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View Full Version : Actual Bike related thread- 2022 weekend tour to Coromandel



MD
2nd March 2022, 21:13
Wow my 2018 ride report is still on the front page of this dusty forgotten topic. So four years later and time for another long weekend report. Just because no else can be bothered.
Thursday 24/02/22 13.26 pm approximately departure from Kapiti. Good warm day. Good start that. Packed only light clothes. Turned out to be a safe decision.

Picked up three friends waiting for us in Bulls, then through to Wanganui pub to collect the last Lad who rode down from Taupo. Now eight of us. A good number for a group ride. Sun setting as we rode around the Surf Highway to New Plymouth was excellent. Usually we can find accommodation easily and 'negotiate' a discount but at 9pm in Naki we were pushing it, so just made for the Autolodge which was sweet.

Next day we aimed for Whitianga. Lots of bikes on the roads, groups going this way and groups going that way. One of our lads needed an urgent bald tyre replaced so that gave me a couple of hours to visit my Sister in Hamilton, which was a bonus.

Costs of motels seems to be a bit rich in Coromandel thanks to all those Aucklanders filling the place. Still the Whitianga Hotel was humming with kaoroke and one of us we later learned does a bit of pub singing on the side. He immediately signs up to sing. We all laugh and mock the pending embarrassment he was in for. First song and whole room was in awe and for the next 2 nights he could have had his pick of the cougars dribbling over his Engelbert Humperdink silky tones. We are all expecting to come down with Omnicron since we partied close to a bunch of Aucklanders. This cute English chick said all her friends in Auckland have it but she did do a negative RAT test before driving down.

We started to feel the pinch at the pump with one of GS1200 Boxers taking $70 !!! By the way you haven't seen a wheelie until you see someone do a 1km long standup wheelie on a BMW GS1200 Boxer adventure thingy that is 8 feet tall and half a ton.

I rode 900km to distance myself from those selfish wanker protesters at Parliament only to have the bastards have a rally in Whitianga. Driving around the Cafe scene circuit waving our flag yelling they are fighting for our freedom. Freedom from idiots would have been nice. Upside was there seemed to be no Police on the roads all weekend.

Sunday was a long day in the saddle from Whitianga to Kapiti. The hills out of Whitianga were empty of traffic so that was a blast. Well, as much a blast as you can have on a cruiser. From Te Aroha the rolling backroads were fun through to Tirau. Tokoroa we turned right and made the wise call to go down the west side of Lake Taupo.

The Indian was popular at every stop. No bull, twice sitting at a cafe and a stranger comes up asking if he can take pictures of the Indian. Although we had a Yamaha MT01 in the group which was a crowd favorite as well. Apparently only 9 in NZ.

The Indian did blow a fork seal last day but eight bikes covering 2,000 odd kms and that's all that went wrong then that's OK.

Here's us parked up at some country Cheese cafe with damn nice pies.

Come on someone else write a report about actually using or riding or doing something motorcycle related.

SaferRides
3rd March 2022, 05:08
I was down there last weekend. Good riding apart from the ride down the Thames coast on Sunday morning with an assortment of utes towing things. Quieter than usual in the cafes and pubs.

Thanks for taking the time to write up your trip.



Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

F5 Dave
3rd March 2022, 20:05
I like riding motorcycles. :banana:

We did close to 3000 down souf in November.
Report. It was good.

Nice read dude.

1/32 man
4th March 2022, 07:03
Thanks for the effort to put fingers to keyboard.

Enjoyed the read.

1/32 man
4th March 2022, 07:04
as an aside....what was your total spend including gas, accommodation and food?
Unless that is a subject you would rather not talk about.

MD
4th March 2022, 19:21
as an aside....what was your total spend including gas, accommodation and food?
Unless that is a subject you would rather not talk about.
Are you my Wife using a pseudonym ? [I had to look up the spelling for that one]
Our SI rides are usually multiple blokes as possible sharing a motel room [in a heterosexual manner] usually we could get it to $40 - $60 a head. But as we age we SNORE. So this trip did involve lone rooms. New Plymouth was $119 for my room. 2nd night sharing a multiple bed motel was still pushing it at about $90 each [rip-off]. Next night me and 2 others went up market to a water front apartment $115 each. Way more than we have paid in the past but the world has changed somewhat since December 2019. And we slept in silence in our own rooms- put a price on that!

Petrol was maybe $200? Food was essential. Beer/wine was essential so not price sensitive. One of us who is not rolling in money and should be watching his pennies enjoyed the first day ride so much he bought himself a bottle of red for $65 the first night to celebrate. That leads to my most profound principle for enjoying life : LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DRINK THE HOUSE WINE Never forget that bit of wisdom. A dear workmate who died of a heart attack after a few drinks used to say that. He knew how to enjoy life. It should rule our spending. The most rewarding cost saving of course is NOT getting a speeding ticket. I'm secretly pleased I don't ride sports bikes anymore. They cost me heavily in my teens, 20s, 30s, 40s & 50s. Bastards on one hard they say wow wasn't that FUN. Then they laugh at you and say- that just cost you hundreds and almost your licence.

