Ashhurst to Akitio 29 12 07

[cowboyz]

Totally dependant on fine weather but being summer in all it should be fine.

Plan is to follow the coast to coast route to Akitio because this year Mrs Cowboyz came on the coast to coast and the weather was so crap so keen to rerun the route in dry weather.

Leaving Mobil Ashhurst at 10am
Out to Akitio for lunch via coast to coast route.
Back via webber.

All welcome.

Pace moderate and suitable for all riders except dickheads.

[cowboyz]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=1502&day=2007-12-29

[chanceyy]

Now that could be a plan cause the c2c had been only time i had been out there & I agree with mrs C .. the weather was a shocker all right

:yes:

[Meanie]

Mr and mrs Meanie would be keen but she has to work Saturday night and dosnt want to get home late:no:, Sunday would have been the go
Ill see what happens

[yod]

will have the parents here during that week so probably wont be able to make it - but i never say never......

[cowboyz]

Mr and mrs Meanie would be keen but she has to work Saturday night and dosnt want to get home late:no:, Sunday would have been the go
Ill see what happens
will be home plenty in time for her to go to work. Its only 240km round trip. 3 hours tops with 2 hour lunch and that puts us home at 3pm


will have the parents here during that week so probably wont be able to make it - but i never say never......
throw some panniers on and bring them too...........

[yod]

will be home plenty in time for her to go to work. Its only 240km round trip. 3 hours tops with 2 hour lunch and that puts us home at 3pm


throw some panniers on and bring them too...........

maybe give dad the vfr, his last bike was an Ariel square four so a mid 80's honda with no brakes should be a cinch :laugh:

[NZsarge]

I'll see sooner to the date but it looks good to me

[GSVR]

All welcome.

Pace moderate and suitable for all riders except dickheads.


http://wagewhore.20m.com/dickhead-test.html

I might start a breakaway group for people that fail the test and wanna ride slow.

[NZsarge]

http://wagewhore.20m.com/dickhead-test.html

Aint gettin' sucked into that one...:whistle:

[GSVR]

Aint gettin' sucked into that one...:whistle:

Hope your getting some big heavy slow bike. Maybe a Concours?

[NZsarge]

Hope your getting some big heavy slow bike. Maybe a Concours?

:pinch::laugh:you like playin' with fire dont ya...No, not a Concours.

[cowboyz]

http://wagewhore.20m.com/dickhead-test.html

I might start a breakaway group for people that fail the test and wanna ride slow.

Hmmmmm. So many things running through my head right now.................

[chanceyy]

Aint gettin' sucked into that one...:whistle:

plus 1 .....

[HornetBoy]

If ya don't mind ,id be keen to tag along with ya ,as i missed the C2C and ive never been out to akitio:niceone: although i might be too slow for you cowboys

[NZsarge]

If ya don't mind ,id be keen to tag along with ya ,as i missed the C2C and ive never been out to akitio:niceone: although i might be too slow for you cowboys

Rip into it mate, more the merrier.:niceone:

[chanceyy]

If ya don't mind ,id be keen to tag along with ya ,as i missed the C2C and ive never been out to akitio:niceone: although i might be too slow for you cowboys

mate i am the resident slow one .. but all good .. :innocent::Punk:

[cowboyz]

more than welcome and no one will have trouble with keeping up. There wont be any checkered flags at the end of it.

[HornetBoy]

more than welcome and no one will have trouble with keeping up. There wont be any checkered flags at the end of it.

Kool ,well ive been doing rides just about everyday for the last couple of weeks getting my twistie skills up so i should be all right(definitely better than when i first rode with you all i the 4gottern highway lol)

[GSVR]

mate i am the resident slow one .. but all good .. :innocent::Punk:

Chanceyy for Moderator. :Punk:






Ride Moderator that is.:scooter:

[chanceyy]

Chanceyy for Moderator. :Punk:






Ride Moderator that is.:scooter:

errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr hell no .....



guess thats a hint not to come ... :bye:

[GSVR]

more than welcome and no one will have trouble with keeping up. There wont be any checkered flags at the end of it.

Thanks for that. I was going to do a few runs out there, make some course notes and spray paint some braking markers. Maybe even video the whole thing so I can watch it at night and get every corner clear in my mind before the big day.

[GSVR]

errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr hell no .....



guess thats a hint not to come ... :bye:

If you pull out I'm not going. I wanna follow u and sniff that blue smoke.

[cowboyz]

dont do that. You already been sniffing too much of something.......

[STUPY]

hi guys, i'm keen as, as well i'm sure i'll be fine on the gt250r. kept up with the cd toy run and looking forward to doing a decent run on it, that sound cool????:clap:

[HornetBoy]

hi guys, i'm keen as, as well i'm sure i'll be fine on the gt250r. kept up with the cd toy run and looking forward to doing a decent run on it, that sound cool????:clap:

Yea you were up the front weren't ya in the toy run ?:headbang: i double looked cause i thought u were on the 650 version

[cowboyz]

all good. if you see some paint on the road then brake about 30m past it cause those SVs have shit brakes...........

[HornetBoy]

all good. if you see some paint on the road then brake about 30m past it cause those SVs have shit brakes...........

Tough luck for me then,ill have to brake about 100m back to have any chance of stopping :shutup:

[GSVR]

all good. if you see some paint on the road then brake about 30m past it cause those SVs have shit brakes...........

Standard Svs have shit everything.

[janno]

Hmm, I fancy coming across for this one. I'll have to work out babysitters for the dogs and then I'll be there.

No, I don't travel with BBQ Sausages . . .

(I've met some of you at the Whanga where Racey Rider and I burnt some sangers for y'all.)

[banditrider]

Could be keen if not roped into family crap.

Don't park next to me...

[86GSXR]

Thanks for that. I was going to do a few runs out there, make some course notes and spray paint some braking markers. Maybe even video the whole thing so I can watch it at night and get every corner clear in my mind before the big day.

FFS :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :rolleyes:

[GSVR]

FFS :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :rolleyes:

Sad thing is there are people out there that believe it.

Everything I've posted on this thread is tongue in cheek. I like to think the Manawatu rides are well organised and everyone knows to ride sensibly.

Sorry to Chancey for the Moderator post. Chancy is not moderating the ride. The road has one destination and getting there is the prime objective. There will be alot of traffic as its holidays and alot of families go out there in Caravans etc. The Beach itself should be very busy.

[HornetBoy]

Sad thing is there are people out there that believe it.

Everything I've posted on this thread is tongue in cheek. I like to think the Manawatu rides are well organised and everyone knows to ride sensibly.

Sorry to Chancey for the Moderator post. Chancy is not moderating the ride. The road has one destination and getting there is the prime objective. There will be alot of traffic as its holidays and alot of families go out there in Caravans etc. The Beach itself should be very busy.

yes,some people on this site take things way to seriously :rolleyes: .Ahh didnt think about the christmas holidays cage rush:pinch: hope none of those tourists decide to drive on the wrong side of the road (which isnt uncommon) :oi-grr:

[Dak]

Any gravel or all sealed?? I fluxin hate gravel!

[ynot slow]

FFS :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :rolleyes:

F-Free as in duty free

F-Farken

S-Shit as in duty free bourbon.


FFS-five full size bottles.:woohoo:

[ynot slow]

Any gravel or all sealed?? I fluxin hate gravel!

