getting sucked into the oncoming vehicles and being spat off other side!! I found that by upping the speed and my momentum, these violent spasms were more controllable as unpleasant shimmies. (This improved my time somewhat as well) All was fine until around Hunterville somewhere and I encountered a pleasant chap coming the other way, in a white car with pretty blue and yellow patches and a lovely array of the most stunning lights. . I guess I was doing about 135 kph and went through the appropriate sequence of auto-reactions….Three quick BHM’s, the flight or fright response, another quick BHM, then hit the anchors and pulled over. I did my best to look very bedraggled and declined the offer to have seat in his car as I was pretty wet, then explained that, ‘I felt I had to maintain a safe speed to avoid being blown off the road. I was trying to keep the speed down but it had been a battle and I was a victim of the weather’. He had a look at my licence, must have thought that there must have been an element of truth in what this crazy-old-man-who-was-stupid-enough-to-be-on-a-bike-in-these-conditions, was saying…..and he let me go. Well….the following halleluiahs were a site to behold as I slowly set off again, ensuring the bike twitched appropriately at each new gust over the next Km or so…..but now it got hard. I filled up in Sanson, was soon on the Foxton straights, sitting with the traffic at about 110kph and was starting to encounter fatigue along with the steadier but nonetheless stronger and twitchy winds. I came up on two Canter sized trucks and the back one must have been well loaded, but the front one looked a bit light as the top left corner of the truck kept swinging into view. I moved across to the right and I’m sure the right wheels were on the verge of lifting so I quickly passed and left them to their troubles, arrived at Foxton Mobil where it was beautifully sunny and calm, had my card punched, heard there was one more nutter behind me, then hit the road back. I was now upwind of the oncoming traffic and didn’t have to worry about getting sucked into them…I was being blown into them. On two occasions I was forced across the centre line and on a third, I was unable to gain control until I was right across the road and skipping along the solid white line. At times the bike actually felt like it wanted to lift and skip sideways across the road, so more BHM’s were said and thanks and praises offered up that nothing was coming the other way. I couldn’t cock my knee out on the upwind side to maintain balance and heading, due to an arthritic hip and the ST tank is as wide as I can spread-em. I therefore had to resort to throwing my whole body off to the left which would slowly cause the bike to ease back on track. Fatigue was now becoming a big problem made worse by the straight roads and lack of pace but I eventually made it back to Turangi at 1330, in one piece, 22½ hours elapsed and 2100Kms done. I had real difficulty getting off the bike and was totally shattered, but in that strange GC way, totally elated at achieving the distance within the allotted time. I staggered in to receive my GC bar, Extension badge, certificate and patches, a hearty Rusty Roast and sat around listening to other tales of epic battles won and lost over the preceding night. I was pretty stiff across my shoulders and lower back from the stresses of riding the cross winds and trundled off for a hot pool before returning for a two hour nap. I was up again about 1830hrs, watched a bit of TV, then relaxed in the hall chatting with Adrian and Shafty and a few others that came and went, eventually hitting the sack at about midnight and slipping into a well earned coma for 6½ hours. It was still raining when I got up, showered, packed then headed over to hand in my cabin key and have breakfast. I bid my farewells and after hearing there could be snow on the desert road, I left and travelled at my usual nana pace through National Park and down the Paraparas. I really enjoyed the ride home. There was some wind and scattered showers, but it was relaxing to putter along at 110kph and just cruise…..that is until I was entering Wanganui East and encountered another gentleman in one of ‘those’ cars as I was approaching the 50Km zone. I stopped and he asked me what the speed limit was so I pointed to the signs about 100 metres up the road and said I was just starting to slow for it. He then informed me that I had been in an 80Kph zone for about 3kms and asked to see my licence, to which I exclaimed, ‘Bloody hell, I’ve been dawdling along, you should see my economy gauge (which was on about 18.2 k/ltr at the time). He asked where I‘d come from and was heading for, suggested I must be a bit drowsy to have missed the sign and should stop and have a rest…then let me go. I thanked the gods, and promptly took his advice, heading for a coffee with Whanau. I finally got home, through another couple of torrential downpours, at about 1400hrs, economy for the trip home at 19.6k/Ltr (a big difference to the 16 I was getting on the GC run), 2,824Kms done for the weekend and 22,277Kms on the bike. I believe there were 111 starters this year, 2 ‘Offed’ and 3 pulled out due to weather and 4 completed the GC plus extension (3 were ST’s I think). I’m sure to be a starter again next year, but