"U2, 22, Te Awamu2" - The Trip Report

[skelstar]

At 9am Saturday morning Velox, Limbimtimwin (lbtw) leave Wellington for Auckland.

12 hours later we are in Te Awamutu.:pinch:

Saturday

Since both Velox and I were going to head up to the U2 concert this last weekend (postponed) we decided that we would come up to Auckland anyway and find some twisty roads to ride along the way. I was going to visit my sister and V was going to see some friends. We also planned to meet up with some KBers and have a bit of a ride down the much discussed SH22. Limbimtimwin was a late addition to the trip as he 'felt like a ride' that weekend as the weather promised to behave.

We set off from the Caltex truckstop near Ngaio Gorge at 9am and headed over the Rimutakas to meet up with poo's mate Karl in Featherston. The hill was a non-event this time as half of it had new seal. Once meeting up with Karl in Feathers we headed off. Despite catching up with Nic (Crazylittlesh1t) in Eketahuna, the trip was quite uneventful until Pahiatua where we encountered a detour as a result of a parade down the main street. Karl head through to Hastings/HB and we inadvertently headed towards the Pahiatua Track. Velox spotted a dairy plant/facility of some sort and insisted of going to have a look but had to be content with reading the noticed board at the gate instead. This, strangely, seemed to be enough. Over the track we go.

After a brief stop in a Yamaha dealership in Palmy to have a look at a flash new ZX6R (limited ed. I think), we headed over Vinegar Hill. This road goes from Fielding to (nearly) Mangaweka. It cuts out a lot of boring straight crap. This is a new road for me and I quite enjoyed it. There was a pleasant outlook over some river terraces at the top and provided a good spot for taking some photos of the bikes. Somebody insisted on taking a lot of photos exclusively of her own bike. Not saying who.

Boring riding all the way through to Turangi. LOTS of cops along the desert road. Almost all of them seemed to have pulled someone over and were writing tickets. One that we followed out of Waiouru kindly pulled over to let us through and didnt try to keep up. Nice. Its 4pm at this stage (Turangi) and clearly we werent making a lot of progress. There has been some stuffing around. I take the lead and we decide to head up the western side of Lake Taupo.

At this point lbtw and Velox decide to swap bikes. After a quick 'be carefull of my beautiful bike' speech from V we are heading along towards the hill just outside of Tokaanu (Kuratau?). Despite suggesting I take the lead (I knew how good the hill was going to be) I found myself behind these two nanas weaving around the road like a group of lepers. A quick swap-back and Im finally in my rightful place at the front. A quick photo opportunity at the top in perfect still conditions we headed on for what I would consider as a 'very good pace'. We made up lots of time I reckon.

At Mangakino we headed left and got onto a road that goes past a dam and heads to Te Awamutu. I think the road was called the Waikawa Road or something? It was a goat track that was quite twisty and very narrow in places. It was enjoyable but definitley challenged my skills at cornering. I ran real wide in one left-hander and later mentioned it to V (who was behind me) and she said she had done the same. Phew. In good company then. At this point we were following lbtw on his RVF400. He all of a sudden is coasting down the hill and is gesticulating furiously. A break on the side of the road reveals a bike that will fire occasionally but is starved of fuel and is unrideable. A marginal cellphone coverage phone call to Honda Riders Club initially provides little more than hold music for lbtw. Making lightof the situation he declares "Haha...I have more music than you guys!!!". The quote of the trip. About an hour later we have the bike on the back of a flat-bed truck despite Fonterror (intentional) trucks racing along this very narrow road. I took delight in slowing the bast@rds down so they have a very slow trip up the hill.

Te Awamutu - 12 hours after starting.
Velox and I ride ahead of the truck into a very picturesque sky with the sun setting in the distance and farm smells all around. Felt like some of the best riding that day for some strange reason. We put the bike into storage at Te Awa, and made a call to Quasi who we were going to meet that afternoon. Quasi VERY kindy offered to trailer lbtw's bike through to Hams the next day which was awesome. Not sure if he did but big ups to him for offering. We found some accomodation for lbtw where he would stay until Sunday where he would take one of several different options. Lbtw was quite keen to fix the bike in situ, and sounds like he may have done so afterall.