Harden up you've got a nice honda.

The other honda ya sold is sweet (the car that is).

[Dak]

Harden up you've got a nice honda.

And thats the way I want it to stay, no gravel rash and stone chips everywhere :-)


The other honda ya sold is sweet (the car that is).

Sweet.

[NZsarge]

Any gravel or all sealed?? I fluxin hate gravel!

Last time I was out there the only gravel was road works, on that you can almost guarantee

[86GSXR]

Sad thing is there are people out there that believe it.

Everything I've posted on this thread is tongue in cheek. I like to think the Manawatu rides are well organised and everyone knows to ride sensibly.

Sorry to Chancey for the Moderator post. Chancy is not moderating the ride. The road has one destination and getting there is the prime objective. There will be alot of traffic as its holidays and alot of families go out there in Caravans etc. The Beach itself should be very busy.

Sad but true yes. It's extremely rare to see any dumb moves on a Manawatu ride I agree. In fact, the silliest things that happen are the things that occur off the road, not on it. And that just has to be a good thing :niceone:

[ynot slow]

Sad but true yes. It's extremely rare to see any dumb moves on a Manawatu ride I agree. In fact, the silliest things that happen are the things that occur off the road, not on it. And that just has to be a good thing :niceone:

Mostly two idiots fixing a fence,without beer.

[86GSXR]

Glad to report the fence is still standing. May have to put another couple of nails in it tomorrow as it would be a bloody disaster getting my gnome nicked :weep:

[86GSXR]

yes,some people on this site take things way to seriously :rolleyes:

Too right HB. If it's done safely, take the piss out of it :cool:

[ynot slow]

Gnome is safe,we put one of them irish wet curse on its widdle head.

And your greenery is such you'd need cowboyz gps to get out once you found them.

Just switch up a 240v wire to a steel rod along the inside of fence.

[cowboyz]

Hmm, I fancy coming across for this one. I'll have to work out babysitters for the dogs and then I'll be there.

No, I don't travel with BBQ Sausages . . .

(I've met some of you at the Whanga where Racey Rider and I burnt some sangers for y'all.)
fantastic. was a well recieved bbq too. Will be good to see you down here.


Could be keen if not roped into family crap.

Don't park next to me...
I will pring some cones to setup round your bike to ensure the safety of others - especially the small children. just imagine if one of those concours fell on Garry H. It would take a while to find him.


Sad thing is there are people out there that believe it.

Everything I've posted on this thread is tongue in cheek. I like to think the Manawatu rides are well organised and everyone knows to ride sensibly.

Sorry to Chancey for the Moderator post. Chancy is not moderating the ride. The road has one destination and getting there is the prime objective. There will be alot of traffic as its holidays and alot of families go out there in Caravans etc. The Beach itself should be very busy.
If it is on the internet it must be true. Good point about the traffic. Have to polish up the spidey sense or may have to resort to that common sense thing.


Any gravel or all sealed?? I fluxin hate gravel!
My fairings are elergic (sp?) to gravel. No gravel at all on this ride.

Sad but true yes. It's extremely rare to see any dumb moves on a Manawatu ride I agree. In fact, the silliest things that happen are the things that occur off the road, not on it. And that just has to be a good thing :niceone:
yes. Have to watch out for those killer trees huh 86?

[Dak]

My fairings are elergic (sp?) to gravel. No gravel at all on this ride.

Sweet, if the weather is good count me in.

Cheers, Jeff.

[86GSXR]

Gnome is safe,we put one of them irish wet curse on its widdle head.

And your greenery is such you'd need cowboyz gps to get out once you found them.

Just switch up a 240v wire to a steel rod along the inside of fence.

Bloody good idea. May have to put the hose on the gnome too :shit: :laugh:




yes. Have to watch out for those killer trees huh 86?


No comment (no memory) You have a damn good holiday :rockon:

[Monamie]

..I might come along if the weather is nice...won't be keeping up with you big guys :Oi:but if you show me the way....I WILL get there eventually!!:scooter::bye:
I could just follow that lovely smell of Chanceyys Betsy anyway!! (loved it on the Welly toy run).:yes::love:...so don't worry if I turn up...I will just ride my ride..go with the flow..managed to keep out of trouble so far.....
EXCEPT which one of you bikers was out running the cop on Saturday just gone on the Fitzherbert east road heading towards Ashhurst? Stupy and I pulled out just after you then bugger me:buggerd: a cop came up behind us with lights flashing...fair Sh*t myself!!:shit:...he just went around us but you were long gone..obviously not a KBer eh:innocent:

Mo

[chanceyy]

..I might come along if the weather is nice...won't be keeping up with you big guys :Oi:but if you show me the way....I WILL get there eventually!!
I could just follow that lovely smell of Chanceyys Betsy anyway!! (loved it on the Welly toy run).:love:...so don't worry if I turn up...I will just ride my ride..go with the flow..managed to keep out of trouble so far.....
EXCEPT which one of you bikers was out running the cop on Saturday just gone on the Fitzherbert east road heading towards Ashhurst? Stupy and I pulled out just after you then bugger me:buggerd: a cop came up behind us with lights flashing...fair Sh*t myself!!:shit:...he just went around us but you were long gone..obviously not a KBer eh:innocent:

Mo

nuffin like that two stroke smell is there Mo :laugh:

I hear ya on getting the :shit:s when the cops put their lights & sirens on .. had it coming outta chch & farken scared me :lol:

As cowboyz has stated getting to the destination is part of the fun, and there is no chequered flag at the end .. so as long as you ride your own ride it does not matter how long it takes you to get there ... all we want is to ensure everyone gets there & back in one piece :yes: but you will always be looked after even if you are slower, after all that what group riding is all about.

Mo you have a great attitude & ride your lil bike really well so you will have no probs keeping up :hug:

[oscarnz]

..I might come along if the weather is nice...won't be keeping up with you big guys :Oi:but if you show me the way....I WILL get there eventually!!:scooter::bye:
I could just follow that lovely smell of Chanceyys Betsy anyway!! (loved it on the Welly toy run).:yes::love:...so don't worry if I turn up...I will just ride my ride..go with the flow..managed to keep out of trouble so far.....
EXCEPT which one of you bikers was out running the cop on Saturday just gone on the Fitzherbert east road heading towards Ashhurst? Stupy and I pulled out just after you then bugger me:buggerd: a cop came up behind us with lights flashing...fair Sh*t myself!!:shit:...he just went around us but you were long gone..obviously not a KBer eh:innocent:

Mo

I am keen for this ride as well, but will be going at a very cruisey pace, as will only have had my bike a week by then. All fingers crossed that my bike will finally be ready this week, before I go :crazy:
Then will be getting some km's under my wheels most days.

[Horse]

I'll put this one in my diary - not sure if I'll be able to make it, depends on other factors, but it'd be great to meet up with the local KBers.

[chanceyy]

I am keen for this ride as well, but will be going at a very cruisey pace, as will only have had my bike a week by then. All fingers crossed that my bike will finally be ready this week, before I go :crazy:
Then will be getting some km's under my wheels most days.

Fingers Crossed for you Carmen ... :wari:


I'll put this one in my diary - not sure if I'll be able to make it, depends on other factors, but it'd be great to meet up with the local KBers.

be good to met you too horse ..

