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Hitcher
13th September 2004, 10:25
Given how the weather has since turned to custard, it is nice to reminisce about Saturday's riding opportunity when Mrs H and I managed to abscond over the hill for a few hours of riding pleasure.

On Friday I had fitted my new tyres -- my second set of Metzeler Roadtec Z6s -- which I had run in on Friday night in readiness for the weekend on my favourite "tyre running in" route (downtown to the Wainuimata coast and back home).

Saturday on the Wairarapa was perfect riding conditions -- high overcast, light winds, dry roads.

We were surprised at how few other bikes were out and about. Two bikes from Masterton arrived at Castlepoint while we were there -- An old black Z1000 and an equally old black Yamaha of indeterminate model.

Our route took in Martinborough (brunch at the "Fish"), the back road through Gladstone, cutting through that narrow little windy road before the river that comes out on the Castlepoint road. We returned the same way, but this time turned off at Gladstone heading up past Middle Run towards Carterton, but running around the back before rejoining SH2 south of Carterton. A quick cake stop in Greytown before a most enjoyable run over the 'takas and back home in time for the footy!

Don't new tyres make a difference! Call me a woos, but I enjoy the riding style of the Zrex more than the clip-on style of a sports bike (although Friday's ZX12 experience was good fun, largely due to that wonderful Yoshimura exhaust note...)

vifferman
13th September 2004, 10:48
Saturday on the Wairarapa was perfect riding conditions -- high overcast, light winds, dry roads.

We were surprised at how few other bikes were out and about. Perhaps it was because the Met Service was unduly pessimistic about the weather? We were forecast showers in D'Auckland both days, and it was warm and dry. So I blew off Saturday with chores, and cleaning/maintaining the bike (not a chore!)
Yesterday Mrs FS and I finally decided to go for a ride (after getting all the other bollocks like housework and shopping out of the way). More stuffing around choosing a route and sorting out what Mrs FS could wear on her feet (first time wearing her 'new' leathers, and her boots wouldn't fit over or under the pants legs. In the end, she wore some snow boots :wacko: ) Anyways, by the time we sorted that out, and I took my helmet off and on a few times (ear plugs), it was well after 3 PM.
Very few bikes out on the road, and only a very few spits of rain, that I wouldn't have noticed but for them landing on the visor. I got a little lost, so ended up following a guy on a BMW that looked like he was going somewhere, and indeed, he was going down the very road I was looking for (for a ways, at least). So we eventually headed up Old North Road, through Kaukapakapa, across to Silverdale, then up to Orewa for a caffeinated beverage. Stopped a at a likely-looking cafe, took off the helmets, gubs, earplugs, etc., only to find that it had closed a few minutes before, and the patrons inside were just ekeing out the last few sips/bites of the afternoon tea.:doh:
So, rather than gear up again just to look for another place, we went home.

At home we compared notes to find neither of us had particularly enjoyed the ride. Why? Dunno. Didn't help that we both had headaches, nor that Mrs FS had twice dropped her clip-ons for her glasses on the road, and had got cold near Kaukapakapa. It was just a pointless sort of ride, and I was feeling unsure of my riding, due to the mind-altering substances having worn off earlier in the day, so I was taking it slow. Plus the weather, though dry, was decidedly gloomy. I was a little disappointed with my 'new' X-Vent, as the x-venty thing was whistly at highway speeds (not a problem with my earplugs in, just a little irritating) and my ears/forehead ached.
The major bummer was it didn't make me feel good about motorcycling, and probably made Mrs FS less enthusiastic to, despite it being her idea. I think a car ride (blasphemy! sacrilege!) would've been more enjoyable. :spudwhat:
In fact (haven't told her this), I'd be quite OK with selling the bike right now.

Hitcher
13th September 2004, 10:54
In fact (haven't told her this), I'd be quite OK with selling the bike right now.
Mate, It can only get better. It's always darkest before the dawn. That glass isn't half empty, it's half full! Get back on that horse. He who leff loffs laffs lest!

