Sunday, January 25, 2015

Wellington Anniversary Day

Wellington Anniversary Day 2015

As per previous years we organised a ride to celebrate Wellington Anniversary day. Only 6 starters as it turned out, but a good crew.
We decided to head over to Pongaroa for lunch and travel there via Mangamaire and Eketahuna, then Route 52. We were 4 chromies and 2 plastics; Kim on his H2A, Rich on the T500, Steve on a very original looking Yamaha TX650 twin, myself on the 350 Avenger.  Bruce A was riding the Great White VFR750F, and Bruce S on his hot RZ350.

We enjoyed a good ride over the track and through Mangamarie, then R52 to Pongaroa. We battled the coastal breeze in parts and gave the bike’s suspensions a thorough workout. Did envy those 80’s bikes a few times with their better suspension. A lot has been done post-earthquake to fix up the roads, but there is still a quite a bit to go!

We arrived at the pub just before 12 (and before the cook) and enjoyed a cold beer or two, and eventually a generous lunch.

After lunch we plotted a course for Pahiatua returning over the Puketoi Range. There was a stop at the BP in Pahiatua for the few with thirsty bikes, then over the track and home. 

















Saturday, January 10, 2015

1st Ride 2015










2015 got off to a good start with a full day’s ride on Friday 2nd January.

4 men hale & hearty (would have been 5 but Bruce A came down with a bout of Eastern equine encephalitis) met outside Manawatu Motorcycles at 9am and headed off to Kimbolton in route for Taihape via Rangiwahia. From Taihape it was over the Gentle Annie to Hastings and down SH50 to the Tikokino pub for lunch.

Kim rode his recently re-clothed Yamaha 3XV, Ian on the black GS450S, Bruce S on his Aprilia Tuono, and I took the GSX-R400 for its first long run. So we had a V-twin, a parallel twin, an inline-4, and a V-4.

The GSX-R is a bit of a rescue bike which has been returned to road worthy condition over the last couple of years. These bikes must have been a bit of a revelation in 1984; alloy frame, mono-shock, 8-piston front brakes, 150kg and with 60bhp from a twin cam, 16 valve, water-cooled inline-4.

Unfortunately the engine was sucking oil into the combustion chambers on the over-run and caused some moments of concern with the red light going on and off after Mangaweka. This was rectified (?) in Taihape with Wynn’s toolkit-in-a-bottle – don't leave home without it!

While filling up with petrol and coffee at Taihape we were joined at BP by a large group of bikers heading the same way. Several were known to Kim. They rode everything from a motard to cruisers (See Ian's photo of the red Triumph Thruxton 900).

The day was perfect and the ride over the Taihape-Napier road was at its best. We caught up with the first of the big group just after the turn off – a modern Triumph Bonnie which had run out of road and into a bank. A little later we came across another member of the group that had out cornered himself and his Harley, which was upside down in the scrub at the bottom of a bank. He was lucky not to be under it. The road down into Hawke’s Bay is made for bikes and flows beautifully corner after corner. The expression ‘grinning like a fool’ springs to mind.

After a last top-up in Hastings it was onto SH50 and down to the Tikokino pub for lunch and liquid refreshments, enjoyed in the shade. After lunch we headed south to Dannivirke, then down to Woodville via Topgrass Rd., then through the George and home by 5pm. Apart from initial oil consumption with the GSX-R, all of the bikes were problem free. Kim’s 3XV and the Gixxer used the same amount of fuel which was later calculated at 50mpg average. If only a certain RG400 could approach that figure at over 50kph! Ian’s GS ran smoothly and handled well, and looked to be a comfortable ride. I was also surprised at just how comfortable to GSX-R was over a day’s riding, better than the H2 or the A7.

We talked about possibly doing the same trip but in the opposite direction at some stage over the summer. We might get a few more starters outside of the holiday period.

28 December 2014 - last ride of year











Ian sent these photos in from what looks like a well attended final ride. Looks like those of us who were elsewhere missed out on a great run and it will be good to get back a report on what the Kimbolton Hotel was like!