[Meanie]

I'll put this one in my diary - not sure if I'll be able to make it, depends on other factors, but it'd be great to meet up with the local KBers.

Welcome to kb Horse, be good to see some new faces on our rides

[blacksheep]

..I might come along if the weather is nice...won't be keeping up with you big guys :Oi:but if you show me the way....I WILL get there eventually!!:scooter::bye:
I could just follow that lovely smell of Chanceyys Betsy anyway!! (loved it on the Welly toy run).:yes::love:...so don't worry if I turn up...I will just ride my ride..go with the flow..managed to keep out of trouble so far.....
EXCEPT which one of you bikers was out running the cop on Saturday just gone on the Fitzherbert east road heading towards Ashhurst? Stupy and I pulled out just after you then bugger me:buggerd: a cop came up behind us with lights flashing...fair Sh*t myself!!:shit:...he just went around us but you were long gone..obviously not a KBer eh:innocent:

Mo
was that near aokautere:eek5:where you at the bbq at himahawaii with stupy?if so sorry i didn't get a chance to talk to you,i managed a quick chat with stupy, pretty much over the fence though,and then you both left:weep:

[blacksheep]

I'll put this one in my diary - not sure if I'll be able to make it, depends on other factors, but it'd be great to meet up with the local KBers.

g'day horse welcome to kb:sunny:

[Monamie]

was that near aokautere:eek5:where you at the bbq at himahawaii with stupy?if so sorry i didn't get a chance to talk to you,i managed a quick chat with stupy, pretty much over the fence though,and then you both left:weep:

Oh it was you chatting over the fence then!! Gidday!! Yes it was me with Stupy.
Sooooo was it you racing the :Police::pinch: No the bike was racing up the straight towrds Orrs Rd (my road) and then on towards Ashhurst.....so where did you hide? :eek:

[blacksheep]

it wasn't me!i'm pretty sure of that.what colour was the bike?

[STUPY]

the speed demon was on a green bike we he passed us he was doing about 180km just a flash really, i too damn near shat myself with the red and blues behind me, lol:gob:

[blacksheep]

a greeeen one,ah haa:shifty::shutup:

[cowboyz]

no comment

[ynot slow]

no comment

Is that a possible tui add,in the making,"IT WASN'T ME"officer.:scooter:

[banditrider]

I will pring some cones to setup round your bike to ensure the safety of others - especially the small children. just imagine if one of those concours fell on Garry H. It would take a while to find him.


Gee thanks, feel so much better...

[GSVR]

I will bring some cones to setup round your bike to ensure the safety of others - especially the small children. just imagine if one of those concours fell on Garry H. It would take a while to find him.


Don't think thats a good idea Cowboyz. If you make it look like its semi permanent some homeless people might think its a block of flats and move into one of the panniers.

If Meanie parks alongside they'll think a new housing estate is going up. But they wont be able to figure out why both units are number 14 in the street.


Dunno how I missed this.

[chanceyy]

no comment

:laugh: too funny

[Meanie]

Don't think thats a good idea Cowboyz. If you make it look like its semi permanent some homeless people might think its a block of flats and move into one of the panniers.

If Meanie parks alongside they'll think a new housing estate is going up. But they wont be able to figure out why both units are number 14 in the street.


Dunno how I missed this.

You are soooo not funny :2guns:

[GSVR]

You are soooo not funny :2guns:

I think I'm going to be fearing for my safety every time I see a Concours from now on.

[banditrider]

I think I'm going to be fearing for my safety every time I see a Concours from now on.

Even more so once the first one parks on the SV. :spanking:

[banditrider]

..I might come along if the weather is nice...won't be keeping up with you big guys :Oi:but if you show me the way....I WILL get there eventually!!:scooter::bye:


Map here: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=107222745064103358547.0004405d3023c286a8b8b&z=9&om=1

[HornetBoy]

Map here: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=107222745064103358547.0004405d3023c286a8b8b&z=9&om=1

Arent we going from ashhurst to akitio ? :cool: althought doing the C2C way from himatangi would be good :apint:

[cowboyz]

yep. something like that but bear in mind we are going from ashhurst and not himitangi.

[ynot slow]

Even more so once the first one parks on the SV. :spanking:

Just don't park one either side of the sv.

[chanceyy]

guys check out this post (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1346232&postcount=1877)

if ya wanna be in to win a trip to queenstown post will tell ya what to do ..

I feel a party coming on :yes:

[Monamie]

:drinknsin Imagine a whole plane full of bikers!! :cool:

[chanceyy]

:drinknsin Imagine a whole plane full of bikers!! :cool:

Bikers & the party workmates .... they know how to have a good time :lol:

you know the saying have to be in to win .. :done:

[HornetBoy]

bump :wari:

[oscarnz]

have just been talking to dogsnbikes, and he thinks we should leave at 8.30am so he can do trip as well as get to gisborne :whistle:

All going well I will be on this trip, will need looking after :rolleyes:

[Dak]

Ass, the forecast ain't looking good, but they don't often get it right.

[cowboyz]

have just been talking to dogsnbikes, and he thinks we should leave at 8.30am so he can do trip as well as get to gisborne :whistle:

All going well I will be on this trip, will need looking after :rolleyes:
tell dogs that if he comes and gives me a hand at work then we can leave earlier.


Ass, the forecast ain't looking good, but they don't often get it right.

If it is raining or looking like rain then I am not showing up.

[NZsarge]

If it is raining or looking like rain then I am not showing up.[/QUOTE]

Ditto.....:shifty:

[Dak]

Same, no rain for me, one note though, according to the forecast, Sunday is meant to be a ripper.

[Mouse]

Ill see what happens , i might be in for this 1:Punk::woohoo::Punk:

[Bonez]

Any gravel or all sealed?? I fluxin hate gravel!Gravel can be arranged if needed.

[chanceyy]

Gravel can be arranged if needed.

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooo NO GRAVEL .. it is not my friend :lol:

[NZsarge]

I'm out..........

[GSVR]

Gezz Sarge are you ok? What damage did you do to the bike?

[cowboyz]

heard about the off through meanie today. Good to hear you are ok. what happened?

So it is a "oh what a bitch I have a couple of scratches on my new bike"? or a "oh what a bitch I need a new bike"?

[HornetBoy]

well i can say myself and the old man (hornetboy cnr) are coming to this for definite :niceone:

[NZsarge]

heard about the off through meanie today. Good to hear you are ok. what happened?

So it is a "oh what a bitch I have a couple of scratches on my new bike"? or a "oh what a bitch I need a new bike"?




I don't even have a scratch on me, bike sacrificed itself and threw itself under me.
The bike will be fixed, it will be expensive but thats a given, it's all generally cosmetic, will need a fairing, radiator, handle bars, engine sidecover, footpeg, wingmirror, gearshift and various brackets.

[banditrider]

Jeez, that suxs dude. Glad that you are ok and that the bike is fixable. Hope you get it sorted out.

[Bonez]

I don't even have a scratch on me, bike sacrificed itself and threw itself under me.
The will be fixed, it will be expensive but thats a given, it's all generally cosmetic, will need a fairing, radiator, handle bars, engine sidecover, footpeg, wingmirror, gearshift and various brackets.Thats no good ol bean. No chance of getting a loaner while your bikes being repaired?

