Short story:
Why: Two day trip from Wellington to Auckland, alone.
When: Saturday aprox. 4pm.
Where: Left bend SH22, 10 mins from Pukekohe.
Weather: Very windy, westerly. Showers
Wearing: Cordura (not wearing rain-off overgloves)
Damage: Concussion, few minor bruises, sore ribs on right (unclear if only bruised or cracked, hope none are out of place)
Bike: Cosmetic damage down RHS: dented, scratched exhaust; broken front indicator, broken front rev counter casing, one crack in paint on tank.
Speed: Under 100
Cause: Unknown - did I cut the corner too fine and did the wind drop and did my front wheel drop off the edge of the road? - did I slip on something? - did I high side (left bend, landed on my right)? - did I fall asleep?
Outcome: Both of us in the ditch on our side of the road. The bike south of me, on it's right side facing south. Me on my back, feet pointing south.
Long story:
My friend had a 30th birthday party in Auckland last Saturday night, and when I got the invite I thought great, what an opportunity to go for a long ride, by myself, unexplored roads - an adventure! So I arranged for a couple of days off work, bought a map and planned a circular route that avoided SH1as much as possible.
Early Friday morning in Wellington was sunny, but the roads were soaked after heavy showers all night. The first part of the ride wasn't much fun, started raining hard on and off after the first hour. I had just got the rain-off gloves that I'd read about on KB (www.rain-off.com). They do the trick - warm and dry - but awful feel (can't be helped). They arrived only a day or two after I ordered them.
From Levin I got off the main road and headed to Shannon, where it finally stopped raining and the back roads across the Manawatu to Sanson were a lot more fun. Left SH1 again at Bulls, SH3 to Stratford. Go the Naki! Weather was fantastic, roads were dry and traffic was light - really nice ride along here. Stopped in Stratford for gas and the town was so busy (for such a small place).
At Stratford the real adventure started, I took the Forgotten World Highway (a Heritage Trail) to Whangamomona, which is only 63km from Stratford. The nicest part is across the flats and up the first saddle, great views from the top. There are three saddles on the way to Whanga, and from the top of the first the road just gets worse and worse. It just keeps getting narrower, wetter, and rougher. I was going so slowly down the last saddle that I had to turn the steering wheel in the direction I wanted to turn rather than counter steering and banking - what is that - walking pace? The road was only one truck width wide and I'd already met Works trucks going like bats outta hell, so I was hugging my side of it - not nice on the blind corners. It was a relief to arrive at Whanga, rounded a corner and there is the Hotel - enomous for the middle of nowhere.
I was the only guest at the Hotel, and I stuck out like a sore thumb! The locals are all shearers, fencers, possum hunters - and there's me another crazy townie going too slowly on their roads. Still the food was good, really good (lamb shanks, full cooked breakfast), the beer was awful (the locals drink stubbies, because they think the taps are filthy).
Part 2
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Originally Posted by Dreamer
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