Marknz
13th September 2004, 10:57
In fact (haven't told her this), I'd be quite OK with selling the bike right now.

:spudwhat:

jrandom
13th September 2004, 10:58
I'd be quite OK with selling the bike right now.

Oh, can ye lend me two bob 'till Thursday...

jrandom
13th September 2004, 11:00
And stop wittering on about selling the bike. You know you'll regret it if you do.

Riding is like sex.

When you're doing it on a Sunday afternoon with the frame of mind "we can't waste the opportunity..." it's never quite as good as it's cracked up to be.

vifferman
13th September 2004, 11:01
He who leff loffs laffs lest!:laugh:
Mate, that was a whole bunch of platypuses? (Or is that platypi?)

:spudwhat: It's a spud going "What?", Mark.:mellow:

vifferman
13th September 2004, 11:09
Oh, can ye lend me two bob 'till Thursday...What?

When you're doing it on a Sunday afternoon with the frame of mind "we can't waste the opportunity..." it's never quite as good as it's cracked up to be.I don't think it was that; we both wanted to go for a ride, agreed on the destination, etc., but it just seemed pointless and pointless. And there was no point, either.:blank:

jrandom
13th September 2004, 11:16
What?

From these glens and scars, the sound of the coot and the moorhen is seldom absent. Nature sits in stern mastery over these rocks and crags. The rush of the mountain stream, the bleat of the sheep, and the broad, clear Highland skies reflected in tarn and loch form a breathtaking backdrop against which Ewan McTeagle writes such poems as "Lend us a quid till the end of the week". But it was with more simple, homespun verses that McTeagle's unique style first flowered.

If you could see your way to lending me sixpence
I could at least buy a newspaper
That's not much to ask anyone.

No longer do we have to be content with Keats' "Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness", Wordsworth's "I wandered lonely as a cloud" and Milton's "Can you lend us two bob till Tuesday".

Oh gie me a shillin' for some fags
and I'll pay yer back on Thursday,
but if you wait till Saturday
I'm expecting a divvy from the Harpenden Building Society.

Paul in NZ
13th September 2004, 11:23
Well of course it was pointless... thats the point of riding....

Sometimes the best rides don't become the best ride ever until a few weeks later... (after the bruising goes down) And frankly, if we are going on long holiday or off to the shops, we take the car! We can't be arsed with the bikes...

When I do ride, I don't ride along brimming with laughter and joy every ride. I'd get locked up!! But having a bike, and being a rider is a more than reveling the the actual riding! It's an attitude, a state of being, it colours everything you do and makes you a better person. Thats the real return on your investment.

Laughing when you turn up to a meeting with greasy fingernails and helmet hair! Being bummed 'cos it's a nice day for a ride and you are at work!

In the words of the Great Guru of our age, Homer Simpson... 'Don't over think it'

Paul N

vifferman
13th September 2004, 11:42
When I do ride, I don't ride along brimming with laughter and joy every ride. I'd get locked up!! But having a bike, and being a rider is a more than reveling the the actual riding! It's an attitude, a state of being, it colours everything you do and makes you a better person. Thats the real return on your investment.There are those rides where the corners feel like magic (like a good run on the skifield), and those days when you're riding along, revelling in the sensations, such as the smell of honeysuckle in the hedgerows, and the feel of riding through a cool, shady 'pool' of air on a hot summer's day. And then there's the other experiences, like riding when it's snowing, riding in a torrential downpour, riding some bike that's an absolute Heap'O'Shit (TM) but so bad you just have to crack up. I've had unmemorable rides, but I guess I was just disappointed that yesterday's was the first that we both looked forward to yet was just blah. Mrs FS has made a decision to join me in biking, and I really wanted it to be better. On the plus side, her leathers were MUCH better than anticipated, so once we sort out a better helmet (currently a BMW System3, which is a bit heavy/noisy/fat) and her own gloves, and boots that work well, then her comfort/enjoyment factor should improve. A few rides with other bikers should help - I've only ever been on a few group rides ever (the last was a couple of years ago), but I've enjoyed the camaraderie and shared experiences of them immensely.

