Old Steve
4th October 2010, 18:54
Hi, it's Gloria here. Old Steve has let me write this review of our ride on Sunday.
Wow, what a day! I keep hearing riders say that spring is finally here. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my tank. Thankfully old Steve had filled it up with nice cool fuel so that kept me comfortable. The club that Old Steve takes me riding with had decided to ride to the Tihoi “pub”. I've never been there so I was looking forward to new roads, while being just a little unsure about how I'd handle any tight corners.
Anyway we took off, the usual line of bikes all bigger than me. But I noticed that we were riding further up the group and not right back at the tail of the group. Old Steve recently took me for a ride around Mt Maunganui and I've heard him say that he's got his “Restricted License”. I can feel that he's just a little more confident and a bit more prepared to lean me over in corners. I've been enjoying being taken for a ride since he got this new license, and he's been patting my tank and saying, “Good girl” more often too.
We headed up over the Pyes Pa Road, and I immediately noticed we were keeping up with the bikes ahead. My engine was feeling really good as we gradually climbed up away from home. And I was being leaned over much more in corners. I had a new rear tyre fitted about a month ago and there are a few chicken strips left out towards the edge of the tyre. I thought, today's not going to be a good day for chicken strips. There's a bit of a gully towards Rotorua, third gear downhill stuff, but the bigger bikes in front weren't pulling away, even up the other side, and the three bikes behind were nowhere to be seen in my rear vision mirrors. I was feeling good, and this was only the start of the ride. We burbled through Rotorua, it's great that Old Steve has taken the baffles out of my mufflers.
Out of Rotorua we got on this road towards Tokoroa. Lovely large radius curves, I leaned right over through the corners, and we were still keeping up with the bigger bikes. Wow, I was in the groove! Then we rode a bit on the main highway before we turned off near this bridge over a big river. Now there were some long straights as we headed towards Whakamaru. I got up to 120 km/hr in places, I could feel my throttle held hard against the stop and my engine was spinning as fast as it could in fifth gear. This was great, we swept around curves at 100 km/hr, 110 km/hr. I could feel my chicken strips complaining as they got scrubbed by the road. Wow, this was fun! Some of the other bikes had a drink at Whakamaru, but my tank still had enough and I wasn't thirsty at all. I've got a big tank, but I like the way it makes me look. We had a short ride down to “Tihoi”, and Old Steve parked me in the shade while he and the other riders went away for “a burger and a beer”. It was nice to have a rest, and to feel my engine cool down and my oil thicken again. It was also good to see the three bikes who had been riding behind me. I didn't say anything but I felt good that I'd arrived with the main group. I felt sorry for the Honda Goldwing who runs as tail-end-charlie, he must have wanted to open up and roar. I heard the Goldwing rider ask Old Steve if he'd put a bigger engine in me I told you I was in the groove.
Whatever this “burger and beer” is, it takes some time. Eventualy we headed off for home, but we didn't go home the way we'd come. We rode up north, keeping the big river on our right, and the corners started to get tighter. I was down in third gear for a couple of them, leaned right over, and close to the last big bike in front of me. Again, I kept up with the bigger bikes. OK I know they weren't racing, only going for a Sunday cruise, but we were making good time and I was often cruising at 110 km/hr. Sometimes I even crept up to 120 km/hr on the straights, but Old Steve would throttle me back because we would be getting too close to the bike in front.
Eventually we got back to the foot of the Kaimais. I know them, quite a long climb up, wider curves first but the corners get tighter up towards the top. It's a bit of a puff for a smaller bike like me, Old Steve could lose some weight too. But I was buzzing. There was a 600 cc Honda ahead of me and I could see that he was going to be held up by a car. Old Steve pulled me out and we passed both the bike and the car. Buzzing, my throttle was hard against the stop and I was screaming in fourth gear. Well, screaming as much as a 250 cc learner bike can scream. The Honda pulled out to follow us, but Old Steve and I slowly pulled away. Down to third gear towards the top, 8,000 revs, leaned right over with my chicken strips really squealling. Bitching, baby! Down the other side, and the bikes behind me fell even further behind. We pulled up in Tauriko to say goodbye to the other riders, and the Honda 600 rider came over and told Old Steve that, “She really goes, doesn't she!” Old Steve gave me a quiet pat on the tank and said, “Way to go, girl!” My spark plugs almost missed a beat.
Steve took me to a Service Station and gave me a drink, I was getting thirsty because I'd used a bit more fuel than normal – I must have really been going faster today. When we got home, back in the garage, Old Steve wiped me down, cleaned the little bit of chain oil spatter off my rear wheel, checked my engine oil, then left me to cool down. I was tired. Tired but happy, though. What a day.