Velox and I leave a disgruntled lbtw in Te Awa and head for Auckland at 9pm. V's visor is tinted so I assume the lead. Its a VERY painful trip through Hamilton and I wonder if there was a bypass that I didnt see on the way in. Painful. Painful enough that I am looking for a turn off the Southern Motorway heading into Aucks for a rest and a stretch. Finally find a deserted 'Hampton Downs' exit where there are no streetlights, no cars, and no houses. We resort to studying the maps for exit points under while my hazard lights are flashing in the darkness. The air was very still and we had not encountered anything more than 1 mintue of drizzle at this point. I have to find the Nothern Motorway and V is taking the Kyber Pass exit. I pray mine is signposted. Its not. A ride down the Sthn MW and I understand why people could ride down there at 200km/h. Its long, boring, and conducive. V finds her exit and I, by way of miracle, find mine. A celebratory beer at my sisters place and I hit the sack.

[skelstar]

Sunday
I wake up too bloody early. Have a great cooked breakfast thanks to my sis and partner. Manage to find the Ponsonby cafe at 9:30am but have been beaten by Velox. SixPackBack, Zapf, and strat turn up and we have a good catch up. Mostly consists of "whats *** like, and is mikey really all bullsh1t" and "who would win between Zed and mikey?". That kinda stuff. After stopping in at motomail for some new gloves for V we (Zapf, strat and us) head off to some servo on the Sthn MW enroute to SH22. While enroute to the servo strat discovers that his front brake lever has dropped off, and headed back into town presumably using his back brake only. What fun.

Woo hoo SH22. Zapf leads us down this (what I consider) famous piece of KB road. Its about what I expected I guess. With stories of sh1t everywhere and gravel at every turn I tentatively take No.2 spot in the convoy. Initially I cant say I was really that enamoured by the road but soon got into the swing of things. At the halfway point we stop, more photos, and I take the lead from there. Im warmed up and am relishing the control I have with my new bike now. I have learnt a lot about my bike and my riding on this trip and am putting it to good use. V and I have a great tussle along the bottom of these cliffs through numerous 55-65-75km/h corners. Awesome. After stopping for a bit of a breather V takes a the lead and I discover just how hard it is keeping up with someone through this road but manage to do so somehow. We eventually find ourselves in Ngaruwahia ('now you are here') and gas up. Sh22 = $10 of petrolium fun. Its about 2pm and we head south along SH39. Zapf turns for Auckland and V and I make our way towards Otorohanga making good speed along the way. Im sure we made a few motorcycle converts along this road. Everyone is well behaved and pull over for us.

V and I swap bikes at O, and I ride V's wee '03 CBR600 through Te Kuiti and just past Eight Mile Junction where the road heads to Taumaranui. After comparing notes on relative bike types and styles we head on, me feeling completely silly on my armchair having been on V's little bike. Didnt take too long to get back into it though. At one stage I caught up to a line of six cars that were going down through a sweeping right-hander. Having an excellent view throught the straight beyond I overtook the cars on the inside through the corner leaning right over through the turn. While it wont mean much to others, nor did it look that impressive, to me it epitomised my riding development so far. I didnt use brakes when my line changed suddenly and I didnt freak out. I was well pleased with the moment. Sorry, slight diversion.

By the time we got to Taumaranui I think we were both fairly stuffed. We gassed up and both had a mussel pie. Hmmm....fourth pie of the trip and it definitely was the best. We met up with a young guy from Wanganui who was on his way home. He was riding a blue ZX9R with an interesting single headlight conversion. He elected to join us on his way through to Raetahi. By the time we waved him off and headed to Ohakune I (and I think V) was feeling quite 'jaded'. While V 'melted into the pavement' at Ohakune we decided that we would like to go back over Vinegar Hill and maybe through the 'rapa and home. A quick weather forecast from Tony Marsh-poos in Martinborough we headed for Taihape. I was feeling quite refreshed at this stage and took the lead. After a large amount of roadworks and fading light we gassed up again at Taihape and rode through to the Vinegar Hill turn off. V was having some serious trouble with vision out of her tinted visor which meant she, for the first time in history, was holding up a late model Commodore. The @rsehole was right up her date through the first bit of twisties so we pulled over to let him through. Wanting to make a point I took off after him and badgered him up over the summit and along the top. He was giving it a bit of a nudge which only made the trip quicker for me. I buttoned off and waited for the blind V to catchup (my only saving grace at this point).

