Am I biting off more than I can chew? [Archive]

Ms Piggy

12th May 2005, 17:13

Sparky Bills

12th May 2005, 17:15

NA,
I think your little beast could do it.

Just take your time and enjoy the ride. :niceone:

MSTRS

12th May 2005, 17:16

Frasertown (just after Wairoa) onto SHW 38 to Murupara.

What do y'all think?
Many k's of gravel through there. If you aren't confident best go via Taupo

crashe

12th May 2005, 17:17

Go for it, and take your time...
Enjoy the ride...

woody68

12th May 2005, 17:20

You'l be fine its not as far as you think and the roads are not to bad.
Murupara is not far past Taupo.
Should take about 4hrs.

MSTRS

12th May 2005, 17:24

You'l be fine its not as far as you think and the roads are not to bad.
Murupara is not far past Taupo.
Should take about 4hrs.
NO WAY. Welly - Napier 3.5+ Napier - Taupo 1.5+ Taupo - Murupara .5+
or Napier - Wairoa 1.5'ish Wairoa - Murupara 2+

Ms Piggy

12th May 2005, 17:32

Many k's of gravel through there. If you aren't confident best go via Taupo
Oh ok - I wasn't aware of that! Which parts are gravel? On the map it all looks like main SHW.

Ms Piggy

12th May 2005, 17:34

You'l be fine its not as far as you think and the roads are not to bad.
Murupara is not far past Taupo.
Should take about 4hrs.
Yeah well I've been to Murupara a couple of times before via Taupo but I think this route will take a bit longer.

MSTRS

12th May 2005, 17:36

Somewhere around Tuai right through Waikeremoana and out onto the flat. Been through there some years ago & it's not really changed. Could be 80kms of the loose stuff?

Ms Piggy

12th May 2005, 17:42

Somewhere around Tuai right through Waikeremoana and out onto the flat. Been through there some years ago & it's not really changed. Could be 80kms of the loose stuff?
Well my map book is from 1984 and it shows as a "provincial state highway", mind you I guess it could still be that and gravel. Cheers.

Ixion

12th May 2005, 17:50

Well my map book is from 1984 and it shows as a "provincial state highway", mind you I guess it could still be that and gravel. Cheers.

yes, State Highway doesn't mean whether it's sealed or not, just who's in charge of it. I remember when almost all the provinial State Highways were gravel.

Ms Piggy

12th May 2005, 17:57

yes, State Highway doesn't mean whether it's sealed or not, just who's in charge of it. I remember when almost all the provinial State Highways were gravel.
Oooooo 'eck. Back in my day we had t' lick roads clean and get up before we went t' bed. ;)

I realise that now and I've emailed the Tourism people over that way just to make sure. I'm not too bad on gravel but 80 kms is a long way and I'm guess there'll be logging trucks about. :eek5:

SlashWylde

12th May 2005, 18:01

Nah you'll be fine. I spent 5 days touring round the East Cape over the summer on my Virago 250 and clocked up over 1500 kms. No problems :ride: Granted it's colder now but even on the :cold: morning of the Waikato rally she still ran fine once she'd warmed up a bit.

SlashWylde

12th May 2005, 18:03

Just pace yourself, plenty of rest stops, and get a new map book :msn-wink:

Ms Piggy

12th May 2005, 18:52

Just pace yourself, plenty of rest stops, and get a new map book :msn-wink:
Yes I think I shall :Oops:

Ixion

12th May 2005, 19:01

Oooooo 'eck. Back in my day we had t' lick roads clean and get up before we went t' bed. ;)

I realise that now and I've emailed the Tourism people over that way just to make sure. I'm not too bad on gravel but 80 kms is a long way and I'm guess there'll be logging trucks about. :eek5:
Ah b'guum you yung folk don't know t'ahlf ov it. When Hi were yung, we didn't have no raods ter lick clean - had to dig 'em ourselfs we did. Usin' only a dinosaur shoulder blad fer a shovel. 'ad ter catch ther dinosaur befor we begun our ride too.

And then once we'd dug ter roads, we as ter drag the bikes along hit, cos of which ter wheel adn't been hinvented.