[NZsarge]

Thats no good ol bean. No chance of getting a loaner while your bikes being repaired?

I text a mate of mine in Palmerston and as it turns out he was at the time talking to Robert who owns PT's and he said I could use the Ace for a while, not sure if he was serious but if he was that is a very generous offer but I would say no.
Take a bit of time out wont hurt me, chill out a bit. I just hope the insurance play ball coz when it's repaired I don't want want to see any evidence if the bin so i'm gonna be picky. It will be interesting to see how that flies with my insurance company.

[HornetBoy]

ahwell hope it stays fine ,i missed the coast to coast so im hopeing that i can at least do this.:cool: , gotta set my alarm to allow time to ride down to ashhurst ,hope im not late :chase: and it betta not be raining when i get down their or ill be pissed

[banditrider]

ahwell hope it stays fine ,i missed the coast to coast so im hopeing that i can at least do this.:cool: , gotta set my alarm to allow time to ride down to ashhurst ,hope im not late :chase: and it betta not be raining when i get down their or ill be pissed

Spotted ya sneaking out of town around 4ish yesterday.

[Dak]

and it betta not be raining when i get down their or ill be pissed

Weather reports looking pretty good, thats if you wanna believe the useless buggers.

[HornetBoy]

Spotted ya sneaking out of town around 4ish yesterday.

haha did ya ,we went for a little ride to have a :gob: at all the bikes ,and i booked my future gsxr up for a test ride :clap: yea its crazy how time fly's when your dreaming lol

[HornetBoy]

Weather reports looking pretty good, thats if you wanna believe the useless buggers.

yea ya have no idea these days ,they say its gunna rain and it is sunny and they say it will be sunny and it rains :oi-grr: i dunno .

areyou going on this ride tomorrow Dak

[oscarnz]

Have checked the forecast for both Palmy and Dannevirke and so far is is Fine.
So fingers crossed.

[Dak]

are you going on this ride tomorrow Dak

If it's fine I'll be there.

[HornetBoy]

Have checked the forecast for both Palmy and Dannevirke and so far is is Fine.
So fingers crossed.

sounds good then phew :sweatdrop

[HornetBoy]

If it's fine I'll be there.

hey you wana meet up and ride down to ashhurst with myself and hornetboy cnr ?

[banditrider]

Will be there if fine so watch where you park your bikes...

[HornetBoy]

Will be there if fine so watch where you park your bikes...

yea lol ,although i dont think even the weight of the concourse would tip the might kat

[banditrider]

yea lol ,although i dont think even the weight of the concourse would tip the might kat

I wouldn't be so sure, it took out Mark's Bandit & another bike...

[HornetBoy]

I wouldn't be so sure, it took out Mark's Bandit & another bike...

yea sounds like your worst nightmare came true :( ,did insurance cover for it ?

[Dooly]

Hi guys, thinking of venturing down for this if its fine, have'nt ridden for weeks and need a decent ride.
Is the Mobil, the one on the right as you come off the bridge after the gorge before the straights to Palmy?
Dunno whereabouts it is the destination, never ridden around that area.
Is there a gas station along the line somewhere there for the return journey?
Cheers.

[banditrider]

yea sounds like your worst nightmare came true :( ,did insurance cover for it ?

Haven't done anything about it yet - really only cosmetic (I hope).

On Mark's bike all that happened was a bent bolt thru his bar end weight & a little paint off the same. Something to be said for naked's/partly faired bikes.

[HornetBoy]

Haven't done anything about it yet - really only cosmetic (I hope).

On Mark's bike all that happened was a bent bolt thru his bar end weight & a little paint off the same. Something to be said for naked's/partly faired bikes.

wow yea thats one of the major pro's of a naked bike aye :clap:, lucky it was between friends. will have to make sure we put a barrier around the concours then :Oops:

[banditrider]

Hi guys, thinking of venturing down for this if its fine, have'nt ridden for weeks and need a decent ride.
Is the Mobil, the one on the right as you come off the bridge after the gorge before the straights to Palmy?
Dunno whereabouts it is the destination, never ridden around that area.
Is there a gas station along the line somewhere there for the return journey?
Cheers.

Yep, that's the bugger.

There is gas at Pongaroa if the shop is open. Not sure what your range is but I'll easily do the whole ride from Ashhurst on a tank. If you can do 200k's or more you should be right to get back to Danniverke if you have a full tank at Ashhurst.

[HornetBoy]

Yep, that's the bugger.

There is gas at Pongaroa if the shop is open. Not sure what your range is but I'll easily do the whole ride from Ashhurst on a tank. If you can do 200k's or more you should be right to get back to Danniverke if you have a full tank at Ashhurst.

yea im in the same boat about the mobil in ashhurst,were going to leave wanganui about 8am so should be plenty of time to find the place (i hope) is it along the main road if your coming from marton ?

[oscarnz]

Any Palmy people that want to meet, I am meeting Chanceyy at 9.30 just before Aokautere just past the new shopping centre opp IPC College - Summerhill Drive.

[oscarnz]

yea im in the same boat about the mobil in ashhurst,were going to leave wanganui about 8am so should be plenty of time to find the place (i hope) is it along the main road if your coming from marton ?

No its not, Ashhurst is just before the Manawatu Gorge heading towards Hawkes Bay

[Dak]

leave wanganui about 8am

Eeek, to early for this old fart, I'll prolly leave around 9ish, Marton, Halcombe Fielding, Bunnythorpe, Ashurst

[HornetBoy]

No its not, Ashhurst is just before the Manawatu Gorge heading towards Hawkes Bay

ow yea i know hwo to get there ,but just cant remember where the mobil is

[HornetBoy]

Eeek, to early for this old fart, I'll prolly leave around 9ish, Marton, Halcombe Fielding, Bunnythorpe, Ashurst

o ok i dont know how long it takes lol well if i can sleep in an extra hour :sunny: ,well if your leaveing then would ya mind if me and my old man come with ya ? probly need ya to get us to the right place

[cowboyz]

Hi guys, thinking of venturing down for this if its fine, have'nt ridden for weeks and need a decent ride.
Is the Mobil, the one on the right as you come off the bridge after the gorge before the straights to Palmy?
Dunno whereabouts it is the destination, never ridden around that area.
Is there a gas station along the line somewhere there for the return journey?
Cheers.
yes the mobil is on napier road. Actually the only servo in ashhurst so you cant miss it really. ride is approx 120km from ashhurst to the beach and then about 60-70km back to Danniverke so all the bikes should make it easy. There is fuel about 30k short of the beach but it isnt cheap. Come on down. Should be a good day out.


yea im in the same boat about the mobil in ashhurst,were going to leave wanganui about 8am so should be plenty of time to find the place (i hope) is it along the main road if your coming from marton ?

WTF?? If you dont know where Ashhurst is then you havent lived. From Wangas head to Feilding and then out towards bunythorpe then on to ashhurst. Just keep heading towards the windmills. Should take about 45mins. I have attached a map just for you.

