4 hour ride from Auckland CBD

[Euro2018]

I've managed to convince a friend of mine to climb on the back of my ST1100 and go for a wee ride.

I'm in Hamilton, friend is in Auckland CBD.
Allowing for travel time to/from Auckland, I have time for about a 3-4 hour ride from Auckland to somewhere nice for lunch, then back again.

Trip day is a Saturday, depart Auck about 10am. Hoping to avoid traffic.

I'm a competent rider, but have little experience with pillions, so a route that's low risk and pillion friendly would be ideal.

Any suggestions ?

[Navy Boy]

SH 16 heading up to Helensville and then further up to Wellsford is a nice ride. A good road with places to stop and eat en-route. :niceone:

[Gremlin]

SH16 to Wellsford
Kaiaua Loop through Hunuas
Raglan through 22 etc (this is at your outer boundary with at least 2hrs each way)

Something south of Auckland would probably be more familiar to you, and less stress.
Don't know if friend is used to motorcycles, but something shorter for the both of you makes for a more relaxing ride. Focus on the enjoyment, more frequent stops, than pushing for distance, plus you have the trip home afterwards.

[Scubbo]

does she have nice legs? :niceone:

[gsxr]

Does her arse look good in leather

[Old Steve]

I wouldn't recommend a six to eight hour ride for a first pillion ride. I'd suggest something way shorter.

What about north on the Northern Motorway, off at Greville Rd interchange, up the hill to Albany village and on up the hill out of Albany village and left onto the Coatesville-Riverhead Hwy (# 28) just after the GAS service station. Go through Coatesville to Riverhead, stop at the Kauri Cafe in School Rd after you've gone across the bridge into Riverhead or at the Riverhead pub at the bottom of Queens St. Come home by continuing on #28 until you reach SH 16, left towards the city and home on the NW Motorway.

Or north on the Northern /way to the Silverdale interchange, turn off left towards Dairy Flat, turn up Pine Valley Rd or Kahikatea Flat Rd to Kaukapakapa and run north on SH16 to Wellsford. Come home on SH1, pull in to Warkworth for a cuppa (there's a couple of good cafes in Warkworth, particularly the Riverview Cafe on the side of the Mahurangi stream off the main street through Warkworth - you might recognise the boardwalk they filmed on for 800 Words).

Or you could carry on down to the Puhoi turnoff and have lunch at the Puhoi Tavern, a nice burger and a cuppa out on the lawn, lots of bikes to look at.

Take the coast road to the left where the toll tunnel starts through Waiwera, and stop in the main street of Orewa for a late cuppa, on through Silverdale to the motorway and home.

That'd be about the max I'd take a new pillion rider, and even the route home on SH1 might be questionable and it may be better to come back on SH16 through Kaukapakapa and either across for a cuppa in Orewa or carry on down to Helensville, Kumeu and home the NW Motorway.

[pritch]

May I suggest a little chat with the victim er pillion prior to her mounting up?

Points like:
Don't hop on until you announce you're ready and have a solid footplant.
If shes worried about anything tap you on the shoulder whereupon you will stop.
If she wishes to move at all do it at highway speed. (That's counter intuitive.)
Minimise sideways movement, if she wants to adjust her nether garments rise up the necessary amount then down.
Sudden movement at low speed can have you both on the ground in a heap.
She should wait to dismount until you announce you're ready.

[Madness]

Over the Bombays and left into Island Block Road, Mercer > Right into Falls Road > Right into Waerenga Road > Left into Waikare Road > Right at Waiterimu Road > Left onto Tahuna > Right into Rutherford and right into Orini. Hopin-Stopin Cafe do a mean Eggs Bennie. Back up via the other side of the river or up one of the roads connecting to SH22 from Huntly if you're feeling frisky.

[eldog]

You should ask what experience your pillion has.
This will tell you what type of ride to plan, how long a ride. Choose a route you are familiar with.

Being unfamiliar with pillion riding could be a hassle in Auckland traffic.

If they are experienced then fine.

Just take it easy if you want them to go for further rides.

Some good suggestions in previous posts.

My first ride on a motorcycle was as a pillion, the rider was so considerate it gave confidence. I could read where we would turn/slow/stop.
By the end of the ride he had to make sure I was still there

Great fun.:niceone:

[SaferRides]

Over the Bombays and left into Island Block Road, Mercer > Right into Falls Road > Right into Waerenga Road > Left into Waikare Road > Right at Waiterimu Road > Left onto Tahuna > Right into Rutherford and right into Orini. Hopin-Stopin Cafe do a mean Eggs Bennie. Back up via the other side of the river or up one of the roads connecting to SH22 from Huntly if you're feeling frisky.

+1 for Hopin Stopin. The BLT is an old favourite. Good place for a feed after a blast down 22 and the loop back to Ngaruawahia.

