shafty
17th October 2007, 13:32
Rusty Nuts Grand Challenge 2007
I had previously enjoyed a couple of “4 Points” events that Rusty Nuts MCC had organised, then earlier this year completed the Southern Cross event – which was fantastic, so I couldn’t resist entering the 1000 Mile Grand Challenge when the time came around.
The bike was serviced, new tyres all round, and I’d completed a night ride (midnight to 8am) with a couple of Mates as practice, which went well and proved my riding gear was up to keeping me warm thru the night. With my packing list complete, the ST1300 was loaded up, radar detector transferred from the car and I headed off to Turangi via the Western Access route, arriving at 5pm at the Shell station to refuel for tomorrow’s start.
I booked in at the camping ground, and headed straight for scrutineering to save the hassle the following day – all went sweet, so parked the bike up and wandered around, taking some photo’s, admiring the bikes and meeting some faces familiar from earlier events. Once my riding Buddy, Tony on his FJR arrived, it was off to tea at the Shell Truck Stop, infamous from last years DVD. I wasn’t really hungry but tradition is tradition!!
The route was revealed around 7pm, along with nice clear instructions – these Rusty Nuts Guys are super organised. The route was a goodie – I was stoked – it took us back over the Western Access skirting around Tokoroa to Putaruru, thru to Old Te Aroha Road, > Paeroa > Ngatea > Auckland > Orewa > Dargaville > Kaitaia > Bay of Islands > Wellsford thru to Helensville > Pukekohe > Tuakau thru to Otorohanga > Te Kuiti > Ohura loop then Taumaranui back to Turangi = 1620 km’s in 24 hours, starting at 3.24pm the next day.
A few quiet drinks catching up with Dougie NZ, and meeting KoroJ and an earlyish night in prep for the big day didn’t really work – too excited about the ride I guess, but a late arising, shower, free brekie, and time to kill, draw up our maps etc and an afternoon snooze. That made me feel sleepier still!!
3.24pm saw the Blue Card being held up, signalling the start for a dozen or so bikes heading out in fine conditions but wet roads. A speedy run thru to the Kurutai turnoff, as I settled in to the groove and passed - and was passed -by bikes galore as we shuffled for position. 63 km’s into it, on SH32 thru to Whakamaru I came across a Guy I’d met earlier on his nice blue Aprilia stranded on the roadside with a flat rear (no JAFFA’s, that’s not a new type of coffee). So I pulled up and threw him my puncture repair kit, then set off after my mate who had passed as I stopped.
Still nice and fine, with drying roads as I follow the throng turning into Old Taupo Road toward a speedy time check at Puketurua Hall. We were soon arriving in Putaruru, smiling while we passed all the bikes gassing up, as our big tanked tourers cruised on thru, unable to resist a toot and a wave.
The route took us on to Whites Rd – a right hander just north of town and thru past Okoroire to the Kaimai road, but it was left here for us, thru to the start of the Old Te Aroha Road, - mostly familiar territory so far, so all good.
Dry roads and a pretty fast pace thru here, and lots of concentration to keep the bike on track, til we come across a group of stopped bikes, attending to a fallen rider. A Rocket 3 was lying in the grass, with a snapped strainer post at the end of a skid mark showing the point of impact. There were about 8 bikes stopped already, we couldn’t contribute any more, so I led a small group thru albeit at a more modest pace toward Te Aroha, where Tony and I stopped for a drink.
My flip front Shoei really pays off in such situations – flip the front open, reach for drink from front glove-box – all while still on the bike, no need to remove helmet, radar earpiece etc
Off we shot at a rapid pace to Paeroa for the first checkpoint – at a crowded Mobil, so we parked across the road, ran over to get our cards clicked and refuelled at the other end of town. I was feeling tired already, so had some chocolate and a drink here as well.
Back on the bikes and we flew thru to Ngatea, turned off just past the Shell station to avoid the well patrolled Ngatea straights, enjoying a nice 140 km cruise speed. Pretty quickly we arrived at the Bombay Café at 7pm in the rain, parking under their verandah as we peeled off the layers for a sit down dinner. We had taken the view that we just had to get back to Turangi within 24 hours to meet the challenge, so felt a meal stop was sensible.
