Leong
11th January 2006, 17:48
Starting riding in mid September last year. Done <8000km on the trusty VTR250, mostly for fun on the back roads around Clevedon etc. Done a few KB rides and have signed up for a HRCNZ Rider Development day at Taupo on 25 January.:banana: Problem - Have to be in Auckland the night before so have to ride down on the day. Can I handle a track day after getting up at 5am and riding all the way to Taupo? Still on holiday so went down yesterday to find out!
Left home in the dark at 5.05am (still on Restricted License). It's quite cold but at least dry and forecast good. Funny how as you past the street lights your shadow moves from behind to in front of you. Virtually no traffic as I get onto the Southern Motorway and the windblast is feeling colder at 100km/h. Glad it's not raining - will I still go if it is? From the top of the Bombays it's just light enough to see that its foggy on the plains, and soon I'm riding in the dark and in fog. The headlight on the bike isn't great, but feel reasonably safe at 80km/h. Wondered if any bikes had rear fog lights - they're probably more necessary than in cars. My visor fogs up then I realise it's on the outside as I wipe it off with my glove. Relief. Still not much traffic on the road but I notice the wind buffeting following car transporters is far worse than container trucks. Given what I thought of the VTR250's overtaking performance when I started riding, it's easy on state highways when there's little opposing traffic. Went down SH2, SH27 and SH1 as I know the road well and probably the quickest. Rest of the ride was uneventful, stopping once at Tirau, and didn't feel the need for more stops. A few white, blue and orange cars around Putaruru/Tokoroa and a friendly one just out of Taupo flashed his headlights at me and gestured me to slow down. :nono: Went onto reserve at 270km just entering Taupo at 8.00am which should be in good time to refuel and a short break before track day start at 8.30.
So a day to myself in Taupo - what to do? Ride down by the lake and up to the mountains. It was a beautiful day and the scenery spectacular. Lots of bikes out and ALL waved. :wavey: Rode up the Bruce Road and there is a lot of melted tar in the wheeltracks, not sure how slippery this is (and didn't want to tar up my clean bike), so stick to the middle of the lane. Lots more "melted road" on the way back to Taupo. Some inconsiderate drivers doing 60km/h on the open road lakeside caused more erratic behaviour from cars following - beware of cars pulling out whilst you're overtaking them. Wasn't worth overtaking so I stopped lots and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Here's my silliest thing done - biking related..... This morning I packed up, and couldn't find my bike keys. Had put my new disclock, and reminder thingy on, then left the keys in the ignition! :slap:
I leave Taupo at 7.00am and head up Poihipi Rd. Much more interesting route and nice scenery under the warm morning light and blue skies. Tried to practice my lines thru these unknown corners - Not Easy. Having difficulty judging just where I want to put the bike on right hand turns, given I don't want to lean over the centre line. I figure the more you lean, the further left of the centre line you need to be, so it's hard on roads you haven't ridden before. Getting better at following the right wheel track into blind left handers and apexing only when I can see the road out. Hope what I'm aiming for is correct!(?) Little traffic until Pirongia where I decide to follow a milk tanker till he turns off - he doesn't and after smelling fumes for too long and feeling some ill effects I pass him and stop at Ngaruawahia for fuel and some fresh air. Heavy traffic on SH1, so I turn off at Rangiriri, go up SH22 to Pukekawa, then down to Mercer, across to the Castle and home via the Hunuas. Even my favourite roads were a pain this morning. :no: Cars kept pulling out to give me extra overtaking practice, and then two sets of heavy road works between Twilight Road and Whitford. They wet the gravel on the second so my clean though bug splattered bike got dirty 10km from home after almost 800km! Met a friend with a BMW1200RT at the first of the road works and he asked if I enjoyed riding my bike more than driving cars - definitely YES. You can have fun at much more legal speeds, cars are easier to overtake on a bike no matter how much horsepower the car has, and as well as costing a lot less the depreciate less too.
The VTR250 performed faultlessly, and I believe is a great beginners bike, (in my experience of one).
So that was my first trip out of town - thoroughly enjoyable, and though I've had enough today I'm keen to ride again tomorrow!!