At Fielding we elected to ride down SH1 (bleh) and home. V tells me that with her tinted visor down she can see the white lines, but not the road surface. Oh good. Along the Himitangi Straights I adopted a 'dramatised' elongated overtaking strategy (tricky) which allowed V to see that there was plenty of time to overtake as well. We made good time through to McKays crossing. Paekakariki and south was a PAINFULLY slow affair but I eventually got to my turn off and waved V off. I got home at 9:30pm...left Aucks at 11am. Only 10.5 hours this time ;).

Finally
It was a long trip but it was awesome. Excellent company. Got to see my sister and her partner. Learnt a lot more about my bike and my riding...stuff that you can't learn on a trackday. Saw some awesome roads (SH22, Taumaranui Rd, Ving Hillx2) and want more. Ta to Quasi, Zapf. Sucks that ltbw's bike broke down but I understand that it was a blocked fuel tap that he fixed and is on his way home today I believe.

So...where next?

ps - Sorry for the long report. Lots seemed to happen.

[marty]

and on the 13 hour you typed this up....

next time, do the coro loop :)

great write-up btw.

[skelstar]

Mate, the coro trip (kiwifruit's) was going to be a mission. Could have made it but didnt fit my riding companions timetables.
Ta.

[crashe]

Wow a great write up.. well done...


Now I bet your butt's are real sore after all that travelling...:whistle:

[skelstar]

I meant to commentate on the state of my derier during the write up but forgot.
Butt was sore a couple of times but my wrists suffered more than anything else. The bars are quite swept forward which isn't ideal re: comfort. Hands were quite weak yesterday/today.

[Vagabond]

Sounds like you had a blast!

Good write up.

[cowpoos]

Te Awamutu - 12 hours after starting

12 hrs from welli.... lemme take a stab at why.... V [aka-velox] riding a honda cbr600rr,skelstar riding a honda cb900 hornet,limbimtimwin riding a honda rvf400!!!!

now theres an interesting trend there.....3 hondas....and a farkin slow trip to welli..... you fellas and fella-ess better hav some good excuses?

[Leong]

At one stage I caught up to a line of six cars that were going down through a sweeping right-hander. Having an excellent view throught the straight beyond I overtook the cars on the inside through the corner leaning right over through the turn. While it wont mean much to others, nor did it look that impressive, to me it epitomised my riding development so far. I didnt use brakes when my line changed suddenly and I didnt freak out. I was well pleased with the moment. Sorry, slight diversion.


I know what you mean! It feels good when you have the confidence to attempt this, and then do it well!!

Nice write up, not too long for those interested. I thought the vinegar hill road was much narrower than the back road to Te Awamutu. Only done vinegar hill in the car tho. Good choice of roads BTW. SOunds like my kind of trip.... ride for 20+hrs to see sister for 1-2 hrs? :laugh:

[Kendog]

Glad you guys had a safe trip (albeit, long) and LBTW is all fixed up again. Fab write up. If you are planning on long trips, have you thought about getting a seat like mine? I can recommend them as being amazingly comfy!! I'll let you swap with me sometime if you like and see what you think. Hey, any pics you can post?
Mrs KD.

[VasalineWarrior]

Wow, sounds like you guys had a mint time. Next time il have to go and show ya what a suzuki can do...

[madboy]

Yeah, where are the pics? I can't read anything that doesn't have at least 1 picture for every 100 words.

[limbimtimwim]

Making lightof the situation he declares "Haha...I have more music than you guys!!!". The quote of the trip.No it was you saying "Come back sexy ladies in generic silver car! I must look purposeful for their return! Hazard lights ACTIVATE!"

Or something to that effect.

