Blowin in the Wind

Just a quick post from our end of month run today that saw five of us heading out into the countryside. Any thoughts about a quiet cruise through the dales and meadows was quickly dispelled as we hit the wind on the outskirts of town. I sure was pleased to be back on the XJ with its extra weight and power. Richard was out in front on the Titan with a nice 5 to 10 degree from vertical straight line lean on as we headed out Kevin Grove road. Ian on his GSX, Al on the H2 and Bruce on the VFR had a similar lean which set the subdued riding tone for the rest of the ride. After passing through Hiwinui Rich had us trying a new Ashhurst bypass that saw us onto Spur road and onto the main drag up the Pohangina Valley. We then turned off up Valley road and into the head wind and headed for Colyton. This was a great run and the XJ stretched its legs a bit into the wind and one could really feel the benefits of the new fork seals and oil in the front end. Rich on the Titan was feeling the head wind as I looked in the mirrors and saw him chinning his tank (he told me later he was in fourth gear to!). The run through Colyton and the back of Feilding saw the wind gathering strength and as we headed up to Stanway. It was at this time Ian disappeared from our mirrors. A bee had made its way into his helmet and after eye balling it for a few seconds he decided it was an unwelcome passenger and stopped to let him find his own way back to the hive! Our stop at Stanway led to a consensus that the wind was a bit over the top so we took the short cut to our cafe stop at the Woolshed Cafe and went by the more direct route through Halcombe and on to Sanson. Sanson was so busy with the Sunday markets plus all the North South and East West traffic seeming to converge at the same time. It took us a while to get across the intersection and head the couple of kms to our final destination where we were greeted with even more wind as a squall came through. It was certainly good to get out of the weather and enjoy a cuppa, scone and great conversation. Bruce and Rich gave us some wonderfully simple tips on how to find air leaks in your motor!