July EoMR with a Suzuki GSX1100 Katana Black Piper … pipe.

It was a wonderful Winter Chocolate box day for our July end-of-month ride on Sunday. The weather brought out 15 bikes and their riders, with a mix of modern and classics looking for a wander around the countryside. The classics saw a variety of two strokes and four strokes, with the three 50-year-old two-strokers providing the oldest manufacturing dates amongst our bikes. Stu’s Suzuki GT750, Paul and Alan providing Kawasaki H2s, are all 1972 bikes and they are all in excellent condition. Rounding out the seventies, we had John on his BMW R60/6 and Roger on his Moto Guzzi V50.

The eighties were represented by a first-time appearance of Warren with his Suzuki GSX1100 Katana. He had just received a NOS pipe and put it on. once it was on, he noticed that the middle diameter of the inside pipe was larger than the other pipe. It looks as though it might be a ‘Black Piper’ pipe from back in the day! (Just about as rare as unicorn pooh) The other GSX 1100 was Grant’s ever-trustworthy machine with its lovely silver and blue accent colour scheme. The 80s Yamahas were well represented by Warren on his XJ900 and Max on his 5-valve FZ750.

The moderns were in the minority with Ray on his new Honda 500X, Bruce on his Honda 900 Hornet, the two Strom lads, Richard Ian on their 650 Suzukis, Paul on his Moto Guzzi V85, and yours truely on the GSR. Graham on his lovely Retro Kawasaki 650 rounded out the moderns.

Warren led the way through a whole lot of interesting countryside through the patchwork of roads that make up the Manawatu plains to the final destination at Sam’s Bakery in Foxton. It was a perfect day to sit out in the sun and enjoy a cuppa and some carbs with some conversation against the backdrop of State Highway One roaring by just metres away!

Let’s hope for similar weather for next month’s end-of-month ride

Suzuki GSX1100 and GSX550 Riders are EoMR Stalwarts

Here’s a big helmet tip to Grant and Warren, who bravely took on the June end-of-month ride last weekend. It was a great time chatting with the lads about their bikes. Grant’s take on the GSX 1100 is that if he could only have two bikes in his garage, it would be one of them. Even now, it’s still a very worthy road bike that fulfils all his needs for a roadster. It’s proven to be very reliable, and Grant has every intention of continuing to use it regularly. The second bike he would have is a GS BMW for those more adventurous rides, showcasing his diverse interests.

Warren’s ex, Robert Holden Racing GSX550E, was out for a spin as he continues to work on it. He mentioned that there’s still more setup work to be done with some of the running gear, but the carbs are improving with each run. It certainly looks the part and is a wonderful way to celebrate such an important figure in our motorcycle racing heritage. It’s also worth remembering the active role people like Warren and many other members of the Blue Haze played in those halcyon days. Additionally, it’s commendable how some of our current members continue to spend time on the track, keeping this heritage alive.

The lads decided on a short ride out to Pohangina Valley, with the return route coming back through Ulysses Road. We caught up again at Cafe 116 at The Pillars in Milson, where Sir Al joined us. It’s a great café, and it’s easy to see why it’s popular.

For those of us who decided to be Captain Raro’s on the day, the weather had been quite dicey. It might be worth discussing a procedure for making a call about whether the ride should proceed. For instance, an email out by 8:00 am with a café meet-up at 10 am somewhere? Or perhaps pushing the ride out to the following weekend? Or perhaps we could just leave it the very informal way it happens now?

Better late than never! March EoMR plus MCMCs Swap Meet

March was a busy month as the summer riding season drew to a close. The Manawatuu Classic Motorcycle Club hosted a well-attended swap meet at the Coach House Museum in Feilding, where many deals were made over a sausage or scone. It was great to catch up with some old friends who still have a passion for two-wheeled vehicles, and it was also nice to see some young riders who seemed to have caught the heritage bug as well. Well done to the Classic Club for organising such a successful event.

The end-of-month ride saw a diverse range of bikes arrive at Memorial Park. It was great to see a few more classics, as well as some lovely strokers making their debut. Ross had been working on a customised Yamaha LC/RZ for a while, so it was great to see it out and about. Another keen ‘smoker’ turned up on his LC for the first time, and hopefully we’ll see him again so I can get his name and email address!

Bruce brought along his Suzuki GSXR 1100 for the first time. The colour schemes at that time had a unique style of their own. It’s always fascinating to see some of the non-Japanese bikes Warren occasionally brings along, and this time it was definitely unusual and, according to Warren, uncomfortable. However, it’s arguably one of the most ‘stylish’ modern bikes that has made its way off a designer’s drawing board and into production in the last 25 years. The Ducati MH900e demands attention, especially from its rider, with its 8.5-litre tank capacity and potential chiropractic treatments if ridden for extended periods. Roger had his lovely little 350 Moto Guzzi out for a spin, while Gary rode his Honda CX500, and Kim flew the flag for Honda smokers with his NSR 250.

A diverse group of modern bikes and their riders (and a dog) joined us for a run. Our destination was the Windmill Cafe. We crossed the Pahiatua Track, meeting up in Pahiatua before heading off along the back roads towards Woodville. The only problem was Kim’s NSR, which seemed to be suffering from fuel starvation. We had plenty of petrol, and what Kim discovered later was an incorrect fuel cap. We all eventually arrived at the popular cafe for some sustenance. Parking out the back is especially convenient for us.

All in all, it was another great way to spend a Sunday morning with like-minded people sharing an interest and passion for motorcycles, particularly heritage motorcycles.

Woolshed Cafe May EoMR

What a fantastic day for a motorcycle ride through the countryside! Our May end-of-month ride saw an excellent turnout of riders, with a great number of classics amongst them. A healthy two-thirds of the riders were classics, and an interesting statistic was that half of them were smokers! Warren had us sorted for a destination, and as always, he had an interesting way of getting us there.

We headed out of town and headed towards Feilding via Colyton. Then, we took Makino Rd and Lethbridge St, before turning left at Halcombe. Some riders took the long way and continued on to State Highway One, coming back through Bulls to our final destination at the Woolshed Cafe. The place was busy as usual with some excellent food, drink and company.

It was great to see Barry on his Suzuki GT 550, and one of his sons on his Yamaha RZ 250. Another friend was on his Trumpet triple, and Ray was out on his Triumph Bonneville. Warren had his Suzuki GSXR 1100 out for a spin, as did Max on his immaculate Yamaha FZR 750. Roger was on his little Moto Guzzi 500, and Steven was on his Cagiva Raptor 1000. Ian came over from Whanganui to join us on his Suzuki VStrom 650. Kim and Dion brought their Honda 250 NSRs along for an outing, and Sir Al brought the granddaddy bike for the day, his Kawasaki H2 750 in all its glorious bling. Kenny was on his BMW 1250, and yours truly was on the Suzuki GSR 750.

Let’s hope that next month’s ride has the weather gods’ smile on us again!