Out and About as Normal?

Photo from a visit last week to Christchurch 

One of the great things about where we live is the wonderful countryside that surrounds us. Here in the central lower half of the North Island we have some excellent roads and destinations that allow us to enjoy our motorcycles in so many different ways. From the Manawatu Plains to the Ruahine foothills and tortured landscapes of the Rangitikei and Tararua regions we have a playground that provides us with such a great variety of roads. Enjoying the roads is one part of the experience, but enjoying them with others is the second part. As individuals we belong to a range of communities for all sorts of reasons wether they be family, professional or religious, so when a community is targeted in such a brutal manner as what has recently happened in Christchurch, we need to pause and think about why community matters. Whilst our little group of Vintage Japanese Motorcyclists enthusiasts may seem somewhat eccentric to others it obviously meets a particular fraternal need amongst a predominantly male group of individuals. Our wives, partners and families tolerate and encourage our obsession but there sits in behind this an understanding that the diversity that surrounds us is dependent on not only a shared set of values, but also an appreciation of how other communities and individuals needs are met in a variety of ways. Making sure individuals have avenues to engage in communities that give them purpose and a connectedness to others is vital for the health and wellbeing of individuals and the society we live in. Whilst these sorts of considerations may not feature when cranked over in top corner of the Pahiatua track (and it shouldn't. You need to be in the moment for safety reasons!), the fact that you are sharing the experience with others does and this last month has seen some of us spending some quality time out and about enjoying this wonderful area we live in. A trip over the hill to Dannevegas (Dannevirke) via the backroads from Mangatainoka had us following the 'beer water' stream and on to other roads that took us to Oringi and onto State Highway 2. Keeping a group of eight motorcyclists together shouldn't be to much of a task, but throughout our ride we seemed to loose Bruces and Brians at various stages. Pahiatua saw us waiting for Bruce A who somehow went missing after we left Palmerston North and Bruce S missed the turn off to Oringi, whilst Brian on his TS185 ended up ahead of us and went to the 'other' Black Stump Cafe. All part of the fun and frolics of getting out and about on our bikes. It was also great to see Sir Al and Paul De out on the H2s adding that Chromey feel to the ride. Brian certainly showed us how even a humble Suzuki TS185 can easily handle these backroad rides. Nice to see Bruce A bringing out VFR for a run after being laid up for a while. Certainly is a unique sound. Ian added to the Chromey vibe with his Kawasaki W650, Bruce S had his Ducati 900 out for a run, Graham on his 1200 Triumph Bonny and yours truly on the XJ750. After a great feed at the Black Stump we decided on the reverse route home. There certainly was some spirited riding over track for some but I am sure we all headed home with a quiet satisfaction. The following weekend saw some of the crew head south for the VJMC National Rally, and upon there return the following weekend saw a small group of us head out in a westerly direction for a quiet ride. Paul on his H2, Ross on his Bandit and yours truely on the XJ headed out around the back of Feilding for one of our shorter runs. The Makino Road run takes us out to the Rangitikei River and back around to one of our favourite cafe destinations, Vivs cafe. It was interesting listening to Paul and Ross discussing the finer points of H2 ownership. The knowledge they had in there heads was amazing. The finer points of H2 clocks is something you would struggle to find online or any books. It is this sort of knowledge that gets passed on through rides and other gatherings. We need to treasure these moments and make sure we create more opportunities for these sort of conversations in the future.
Ensuring others can participate in their communities without fear or malice from others needs to be a right we actively protect. While some may say it is a long stretch to connect the Mosque massacre to a bunch of mature males riding around the countryside on motorcycles lets ensure we can continue doing so by ensuring all members of society can continue to participate in their chosen communities