toads
13th September 2004, 16:44
Perhaps it was because the Met Service was unduly pessimistic about the weather? We were forecast showers in D'Auckland both days, and it was warm and dry. So I blew off Saturday with chores, and cleaning/maintaining the bike (not a chore!)
Yesterday Mrs FS and I finally decided to go for a ride (after getting all the other bollocks like housework and shopping out of the way). More stuffing around choosing a route and sorting out what Mrs FS could wear on her feet (first time wearing her 'new' leathers, and her boots wouldn't fit over or under the pants legs. In the end, she wore some snow boots :wacko: ) Anyways, by the time we sorted that out, and I took my helmet off and on a few times (ear plugs), it was well after 3 PM.
Very few bikes out on the road, and only a very few spits of rain, that I wouldn't have noticed but for them landing on the visor. I got a little lost, so ended up following a guy on a BMW that looked like he was going somewhere, and indeed, he was going down the very road I was looking for (for a ways, at least). So we eventually headed up Old North Road, through Kaukapakapa, across to Silverdale, then up to Orewa for a caffeinated beverage. Stopped a at a likely-looking cafe, took off the helmets, gubs, earplugs, etc., only to find that it had closed a few minutes before, and the patrons inside were just ekeing out the last few sips/bites of the afternoon tea.:doh:
So, rather than gear up again just to look for another place, we went home.

At home we compared notes to find neither of us had particularly enjoyed the ride. Why? Dunno. Didn't help that we both had headaches, nor that Mrs FS had twice dropped her clip-ons for her glasses on the road, and had got cold near Kaukapakapa. It was just a pointless sort of ride, and I was feeling unsure of my riding, due to the mind-altering substances having worn off earlier in the day, so I was taking it slow. Plus the weather, though dry, was decidedly gloomy. I was a little disappointed with my 'new' X-Vent, as the x-venty thing was whistly at highway speeds (not a problem with my earplugs in, just a little irritating) and my ears/forehead ached.
The major bummer was it didn't make me feel good about motorcycling, and probably made Mrs FS less enthusiastic to, despite it being her idea. I think a car ride (blasphemy! sacrilege!) would've been more enjoyable. :spudwhat:
In fact (haven't told her this), I'd be quite OK with selling the bike right now.

What you really need is a bunch of screaming fighting children to take with you on your next excursion, after stopping to refasten seatbelts,take kids to the toilet, stop cos one of 'em feels sick and then stop again to buy panadol cos you have a headache, then stop to buy icecreams and drinks cos they are all complaining, then 4 more stops for toilet or for 3 of them to be sick, you will then truly appreciate what it is to be on a motorbike, granted the helmet and other bit'n'pieces are a hassle at times, but well worth the effort for the ensuing wave of sanity that engulfs you afterwards, sorry you had a bummer of a ride, maybe you just need a good rest and to borrow someone's bloody awful kids to put things in perspective. cheers L

SPman
13th September 2004, 18:01
From these glens and scars, the sound of the coot and the moorhen is seldom absent. Nature sits in stern mastery over these rocks and crags. The rush of the mountain stream, the bleat of the sheep, and the broad, clear Highland skies reflected in tarn and loch form a breathtaking backdrop against which Ewan McTeagle writes such poems as "Lend us a quid till the end of the week". But it was with more simple, homespun verses that McTeagle's unique style first flowered.

If you could see your way to lending me sixpence
I could at least buy a newspaper
That's not much to ask anyone.

No longer do we have to be content with Keats' "Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness", Wordsworth's "I wandered lonely as a cloud" and Milton's "Can you lend us two bob till Tuesday".

Oh gie me a shillin' for some fags
and I'll pay yer back on Thursday,
but if you wait till Saturday
I'm expecting a divvy from the Harpenden Building Society.
Aaahhh - I havnae seen much McTeagle , of recent times.. Fair brings a tear t ma eye.. McTeagle and McGonagal.....