Sorry I can't give a real $$$ figure but usually my SI 4 day rides cost $1000 with ferries blah blah. You can't take it with you and life is too short...

F5 Dave
4th March 2022, 19:49
. . . LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DRINK THE HOUSE WINE ...
Thank you, I might have to steal that quote.

1/32 man
5th March 2022, 09:28
Thanks MD, lots to mull over there .....and some free wisdom.

I dont drink wine or beer so I save a bit there....but I do speed sometimes.

Regrads and no regerts
1/32 man



pssst I am your wife!!!!

Navy Boy
11th March 2022, 08:47
Wow my 2018 ride report is still on the front page of this dusty forgotten topic. So four years later and time for another long weekend report. Just because no else can be bothered.
Thursday 24/02/22 13.26 pm approximately departure from Kapiti. Good warm day. Good start that. Packed only light clothes. Turned out to be a safe decision.

Picked up three friends waiting for us in Bulls, then through to Wanganui pub to collect the last Lad who rode down from Taupo. Now eight of us. A good number for a group ride. Sun setting as we rode around the Surf Highway to New Plymouth was excellent. Usually we can find accommodation easily and 'negotiate' a discount but at 9pm in Naki we were pushing it, so just made for the Autolodge which was sweet.

Next day we aimed for Whitianga. Lots of bikes on the roads, groups going this way and groups going that way. One of our lads needed an urgent bald tyre replaced so that gave me a couple of hours to visit my Sister in Hamilton, which was a bonus.

Costs of motels seems to be a bit rich in Coromandel thanks to all those Aucklanders filling the place. Still the Whitianga Hotel was humming with kaoroke and one of us we later learned does a bit of pub singing on the side. He immediately signs up to sing. We all laugh and mock the pending embarrassment he was in for. First song and whole room was in awe and for the next 2 nights he could have had his pick of the cougars dribbling over his Engelbert Humperdink silky tones. We are all expecting to come down with Omnicron since we partied close to a bunch of Aucklanders. This cute English chick said all her friends in Auckland have it but she did do a negative RAT test before driving down.

We started to feel the pinch at the pump with one of GS1200 Boxers taking $70 !!! By the way you haven't seen a wheelie until you see someone do a 1km long standup wheelie on a BMW GS1200 Boxer adventure thingy that is 8 feet tall and half a ton.

I rode 900km to distance myself from those selfish wanker protesters at Parliament only to have the bastards have a rally in Whitianga. Driving around the Cafe scene circuit waving our flag yelling they are fighting for our freedom. Freedom from idiots would have been nice. Upside was there seemed to be no Police on the roads all weekend.

Sunday was a long day in the saddle from Whitianga to Kapiti. The hills out of Whitianga were empty of traffic so that was a blast. Well, as much a blast as you can have on a cruiser. From Te Aroha the rolling backroads were fun through to Tirau. Tokoroa we turned right and made the wise call to go down the west side of Lake Taupo.

The Indian was popular at every stop. No bull, twice sitting at a cafe and a stranger comes up asking if he can take pictures of the Indian. Although we had a Yamaha MT01 in the group which was a crowd favorite as well. Apparently only 9 in NZ.

The Indian did blow a fork seal last day but eight bikes covering 2,000 odd kms and that's all that went wrong then that's OK.

Here's us parked up at some country Cheese cafe with damn nice pies.

Come on someone else write a report about actually using or riding or doing something motorcycle related.

Nice report there - Interesting that the Indian blew a fork seal. I was very aware that my Scout had such short travel on the front end that the forks ended up bottoming out far more than any other bike I've ever owned. I suspect that may well shorten fork seal life IMHO.

As you rightly say though - Riding a cruiser does help slow you down somewhat. That and riding a Royal Enfield Bullet as I'm now finding :yes: Still really enjoyable though and an antidote to the NZTA's obsession with lowering speed limits in a poor and cynical attempt to make it look as though they are doing something constructive...

MD
11th March 2022, 10:38
Nice report there - Interesting that the Indian blew a fork seal. I was very aware that my Scout had such short travel on the front end that the forks ended up bottoming out far more than any other bike I've ever owned. I suspect that may well shorten fork seal life IMHO.

As you rightly say though - Riding a cruiser does help slow you down somewhat. That and riding a Royal Enfield Bullet as I'm now finding :yes: Still really enjoyable though and an antidote to the NZTA's obsession with lowering speed limits in a poor and cynical attempt to make it look as though they are doing something constructive...

Sort of good news the seal didn't fail. It was hit by a stone which indented the metal fork leg at the point of the seal and damaged the seal. Bad news was we couldn't call this a warranty job. All fixed now.

sugilite
19th March 2022, 20:56
Come on someone else write a report about actually using or riding or doing something motorcycle related.

Great write up MD :yes:
And I did give it a crack, been a while - mostly did race reports back in the day....
https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/189466-Sugilites-Voyage-to-Mumsies-amp-Beyond!