PS
Thanks for posting the maps showing the Poihipi Rd route MacD - I forgot to thank you when we met at Southwards - we had used that route in the car on the way to Wellington also.:2thumbsup
Left home in the dark at 5.05am (still on Restricted License). It's quite cold but at least dry and forecast good. Funny how as you past the street lights your shadow moves from behind to in front of you. Virtually no traffic as I get onto the Southern Motorway and the windblast is feeling colder at 100km/h. Glad it's not raining - will I still go if it is? From the top of the Bombays it's just light enough to see that its foggy on the plains, and soon I'm riding in the dark and in fog. The headlight on the bike isn't great, but feel reasonably safe at 80km/h. Wondered if any bikes had rear fog lights - they're probably more necessary than in cars. My visor fogs up then I realise it's on the outside as I wipe it off with my glove. Relief. Still not much traffic on the road but I notice the wind buffeting following car transporters is far worse than container trucks. Given what I thought of the VTR250's overtaking performance when I started riding, it's easy on state highways when there's little opposing traffic. Went down SH2, SH27 and SH1 as I know the road well and probably the quickest. Rest of the ride was uneventful, stopping once at Tirau, and didn't feel the need for more stops. A few white, blue and orange cars around Putaruru/Tokoroa and a friendly one just out of Taupo flashed his headlights at me and gestured me to slow down. :nono: Went onto reserve at 270km just entering Taupo at 8.00am which should be in good time to refuel and a short break before track day start at 8.30.
So a day to myself in Taupo - what to do? Ride down by the lake and up to the mountains. It was a beautiful day and the scenery spectacular. Lots of bikes out and ALL waved. :wavey: Rode up the Bruce Road and there is a lot of melted tar in the wheeltracks, not sure how slippery this is (and didn't want to tar up my clean bike), so stick to the middle of the lane. Lots more "melted road" on the way back to Taupo. Some inconsiderate drivers doing 60km/h on the open road lakeside caused more erratic behaviour from cars following - beware of cars pulling out whilst you're overtaking them. Wasn't worth overtaking so I stopped lots and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Here's my silliest thing done - biking related..... This morning I packed up, and couldn't find my bike keys. Had put my new disclock, and reminder thingy on, then left the keys in the ignition! :slap:
I leave Taupo at 7.00am and head up Poihipi Rd. Much more interesting route and nice scenery under the warm morning light and blue skies. Tried to practice my lines thru these unknown corners - Not Easy. Having difficulty judging just where I want to put the bike on right hand turns, given I don't want to lean over the centre line. I figure the more you lean, the further left of the centre line you need to be, so it's hard on roads you haven't ridden before. Getting better at following the right wheel track into blind left handers and apexing only when I can see the road out. Hope what I'm aiming for is correct!(?) Little traffic until Pirongia where I decide to follow a milk tanker till he turns off - he doesn't and after smelling fumes for too long and feeling some ill effects I pass him and stop at Ngaruawahia for fuel and some fresh air. Heavy traffic on SH1, so I turn off at Rangiriri, go up SH22 to Pukekawa, then down to Mercer, across to the Castle and home via the Hunuas. Even my favourite roads were a pain this morning. :no: Cars kept pulling out to give me extra overtaking practice, and then two sets of heavy road works between Twilight Road and Whitford. They wet the gravel on the second so my clean though bug splattered bike got dirty 10km from home after almost 800km! Met a friend with a BMW1200RT at the first of the road works and he asked if I enjoyed riding my bike more than driving cars - definitely YES. You can have fun at much more legal speeds, cars are easier to overtake on a bike no matter how much horsepower the car has, and as well as costing a lot less the depreciate less too.
The VTR250 performed faultlessly, and I believe is a great beginners bike, (in my experience of one).
So that was my first trip out of town - thoroughly enjoyable, and though I've had enough today I'm keen to ride again tomorrow!!
PS
Thanks for posting the maps showing the Poihipi Rd route MacD - I forgot to thank you when we met at Southwards - we had used that route in the car on the way to Wellington also.:2thumbsup