[HornetBoy]

WTF?? If you dont know where Ashhurst is then you havent lived. From Wangas head to Feilding and then out towards bunythorpe then on to ashhurst. Just keep heading towards the windmills. Should take about 45mins. I have attached a map just for you.[/QUOTE]

lol i knwo where ashhurst is just not where the mobil is :angry: besides who would want to live in ashhurst anyway ....full of boy races and ....green kawas :bleh:

[NZsarge]

[QUOTE=cowboyz;1357431] ride is approx 120km from ashhurst to the beach and then about 60-70km back to Danniverke so all the bikes should make it easy. There is fuel about 30k short of the beach but it isnt cheap. Come on down. Should be a good day out.

:Oi: that's Dannevirke too you pal! you buggers from ashurst...I don't know ....really!:oi-grr::msn-wink:

[Dak]

o ok i dont know how long it takes lol well if i can sleep in an extra hour ,well if your leaveing then would ya mind if me and my old man come with ya ? probly need ya to get us to the right place

No problemo, gimme a ring on 3443686, ask for Jeff.

[cowboyz]

Made a map. Might not be entirely accurate but hey...... No one will get lost............ on their own. We may however, all get lost.

[cowboyz]

:Oi: that's Dannevirke too you pal! you buggers from ashurst...I don't know ....really!:oi-grr::msn-wink:

Sorry cobber. Wont happen again.

[NZsarge]

Sorry cobber. Wont happen again.

What have you done with Yod?

[cowboyz]

hard to say but it is a bitch getting that 6' patch in my lawn level again.

[chanceyy]

Yep, that's the bugger.

There is gas at Pongaroa if the shop is open. Not sure what your range is but I'll easily do the whole ride from Ashhurst on a tank. If you can do 200k's or more you should be right to get back to Danniverke if you have a full tank at Ashhurst.

Betsy's range is normally about 180 before hitting reserve .. I got from woodville to the beach & back to dannivegas with no probs

[HornetBoy]

Betsy's range is normally about 180 before hitting reserve .. I got from woodville to the beach & back to dannivegas with no probs

haha beat this a 15ltr tank gets me 350km including reserve ,that makes me a happy fella :msn-wink:

[chanceyy]

haha beat this a 15ltr tank gets me 350km including reserve ,that makes me a happy fella :msn-wink:

yes but I do ride a two smoker as well

[HornetBoy]

yes but I do ride a two smoker as well

yea true ,ive heard many remarks about a mystical blue smoke coming from the rear to lol :2guns:

[chanceyy]

yea true ,ive heard many remarks about a mystical blue smoke coming from the rear to lol :2guns:

nothing mystic about it .. :devil2: you will find out tomorrow :laugh:

[HornetBoy]

nothing mystic about it .. :devil2: you will find out tomorrow :laugh:

haha yea if i get lost ive been told to follow the blue cloud :scooter:

[chanceyy]

haha yea if i get lost ive been told to follow the blue cloud :scooter:

hmm you might get lost then .. cause she is not a permanent smoker .. not that I can see anyway :whistle:

[HornetBoy]

hmm you might get lost then .. cause she is not a permanent smoker .. not that I can see anyway :whistle:

:doh: im actually very interested to see it ,as ive never heard of your bike

[chanceyy]

:doh: im actually very interested to see it ,as ive never heard of your bike

Guess thats cause she is older than you are :nya:

[Dak]

im actually very interested to see it ,as ive never heard of your bike

They were the shizzle, I actually bought one of them brand new when they came out.

[HornetBoy]

Guess thats cause she is older than you are :nya:

yes,im getting a few remarks lately about my age lol ,:angry2: its not fair

well most bikes older than 2000 i would have no knowledge about ,im one of the next gen kids lol that ride electrical nightmares

[chanceyy]

They were the shizzle, I actually bought one of them brand new when they came out.

its amazing how many ppl come up to check her out when I am out & about .. its funny heaps of ppl grin like crazy remembering the good times with a two stroke

[banditrider]

:doh: im actually very interested to see it ,as ive never heard of your bike


Guess thats cause she is older than you are :nya:

You tell the whipper-snapper!


They were the shizzle, I actually bought one of them brand new when they came out.

Yeah, don't hassle two-smokers, my RG was a real hum-dinger (or should that be ring-dinger-ding-ding?)

Have ridden an old RD250 & I think it was an RZ350 and also test rode an MVX250 (Honda V3) which was truely horrible.

[HornetBoy]

You tell the whipper-snapper!



Yeah, don't hassle two-smokers, my RG was a real hum-dinger (or should that be ring-dinger-ding-ding?)

Have ridden an old RD250 & I think it was an RZ350 and also test rode an MVX250 (Honda V3) which was truely horrible.

hmm never riddern a 2 smoker as of yet ,never liked the sound and skinny zorst pipe + the mixing of oil and petrol etc gets me

[chanceyy]

hmm never riddern a 2 smoker as of yet ,never liked the sound and skinny zorst pipe

she is a twin & nuffin small about them .. :lol: & dunna worry I will not offer, you may not handle the power band :nya:

[HornetBoy]

dooley ,what bike ya bringing up ? see you have a ducati and a triumph :devil2:

[HornetBoy]

she is a twin & nuffin small about them .. :lol: & dunna worry I will not offer, you may not handle the power band :nya:

LOL o i wouldn't turn down a test ride :yes: the question is could u handle the mighty katana :2guns:

[Dooly]

dooley ,what bike ya bringing up ? see you have a ducati and a triumph :devil2:

I'll be on the Speed Triple, thats my distance bike.
If I bring the Duc, I'll need to pillon my chiropractor to get me off and straighten me up after the ride due to buggered up bones etc.

[HornetBoy]

I'll be on the Speed Triple, thats my distance bike.
If I bring the Duc, I'll need to pillon my chiropractor to get me off and straighten me up after the ride due to buggered up bones etc.

haha :niceone: hmm ill have to have a drool over that speed tripple ,always wanted one of them :cool:

[chanceyy]

LOL o i wouldn't turn down a test ride :yes: the question is could u handle the mighty katana :2guns:

well I have ridden the gsxr 750, daytona 955i of 86's .. so I think I could handle the katana .. & if i had my full would have test ridden it when it was in turnbulls ..

but I am happy enough sticking to besty for now :niceone:

[HornetBoy]

well I have ridden the gsxr 750, daytona 955i of 86's .. so I think I could handle the katana .. & if i had my full would have test ridden it when it was in turnbulls ..

but I am happy enough sticking to besty for now :niceone:

:laugh: yes umm no comment on the handling power comment then ,well if youd like to have a tootle on my kat you more than welcome

[chanceyy]

:laugh: yes umm no comment on the handling power comment then ,well if youd like to have a tootle on my kat you more than welcome

thanks for the offer .. once i have my full I might take you up on that .. I wanna test ride a wide selection of bikes to see what will be next ... :2thumbsup

[HornetBoy]

thanks for the offer .. once i have my full I might take you up on that .. I wanna test ride a wide selection of bikes to see what will be next ... :2thumbsup

yea sure, i dont plan to keep this tho aye ,nice bike but just doesn't have that fuel injection twitch to it that i like ,just thought id be sensible and learn to properly ride a 600 before i go to a gixxer 6 ,and before i put an 11k investment down (a rather large amount of money) .