Didn't ave no beds either , you yung folk ain't got no stanina slackin off 'n sleepin' all t'time. When hi were yuing we got one night's sleep a year - an we had to stand t' attention th' ole time we was sleepin.

Yung fok terday, soft as.

Hitcher

12th May 2005, 19:01

Wellington to Murupara via Frasertown. On a 250. In one day. Are you insane!!??

That's via Lake Waikaremoana and a squillion miles of gravel. And the natives in there still wear grass skirts and hangi wayward pakehas. An eight-hour ride from Wellington to the end of the tarseal at the southern end of the lake. God knows how long to estimate for the gravel stretch. Probably at least two hours more from there to Murupara.

Go via Taupo, where the biggest risk is Aucklander kindy mums in Pajeros u-turning as they try to doublepark outside McDonald's...

Ms Piggy

12th May 2005, 19:35

Wellington to Murupara via Frasertown. On a 250. In one day. Are you insane!!??
I prefer to use the term "special".

That's via Lake Waikaremoana and a squillion miles of gravel. And the natives in there still wear grass skirts and hangi wayward pakehas. An eight-hour ride from Wellington to the end of the tarseal at the southern end of the lake. God knows how long to estimate for the gravel stretch. Probably at least two hours more from there to Murupara.

Go via Taupo, where the biggest risk is Aucklander kindy mums in Pajeros u-turning as they try to doublepark outside McDonald's...
Hmmmm, since you put it like that then. I guess I can ride via Wanganui and up over the Paraparas *siiiigh*

So whats the alternative if I wanna still go that way but avoid the gravel road? Hmmmmm, it appears there isn't really unless I wanna go up as far as Gisborne. Poo.

Skunk

12th May 2005, 19:36

Gravel road, twisty and rough. Don't go that way after such a long ride.

My 5 cents.

Go to Napier then Taupo then Murupara if you want to go east...

scumdog

12th May 2005, 19:44

Coom baak saath Kathy!!

Stay at Chez Scumdog and tour the south a little more!! :yes:

sels1

12th May 2005, 19:51

I came thru that road before Xmas in the work vehicle. I think it was over 120 km of gravel, very slow winding road. Pretty scenery tho. Big gaps between civilised spots as well. If you had time to go to Gisborne and then thru the Waio-whatsitcalled gorge then back thru whakatane to Rotorua etc it would be a good trip on the bike but you would need another day
Best go via Taupo if you want to save time and go on the seal.

NordieBoy

12th May 2005, 20:13

Should've gone over from Motueka to Taperawa via the West Bank to get some gravel practice in :yes:

Sounds like a bit of extreme gravel there though.
Does Motu live nearby perchance?
I can imagine him going out of an evening and shooting roving gangs of asphalters to stop them from sullying "his" roads :devil2:

pritch

12th May 2005, 20:57

Iv'e been through the Uraweras a couple times in company cars. Wonderful!
One of my favourite places. Would think twice about taking my own car though. Wouldn't consider taking my bike.

Also walked around the lake, and kayaked down the Waikare Taheke River.
Well part of it, I arsed out. Swam quite a bit of it too though I guess...
(The power station was at full flow :-)

Some years ago the LTSA or a predecessor advised that funding was available to seal the road. The locals said, "No thanks we like it how it is."
They didn't want another Taupo. Besides, the environment wouldn't handle it.

Great place to go with a fishing rod and a boat, less so on a bike.
Especially at the end of how many hours?

Kickaha

12th May 2005, 21:07

Well my map book is from 1984 and it shows as a "provincial state highway", mind you I guess it could still be that and gravel. Cheers.

My map showed that in 1989 but the big sign out of Wairoa that said "unsealed road 120km" was a bit of a give away,very nice up through there though.

Do it :niceone:

Wolf

12th May 2005, 21:16

Go via Taupo, where the biggest risk is Aucklander kindy mums in Pajeros u-turning as they try to doublepark outside McDonald's...
That'd convince me to take the gravel!

