Karapoti and over the Pram Track to Maungakotukutuku

**merv** · 17th September 2006, 17:29

Today (Str8 Jacket's birthday) I left the road bike at home and went for a ride on the WR with three other dirt bikers. You'll remember them as some of those that did the Wairarapa Coast trip a few weeks ago when I was on my XR250L. This time it was just a quick afternoon ride - meet at the Karapoti entrance to the GWRC trail bike riding area off of Akatarawa Road at 2.15pm then cruise on through to come out the other side at Maungakotukutuku and then ride home through Paekak - shame the Paekak Hill Rd is still closed, so home on Highway 1 it was.

Here's the photos - Merv (WR250F), Garry W (F650GS Dakar), Upshift (DRZ250) and Aslan (SL230).

You'll see at the start and finish a few other bikers who trailered or vanned their bikes to the riding area unlike us dual purpose dudes. That blue seat Yamaha is a 2 stroke WR250 not a YZ.

**merv** · 17th September 2006, 17:32

Over the Pram track we went - sorry some of the photos in the trees are a bit fuzzy - not enough light for fast shutter speed and the boys ride fast of course.

**merv** · 17th September 2006, 17:36

You can see the weather was perfect. I guess August was so wet in Wellington it makes me sound surprised.

**merv** · 17th September 2006, 17:37

OK that's all of the pics, just a quick little ride today.

**PLUG** · 17th September 2006, 18:10

Nice way to blow some cobwebs away.

**Madness** · 17th September 2006, 19:31

It's a good ride in there alright. I had the misfortune of doing it on a borrowed shitter once with bald tyres. The clay & ruts made for an interesting,if not painful days riding. I'll stick to the black stuff, grip works for me.

It was an awesome day, roll on summer!

**oldrider** · 17th September 2006, 21:11

Familiar with the Akatarawa road but have no idea where the roads you were on in the post are but it looks an interesting ride that you had today.

I am a bit out of date though I spose, last time through there was in the fifties on a BSA B33 500cc single, so I guess things have changed a bit! lol

Good pics and posts, thanks for sharing. Cheers John.

**merv** · 17th September 2006, 21:34

If you know Akatarawa Road and you know the Raumati straight between Paekak and Paraparaumu we basically rode through the hills between them. I haven't figured out how to convert my GPS maps to jpg yet so the easiest way is screen shots so here's:

1. The loop I did - at that scale you can't see the minor roads.

2. Showing where Karapoti Road branches off of Akatarawa Rd.

3. Showing where the track comes out on Maungakotukutuku Rd, then you ride over the hill and out to the main highway on the Raumati Straight via Waterfall Rd.

**far queue** · 17th September 2006, 21:46

Looks like a good ride was had. Thanks for sharing.

**merv** · 17th September 2006, 22:41

Yes it is quite a good ride through there and I don't think I'd been through since the 2001 Capital Coast. Here's a pic at the Maungakotuk end then http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...3&d=1137101968

It can get really greasy but today it wasn't bad at all. Back in the early 80's we went in there quite a bit - with a GWRC permit of course - and being hard out dirt bikers in those days we found it all a bit tame being basically gravel and clay roads so we were always looking to ride up side tracks for some gnarly stuff. I must be getting old now we just ride on straight through.

**Motu** · 17th September 2006, 23:29

Good stuff Merv - how long is the track? Starting after 2.00pm and getting home in the afternoon it can't be very long.But good for an afternoon of fun anyway.

**truckit** · 18th September 2006, 07:03

good stuff merv its good riding in there ...ya didnt want too venture down the devils staircase and up the rock garden

and tell me merv whats youre wr like on the road ?is it not reving too hard on the highway just interested ..and whats the gas milage like?

thanks merv good pics , thanks for the report

**Garry.W** · 18th September 2006, 08:01

Enjoyed your company Merv (along with Neil and Stephen of course). Good pics, not a bad afternoon out to be sure - see you again soon mate

**merv** · 18th September 2006, 08:12

I didn't check the distance through there but its probably only 20 - 30 kms in the permit area and the whole round trip yesterday was about 70kms. I didn't have time last night to check my GPS track of the ride other than post those pics. As I said I hadn't been in there for years because we had kind of flogged it to death in the 80's but now I have a permit again I probably should go in there a bit more, and explore the trickier bits.

My WR is still on the gearing supplied road equipped which is with the 14T front sprocket versus the 13T they supply for dirt riding. I leave it that way because at my age now I'm more into adventure riding than hard out trail anyway. Its almost low geared enough in first to make me happy in the real rough, but the beauty of that bike is its so light but tracks so straight and easy especially on gravel roads, so Motu you'd find this hard to believe probably, but its more fun in the rough than the old XR200's were. I think the Michelin tyres it came with help too.

Anyway on that gearing by my calcs the engine is spinning at 7,800rpm at 100km/hr so I'm happy to cruise it at that on the road (and more on closed roads under controlled conditions eh!) because it will rev to 13,500 and easily do over 160 so 100 isn't far up its rev range really. Don't talk about engine longevity though it is a race engine. That's why I bought the XR250L to do the longer road/dirt trips or failing that I'll borrow Mrs DR650SE.

Fuel use - don't know really as it has a really useless odo - the speedo is quite accurate by my GPS, the odo is crap - don't know why, but it will do around 140 - 160 to reserve which is getting close 20km/litre I guess. One day I will do a check using GPS distance. Mine is the 2004 which has the 11 litre gas tank, newer ones have gone smaller. When I first got it just before the Pukemanu ride in 2004 I did some checks then and thought hell it drinks gas and I might be in trouble on the ride and I didn't have the GPS then. In the end on the ride I managed the longest stint between gas stops without even going on reserve and I did better to a tank than my Bro's DR350 so I had no worries, it was just the crap odo that threw me in the first place.

**Motu** · 18th September 2006, 09:21

Sounds like the WR is pretty close to the DT in performance Merv,although the DT is possibly capable of more road kms,and the WR being a newer generation would be lighter and much more nimble in the rough.I doubt I could ride an XR200 or even a modern bike as hard as I did when I was mearly in my 40's,ten years on something akin to self preservation has kicked in...but the fun part is still there.