[limbimtimwim]

12 hrs from welli.... lemme take a stab at why.... V [aka-velox] riding a honda cbr600rr,skelstar riding a honda cb900 hornet,limbimtimwin riding a honda rvf400!!!! now theres an interesting trend there.....3 hondas....and a farkin slow trip to welli..... you fellas and fella-ess better hav some good excuses?You want a reply along the lines of:

"Well, Mr Cowpoos, the reason for our slowness was because of all the group sex along the way. Skelstar, he is quite THE MAN if you follow my meaning. Velox.. Well.. Let's just say; she an't no prude. They had to leave me when my "Fuel Cock" got all busted up from overuse."

But you won't get a reply like that, no sir. So give up.

[VasalineWarrior]

Thanks for the pornographic reply dude :wacko: , what turned out to be wrong with your bike? I shudder to think of how hard it must be to get parts for :thud:

[limbimtimwim]

Thanks for the pronographic reply dude :wacko:Yeah, sorry, I'm in a weird mood
what turned out to be wrong with your bike? I shudder to think of how hard it must be to get parts for :thud:Fuel tap full of 13 years of varnish. I suspect the fuel cut-off disphram was sticking or something. When I changed the air filter a few weeks back, the tap just pissed fuel; with it on, off or in reserve. Vacuum applied or not to the vacuum side of the disphram. Upon pulling the nasty thing apart, it looked like all of it's internals were present. So perhaps it was sticking open. I used to be able to run the bike with the tap in the 'off' position as well. Coming down a hill in the waikato, I guess it decided it wanted to stick shut. Or some varnish came loose and blocked the fuel tap. Gixxerboy's garage had some volitile stuff and the fuel tap got a lot of it poured through it. I removed the spring from the diaphram and now the fuel tap is consistent.. As in it pisses petrol everywhere again vacuum applied or not. Coming back down to wellington today, it actually felt a little *better* than before, so perhaps I have had a very slight fuel starvation problem for awhile.

Someone is gonna pipe up and say "Mehhh!! You will get a crackcase full of petrol unless you fix the tap". Yes, I know.

Fuel tap looks the same as an NC30 tap, and it looks to be a Keihin part. So I suspect it may not be that hard to find a brand new tap.

[VasalineWarrior]

Heheh lucky then. Nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of f@#*ing no where with a bike that doesnt go. From the sounds of it you got help there pretty quick from the honda riders club or something?

[limbimtimwim]

Heheh lucky then. Nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of f@#*ing no where with a bike that doesnt go. From the sounds of it you got help there pretty quick from the honda riders club or something?The world swung into action: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=549495

[Velox]

Limbimtimwim - riiiiiiight. Someone's been hanging out in Te Awamutu a little bit too long mate.

On that note, the Crowded House song 'Mean To Me' has to be my song of the trip cause ever since Skelstar mentioned going via Te Awamutu the bloody thing wouldn't get out of my head! ("And the sound of Te Awamutu had a truely sacred ring...") And then the best thing was that it says "in the bar of a small town hotel" and we went to the bar of a small town hotel!!! That's just great - made my day! (What a nerd).


Awesome write up Skelstar!!! I'd just add that I could see a little bit more than you made out on the SH with my tinted visor - it was real bad on Vinegar Hill though. Thanks for putting up with me getting sick of it at the end there! But - yep, a great trip. My shouler/neck was still saw today though! That's really not a touring bike!

That whole thing was real good for me to get to know my bike more cause I feel like I'm a bit better in the corners now. I think I learnt to lean a little bit instead of trying to push the bike down into it. I'm sure there's more to say but I can't think of it right now. What a mission though! 22's awesome. Auckland's not. Ooh - Motomail is though!!!


Cowpoos - I don't think so buddy. :ar15: We were stopping lots (but we're used to that from riding with Suzukis quite a bit) and you try doing the whole thing in one go on a sports bike! And we went the long way. AND I have to stretch further across the tank and get sorer arms and needed to stop.

[SPman]

That whole thing was real good for me to get to know my bike more cause I feel like I'm a bit better in the corners now.well.....you were quite a way ahead of the 2 slackers on the Hornets..........:rofl:

[limbimtimwim]

Limbimtimwim - riiiiiiight. Someone's been hanging out in Te Awamutu a little bit too long mate.Yeah sorry. It is kinda my second home though.. Seriously..