[Meanie]

WTF?? If you dont know where Ashhurst is then you havent lived. From Wangas head to Feilding and then out towards bunythorpe then on to ashhurst. Just keep heading towards the windmills. Should take about 45mins. I have attached a map just for you.

lol i knwo where ashhurst is just not where the mobil is :angry: besides who would want to live in ashhurst anyway ....full of boy races and ....green kawas :bleh:[/QUOTE]





And shiny new silver Concours

[cowboyz]

yes,im getting a few remarks lately about my age lol ,:angry2: its not fair


just remember, it is easier to get older than wiser....


yea sure, i dont plan to keep this tho aye ,nice bike but just doesn't have that fuel injection twitch to it that i like ,just thought id be sensible and learn to properly ride a 600 before i go to a gixxer 6 ,and before i put an 11k investment down (a rather large amount of money) .
fuel injection twitch? What is that? My bike hasnt got fuel injection.

I am surprised about your eagerness to jump onto a R model so quickly. I had a teapot for a year before the 9 and they are fantastic bikes. You can do most things on a F as you can do on a R but the F will look after you more and more comfortable for long rides. In saying that, power is addictive.

[NZsarge]

Have a good one today people, just watch out for thin strips of loose chip.
If anyone has any issues don't hesitate to call, i'll make sure my home number is in my buddy profile. Those of you that have access might want to put it in your cell just incase.

[chanceyy]

Have a good one today people, just watch out for thin strips of loose chip.
If anyone has any issues don't hesitate to call, i'll make sure my home number is in my buddy profile. Those of you that have access might want to put it in your cell just incase.

cheers sarge .. now did you say call in for coffee :lol:

btw heading your way morrow are you free to look at brakes n stuff

[chanceyy]

what a ripper of a day .. perfect for a bike ride .. :wari:

[GSVR]

Wont be making the ride today. Have had a bad cold for a couple of days now and the ride to Taupo yestday didn't help matters at all.

Take care and and enjoy the ride people.

[ynot slow]

[QUOTE=Hornet250Boy;1357544]yes,im getting a few remarks lately about my age lol ,:angry2: its not fair

No worries mate,at your age you could be a toy boy for a 30plus something,for us old buggers,being a toyboy is akin to shagging someone 60plus.

Oh too be young again.:doh:

Sandra shouldn't let him know about the powerband,just be beside him when it kicks in,the look would be priceless,can remember riding an IT175 I had,2 stroke premix and heaps of go,loved to hit the powerband.:bleh:
And get some more bods on ya flight lol.

Enjoy the ride guys,weather is great up here,and off work till monday week,be safe and enjoy the trip,just don't get lost meeting up.:Punk:

[chanceyy]

Sandra shouldn't let him know about the powerband,just be beside him when it kicks in,the look would be priceless,can remember riding an IT175 I had,2 stroke premix and heaps of go,loved to hit the powerband.:bleh:
And get some more bods on ya flight lol.

Enjoy the ride guys,weather is great up here,and off work till monday week,be safe and enjoy the trip,just don't get lost meeting up.:Punk:

am not quite that mean .. oh wait :yes: i am .. :lol: hmm waiting for meanie & mrs to sign up & sarge (unless they are scared of flying) & chasing a few more up to sign in as well .. anyone else wanna come ??

would be a blardy fun day for sure

[ynot slow]

am not quite that mean .. oh wait :yes: i am .. :lol: hmm waiting for meanie & mrs to sign up & sarge (unless they are scared of flying) & chasing a few more up to sign in as well .. anyone else wanna come ??

would be a blardy fun day for sure

Grab ya lunging whip and chase em wiff it on ride if they don't sign.Shit some might like that.:bleh:

[NZsarge]

cheers sarge .. now did you say call in for coffee :lol:

btw heading your way morrow are you free to look at brakes n stuff
Yep, no worries,

what a ripper of a day .. perfect for a bike ride .. :wari:

Reckon, a ripper on this side too.

[Meanie]

Have a good one today people, just watch out for thin strips of loose chip.
If anyone has any issues don't hesitate to call, i'll make sure my home number is in my buddy profile. Those of you that have access might want to put it in your cell just incase.

Thanks Sarge Respectfully though your services should not be needed, but if they are we shall be sure to give you a holler Dam shame your not riding with us :weep:

[NZsarge]

Thanks Sarge Respectfully though your services should not be needed, but if they are we shall be sure to give you a holler Dam shame your not riding with us :weep:

yeah, only got up 1/2 an our ago, looked out the window and thought...F#CK!!
Wished I had taken Robert up on his offer.
I sincerely hope to not hear from you guys today.

[dogsnbikes]

Thanks Sarge Respectfully though your services should not be needed, but if they are we shall be sure to give you a holler Dam shame your not riding with us :weep:

you riding today ??will see you there old man

[Dooly]

Thanks for the ride today.
Good to venture away now and again. Nice roads too, especially the road back to Dannevirke from Pongaroa.
Shame about the crash, but at least the young fella's ok bodywise.
Wallet looks to be fucked tho!

[oscarnz]

Thanks for the awesome ride today.
A Big thanks to you all for being patient and waiting for me. :niceone:

Thanks to the ones who took me under their wing (you know who you are).

Still have a big smile on my dial. And am sure it wont come off anytime soon.

Hornetboy - hope you are feeling ok, shame about your bike. Hopefully you will be out riding again soon.

[banditrider]

Yeah, good ride but for the one unfortunate incident - at least no serious damage to Hornet250boy. Great weather - I'm bloody sunburnt! Concours enjoyed the exercise.

Cheers Cowboyz

A few pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/andrew.l.thomson/AshhurstToAkitia

[dogsnbikes]

Great to see new and old faces alike

Thanks Cwbyz for sorting the ride good to catch up with you all the roads were great and so was the company

with the exception of the young fella's attemped short cut(Hope your ok) the day went well and I totally enjoyed myself,thanks to gary for loosing your phone was a good excuse to back track some good roads lol:

[dogsnbikes]

Thanks for the awesome ride today.
A Big thanks to you all for being patient and waiting for me. :niceone:

Thanks to the ones who took me under their wing (you know who you are).

Still have a big smile on my dial. And am sure it wont come off anytime soon.

Hornetboy - hope you are feeling ok, shame about your bike. Hopefully you will be out riding again soon.

Well done on the ride was good too see your riding and confidence improve throughout the day:2thumbsup

[chanceyy]

well it was an awesome ride apart from a katana flying through the air .. thankfully I missed that view ..


Carmen you did damn well today & certainly improved as the day wore on .. well done .. is that your 6th ride on a bike ?

great to met Stupy, Horse, Dooley, Dak, Hornet250boy & Dad be good to see you guys on some more rides

Hornetboy hope you have been checked out by the :doctor:

thanks Sarge .. musta known something huh :msn-wink: catch you morrow :yes:

fab weather for riding for sure ..

[banditrider]

Have a good one today people, just watch out for thin strips of loose chip.
If anyone has any issues don't hesitate to call, i'll make sure my home number is in my buddy profile. Those of you that have access might want to put it in your cell just incase.

Top Bloke! :first: Really good of ya to come to the rescue. Hope I never need anyone to scrape me off the road but good to know that there's some good buggers out there that are prepared to drop everything and come to the rescue.

[oscarnz]

well it was an awesome ride apart from a katana flying through the air .. thankfully I missed that view ..


