On any Sunday

For those of us with an interest in anything on wheels, the number one day for any sort of activity has to be Sunday. A couple of Sunday's ago saw us have our end of month run and for our primary destination we decided on heading over to the Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka to check out some of the vehicles at the Japanese Car day. The rise of the Japanese Cars was in parallel to the rise of Japanese bikes as both began to dominate their respective markets beginning in the sixties and on through to now. However this trend is certainly being challenged today and the lineup of bikes outside Manawatu Motorcycles for our end of month ride certainly reflected that shifting reality where we saw an eclectic lineup of motorcycles with not a two stroke in sight! The Japanese contingent was represented by Sir Al on his Honda Trans Alp, Ian on his Suzuki DR400, yours truly on the Yamaha XJ750, 'Bob' on his Yamaha XS650 and Rich on his Suzuki DL650. From Italy and Germany, Paul on his Moto Guzzi 1000, John on his BMW 600, Gary on his BMW 650, and Warren on his Ducati Mike Hailwood tribute. It was a first time out for Warrens Ducati, and it certainly is a bike that attracts a lot of attention. Its modest tank capacity of nine litres means it definitely ain't a great tourer. It started life as a concept bike and was sold through the factory to order. Once we had our route sorted out Warren did the calculations and reckoned he had just enough to do the run.
We headed off to Pahiatua via the usual run over the track and through the town to Mangatainoka. There was already a good crowd there with more cars arriving all the time. It was great to catch up with Bruce there on his Kawasaki KR1. It was out for its last run with Bruce before it heads off to its new owner, and we were pleased to hear it was going to be replaced with another two stroke in the garage. More on that in the future. After reminiscing over old school Datsun 1200s and Toyota Corollas it was time to head off into the countryside and make our way to Woodville for a coffee via the the long way through Hopeland. It was a great little run with some interesting countryside that had us rejoining the main highway north of Woodville. We then made our way down to the Windmill Cafe for a some natter and nosh.
The next thing for some was to head home back over the track whilst I decided to head back over the Saddle Road and over to Manfeild to catch up on some racing. The Vic clubs Winter race series is well supported and the fine weather certainly helped make a more pleasant occasion than the previous day. Tim was out doing the business on his Honda CBR600 and sharing his pit garage with Mark on his Suzuki SV650. They were having a great day with some close racing and plenty of tales about the crazy motard riders!
It was a great Sunday to be out and about enjoying this wonderful region that has so many places  where people can come together to enjoy a wide variety of motoring events. It was a great way to celebrate the Winter solstice as we head towards longer days and warmer weather

Winter Warriors II

The Blue Haze has evolved over the years as people's interest in motorcycling have changed. Whilst we all still enjoy our rides out into the countryside most weekends, there has always been a group who are also interested in the racing aspects on offer. You would think winter would be a time to give such activities a rest, but the Victoria Motorcycle Club from Wellington run the 'Winter Series' of races for those who want to make there track time a year round activity. It is great to see Kim, Dion, Tim and Billy making the most of the opportunity and get out on the track and for those of us who go along to spectate, it's another excuse to be amongst some motorcycling activity.

In spite of the very cool conditions, they made the most of a day that was difficult to get tyres and engines up to temperature. A cautious approach to riding saw the lads stay upright for the day and leave the track with big smiles and plans for more of the same. It was also good to see Billy out there  reacquainting himself to track racing on his Megelli 250R. I think he found Dion's NSR far more to his liking when he took it out for a spin later in the afternoon.

It takes time and money to get a bike on the track with tyres, track fees, engine modifications etc. Adding a two stroke into the mix also creates its own challenges but for some of us, you can't beat the sound of an NSR and RGV on the pipe. It is so 'refreshing' to hear that special barrrrp amongst all the four strokes that now dominate the grids and seeing that wonderful wiff of startup smoke certainly adds more spectacle to the experience. Really looking forward to Paul and Kims Suzuki TR250 and Tims Suzuki TR500 getting out on the track in the near future.
If you get the chance, pop over to Manfeild and check out the Winter Series (now called TSS Series) online as they still have some more meetings coming up. The lads would also enjoy seeing you there so they can share their passion with others and you never know, you might get the inclination to join them on the track!