Once we had refuelled our bodies, it was back on the bikes and into the rain – yuk! The rain alone was OK, but a wet Auckland motorway didn’t appeal. We had plenty of gas on board – the ST takes 29 litres which gave me a strategic advantage I used to great effect the next day! We sat at 120 km on the wet slippery shiny motorway from Bombay right thru to Orewa – traffic wasn’t too bad, - a good section to get out of the way – til tomorrow of course when we would retrace this portion.
The radar detector paid for itself as we exited the motorway, picking a cop out of the crowd in the dark in plenty of time to reduce to a legal speed – thank you Mr Escort.
More wet roads and rain as we headed thru Waiwera, Tony on my tail the whole way, us both maintaining a creditable pace given the conditions. We pulled in to Wellsford gas station as agreed at 9.20pm, to check fuel and each other. I had felt really tired after dinner – strange because I’d made sure I had good sleep leading up to the event. But now I was wide awake and feeling good, despite the rain. Tony on the other hand was suffering, was wet thru and had problem with his helmet misting up and decided to pull out.
A sensible decision and a gutsy one. I was on my own, had enough gas so without further ado, headed outta town, soon latching on to the back of a group of 4 or 5 who were riding tidily.
We headed west from the Brynderwyns toward Dargaville, until a collection of tail lights gathered on a left hand corner. I quickly saw someone had taken the corner a bit wide and was in the grass, so positioned my headlight on the scene so we could see what we were doing and a couple of us easily lifted/dragged the beaut ’66 Norton back on to the road. The Rider was fine and the only damage seemed to be a bent left footpeg – great out come. A couple of kicks got the Norton roaring to life and it sounded beautiful.
The bunch shot off, and I trailed Mr Norton thru to Dargaville just in case, though there was apparently no need as he was hoofing along at a healthy pace. We had some strong winds thru here, but it was a nice fresh breeze – made me feel grateful to be alive and the wind would dry out the roads – surely?
In to Dargaville at 11.15pm for a gas-up and pee stop, checkpoint plus an energy drink and quick chat. Straight back on the bike before I could think about how much further we had to ride, the roads now really greasy, wet and smooth. I passed some of the bunch I rode with earlier, but the big KTM (Warewolf) and his mate on a new Kawa 250 Sherpa (ClintNZ) were moving at a great pace and eluded me. Several times during the night I would pass them as they stopped to share gas/have a drink etc, then they would fly past me riding real sweet, my hats off to them.
The tight winding wet roads of Waipoua Forest – normally a delight in the dry daylight, were strewn with branches from the severe winds, the ST seemed about a metre too long for the sharp bends and I would just exit a corner to see “The Trailies” tail lights disappear again. I encountered 3 bikes, 2 riding together, coming the opposite way thru here – they must be in the GC, - why else would you be riding in the wet at 12am? But they must be lost as this is definitely NOT a short cut coming home this way. Oh well…
I flew thru Opononi – thinking it as something of a crime to fly thru such a beautiful part of the country, at night, without stopping to appreciate it, but this was a time challenge afterall!
Signage was good and the route to Kaitaia was easy to follow without consulting the map, with intermittent rain all the way. I felt I was riding well, no real panic situations, and given the state of the roads and the time of night, the ST was flowing beautifully. The electric screen is like gold in these conditions, the power and ABS/Linked brakes a delight. It was dark and wet, but not cold, with the hot grips as yet unused. All my gear was performing well, and I was still dry under the wet gear I had worn from the start to avoid a roadside pantomime when I encountered rain.
It felt good to reach Kaitaia at 10 past 2.00am – I was half way! Yay! Quite a collection of bikes here, including one entrant on a Aprilia 125 sport bike – he’s keen! Plus an ex Paramedic BMW which looked grouse in white, despite sacrificing a mirror to a bird he hit on the Western Access. A Triumph Sprint, complete with right side grazing where it hit the road earlier in the event. A father and son team on a VTR1000 and SV400, putting in a good effort, despite Dad’s attempts at navigation apparently.
Pic 1: Club Med Turangi
Pic 2: The ideal GC bike
Pic 3: Ulysses Entrants with KB'ers amongst them
Pic 4: Typical 2am refuelling scene
Continued...............