[Euro2018]

Thanks for all the advice.

My pillion has been on the back of a bike before, but I don't know how much. She's small (probably 60kg), so that will help.
There's a statistic floating around that suggests that bike crashes increase as the rider gets closer to home, reinforcing the idea that familiarity breeds contempt.
With that in mind, if I take in a new road I will be a more cautious rider than belting around my own backyard.
I'm comfortable riding for 8 hours straight, but certainly won't subject my pillion to that.

I'll likely leave Hamilton about 8:30, collect pillion in Auckland about 10am, head north taking in either SH16 or the Orewa road and see what happens.

I'll be sure to report back.

[nodrog]

Go to papakura and back, about 4 hours.

[Euro2018]

8am Left Hamilton (showers/wind).
10am Picked up pillion in Ponsonby. Pants were a bit tight, jacket, gloves, boots all fitted ok.
More showers
Headed west on N/W, through Kumeu, SH16 (I think), past Gibbs Farm.
1pm lunch in Wellsford
South on SH1, detoured through Orewa
Back on motorway, high wind warnings, so turned around at Smales and took the upper harbour bridge to avoid being blown into the ocean off the harbour bridge.
Dropped off pillion, headed home. Arrived about 6pm

450km

Showers through the day off and on, no dramas. Didn't get wet.
Lots of wind, sudden strong gusts were a bit unnerving.

I managed to not scare my pillion, she's up for another ride (preferably in better weather).
She was really well behaved, so happy to take her out again.

Overall a really good experience. More practice with a pillion, neither of us got cold, so I'm finally learning to dress myself properly compared to previous trips when I've got dangerously cold a long way from home, good experience in the wind, now I know how my bike will behave in the face of strong side winds (it does ok)

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

[sidecar bob]

I'm rather fond of your bike, I'm sure it took everything in its stride.
Are you still running the square rear tyre?

[Euro2018]

Short answer - I bought new Battlax tyres for it, love them.
But I only did this after trying to round them off by sitting bike up on centre stand and taking to the tyre with a wood rasp. I got a bid of a ribbing for that and it didn't really help.
Anyway, I still own 2x ST1100 and my wife keeps walking into the garage and asking why I have two identical bikes.
So one of them is still for sale. Take your pick, trying for $4250 for either one. The nice one is listed on TradeMe. The one you rode had a $600 Honda service + new tyres since you last saw it.

[BMWST?]

i beleive that having the bike under throttle makes them more stable in the wind so if you know you are about to get hit by a wind gust just open the throttle a bit

[eldog]

so I'm finally learning to dress myself properly compared to previous trips when I've got dangerously cold a long way from home

great to hear. :yes:

I remember a very very wet and cold rider getting off his bike dripping wet after a couple of hours on the road. The weather did turn much nicer later.

I was so thankful I had remembered to pack the raincoat.

[sidecar bob]

Anyway, I still own 2x ST1100 and my wife keeps walking into the garage and asking why I have two identical bikes.


Oh? I'd assumed this taking a lady for a ride in Auckland thing was some kind of a semi blind date.
How wrong assumptions can be.

[Euro2018]

Oh? I'd assumed this taking a lady for a ride in Auckland thing was some kind of a semi blind date.
How wrong assumptions can be.

Wife refuses to get on the back of a bike, so I lure other friends onto the back.
Slim, pre-trained girls are ideal. All the guys I know either own bikes and won't relinquish control or are chicken shit and won't get on a bike with me (is that telling me something?)
Somehow, the girls I know seem to be more trusting/adventurous/suicidal. Who knows.
It's always nice to be cuddled by a nice girl for a few hours without having to talk to them (have I just described the nearly ideal girlfriend ?)
Did I mention I don't have any comms, I think that would annoy or distract me, so won't be getting comms. Save the small talk for the lunch stop.

[sidecar bob]

Wife refuses to get on the back of a bike, so I lure other friends onto the back.
Slim, pre-trained girls are ideal. All the guys I know either own bikes and won't relinquish control or are chicken shit and won't get on a bike with me (is that telling me something?)
Somehow, the girls I know seem to be more trusting/adventurous/suicidal. Who knows.
It's always nice to be cuddled by a nice girl for a few hours without having to talk to them (have I just described the nearly ideal girlfriend ?)
Did I mention I don't have any comms, I think that would annoy or distract me, so won't be getting comms. Save the small talk for the lunch stop.

It seems your rules are the complete opposite to mine,
Im allowed as many bikes as i want, but if i started carting random lasses about on the back of my bike of a weekend im pretty sure my wife would punch me in the cock.

[SaferRides]

Having 2 bikes didn't go down well, maybe because I forgot to mention buying the 2nd one. But my wife seems happy for me to ride as much as I want.

But I can't see taking a "slim, pre-trained girl" on the back as an option somehow.