Wow, what a day! I keep hearing riders say that spring is finally here. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my tank. Thankfully old Steve had filled it up with nice cool fuel so that kept me comfortable. The club that Old Steve takes me riding with had decided to ride to the Tihoi “pub”. I've never been there so I was looking forward to new roads, while being just a little unsure about how I'd handle any tight corners.
Anyway we took off, the usual line of bikes all bigger than me. But I noticed that we were riding further up the group and not right back at the tail of the group. Old Steve recently took me for a ride around Mt Maunganui and I've heard him say that he's got his “Restricted License”. I can feel that he's just a little more confident and a bit more prepared to lean me over in corners. I've been enjoying being taken for a ride since he got this new license, and he's been patting my tank and saying, “Good girl” more often too.
We headed up over the Pyes Pa Road, and I immediately noticed we were keeping up with the bikes ahead. My engine was feeling really good as we gradually climbed up away from home. And I was being leaned over much more in corners. I had a new rear tyre fitted about a month ago and there are a few chicken strips left out towards the edge of the tyre. I thought, today's not going to be a good day for chicken strips. There's a bit of a gully towards Rotorua, third gear downhill stuff, but the bigger bikes in front weren't pulling away, even up the other side, and the three bikes behind were nowhere to be seen in my rear vision mirrors. I was feeling good, and this was only the start of the ride. We burbled through Rotorua, it's great that Old Steve has taken the baffles out of my mufflers.
Out of Rotorua we got on this road towards Tokoroa. Lovely large radius curves, I leaned right over through the corners, and we were still keeping up with the bigger bikes. Wow, I was in the groove! Then we rode a bit on the main highway before we turned off near this bridge over a big river. Now there were some long straights as we headed towards Whakamaru. I got up to 120 km/hr in places, I could feel my throttle held hard against the stop and my engine was spinning as fast as it could in fifth gear. This was great, we swept around curves at 100 km/hr, 110 km/hr. I could feel my chicken strips complaining as they got scrubbed by the road. Wow, this was fun! Some of the other bikes had a drink at Whakamaru, but my tank still had enough and I wasn't thirsty at all. I've got a big tank, but I like the way it makes me look. We had a short ride down to “Tihoi”, and Old Steve parked me in the shade while he and the other riders went away for “a burger and a beer”. It was nice to have a rest, and to feel my engine cool down and my oil thicken again. It was also good to see the three bikes who had been riding behind me. I didn't say anything but I felt good that I'd arrived with the main group. I felt sorry for the Honda Goldwing who runs as tail-end-charlie, he must have wanted to open up and roar. I heard the Goldwing rider ask Old Steve if he'd put a bigger engine in me I told you I was in the groove.
Whatever this “burger and beer” is, it takes some time. Eventualy we headed off for home, but we didn't go home the way we'd come. We rode up north, keeping the big river on our right, and the corners started to get tighter. I was down in third gear for a couple of them, leaned right over, and close to the last big bike in front of me. Again, I kept up with the bigger bikes. OK I know they weren't racing, only going for a Sunday cruise, but we were making good time and I was often cruising at 110 km/hr. Sometimes I even crept up to 120 km/hr on the straights, but Old Steve would throttle me back because we would be getting too close to the bike in front.
Eventually we got back to the foot of the Kaimais. I know them, quite a long climb up, wider curves first but the corners get tighter up towards the top. It's a bit of a puff for a smaller bike like me, Old Steve could lose some weight too. But I was buzzing. There was a 600 cc Honda ahead of me and I could see that he was going to be held up by a car. Old Steve pulled me out and we passed both the bike and the car. Buzzing, my throttle was hard against the stop and I was screaming in fourth gear. Well, screaming as much as a 250 cc learner bike can scream. The Honda pulled out to follow us, but Old Steve and I slowly pulled away. Down to third gear towards the top, 8,000 revs, leaned right over with my chicken strips really squealling. Bitching, baby! Down the other side, and the bikes behind me fell even further behind. We pulled up in Tauriko to say goodbye to the other riders, and the Honda 600 rider came over and told Old Steve that, “She really goes, doesn't she!” Old Steve gave me a quiet pat on the tank and said, “Way to go, girl!” My spark plugs almost missed a beat.
Steve took me to a Service Station and gave me a drink, I was getting thirsty because I'd used a bit more fuel than normal – I must have really been going faster today. When we got home, back in the garage, Old Steve wiped me down, cleaned the little bit of chain oil spatter off my rear wheel, checked my engine oil, then left me to cool down. I was tired. Tired but happy, though. What a day.