I had previously enjoyed a couple of “4 Points” events that Rusty Nuts MCC had organised, then earlier this year completed the Southern Cross event – which was fantastic, so I couldn’t resist entering the 1000 Mile Grand Challenge when the time came around.
The bike was serviced, new tyres all round, and I’d completed a night ride (midnight to 8am) with a couple of Mates as practice, which went well and proved my riding gear was up to keeping me warm thru the night. With my packing list complete, the ST1300 was loaded up, radar detector transferred from the car and I headed off to Turangi via the Western Access route, arriving at 5pm at the Shell station to refuel for tomorrow’s start.
I booked in at the camping ground, and headed straight for scrutineering to save the hassle the following day – all went sweet, so parked the bike up and wandered around, taking some photo’s, admiring the bikes and meeting some faces familiar from earlier events. Once my riding Buddy, Tony on his FJR arrived, it was off to tea at the Shell Truck Stop, infamous from last years DVD. I wasn’t really hungry but tradition is tradition!!
The route was revealed around 7pm, along with nice clear instructions – these Rusty Nuts Guys are super organised. The route was a goodie – I was stoked – it took us back over the Western Access skirting around Tokoroa to Putaruru, thru to Old Te Aroha Road, > Paeroa > Ngatea > Auckland > Orewa > Dargaville > Kaitaia > Bay of Islands > Wellsford thru to Helensville > Pukekohe > Tuakau thru to Otorohanga > Te Kuiti > Ohura loop then Taumaranui back to Turangi = 1620 km’s in 24 hours, starting at 3.24pm the next day.
A few quiet drinks catching up with Dougie NZ, and meeting KoroJ and an earlyish night in prep for the big day didn’t really work – too excited about the ride I guess, but a late arising, shower, free brekie, and time to kill, draw up our maps etc and an afternoon snooze. That made me feel sleepier still!!
3.24pm saw the Blue Card being held up, signalling the start for a dozen or so bikes heading out in fine conditions but wet roads. A speedy run thru to the Kurutai turnoff, as I settled in to the groove and passed - and was passed -by bikes galore as we shuffled for position. 63 km’s into it, on SH32 thru to Whakamaru I came across a Guy I’d met earlier on his nice blue Aprilia stranded on the roadside with a flat rear (no JAFFA’s, that’s not a new type of coffee). So I pulled up and threw him my puncture repair kit, then set off after my mate who had passed as I stopped.
Still nice and fine, with drying roads as I follow the throng turning into Old Taupo Road toward a speedy time check at Puketurua Hall. We were soon arriving in Putaruru, smiling while we passed all the bikes gassing up, as our big tanked tourers cruised on thru, unable to resist a toot and a wave.
The route took us on to Whites Rd – a right hander just north of town and thru past Okoroire to the Kaimai road, but it was left here for us, thru to the start of the Old Te Aroha Road, - mostly familiar territory so far, so all good.
Dry roads and a pretty fast pace thru here, and lots of concentration to keep the bike on track, til we come across a group of stopped bikes, attending to a fallen rider. A Rocket 3 was lying in the grass, with a snapped strainer post at the end of a skid mark showing the point of impact. There were about 8 bikes stopped already, we couldn’t contribute any more, so I led a small group thru albeit at a more modest pace toward Te Aroha, where Tony and I stopped for a drink.
My flip front Shoei really pays off in such situations – flip the front open, reach for drink from front glove-box – all while still on the bike, no need to remove helmet, radar earpiece etc
Off we shot at a rapid pace to Paeroa for the first checkpoint – at a crowded Mobil, so we parked across the road, ran over to get our cards clicked and refuelled at the other end of town. I was feeling tired already, so had some chocolate and a drink here as well.
Back on the bikes and we flew thru to Ngatea, turned off just past the Shell station to avoid the well patrolled Ngatea straights, enjoying a nice 140 km cruise speed. Pretty quickly we arrived at the Bombay Café at 7pm in the rain, parking under their verandah as we peeled off the layers for a sit down dinner. We had taken the view that we just had to get back to Turangi within 24 hours to meet the challenge, so felt a meal stop was sensible.
