Another Chromey on the Road

A couple of weekends ago Ian, Bruce and myself decided that no sunny Sunday should go by without some time time in the saddle. Whilst winter seems to be taking its toll on some of the crew we thought that filling the lungs with some prime winter air and some good winter fare from Vivs Kitchen might keep the bugs at bay. Our plan to get there was via our usual route through Colyton, Stanway and turnoff at Ohakea to get to Sanson. Ian was out on his Kawasaki W650, with Bruce bringing out his recently acquired and fettled 1977 Suzuki GS750. It was really refreshing to see another seventies chromey back on the road and despite Bruce's initial caution, it certainly impressed with its ability to keep up with the XJ and W650. Our arrival at Vivs was a relief from the cool air that felt like it had come directly from the Antarctic. We really enjoyed our hot mugs of tea and coffee that quickly warmed us up and the fifties style food, service and decor had some of us reminiscing about the appropriateness of having the GS parked up outside. Ians W650 certainly fitted in with its modern execution of this type of aesthetic.
With our tummies full and hands thawed we decided to pop into Manfield to see how Dion was doing on his NSR at the Victoria Clubs trackday. Dion was having some fun on the track keeping a motard at bay and it is always good to hear a two stroke crackle out on the track. Great to see Kim in support and Tim being a spectator due to fuel problem with his CBR. A lot of mumbling about ethanol in petrol causing significant issues.  Bruce's GS attracted some attention with many commenting on the rarity of seeing original Gs's on the road these days amongst the 'hoard' of Z1s, H2s and CB750s! They were heralded back in the day as significant Japanese bike 'that finally handled". Even now they still measure up as a very competent and capable motorcycle and it would be great to see some more of these important chromey's back on the road.

Whats in your shed?

It's always fascinating to see what others have in their sheds. Russell Wishnowsky certainly is a man of many interests, judging by what he has on display in his shed. The Manawatu Classic Motorcycle Clubs August club run popped into Russells shed to have a look at not only his motorcycles, but a huge range of New Zealand memorabilia from the past 100 years. Many a story flowed as people made there way through the collection reminiscing about family and friends and the many occasions that make up an interesting life. The run to get to there had taken us via Colyton and Cheltenham with a delayed start due to our fearless ride leaders bike refusing to fire up. Being an older bike it proved to be an electrical problem; the kill switch! At least Al and Ian got there exercise for the day pushing Mike and his bike up the road. Definitely a memorable start to the ride!
The next stop after Russells shed was off to Murphy's in Feilding for some lunch. A great little feed for ten bucks and a nice range of ales. All to soon it was time to head home and attend to some domestic chores but Als Kawasaki F9 Bighorn decided it didn't want to go home and started misbehaving just after Taonui. After changing plugs things were no better so Ian headed off to the metropolis of Bunnythorpe to find Graham and his van. Graham soon turned up and after loading the bike into Grahams van its delivery to town was organised for the following day. Sir Al jumped on the back of the XJ and we headed off to his place. It's been awhile since either of us have been in such a situation so it was an interesting experience riding two up on the XJ. There was a noticeable difference with the power and handling but we managed to get to Als place in one piece and celebrated with a good brew.
Another interesting Sunday with a few more stories to add to the motorcycle diary for 2019. Having a shed with a few treasures in it certainly ensures that there is always something to tinker with and you can then share it with others. A big thank you to Russell for sharing his shed.

EoM ride of two halves

The July end-of-month ride started as usual at MM, but without Ian and Gazza. There was a very good and varied turnout, but only a couple of 70s bikes; Brent’s Trident and Kim’s H2A. Going newer we had Steve’s TRX, Alan and Dave’s Transalp 650s, Bruce’s BMW GS650 and Gary’s BMW 650GS (which is an 800??), Brian’s Suzuki Freewind, Bruce on his beautiful Ducati 996, Ray on a Tiger 800, Graham on a Bonnie 1200, and Rich on his near new DL650.

The plan was to head over the track, Mangamaire, Rongomai, and on to Alfredton. Here we were to split into two groups with 6 of us taking Castle Hill Road (gravel) to Tinui and then on to Castle Point, with the remainder taking Route 52 to Masterton and then out to Castle Point on the tarseal.

Things don’t always go according to plan. Unfortunately the Trident didn’t make the city limit. At Alfredton Kim and Steve decided to head back to town. Ray, Graham, and Bruce went on to Masterton but Graham and Ray decided to have lunch there and return home. Bruce to his credit arrived at Castle Point about 10 minutes after the adventure bikes.

Fish & chips were enjoyed for lunch along with good coffee. After a rest and a natter, it was time to press on for home. We decided to take the main road back to Masterton, then Route 52 back to Alfredton, Pa Valley Road then Rongomai Road into Pahiatua. A splash-n-dash at the BP and over the track and home. Except for Bruce who then had to carry on to Levin – that’s a long day on a sports bike so hat off to that young fella!  

A great ride home with a seemingly endless collection of corners. Fun for all even on the old chook chasers. 

The only unusual occurrence was a young bull standing on the side of the road half way to Masterton. He seemed happy enough and we all passed without incident. 

We arrived back in town about 4.30 having covered just over 300 km, so it was one of our longer EoM rides. 

Biggen Hill, Ohakea Visit.

Brendon Deere is an extraordinary man. He has managed to provide a unique focus for a group heritage aircraft enthusiasts to create a living museum of some significant RNZAF aircraft from the past. This is no mean feat, which you quickly realise when you have the opportunity to get up close and personal to aircraft that you have seen in books and airshows over one's life. You really begin to marvel at the incredible engineering involved in creating these machines and admiration for those who flew them and the ground crew who kept them in the air, often under arduous conditions.
The crew from the Manawatu Classic Motorcycle Club certainly enjoyed their time listening to Bendon talking about the aircraft and also being able to spend some time studying the detailed engineering and other items in the hangar. The fact that the Spitfire was in same colours as those of his uncle Alan Deere who was an ace in the war and involved in the Battle of Britain certainly added to Brendons talk.
The journey to Ohakea wasn't a great distance from the clubrooms in Palmerston North, but the weather certainly made it a very memorable one. The brave ones rode out in what could be best described as a deluge. It certainly was a very damp group of motorcyclists that arrived at the base, whilst some of us decided on a 'keep dry' strategy and headed out on four wheels. Due to the hangar being on a working air force base we had to go through a security check at the front entrance and after the check and issuing of a visitors pass we made our way around to the hangar.
It was a great visit and a big thank you to Brendon and the crew for sharing this wonderful collection of aircraft with us. My only disappointment was I wasn't able to get out to Ohakea the following Wednesday to see Grumman Avenger out for a spin!