Carmen you did damn well today & certainly improved as the day wore on .. well done .. is that your 6th ride on a bike ?

great to met Stupy, Horse, Dooley, Dak, Hornet250boy & Dad be good to see you guys on some more rides

Hornetboy hope you have been checked out by the :doctor:

thanks Sarge .. musta known something huh :msn-wink: catch you morrow :yes:

fab weather for riding for sure ..

Thanks honey, not that was my 5th ride. And loving it. :woohoo:

[Owl]

Sounds like it was a good ride apart from Hornet250boy's wipe-out. I hope he's ok and insured!! I plan to get out for a ride with you guys eventually(if welcome). Possibly on a Friday night ride as it’s a good time to unwind for the weekend.

[chanceyy]

Sounds like it was a good ride apart from Hornet250boy's wipe-out. I hope he's ok and insured!! I plan to get out for a ride with you guys eventually(if welcome). Possibly on a Friday night ride as it’s a good time to unwind for the weekend.

it was a brilliant ride & roads were in pretty good condition ..

may organise a fri nite cruise this week before I load betsy for saturday at manfield :msn-wink:

keep an eye on the thread towards thurs nite

[Dak]

Was a good ride, good to put some faces to names, boy am I sore though, must be old age catching up with me, left hip is killing me. Not as sore as HornetBoy is gonna be tomorrow though.

Cheers, Jeff.

[Monamie]

Well. what a ride Stupy and I loved it all. well, maybe not the crash:shit: (hope the body mends fast hornetboy) the roads where awesome and the company was great (even with the odd 6pack,lol) weather couldn't have been any better and yes the odd spot of sun burn too:sunny:. thanks to the crash rescue you are a saint:innocent:

[chanceyy]

Was a good ride, good to put some faces to names, boy am I sore though, must be old age catching up with me, left hip is killing me. Not as sore as HornetBoy is gonna be tomorrow though.

Cheers, Jeff.

too true Jeff .. but good to say Hi .. hope to see you on some more rides :yes:


Well. what a ride Stupy and I loved it all. well, maybe not the crash:shit: (hope the body mends fast hornetboy) the roads where awesome and the company was great (even with the odd 6pack,lol) weather couldn't have been any better and yes the odd spot of sun burn too:sunny:. thanks to the crash rescue you are a saint:innocent:

:killingme

great to catch up with you chicky & meet Stupy ... must tell me more about that nic next time :laugh:

see you on the 2nd if not before :yes: :niceone:

[chanceyy]

Some pics from today ..

will not post them all .. yet ..

[chanceyy]

a few more

[NZsarge]

Top Bloke! :first: Really good of ya to come to the rescue. Hope I never need anyone to scrape me off the road but good to know that there's some good buggers out there that are prepared to drop everything and come to the rescue.

It's no problem, if you have the means to help. Hell i was'nt doing bugger all else.
Meanie was all in to give me a hand when I came off, it's the brotherhood!!:headbang:

[NZsarge]

Thanks for the ride today.
Good to venture away now and again. Nice roads too, especially the road back to Dannevirke from Pongaroa.
Shame about the crash, but at least the young fella's ok bodywise.
Wallet looks to be fucked tho!
Bloody good to see you there.

Thanks honey, not that was my 5th ride. And loving it. :woohoo:
Nice to meet you and put a face to the name

Well. what a ride Stupy and I loved it all. well, maybe not the crash:shit: (hope the body mends fast hornetboy) the roads where awesome and the company was great (even with the odd 6pack,lol) weather couldn't have been any better and yes the odd spot of sun burn too:sunny:. thanks to the crash rescue you are a saint:innocent:
Good to see you guys there too.


Got a surprise when I turned up at Pongaroa, was sort of expecting 8 maybe 10 bikes but it looked like a biker convention!
Sweet!:niceone:

[chanceyy]

Got a surprise when I turned up at Pongaroa, was sort of expecting 8 maybe 10 bikes but it looked like a biker convention!
Sweet!:niceone:

actually sarge we did have a wee giggle .. we thought you & hornetboy could swap bin stories on the way home .. :no: :doh: :Offtopic:

[NZsarge]

actually sarge we did have a wee giggle .. we thought you & hornetboy could swap bin stories on the way home .. :no: :doh: :Offtopic:

We did.........<_<

[banditrider]

It's no problem, if you have the means to help. Hell i was'nt doing bugger all else.
Meanie was all in to give me a hand when I came off, it's the brotherhood!!:headbang:
Still damn good of ya.


We did.........<_<

Yeah, I bet. How was he? Gonna share ya stories?

PS: managed to put some of it in words: http://banditrider.blogspot.com/2007/12/ashhurst-to-akitio.html

[NZsarge]

Still damn good of ya.



Yeah, I bet. How was he? Gonna share ya stories?

PS: managed to put some of it in words: http://banditrider.blogspot.com/2007/12/ashhurst-to-akitio.html

He was'nt too bad, as far as I know he was off to hospital to see about stitches when I left Wanganui.

[NZsarge]

Blardy hell.....no pics of the Statesman....I'm bitterly disapointed!!

[banditrider]

He was'nt too bad, as far as I know he was off to hospital to see about stitches when I left Wanganui.

Glad to hear it, he was pretty damn lucky!

[banditrider]

Blardy hell.....no pics of the Statesman....I'm bitterly disapointed!!

Oops...Statesman looked good but would have prefferred to see the FZ turn up.

[Dak]

Blardy hell.....no pics of the Statesman....I'm bitterly disapointed!!

Nobody had a cam with a wide enough angle lens to capture the whale :bleh:
Seriously though, it was damn good of you to come to the rescue.

[chanceyy]

Nobody had a cam with a wide enough angle lens to capture the whale :bleh:


ohh your talking bout sarges car.... thought it was the sight in the ocean with the really really really white apendages out the back :whistle:

[GSVR]

Good weather. Good clean roads most of the time. And good people to ride with.

Hornetboy (know how your feeling right now but the bike and you could have been alot worse so learn what you can from what happend and hopefullly it wont happen again)

Seem to be dropping stuff a bit lately last ride the key search this time it was the cellphone out the unzipped pocket.

These rides are working well with the smaller bikes not being an issue at all as long as the journey legs aren't too long. Also think letting any slower bikes leave a few minutes beforehand works very well. Its no fun being left behind on a ride.

To think I wasn't going to come along.

[Dak]

ohh your talking bout sarges car.... thought it was the sight in the ocean with the really really really white apendages out the back :whistle:

Hee, there's not a camera on the planet that could of captured that!

[cowboyz]

So much has happened today it is hard to know where to begin.

