Suzuki T500 Cobra Out in Front - May EoMR

  

The May end-of-month ride saw a good turnout of classics and moderns making the most of a long stretch of fine weather. The 31st of May was also the final day of autumn, and as we move into the winter months and the cooler weather, it is nice to take some ‘warmer’ memories with us as we head to the winter solstice on the 21st June. A ride to Shannon was agreed upon with Warren leading the way on his Suzuki T500 Cobra. He assured us that he had worked out the long way to Shannon over some roads that many of us hadn’t been on for years or ever.

The other classics in the group were Mal on his Yamaha XS Eleven Cafe, Roger on his Suzuki GS110G, Paul D and Sir Al on their Kawasaki H2 750s, Max on his Yamaha FZ750, Stuart on his Suzuki GT750 and ? on his recently acquired Honda GB400. The moderns included Bruce S on his very tasteful Yamaha XSR900 retro, Gary A on his BMW F700 GS, Ian and Rich on their Suzuki V-Strom 650s. Mick had his Can-Am Ryker out, with Ray on his Honda CB500X, Justin on his Triumph Bonneville America, and yours truly on the Suzuki GSR750.

Our departure saw us heading out of town to the east, and it was here Mal and Gary headed over the hill to Tui Brewery to one of the popular Tui Brewery vehicle gatherings held every Sunday, and the rest of us followed Warren on his mystery tour of the Manawatu River Plain. We were soon heading down past the Army base at Linton and the Manawatu Prison. Somewhere along the way, we went through a very short tunnel that took us under the railway line (notice it is a tunnel with a lowercase t) and passed through the outskirts of Tokomaru on our way to the metropolis of Opiki. We were soon in Shannon via Poplar and Okuku roads and parked up across from the Highway 57 Bakery and Café. It was just under an hour of riding from Memorial Park with no stops along the way. Surprisingly, a good number of curves were enjoyed along the way, and Warren set an excellent pace out in front on his 1968 Suzuki T500. Certainly shows why these bikes were so well received back in the day.

Another great run around this wonderful motorcycling playground we have on our doorstep. Spending that time with like-minded individuals just adds to the experience. Let’s see what our first winter end-of-month ride brings for June.