Over the Crown Range - twice

[crash99]

I mentioned my first 2 days of my round SI trip in blackbirds SI report post recently. Yesterday I went from Wanaka to Bluff to Milton (just south of Dunedin). Going from Wanaka towards Queenstown you have a choice of over the top - "Crown Range" - or the easy route through the gorge. I chose the Crown Range, not having driven it for about 20 years - it was unsealed then and a real nightmare. What a buzz now!! Anyone who hasn't driven this magic piece of road just has to do it. It starts out real easy and fast, then gradually tightens. There are 12 small bridges over the Cardrona River (imaginatively called Cardrona River Bridge 1, Cardrona River Bridge 2 etc!) and then you reach the summit with awesome views from here on - and its all down hill, again with great corners gradually getting tighter and tighter till you end up with real 15km/hr hairpins.
On to Bluff - no real dramas. The obligatory photo under the signpost pointing to the South Pole, London etc.
Back thru Invercargill and east towards the Catlins. Again, magic roads, awesome fast corners.
Today I headed towards Alexandra, with a bit of rain keeping the corners greasy. Rain cleared before Clyde and Cromwell. A few more muftis and marked plods on the road too:Police:, but nice drive. Had made great time so decided to go back over the Crown Range the other way - just as awesome! :woohoo: On through Lindis Pass to Omarama - big long straights - very tempting . . .
2 more days to go. Only got little tiny chicken strips on the Metzler Roadtecs now, but theres still the Kaikoura roads to go - an old hunting ground of mine.
Only a few bikes on the road today - c'mon you SI Kiwibikers, you've got fantastic roads down here, get out into them!! :beer:
(Sorry, can't get any pics loaded tonight over this crappy vodem connection)

[Virago]

Ha!

Did you do the Crown Range this arvo? So did I - in the bloody work cage...:doh: If you passed a white Mazda S/W with a ladder on the roof...

Fantastic road, eh? I prefer it from the Q'town end, those hairpins are more fun going up...

[Delphinus]

Only got little tiny chicken strips on the Metzler Roadtecs now, but theres still the Kaikoura roads to go - an old hunting ground of mine.

Should have told us you were down this way, could have escorted you round a bit :)
(or you did and I missed it)

How do you find the roadtec's? I've just put a sportec on the rear and will follow suit on the front shortly. I assume the roadtec's are harder and less sticky, but do you know by how much?

[scumdog]

real[/U] 15km/hr hairpins.
)

Best going the other way.:niceone:

Did it Labour weekend - in a whale-sized cage that used up most of the road.

Thank you Mr Ford for providing power steering.

[NighthawkNZ]

c'mon you SI Kiwibikers, you've got fantastic roads down here, get out into them!! :beer:

Man you should have posted that you were down this way I am sure you would have got an escort... me included...


I didn't go for a ride today... :crybaby: cause :crybaby: exactly not sure why I didn't go out probably because I miss your post your were down this way :baby:

[98tls]

[QUOTE=scumdog;1278659

Thank you Mr Ford for providing power steering.[/QUOTE] Err ahh yea,no worries Tom.Should i go check my garage for missing bits.

[scumdog]

Err ahh yea,no worries Tom.Should i go check my garage for missing bits.

:gob:YOU have a '66 Thunderbird in YOUR garage too???:shit::lol::laugh:

[Warr]

Takaka Hill is about as good as it gets !!
Mind you out to Akaroa, Milford Sound... all great roads.
Up this way Kawhia Harbour -TeAnga, East Cape, 22 in the dry!! , Waioeka Gorge...

Edit: No I didnt do them all today.. Sounds like you had a great outing Crash :)

[98tls]

:gob:YOU have a '66 Thunderbird in YOUR garage too???:shit::lol::laugh: Na mate,wish i did,must get you to take us for a spin in that someday.Sadly only one Ford in my garage.

[MaxB]

Best going the other way.:niceone:



+1 Going towards Wanaka. Brilliant. One of my all time favourite roads. You guys are blessed.

[Rashika]

planning on maybe doing that route about next tuesday actually, haven't done the crown range since they sealed it and never on a bike so it wil be interesting.
And the reason you didn't see many bikes? cos they were all up north near nelson riding those fantastic roads! You gotta get up to that Nelson rally sometime Scummy!

[scumdog]

You gotta get up to that Nelson rally sometime Scummy!


Ya think I might add a certain class and elegance to the rally if I went????


One day, one day....

[idb]

Ya think I might add a certain class and elegance to the rally if I went????


One day, one day....

Well, that'll learn 'em to be careful about what they wish for!!!

[Bobski]

Awsome arvo ride round the crown range!! Love it!! :rockon:

[idb]

Jeez, that bike of yours would be a handful on the ZigZag wouldn't it?

[Rashika]

Takaka Hill is about as good as it gets !!
Mind you out to Akaroa, Milford Sound... all great roads.
Up this way Kawhia Harbour -TeAnga, East Cape, 22 in the dry!! , Waioeka Gorge...

Edit: No I didnt do them all today.. Sounds like you had a great outing Crash :)
did takaka hill over the weekend, man what a ride! on and on and on and on... it just never wants to end :banana:


Ya think I might add a certain class and elegance to the rally if I went????


you would certainly add another dimension to the event, THATS fer sure :whistle:

[JATZ]

yip you gotta love that hill (takaka), like to shoot over it for a burger from the caravan after work on a summer evening, life dosn't get much better

[NighthawkNZ]

You gotta get up to that Nelson rally sometime Scummy!

I hope to make to this one year soon :(

[idb]

I hope to make to this one year soon :(

Same...I hate seeing these South Island post-rally threads that go on for hundreds of pages when I wasn't there.
Makes me think that I've missed out on something.

[crash99]

Should have told us you were down this way, could have escorted you round a bit :)
(or you did and I missed it)

How do you find the roadtec's? I've just put a sportec on the rear and will follow suit on the front shortly. I assume the roadtec's are harder and less sticky, but do you know by how much?

Hey Delphinus - yeah, I shouldve done, but wasn't too sure where I'd end up. Next time . . .
I'm really happy with the Roadtecs - certainly did me well on the trip and on my daily commute of 100km round trip. I know you can power on real hard in corners and I've not have any problems so far. I guess it is certainly more of a sports tourer than a pure sports. Some of the cop bikes use them too apparently - don't know what that says about them!!:rockon:

[crash99]

Takaka Hill is about as good as it gets !!
Mind you out to Akaroa, Milford Sound... all great roads.
Up this way Kawhia Harbour -TeAnga, East Cape, 22 in the dry!! , Waioeka Gorge...

Edit: No I didnt do them all today.. Sounds like you had a great outing Crash :)

Yep to all the above!!:woohoo:

[crash99]

Ha!

Did you do the Crown Range this arvo? So did I - in the bloody work cage...:doh: If you passed a white Mazda S/W with a ladder on the roof...

Fantastic road, eh? I prefer it from the Q'town end, those hairpins are more fun going up...
Yep, I reckon going up the hairpins is better too - and down the Wanaka side is awesome.
Managed to miss your white Mazda, but reckon that scrape on my new helmet must be off your friggin ladder last rh corner from the top :-)