Cathy. Whatever route you take, pack a lunch and snacks, bottled drinks, thermos of tea/coffee/both. You'll want to take rest breaks at regular intervals, stretch the legs, flex the fingers and refuel yourself. I don't seriously recommend the gravel - it'd slow you down immensely, go via Taupo and look out for Pajeros... driving their 4WDs :devil2:

Zapf

12th May 2005, 22:11

Ok! As of the evening of the 22nd of June I'll be Uni free for at least 4 weeks :banana: (in between now and then I have around 10,000 words to write!!). Most of that time I'll be working :crazy: but, I will have a few days just after exams and I wanted to ride up :ride: and see a friend who lives in a little town called Murupara. I wanted to ride up in 1 day and ride back home the following day.

Plan for riding up is: over the Rimutakas, SHW 2 through Hastings & Napier then turn off at Frasertown (just after Wairoa) onto SHW 38 to Murupara.

I'll be riding Black Betty (Honda CB250RS), I'll be alone (unless anyone wants to keep me company) but I've also ridden long distances in a day before (I did a 500+ kms ride when down in the SI)...although I haven't worked out how many kms it is but some of it looks like windy road from the map.

What do y'all think?

Ok I have been up that way before.... DON'T go on SH38. It is GRAVEL from around 10km out from Wairoa and all the way up to and beyond the lakes. The gravel starts small and then gets bigger and bigger..... which made me CRASH my SV.

So you should go on the Taupo - Napier Highway instead, and be careful of ice / snow there. It is a LONG way to ride in 1 day, as I have done that trip in March. Might pay to break it off into 2 days as there is not a lot of day light now and it'll get pretty cold specially on a naked...

And make sure you got tires with good tread :)

Mr Skid

12th May 2005, 22:26

Introduce Black Betty to a set of these and don't look back!

http://www.pm.ee/bikehelp/img/rehv/tkc80.gif

Ixion

12th May 2005, 22:33

Introduce Black Betty to a set of these and don't look back!

Well, unless I'm confused between all these CB things, I think the CB250RS has a traily heritage. So it should be fairly relaxed on gravel - not like a proper trailie of course but OK. Li'l Rat Bike is reasonably happy on gravel , Cb250RS should be similar.

But riding gravel is a lot more tiring than riding seal, and 100km in an already long trip would maybe be a big ask. Fun though.

If you want to just get there ASAP, go the seal. If you want a fun trip, take the gravel

250learna

12th May 2005, 23:29

have a look at this
http://wises.co.nz
i always use this site when unsure how to get somewhere... you can print a map out and everything

Zapf

13th May 2005, 03:01

My map showed that in 1989 but the big sign out of Wairoa that said "unsealed road 120km" was a bit of a give away,very nice up through there though.

Do it :niceone:

didn't help me when I passed thru that sign with the sun right behind it..... didn't see a thing and DOCH! slide crash... :killingme oh well...

Kickaha

13th May 2005, 06:56

Ok I have been up that way before.... DON'T go on SH38. It is GRAVEL from around 10km out from Wairoa and all the way up to and beyond the lakes. The gravel starts small and then gets bigger and bigger..... which made me CRASH my SV.

Gravel can't "make" you crash,inexperience with riding on gravel might

Late model bikes with there wide tyres aren't as user friendly on gravel,Black Betty with narrow tyres and less HP will be a lot easier to ride there than your SV

Ms Piggy

13th May 2005, 08:11

Coom baak saath Kathy!!

Stay at Chez Scumdog and tour the south a little more!! :yes:
I wiiiiiiiiiiil! You can count on that! :niceone:

Ms Piggy

13th May 2005, 08:18

Thanks for all the advice guys & gals. I've decided to leave that ride for some time when I have time, so this summer I'll do me a North Island tour and include that.

My objective in this instance is to get up to Murupara with as little fuss as possible, so maybe the Paraparas or even dull & broing SHW1.

What will the Paraparas be like this time of year?

sels1

13th May 2005, 08:33

What will the Paraparas be like this time of year?

I guess that depends a bit on the weather. We came back that way after the rally in the rain and it was a bit slippery in places...I think we all had a whoops moment...but if taken with caution and a sensible pace it should be fine.