Once we had refuelled our bodies, it was back on the bikes and into the rain – yuk! The rain alone was OK, but a wet Auckland motorway didn’t appeal. We had plenty of gas on board – the ST takes 29 litres which gave me a strategic advantage I used to great effect the next day! We sat at 120 km on the wet slippery shiny motorway from Bombay right thru to Orewa – traffic wasn’t too bad, - a good section to get out of the way – til tomorrow of course when we would retrace this portion.
The radar detector paid for itself as we exited the motorway, picking a cop out of the crowd in the dark in plenty of time to reduce to a legal speed – thank you Mr Escort.
More wet roads and rain as we headed thru Waiwera, Tony on my tail the whole way, us both maintaining a creditable pace given the conditions. We pulled in to Wellsford gas station as agreed at 9.20pm, to check fuel and each other. I had felt really tired after dinner – strange because I’d made sure I had good sleep leading up to the event. But now I was wide awake and feeling good, despite the rain. Tony on the other hand was suffering, was wet thru and had problem with his helmet misting up and decided to pull out.
A sensible decision and a gutsy one. I was on my own, had enough gas so without further ado, headed outta town, soon latching on to the back of a group of 4 or 5 who were riding tidily.
We headed west from the Brynderwyns toward Dargaville, until a collection of tail lights gathered on a left hand corner. I quickly saw someone had taken the corner a bit wide and was in the grass, so positioned my headlight on the scene so we could see what we were doing and a couple of us easily lifted/dragged the beaut ’66 Norton back on to the road. The Rider was fine and the only damage seemed to be a bent left footpeg – great out come. A couple of kicks got the Norton roaring to life and it sounded beautiful.
The bunch shot off, and I trailed Mr Norton thru to Dargaville just in case, though there was apparently no need as he was hoofing along at a healthy pace. We had some strong winds thru here, but it was a nice fresh breeze – made me feel grateful to be alive and the wind would dry out the roads – surely?
In to Dargaville at 11.15pm for a gas-up and pee stop, checkpoint plus an energy drink and quick chat. Straight back on the bike before I could think about how much further we had to ride, the roads now really greasy, wet and smooth. I passed some of the bunch I rode with earlier, but the big KTM (Warewolf) and his mate on a new Kawa 250 Sherpa (ClintNZ) were moving at a great pace and eluded me. Several times during the night I would pass them as they stopped to share gas/have a drink etc, then they would fly past me riding real sweet, my hats off to them.
The tight winding wet roads of Waipoua Forest – normally a delight in the dry daylight, were strewn with branches from the severe winds, the ST seemed about a metre too long for the sharp bends and I would just exit a corner to see “The Trailies” tail lights disappear again. I encountered 3 bikes, 2 riding together, coming the opposite way thru here – they must be in the GC, - why else would you be riding in the wet at 12am? But they must be lost as this is definitely NOT a short cut coming home this way. Oh well…
I flew thru Opononi – thinking it as something of a crime to fly thru such a beautiful part of the country, at night, without stopping to appreciate it, but this was a time challenge afterall!
Signage was good and the route to Kaitaia was easy to follow without consulting the map, with intermittent rain all the way. I felt I was riding well, no real panic situations, and given the state of the roads and the time of night, the ST was flowing beautifully. The electric screen is like gold in these conditions, the power and ABS/Linked brakes a delight. It was dark and wet, but not cold, with the hot grips as yet unused. All my gear was performing well, and I was still dry under the wet gear I had worn from the start to avoid a roadside pantomime when I encountered rain.
It felt good to reach Kaitaia at 10 past 2.00am – I was half way! Yay! Quite a collection of bikes here, including one entrant on a Aprilia 125 sport bike – he’s keen! Plus an ex Paramedic BMW which looked grouse in white, despite sacrificing a mirror to a bird he hit on the Western Access. A Triumph Sprint, complete with right side grazing where it hit the road earlier in the event. A father and son team on a VTR1000 and SV400, putting in a good effort, despite Dad’s attempts at navigation apparently.
Pic 1: Club Med Turangi
Pic 2: The ideal GC bike
Pic 3: Ulysses Entrants with KB'ers amongst them
Pic 4: Typical 2am refuelling scene
Continued...............