Another Stroker Joins the Haze

 

With winter well under way it is a time of the year that one reflects on what has gone before and also plans are made for the future. This ride happened a couple of weeks ago and it was great to see these two things in operation. Looking back it was great to see Al bringing his H2 out for a spin and Warren bringing the latest addition to his collection along for us to have a look at. The Suzuki Cobra is the epitome of a sixties Japanese bike in all its blingy glory. It would be very easy for Al and Warren to keep these old bikes ensconced in the safety of there garages but nice to see them getting them out to ride and for others to enjoy. The sights and sounds of them being ridden are a wonderful reminder of the past. It was good to see Gary A all excited about a book he had discovered by Mike Hyde who has written up a whole lot of special rides around New Zealand. Gary has done some of them, but was looking forward to undertaking some new ones over the the rest of year. We are certainly lucky to live in a country with so many wonderful places to ride a motorcycle. 

Our ride for the morning was a fairly short one with a run around the Makino loop and a cuppa somewhere in that direction as well. Along for a spin was Ian and Lydia on the W650, Rich on the Strom, Stuart on his Bandit, Bruce the Painter on his BMW as was Gary A and yours truly on the GSR. Our stop at Stanway had us sorting out our cuppa tea destination with the Rusty Radiator getting the nod. We were disappointed to find it packed out. It is rather small actually so an early arrival is essential if you want a table or two. So it was decided that a run into Feilding and the Rose Bowl Cafe and Bakery would give us a better chance of a seat and a great selection of food. The mutton bun certainly hit the spot and our two vegetarians really enjoyed there vegetarian pies and thumbs up from the rest of the troops as well with there choice of food. Another pleasant ride around the countryside and hoping that winter will give us a few more opportunities to enjoy our riding with clement weather in the months ahead.