That whole thing was real good for me to get to know my bike more cause I feel like I'm a bit better in the corners now.This probably means I won't be able to keep up with yo' any more.

Bugger.

[Ixion]

Cowpoos - I don't think so buddy. We were stopping lots (but we're used to that from riding with Suzukis quite a bit) and you try doing the whole thing in one go on a sports bike! And we went the long way. AND I have to stretch further across the tank and get sorer arms and needed to stop.


Mr Winja and I had an interesting debate about this a while back. Years ago I did Auckland->Wellington->Auckland in a day, on a 500cc Velo.

I maintained that for long distance touring a very fast sports bike would actually be slower than a smaller tourer. Partly because no mortal could ride the sports bike non stop. I only stopped once each way, and in Wellington itself. Mr Winja disagreed and reckoned that he could easily do it faster on a GSXR1000.

My argument was that although the GSXR would obviously be far faster than my Velo (or modern equivalent), it's extra speed would only be able to be used on rare occasions - for reasons of safety, practicality, and not getting stopped by the police.And the time saved by the extra speed would be lost in extra stops

While the tourer would plod along (I cruised at around 80mph - 130kph nowdays, with the odd excursion to knock on the door of Mr Ton - I had very high gearing), but it would keep that speed up constantly. And the combination of a touring riding position, better fuel economy , a bigger tank, and an untired rider would balance out the lower speed.Especially on the return trip. It's hard to ride 700km pretty much non stop, then get back on and repeat it the same day.

We never did agree, but I think your comment reinforces my argument.

[cowpoos]

Cowpoos - I don't think so buddy. :ar15: We were stopping lots (but we're used to that from riding with Suzukis quite a bit) and you try doing the whole thing in one go on a sports bike! And we went the long way. AND I have to stretch further across the tank and get sorer arms and needed to stop.

yes I hav.....and will be doing it again on friday [after a trackday too] and sunday.....hav done the trip in 6 hrs before

[Velox]

yes I hav.....and will be doing it again on friday [after a trackday too] and sunday.....hav done the trip in 6 hrs before
Well we were going for the ride as opposed to just getting there so it was funner than if we'd just hooned up. (We were only in Auck from 11pm til 11am which was a bit of a laugh.) And I would have keeled over and died from pain so it was all good.

[Velox]

Just a few pics....

[skelstar]

Where are all the people V?
Oh...you said 'bum'!!!

[skelstar]

Heres a couple of pics for y'all.
They are a bit out of sequence.
1. V 'melting into the pavement' at Ohakune on the way home. Two v-sexy bikes lined up :).
2. LBTW checking his Haynes user manual.
3. Panorama at top of Vinegar Hill on the way up. River terraces in background.
4. V and me on SH22.
5. LBTW and V loading the bike onto the truck.

[skelstar]

well.....you were quite a way ahead of the 2 slackers on the Hornets..........:rofl:
Wheeeyy...thats fighting talk.
If you werent riding a Gixer Thou Id issue a challenge (an empty one) like everyone is prone to doing these days. ;)

Back me up here V. please?

[limbimtimwim]

5. LBTW and V loading the bike onto the truck.This picture is a fake. Why did you paint Honda colours on my Suzuki?

[limbimtimwim]

Here is a picture Eddieb took on Monday of his 888 and my RVF up that little side road where we swapped back bikes on Saturday.

See, this bike is fine.

[skelstar]

Ah, and its pointing downhill too Simon. Good plan :niceone:.
Didnt realise you had company coming home (or didnt read it properly). What route did you take this time?

[Velox]

Wheeeyy...thats fighting talk.
If you werent riding a Gixer Thou Id issue a challenge (an empty one) like everyone is prone to doing these days. ;)

Back me up here V. please?
Yep - the lad is getting pretty fast! Hooning through some of that twisty stuff half way through 22 and heading up Vinegar Hill we were at a pretty good pace with Skel in the lead. (Make it a summer ale thanks Skelstar)

[Dreamer]

So you guys - what have you got planned for Easter? I'd love to do a 4 day trip but with a lot less hours on the bike per day than you have just done. The only ideas I've had so far is going to Whangamomona and seeing the Bridge to Nowhere. Otherwise there's the road from Wanganui to National Park (is it SH4?). Is anyone keen to plan something?

