Southwards Car Museum

From Southwards Museum

From Southwards Museum

From Southwards Museum

From Southwards Museum

From Southwards Museum

Sir Al decided to celebrate his half century with a trip to Southwards Car Museum where a large collection of motor vehicles have been restored and displayed. Paul W turned up on his Gpz 750r, Kim and Sir Al on the H2s, Dion on his X7 and myself on the KH250. Our departure from Palmy proved to be a cold one as we made our way south via Shannon. After a brief warming of the the hands stop there we continued south through the crisp air. We then joined the procession down State Highway One to Paraparaumu and made our way into the very cold museum. The staff were very accommodating with all our gear and gave us our own room to store it in and we then spent a couple of hours wandering around the exhibits. We were all particularly interested in the 70s bikes (funny that) and great to see some of the Suzuki race bikes from the era. We then spent some time in the cafe and enjoyed some of their great food. After replenishing the KHs fuel tank we then made our way back to Palmy into a solid cold south easterly. Spending to much time on the main highways definetly makes one appreciate the predominantly back roads we do the majority of our riding on.

VJMC Blue Haze May Run to Turakina

From Turakina

From Turakina

From Turakina

From Turakina

From Turakina

Had a great turnout for the May Manawatu Blue Haze VJMC monthly run yesterday. We have been so lucky with our Sunday weather over autumn, but the temperature was reminding us that winter was very close by. The best thing about the cool temperatures is that they are ideal for aircooled two strokes, and we had a good line up for the run. Great to see a new face on the run with Bruce along on his Suzuki T500J. He and Wayne on his KH400 came up from Levin with Jeni on her RG500 just ahead of them arriving up from Paraparaumu. Bruce arrived on his recently repaired Yamaha RT1 but decided that the run was probably not the best way to run it in and he swapped it for his BMW. Some concern was expressed when Don arrived on his Honda MT250 as most of his previous attempts at bringing it on a run have seen it  not even leaving the city limits. Sir Al and Kim were twins on their H2s, whilst Paul provided  the orange bling on his H1b. Dion tuned up on his trusty X7, Murray came on his GTR1000 and myself on the KH 250. We eventually headed off in a westerly direction for a run through Mt Stewart to Halcombe, then on to Turakina. Had a look at some roads our the back of Lake Alice and ended up at the red roofed Sanson Cafe. The Southerners headed back down highway one to Levin and Paraparaumu whilst the rest of us headed back to town and much to everyones releif, Dons MT made it through the run.
Another great run!

VJMC Blue Haze to Tui Central via Rongomai short cut

From Rongomai

From Rongomai

From Rongomai

From Rongomai

From Rongomai

Another great day out and about on the roads around the Wairarapa and Manawatu. After a few delays due to mechanical problems we spent the best part of the day roaming around some lovely windy bits of road. We tried a new bit of road that took us to Rongomai without having to do the boring straight bit of road from Mangamaire to Eketahuna. Although the road was a bit damp in places and required some care, the Pahiatua Track was great with no traffic to speak of. The great cloud of blue haze that billows after the Aokautere turnoff is sight to behold as the oil residue from town running is cleared from the pipes accompanied by that unique two stroke hydrocarbon aroma as you climb up the track. A quick stop at the top and then off to Mangamaire where with a quick consultation of the map saw us off to explore a shortcut to Rongomai. It meant we could miss out the boring straight bits of road to Ekatahuna. It proved to be a very curvy replacement as Dion and I took the lead on the 250s. It was during this part of the ride Dion had a close encounter with a falcon, and not the four wheeled variety. It was quite a sight following behind as it looked as though the birds wings were about to be wrapped around his helmet. No wonder his hand measurement when decribing the incident is so generous! Of course the sympathy for Dion from the troops extended to "bullshit, it was a sparrow!". Joking aside, it was a timely reminder about being very aware and careful when riding. After tea, coffee and food at Tui Central Mangatainoka it was back over the Saddle with a short stop at the top and then home.

Track and Saddle Ride. Making the most of a glorious autumn day!

From Track and Saddle 18042010

From Track and Saddle 18042010

Paul D, Paul W, Alan, Dion and myself decided that we couldn't let another beautiful autumn day go by without a ride. This video is the Saddle road part of the loop which is a favourite ride for Manawatu riders. First stop was to have a look at Dions latest purchase, an orange 1969 Suzuki T500 Titan. A very sixties flower power colour and machine! We then made our way over the Pahiatua Track and we were greeted by a friendly wave from Mr Plod just before reaching Balance. After some bike swapping at Balance Bridge we made our way over the Saddle to our refreshment stop at the Ashurst Domain. Great to see Paul D out on his H1, Paul W on his GPz, Dion on his X7, Alan on his A7 and myself on the KH.

250s Only!

From Blue Haze run 22/11/09

From Blue Haze run 22/11/09

Dione, Alan and I decided on a short run down to the Route 66 Diner in Foxton. This is a great place to stop for a quick bite, beer or cup of tea. We made our way via Taikorea and came back via Linton. a nice short run and a good excuse to get the bikes out after three lousy weekends of poor weather. Dione was testing his fairing on the X7. After swapping bikes it was definitely nice to be out of the wind and would be brilliant on a long trip. Riding Alans Suzuki TS250 was a pleasant surprise. Really scoots up to 100ks with ease. on our return we shot around to Alans place to check out the latest upgrades. Looking good for the Manawatu Vintage Motorcycle Club Rally on the 28th of November.