MSTRS

13th May 2005, 08:51

What will the Paraparas be like this time of year?
In in inestimable words of Ira Goldstein ' you wouldn't like it, sir, it's.....damp'

strayjuliet

13th May 2005, 14:48

Originally Posted by Celtic_Sea_lily
Oooooo 'eck. Back in my day we had t' lick roads clean and get up before we went t' bed. [/QUOTE]

Ah b'guum you yung folk don't know t'ahlf ov it. When Hi were yung, we didn't have no raods ter lick clean - had to dig 'em ourselfs we did. Usin' only a dinosaur shoulder blad fer a shovel. 'ad ter catch ther dinosaur befor we begun our ride too.

And then once we'd dug ter roads, we as ter drag the bikes along hit, cos of which ter wheel adn't been hinvented.

Didn't ave no beds either , you yung folk ain't got no stanina slackin off 'n sleepin' all t'time. When hi were yuing we got one night's sleep a year - an we had to stand t' attention th' ole time we was sleepin.

Yung fok terday, soft as.
And ya try tellin kids of today that and they won't believe ya.

Krayy

13th May 2005, 15:05

Just for interests sake, I'm from Wairoa originally. My grandfather was one of the lead surveyors on that road. He had some great photos and stories to go along with it. Even he admitted it was rough as guts, but they had to go the way they did due to the sheer amount of rock they would have had to blast away to make it straighter.

If you get the chance to go trhough (by car preferably), take some sick pills, and if you get stuck behind a Kiwi or Britz camper-van, be prepared to stare at his rear end for the next 100 k's or so. My brother and I went through there in his ~1976 Galant, and it was huge fun getting the back end out on most corners.

Also is a great place to go tramping for a few days if you're into that sort of thing, and Lake Waikareamoana is one of the best and cleanest in NZ. Also some great views on the road as you head south from the Lake camping site, as you climb a winding road that ends up a few hundred feet up with only some armco between you and a nice dip.

P.S. CSL, yes, go up to Taupo then across.

Motu

13th May 2005, 15:40

We once went through there in a car at night - going around the cliffs we saw some headlights coming our way...it was a bus and I had to back forever until we found a place he could get around.At about 2am we thought we'd call it a night and pulled into a campground on the lake shore,put up the tent and crashed.Woke up in the morning to find ourselves surrounded by vintage cars and big tents everywhere.

To this day I still don't know whether we stumbled into the middle of their camp and pitched our tent....or did they come later in the night and set up camp around us?

XP@

13th May 2005, 16:11

It would be a memorable ride!

Before I did ny first RNGC I rode wellington, castle point, napier, murupara, taupo, wellington in one day on my f650, awsome run.

Once you have done it don't forget to book yourself in for the next rusty nuts 1000 miler (in october).

Marmoot

13th May 2005, 16:35

Make sure your sparkplugs are clean prior to setting off, and bike is running fine and not coughing and spluttering.
Make sure throttle cable and clutch cable (and choke cable) is tiptop and not about to break themselves.
Bring a set of puncture medicine for the tires, just in case.
Make sure your cellphone is charged to the max.

Have good fun. I always like longrides. :Punk:

White trash

13th May 2005, 17:19

In in inestimable words of Ira Goldstein ' you wouldn't like it, sir, it's.....damp'

"Yes I have. Heard of chickens?"

Ahh Goldstein, funniest fucker on TV :killingme

Ms Piggy

16th May 2005, 00:05

Have good fun. I always like longrides. :Punk:
They are indeed the best rides. :yes:

Posh Tourer :P

18th May 2005, 21:40

Ok I have been up that way before.... DON'T go on SH38. It is GRAVEL from around 10km out from Wairoa and all the way up to and beyond the lakes. The gravel starts small and then gets bigger and bigger..... which made me CRASH my SV.

Oh come on. Not all bikes are bad on gravel...... The CB250 would be a beast to cane around on gravel - without even changing the tyres. I did large amounts of gravel on my MZ, which was similar - same size tyres, and virtually indestructible (tho I've never crashed on gravel, or even because of gravel).
The BM is also great on gravel while on road tyres. The only bikes I havent been able to thrash off into the distance from have been dirt bikes (Motu) and a KTM950 on dual sport tyres....
The CB125 had a few problems with larger size gravel as it wasnt heavy or big enough to deal with it, but on good gravel it was also great fun.
The ZXR, on the other hand, is nasty....
If you have 90 or higher profile tyres, you will have very few problems on gravel roads - except when the gravel gets a few inches deep and you need knobblies....