[madboy]

What Ixion said... it's all about average speed. Never done Auck on a bike, but done it plenty in cars over the years. Quickest was a Sigma GSR-X, 5hrs 21mins. Certainly not the fastest car I've ever owned, but it was comfortable and covered distance really really well. Only really opened it up on the Deserted Road and the Southern Mway, Auck. All the rest was a consistent 130-140 pace, middle of the night so nothing to slow down for, including most of the corners and small towns! And without constantly having to beat the throttle, I required only one fuel stop.

[Eddieb]

From Cambridge down SH1 and backroads to Tokoroa (Via Paraonui Road). Then out to Whakamaru (SH 32?) and down to Tokaanu via the Western Bypass. Over to National Park and a stop at Raetihi for some lunch followed by the ParaPara's to Wanganui, Sanson and SH1 to Welly.

[skelstar]

You can have a whole bloody case of the stuff ta V ;).

[Kendog]

So you guys - what have you got planned for Easter? I'd love to do a 4 day trip but with a lot less hours on the bike per day than you have just done. The only ideas I've had so far is going to Whangamomona and seeing the Bridge to Nowhere. Otherwise there's the road from Wanganui to National Park (is it SH4?). Is anyone keen to plan something?

I'd be quite keen for a trip (maybe), up to Gisborne, round the coast, taking in a few of the local pubs to have a drink or two with the local mongrel mob, black power and the Rastas in Ruatoria and then onto Opotiki and home by some route. Now that would be quite an enlightening trip! :2guns:

[Lou Girardin]

Good story, but someone buy velox a clear visor. $50 isn't worth dying for.

[skelstar]

Dreamer - make it happen if you want to go. Theres only about 3 weeks before Easter...start a thread.

[limbimtimwim]

I'd be quite keen for a trip (maybe), up to Gisborne, round the coastI reckon East Cape is probably the best trip in the North Island. I'm keen. Of course, but el hondureño de la diablo may explode.

[Velox]

Good story, but someone buy velox a clear visor. $50 isn't worth dying for.
I've got one - I just didn't take it cause we weren't really planning to be riding at night. The main prob is more that it slows you down - if I was going at the usual speed it would be dodgey, but it's not so bad when you 'ride to the cndtns' of having reduced visibility.



Btw - I can't do Easter sorry - got an engagement party on Sat pm and leading on a camp all the rest of the weekend. But I do have to ride between the camp (Palmy) and the Party (Wgtn) on Sat arvo and Sun morn so if the ride includes that (which I doubt it will) let me know.

[VasalineWarrior]

I'd be quite keen for a trip (maybe), up to Gisborne, round the coast, taking in a few of the local pubs to have a drink or two with the local mongrel mob, black power and the Rastas in Ruatoria and then onto Opotiki and home by some route. Now that would be quite an enlightening trip! :2guns:

Have some cuzzies in opotiki that could put us up for a night, and have been wanting to do east cape for a while now. Bring a Koha though, im safe from ending up in the hangi but they dont see many white folks out that way so it pays to be carefull!

[Kendog]

Almost sounds like a plan hatching! Depending if this works out and how many of us do go.....my mum lives in Wairoa and would be happy to have some of us for the night, (maybe a tent or two would be a plan?) and feed us. Also have tons of whanau in Gissy too, but probably wouldn't wanna stay there if a stop in Wairoa was the goer. Lived in Gissy most of my life and only went all the way round the coast once, in our 1964 Bedford housebus, but heard it's great on a bike!
Mrs KD.

[VasalineWarrior]

Hmm yeah I could get a roof to stay under for a few of us, but if this turns out then we might have a few too many people to ''impose'' on someones place. A cheap motel/motorcamp somewhere along the way would be the go perhaps?

[skelstar]

Funny. I was invited on another potential trip around the East Cape two days ago.

[limbimtimwim]

Over here!

East Cape Easter Weekend 06 (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=551125)