I look forward to doing my third GC at a sedate pace…. I think 21 hours sounds like a nice target, leaving time for photo opportunities and relaxed stops for fuel, food and the camaraderie that is shared by bikers on a ride. Once again the event was smoothly run by the Rusty Crew….sadistic bastards that they are…. It’s the wry smile and glint in their eye as they tell you about the route and impending weather that does it. But I love it and a big thanks to Lee and all the Rustys. Only 5,000 Kms left ‘til Christmas now…..then I can start counting down for next year’s GC…and maybe a Mini’s Return. This was my first Grand Challenge and since registering early (#51) I had looked forward to the ride but there was always a bit of trepidation in the back of my mind. Would I hack it, would the bike break down or have a puncture, would my 13 litre tank get me between fuel stops? At least I had a mate, Steve K, from the Wellington Ulysses Club who had done it before, was as keen as mustard to go again and we arranged to ride up together on the Friday. That was an adventure in itself. We left the Caltex Rimutuka about 2pm on a day where the isobars ran west/east over the North Island and looked like a slim line Venetian blind over the map. We had decided to take the scenic/fun route over the Rimutuka’s (only a couple of puffs there), up through the Pahiatua Track where at times I thought the bike and I were both about to be lifted and deposited in the next paddock along with Dorothy and Toto, through Ashhurst – Colyton and all the way round to come out at Mangaweka. Then straight up to Turangi via a coffee in Taihape. We arrived at the motor camp, went straight through scrutineering, then went in to check the map and pick-up instructions and that’s when the enormity of the task ahead hit me. I had only travelled on a few of the sections and fuel stops was always going to be a problem with my 240’ish Km range, so it was off to my cabin for some planning, then down to the local greasy shop for a feed and bed by 10:30. I awoke early the next morning (5am), as you do when you’re excited /worried, on a strange bed and in a tight sleeping bag. Tried to lie in for a while but eventually gave-up at 6:30 and went about the day ahead. (Now even more worried when I knew I could be on the road up to 3pm the next day). The Rusty’s put on a good feed for breakfast, we idled about chatting, had a photo of the Ulybods, parked up in Turangi to display the bikes for the locals, enjoy more chatting, and I eventually got sent off at 3:12pm with the other light green cardholders. I got into a good pace early and had decided to put a splash in the tank at Taumaranui to ensure I got to Awakino which would have been right on my limit. I was surprised that so many others had the same idea, and then on to the 1st time check at Ohura. After that I ended up behind a couple of chaps who took the wrong turn just past Aria and we ended up coming out on SH3 at Piopio instead of further south, but I didn’t mind that as I could top-up again and knew I could comfortably get to New Plymouth from there. I had a blast going through the Awakino gorge and Mt Messenger, then caught up with another rider leaving New Plymouth and rode with him to the first check point at Hawera. This was a hive of activity as there were a lot of riders here, (probably 20+) filling-up the bikes and themselves, chewing the fat over a coffee and preparing for the next leg. The congregation of riders got more depleted at each checkpoint from here on in as the field became more and more spread out. I had a good run through to Wanganui where I topped-up on gas (again) before continuing to the next checkpoint at Hunterville, via Fordel. I have always thought my bike had a very good light with a reasonably wide beam and long range penetration….yeah right!! That was until I got onto the Fordel road with no cats eyes or markers and it felt like someone had tilted the whole light assembly down. I knew back in the days when I did all my touring on an XL250 that I relied heavily on the marker posts as a guide to whether the road was going left or right, I didn’t realise how much I still do that and I was down to a crawl. That combined with the fact that there were no other bikes passing me was cause for concern that I was even on the right road, but fortunately the instructions were quite specific. At last I got to Hunterville, another top-up, another nut bar and another slug of electrolyte laden water. When I departed Hunterville I figured I should go close to getting to Waipuk’ if I took it easy. I left behind two young fellows on identical bikes, one number apart on their rego’s and helmets adorned with green Mohawks. After we got past Vinegar Hill, I lagged slightly as they were going a bit faster than I should have been for the economy I wanted to get…but what the hey, in the end I decided to kept up with them and we caught up with Gordon Sherwood around Cheltenham or thereabouts. I had just met Gordon for the first time that morning and recognised his name as he had posted a poll on the Ulysses sight about eating pain for breakfast. At this point I didn’t recognise it was him but the four of us rattled on through to Ashhurst where I followed Gordon round the corner with three others who were there, deciding which