'Twas in the year of 1898, and on the 8th of June,
A mother and six children met with a cruel doom
In one of the most fearful fires for some years past
And as the spectators gazed upon them they stood aghast......

merv
13th September 2004, 19:18
Back to the original topic, there is no doubt the ride to Castlepoint is fun. I also enjoy the road to Riversdale, possibly even more. Then beyond there over the gravel is great on the dirt bike. The Wairarapa has some good rides. The only negative over there sometimes is the winds.

mccool
13th September 2004, 19:41
...but it just seemed pointless and pointless. And there was no point, either.:blank:
Ah, just like life in general. You make a plan, you go out looking for something, but in the end you find yourself gazing into the dark terrible blackness, the terrible blackness that waits for us all at the heart of our being. And now the Tokaanu trip is booked out, so there goes the last tiny chance of salvation. Pointless....pointless.

LB
14th September 2004, 05:49
.
.
Mr H: We were at the Fish for a while on Sat also - missed you though. Like you, I thought there'd be more bikes out and about. We only had a short ride, didn't get to the top of the hill till around mid-day, but then met up with a mate and decided to tootle on down to the Fish around 1.15pm. Hung round there for a while then back to the top of the hill till around 3.45pm, then home. Left all the bike gear out for our ride on Sunday - yeah right!!

Firestormer - know what you mean, some days (but not many) things just don't "gel". I'm sure your next ride will be a cracker. Let us know.
.
.

Hitcher
14th September 2004, 08:52
Back to the original topic, there is no doubt the ride to Castlepoint is fun. I also enjoy the road to Riversdale, possibly even more. Then beyond there over the gravel is great on the dirt bike. The Wairarapa has some good rides. The only negative over there sometimes is the winds.
We don't do no gravel...

Hitcher
14th September 2004, 08:55
Aaahhh - I havnae seen much McTeagle , of recent times.. Fair brings a tear t ma eye.. McTeagle and McGonagal.....

The Moon By William McGonagle

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou seemest most charming to my sight;
As I gaze upon thee in the sky so high,
A tear of joy does moisten mine eye.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the Esquimau in the night;
For thou lettest him see to harpoon the fish,
And with them he makes a dainty dish.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the fox in the night,
And lettest him see to steal the grey goose away
Out of the farm-yard from a stack of hay.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the farmer in the night,
and makes his heart beat high with delight
As he views his crops by the light in the night.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the eagle in the night,
And lettest him see to devour his prey
And carry it to his nest away.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the mariner in the night
As he paces the deck alone,
Thinking of his dear friends at home.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the weary traveller in the night;
For thou lightest up the wayside around
To him when he is homeward bound.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the lovers in the night
As they walk through the shady groves alone,
Making love to each other before they go home.

Beautiful Moon, with thy silvery light,
Thou cheerest the poacher in the night;
For thou lettest him see to set his snares
To catch the rabbit and the hares.

vifferman
14th September 2004, 09:35
What you really need is a bunch of screaming fighting children to take with you on your next excursionNo, that's not what I need at all. It's bad enough having fighting children, or children who talk very loudly all at the same time. But at least we can leave them at home now, and go to Rotorua, Melbourne or wherever the hell we like on our own. I'm so over that whole "fighting kids in the back seat" thing.:mellow:
They did a bad job on our 5-day jaunt the other weekend; we arrived home and the house wasn't a smoking crater in the ground.
Note to self: Stock up the house with more flammable / explosive substances.

toads
14th September 2004, 14:43
No, that's not what I need at all. It's bad enough having fighting children, or children who talk very loudly all at the same time. But at least we can leave them at home now, and go to Rotorua, Melbourne or wherever the hell we like on our own. I'm so over that whole "fighting kids in the back seat" thing.:mellow:
They did a bad job on our 5-day jaunt the other weekend; we arrived home and the house wasn't a smoking crater in the ground.
Note to self: Stock up the house with more flammable / explosive substances.

