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!

On any Sunday

For those of us with an interest in anything on wheels, the number one day for any sort of activity has to be Sunday. A couple of Sunday's ago saw us have our end of month run and for our primary destination we decided on heading over to the Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka to check out some of the vehicles at the Japanese Car day. The rise of the Japanese Cars was in parallel to the rise of Japanese bikes as both began to dominate their respective markets beginning in the sixties and on through to now. However this trend is certainly being challenged today and the lineup of bikes outside Manawatu Motorcycles for our end of month ride certainly reflected that shifting reality where we saw an eclectic lineup of motorcycles with not a two stroke in sight! The Japanese contingent was represented by Sir Al on his Honda Trans Alp, Ian on his Suzuki DR400, yours truly on the Yamaha XJ750, 'Bob' on his Yamaha XS650 and Rich on his Suzuki DL650. From Italy and Germany, Paul on his Moto Guzzi 1000, John on his BMW 600, Gary on his BMW 650, and Warren on his Ducati Mike Hailwood tribute. It was a first time out for Warrens Ducati, and it certainly is a bike that attracts a lot of attention. Its modest tank capacity of nine litres means it definitely ain't a great tourer. It started life as a concept bike and was sold through the factory to order. Once we had our route sorted out Warren did the calculations and reckoned he had just enough to do the run.
We headed off to Pahiatua via the usual run over the track and through the town to Mangatainoka. There was already a good crowd there with more cars arriving all the time. It was great to catch up with Bruce there on his Kawasaki KR1. It was out for its last run with Bruce before it heads off to its new owner, and we were pleased to hear it was going to be replaced with another two stroke in the garage. More on that in the future. After reminiscing over old school Datsun 1200s and Toyota Corollas it was time to head off into the countryside and make our way to Woodville for a coffee via the the long way through Hopeland. It was a great little run with some interesting countryside that had us rejoining the main highway north of Woodville. We then made our way down to the Windmill Cafe for a some natter and nosh.
The next thing for some was to head home back over the track whilst I decided to head back over the Saddle Road and over to Manfeild to catch up on some racing. The Vic clubs Winter race series is well supported and the fine weather certainly helped make a more pleasant occasion than the previous day. Tim was out doing the business on his Honda CBR600 and sharing his pit garage with Mark on his Suzuki SV650. They were having a great day with some close racing and plenty of tales about the crazy motard riders!
It was a great Sunday to be out and about enjoying this wonderful region that has so many places  where people can come together to enjoy a wide variety of motoring events. It was a great way to celebrate the Winter solstice as we head towards longer days and warmer weather

Winter Warriors II

The Blue Haze has evolved over the years as people's interest in motorcycling have changed. Whilst we all still enjoy our rides out into the countryside most weekends, there has always been a group who are also interested in the racing aspects on offer. You would think winter would be a time to give such activities a rest, but the Victoria Motorcycle Club from Wellington run the 'Winter Series' of races for those who want to make there track time a year round activity. It is great to see Kim, Dion, Tim and Billy making the most of the opportunity and get out on the track and for those of us who go along to spectate, it's another excuse to be amongst some motorcycling activity.

In spite of the very cool conditions, they made the most of a day that was difficult to get tyres and engines up to temperature. A cautious approach to riding saw the lads stay upright for the day and leave the track with big smiles and plans for more of the same. It was also good to see Billy out there  reacquainting himself to track racing on his Megelli 250R. I think he found Dion's NSR far more to his liking when he took it out for a spin later in the afternoon.

It takes time and money to get a bike on the track with tyres, track fees, engine modifications etc. Adding a two stroke into the mix also creates its own challenges but for some of us, you can't beat the sound of an NSR and RGV on the pipe. It is so 'refreshing' to hear that special barrrrp amongst all the four strokes that now dominate the grids and seeing that wonderful wiff of startup smoke certainly adds more spectacle to the experience. Really looking forward to Paul and Kims Suzuki TR250 and Tims Suzuki TR500 getting out on the track in the near future.
If you get the chance, pop over to Manfeild and check out the Winter Series (now called TSS Series) online as they still have some more meetings coming up. The lads would also enjoy seeing you there so they can share their passion with others and you never know, you might get the inclination to join them on the track!