way to go. It didn’t feel right but I sat in and went along for the ride….what a dumbass. The weather had been intermittent from New Plymouth but not bad enough to affect the ride. From the Ashhurst Saddle onwards it wasn’t great as the five of us crawled past the big turbines and stopped briefly in Woodville. I decided to go on to Dannevirke for my next top-up since my speed and the detour would mean I was unlikely to make it to Waipuk’. I headed off by myself and the others pulled into the gas station shortly after me. It was at this point I actually realised that it was Gordon that I had been riding with and we hooked-up for the rest of the ride. This was very much to my advantage because his XVZ12 had much better lights for the trip around Weber, Wimbledon & Porongahau than my Intruder, especially given the deteriorating weather as now we had wind as well as rain to contend with. I found the pace very comfortable and we finally arrived at Waipukurau at around 3am, Halfway through on time and distance. Another feeding of man & beast and we on the road again, heading for the next fuel stop at Taupo via Napier. This was pretty uneventful as we kept to a steady pace and arrived in Taupo about 5am. I was very thankful that I had fitted a spitfire screen to my bike though, as we had to punch into a fierce headwind on this leg and it was much easier than the last time I had been on this road. From there on to Te Kuiti, via Benneydale, and the next checkpoint. By this time there were only a half a dozen bikes there and we weren’t encountering many others on the road at all. The weather was dismal but at least the wind had subsided and with Gordon coming into his ‘home turf’ it was an easy ‘follow the leader’ ride for me. Next off to Otorahonga, Kihikihi, then across to Putaruru before heading over the Mamaku Plateau where we were into the low clouds and although the visibility was less than 50mtrs, we were getting along at a good pace thanks to Gordon’s local knowledge. Once we had passed through Ngongotaha the roads were drying up and we made good time through Te Ngae and onto the last checkpoint at Awakeri. This last stretch was particularly exhilarating because once Gordon was in his own ‘backyard’ he took off like a dog chasing a scolded cat….and I happened to be on the other end of his leash, getting dragged along. We got checked in and headed for home via Murupara and waved to the film crew as we headed into Taupo. Passed quite a few bikes already heading home/North as we got nearer to Turangi, and finally finished about midday, 21 hours on the road and 31 hours since I had awoken on Saturday morning. It felt great to finish and I actually felt surprisingly alert. I put that down to the fact that I had avoided caffeine and sugar, only consuming a couple of multivitamins, a bag of bananas, a box of nut bars and about 5 bottles of water which had a good dose of electrolyte added. It wasn’t till we had finally stopped that I actually saw what a state my bike was in. The screen, light, mirrors and front forks caked with bugs, no shine from any of the chrome except the handlebars and dirty streaks over most of the paintwork. As usual though, it had performed admirably, purring all the way through. We got our speedos checked, received the badges and certificates, enjoyed a hearty lunch put on by the Mrs Rustys and discussed the event. I headed off to my cabin for a kip at about 2pm and awoke, fresh as a daisy about 4:30pm…bugger! Everyone else was asleep except for the Rustys who were still going about the business of running the event. I went off for a hot pool, getting back about 5:30. Still bored I searched out a TV only to find there was only one channel available and in the end decided, since there was nothing to do, I might as well head home….it’s only 3.5 hours to Wellington. I packed up, gassed up and departed at 7pm. Weather looked a bit grey but she’ll be right. There was a bit of rain heading up the desert road but that cleared once I was in the lee of Ruapehu. However, the road ahead was looking more ominous and once I passed through Waiouru I was in it. It was raining so hard I was treated to a brilliant starburst every time I passed a car going the other way, (there were no other bikers foolish enough to be out in this) and it got to the point that whenever a car passed I was totally blinded over the last couple of seconds and would have to get the speed down to less than 60 K’s to avoid trouble. I tried following the odd vehicle but they would invariably turn-off, be travelling too slow, or be a huge truck kicking up more crap than you could shake a stick at. By the time I got to Marton the wind was strong enough to keep the rain horizontal and my starbursts were now complimented with laser arrows of light as the rain whipped past my helmet but by Bulls it all cleared up and the rest of the trip was OK so I was home by 10:40, my own bed, a cuddle and an awesome night’s sleep after a wonderful adventure. My special thanks to Steve and Gordon for putting up with me, The Rusty’s for their great organising and not to mention the makers of Spool Jackets, Tecknic Pants, Sidi Boots & Spidi Gloves....they all kept me dry and comfy. |
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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