Damn, I was really hoping you'd offer to have mine for the school holidays, you know, just for the experience!, oh well, it's just as well I have just taken my bike for a damned good thrash today, I have 2 weeks where I won't be able to even think about getting on it due to having young kids to look after, I think school holidays are far too frequent!

Ghost Lemur
14th September 2004, 18:58
Damn, I was really hoping you'd offer to have mine for the school holidays, you know, just for the experience!, oh well, it's just as well I have just taken my bike for a damned good thrash today, I have 2 weeks where I won't be able to even think about getting on it due to having young kids to look after, I think school holidays are far too frequent!

Totally agree, why don't you add that rant to the Education thread. :D

BTW Least you HAVE a bike to ride. :crybaby:

LB
15th September 2004, 05:42
We don't do no gravel...
.
.

Man after my own heart.......
(waits cringing for Oscar and 4skins to call her a woose...)

LB
15th September 2004, 05:44
(though in my defence, have been known to do Gentle Annie, and Whangamomona)

merv
15th September 2004, 08:33
.
.

Man after my own heart.......
(waits cringing for Oscar and 4skins to call her a woose...)

While I love gravel roads, that is certainly not on the road bike. The weight, the tyres, the riding position are all just wrong for it and it aint worth the risk.

Hitcher
15th September 2004, 09:40
While I love gravel roads, that is certainly not on the road bike. The weight, the tyres, the riding position are all just wrong for it and it aint worth the risk.
Indeed. I've ridden through the Tangarakau Gorge, but that was a nice hardpacked surface. There's something rather unnerving about loose gravel rolling around underneath a 180 width rear wheel...

merv
15th September 2004, 13:10
Where the road tyres are at their worst are on wet surfaces that are a bit rutted and there is no side grip at all so you can't climb outta the rut and next thing you know you got too much lock on the steering and the inertia of the bike has it heading one way while you are trying to steer the other. A nice light dirt bike with plenty of tread on the tyres just doesn't suffer that sort of problem. The weight of the road bikes just kinda pins them in a hole.

Classic comparo with this was riding up a nice not too slippery track on the Pukemanu run and a newish BMW F650 was ahead of me and then there is an angled rut across the track - his front wheel just went into it and he went splat - those bloody things weigh about 195kg dry. Net result was broken plastic everywhere - I picked up and handed him back one of his indicators. A dirt bike like my WR just flies over things like that as if they aren't there.

Horses for courses eh! I like road and dirt and from my experience on the adventure rides going back almost 15 years its what made me stick with a bike for each purpose, particularly as I am not a big guy. I had thought about an F650 when they came out but opted to buy my VFR in '94 instead and stuck with a trail bike for the dirt as I saw too many come to grief on essentially what were easy dirt rides.

Oscar
20th September 2004, 17:41
.
.

Man after my own heart.......
(waits cringing for Oscar and 4skins to call her a woose...)

Woose? Nah.
But you gotta give it a go, then you can come adventure riding with us.
Besides, a bit of off-road riding does wonders for bike handling skills and confidence.

I took 4skins and the J-Girl on an adventure ride around Raglan yesterday, it was great fun. They rode my TDM - I don't know what was more amazing, what 4skins did with the TDM, or the fact that Jan never once looked worried...

Pictures to follow.

Ps. See you on the Island.http://www.advrider.com/forums/images/smilies/friday.gif

LB
21st September 2004, 05:27
Woose? Nah.
But you gotta give it a go, then you can come adventure riding with us.
Besides, a bit of off-road riding does wonders for bike handling skills and confidence.

I took 4skins and the J-Girl on an adventure ride around Raglan yesterday, it was great fun. They rode my TDM - I don't know what was more amazing, what 4skins did with the TDM, or the fact that Jan never once looked worried...

Pictures to follow.

Ps. See you on the Island.http://www.advrider.com/forums/images/smilies/friday.gif
.
When I found out the price of new DR650's I did seriously consider buying a couple, but they'd run out by then.

Only three and a bit weeks to go!!!
.