Seeing Winter Out. August EoMR

Memorial Park saw a great turnout of modern and classic bikes front up for a wee wander around the rural neighbourhood we are lucky to have on our doorstep. The weather was very agreeable for our last winter ride of the year, and if this Al Niño is for us, we look forward to the rest of the new riding season. Gary A’s geographical knowledge was called upon to plot an interesting route through to our final destination, The Woolshed Cafe just south of Sanson on State Highway One. With Gary out front, we certainly went the long way to Sanson. After heading towards the hills via Hiwinui, Valley Road, he had us heading back in the right direction for our café stop as we sped through Colyton, and the back of Feilding, and onto Lethbridge Rd. From there, it was down Halcombe Rd to Te Rakehou Rd and onto Sandon Rd, then down to the busy Mount Stewart intersection. From here, it was through to the Woolshed Cafe via Penny Rd.
The food and beverages were up to their excellent standard, with the prompt service also appreciated. It is easy to see why this is a popular place, and by the time we left at lunchtime, the place was very busy.
It was great to see Bruce and Mick bring their classic bikes along for the first time, and good to have Mark come out for a run on his modern for the first time. Thank you to Gary for leading the way on our ride, and let’s hope September’s EoMR is just as pleasant!

Roll Call
Stuart - Suzuki GT750
Mick - Honda CX500
Shane - Honda CB750
Grant - Suzuki GSX1100
Kim - Kawasaki 750 H2
Bruce - Yamaha RD350
Roger - Moto Guzzi V35 Imola II
Sir Al - Suzuki V-Strom 250SX
Rich - Suzuki V-Strom 650
Gary A - BMW 700 FGS
Ray - Honda NX500
Mark - Triumph 900 Thruxton
Paul - Moto Guzzi V85 TT
Kenny - BMW 650 FGS
Gary W - Suzuki GSR750

Three Smokers and Their Friend: Moto TT Track Day

It was great to get out on the bike again a couple of Saturdays ago with Gary A and Rich for an extended wander over to Manfeild to check out the track day. The weather for Sunday was looking grim, so an extended ride around the back blocks of Feilding seemed like a good plan. 

Gary led the way, and we headed out through the back of Ashhurst, making our way down Valley Road before turning right at Colyton. From there, we headed towards Lethbridge Street via the back of Feilding. Gary had us zigzagging our way through the countryside, and eventually, we popped out at the resurrected café at Halcombe. Nice to see the café back in action again. They have a good selection of pies, along with a good Kiwi breakfast and lunch menu; all at very reasonable prices. Recommended!

We were soon back on our way and headed into Manfeild via Rata Street. We were greeted by that great sound of motorcycles circulating around the track at speed. After parking up, we headed off to the pits and very quickly found a gaggle of smokers in their garage. It was good to see Dion there with a Suzuki RGV that he and Darrin have been working on. All dressed up and looking very smart, the bike has been a work in progress over the winter, and they were out at Manfeild putting it through its paces. Also out was Daniel on his Yamaha FZR 600 that used to belong to Max, with David on an NSR; that he purchased off Dion, and Dion also on his Yamaha TZR 1Kt. There was plenty of muttering about the RGV, but the other bikes were well behaved and got plenty of track time on the day. 

Well done to all and great to see Wayne close up his shop early in Whanganui and to pop over and soak up the vibes. Can’t wait for his two latest race bike projects to make their way onto the tracks for this season. 

But that’s another story for the very near future!