Was concerned all week about the weather as the coast to coast was incredibly shit this year and it was the first year for Mrs Cowboyz on it so the plan was to do a re run in the dry. Was very happy this morning when the weather decided to play ball. Perfect day for riding - not too hot but warm enough and most of all, dry roads.
I got to do a Chanceyy speech. Maybe I will leave that job to her from now on cause I obviously didnt get the point across to well.
It was a sedate ride out balance road with Dogs on a close leash out to Paihatua. Smoke stop while the newbie rides caught up and then decided to give them a bit of a head start out towards Pongaroa. Plan worked very well with us making it over half way out to Pongaroa before catching them. Good to see Bazz and another Ninja waiting at the turnoff to Pongaroa and he joined the group. Went from cruise to pace to cruise to pace all the way out to Pongaroa. Bit of a shock when I pulled up at the stop to have Dogs pull up and tell us there was a bike down a short way up the road. Went back to investigate to find Hornet250boy sitting on the side of the road with all the girls at his care. Was wondering where his bike was as I rode past as there was no evidence of it. Apparently it was a hise the gsx in the paddock trick. Took some heaving and a little fence manipulation but we managed to get the bike on the right side of the fence and decided to take NZsarge up on his offer for recovery service.
Hornet250boy, you need to stop and think about what caused the accident and what you can learn from it. A small clue - it has nothing to do with the bike, the road or the conditions on the day. You are a young guy and hopefully this nasty accident will not put you off riding but it would be nice to see you around a bit longer rather than writing up a RIP thread.
Hope you got yourself checked out and all is well. You got away REALLY LUCKY.
The ride out to the beach was very sedate with the accident fresh in peoples minds and the reminder how easy things can go wrong.
Nice rest and relax with Dogs stripping down for a dip in the ocean. Could have down without the sights mate but good to see you enjoying yourself.
Ride back and we decided to stick behind Meanie for the trip home as although we are on the same rides all the time, it has been quite some time since we have ridden together. Fan-fucking-tastic is all I can say. Webber road is a great road and Meanie and I had a smooth pacey run through to Dannevirke (spelt it right sarge?) before resuming a healthy pace back to Ashhurst. Got a pretty shaking video taken from the digital camera being held by Mrs Cowboyz of Meanie putting some pace on through the gorge. It was a real pleasure riding with you. Great stuff.

Good to meet the new riders to the Manawatu crowd and some from Wangas and the bay. Was good to have a good collection of bikes out and about and was good to see some good clean riding from the newbies. I have to say though, cause a couple of times when coming up to the new riders they sometimes looked as if they were in a hurry to get out of our way and riding to the far left of the road - so much so that it was making it difficult to make some corners. You have just as much right to be on the road as anyone else and you need to own your piece of road. If someone is behind you then it is their responibility to get past safetly. By all means, if you dont want someone following you then move to the left on a striaght piece of road but when the corners come up if they are not passing you then assume your rightful place on the road to corner safely. I noticed it a couple of times and was going to say something but got caught up with other stuff.

That is enough from me I think.

Hey Garry, did you make it this far down my post?

[chanceyy]

Hee, there's not a camera on the planet that could of captured that!

thank gawd for that .. :laugh:

[Meanie]

Well what a day eh Blardy brilliant weather, roads and company
Was realy good to catch up with old and meet new faces Realy good to see so many new faces on the rides and awesome to see the less experienced getting better as the day went on
Hornet boy, what can I say except Bugger....I wasnt happy to see you sitting on the roadside when we came around the corner but a little happier to see you moving
Sarge...... you a blardy legend mate, thanks for the rescue

Ahhhh i love summer............

[chanceyy]

So much has happened today it is hard to know where to begin.


That is enough from me I think.

Hey Garry, did you make it this far down my post?

well said cowboyz .. & we were three quarters way there before you guys caught up .. :laugh:

[GSVR]

Thanks for condensing Cowboyz post for me Chanceyy I would have missed the most important bit.

Answer to the question is yes

[chanceyy]

Thanks for condensing Cowboyz post for me Chanceyy I would have missed the most important bit.

Answer to the question is yes

no prob Garry happy to help .. glad you did not allow the cold to get the better of you .. & glad you got your phone back in one piece next time I will stop & check it out :lol:

[NZsarge]

I feel highly offended by the negative comments about the mighty STATESMAN!
I'll have you know the new comodores are actually longer and wider:bleh::laugh:
By the way, I forgot to ask, how the hell did you guys get cell phone reception out there?

[robertydog]

[COLOR="Lime"]Hornet250boy, you need to stop and think about what caused the accident and what you can learn from it. A small clue - it has nothing to do with the bike, the road or the conditions on the day. You are a young guy and hopefully this nasty accident will not put you off riding but it would be nice to see you around a bit longer rather than writing up a RIP thread.
Hope you got yourself checked out and all is well. You got away REALLY LUCKY.
I have to say though, cause a couple of times when coming up to the new riders they sometimes looked as if they were in a hurry to get out of our way and riding to the far left of the road - so much so that it was making it difficult to make some corners. You have just as much right to be on the road as anyone else and you need to own your piece of road. If someone is behind you then it is their responibility to get past safetly. By all means, if you dont want someone following you then move to the left on a striaght piece of road but when the corners come up if they are not passing you then assume your rightful place on the road to corner safely. I noticed it a couple of times and was going to say something but got caught up with other stuff.

COLOR]

Well said


It's no problem, if you have the means to help. Hell i was'nt doing bugger all else.
Meanie was all in to give me a hand when I came off, it's the brotherhood!!:headbang:

Good on you for helping another biker out

[cowboyz]

I feel highly offended by the negative comments about the mighty STATESMAN!


Well I thought it was great. In fact, I could hear the CEO of Mobil cheering every time you started it.............................

[HornetBoy]

Yea well im not good at writing big long stories but here goes,

great ride cowboyz, good to meet alot of kbers that ive never met before :msn-wink:, and good to talk to a couple id met previously.

mmm yes the bin, well was getting in a good flow and following meanie (sorry about following too close their mate ) through the twisties and he let me passed probably because he feared for his life ,wot with a bloody old katana up his backside half the way ,then carried on got to about 200m to the next stop ,came up a sweeping left ,up a hill ,then tuuuurrrning right then hey wheres my bike :doh: it was in mid air and had slipped from under me ,when over the fence and into a tree :no: (believe me i was pissed off,just didn't show it,and no-one really wanted to see me throwing a shit ) anyway i ending up in the air and something like 10-15m down the road (really really horrible feeling that was tho ) gear held up all right and i didnt hit my head .
The girls patched me up bloody good and i thank them dearly for that ,i really do .(although when i took the bandages off at the hospital i soon found they were very bad holes ) i think if they'd have let me see them at the time i would've passed out lol.
yea thanks all the guys for getting my heavy beast out of the field (it was very nice grass tho) i owe you all ,and i hope ya finished ya ride to ,without to much delay .

ah yes and one who definitely need to be mentioned is Sarge,thanks mate your legend (hope i didn't talk to much lol) was good to finally meet ya although a shame it was under those circumstances ,hope to ride with ya on ya FZ1 sometime .

yea contemplating on the ride home as to reasons why i might have crashed like that i came to 2 conclusions:

Rider error + i had maxed the preload /rebound on high the day before to test the difference and forgot to reset it back which explains why the bike did what it did when it hit that kind of dip. but like ya say ,you live and you learn from your mistakes .the bike can be fixed or replaced in time ,and im very luck y i didn't sustain any broken bones only a few deep gashes in me arms and leg,which will remind me to never fiddle with preload unless ya know what your doing,and remember where it was originally. but yes this has really shocked me a bit,i think one of the worst feelings was that id looked like a typical young fella trying to be fastest and riding to fast for himself etc but yea i was riding within my limits i tell ya! but this has not deterred me from two wheels ,just took them away me temporarily,so i will be thinking about what im going to do about my bike in the next couple of days,not to sure at the moment.

[manwithav8]

Yea well im not good at writing big long stories but here goes,

great ride cowboyz, good to meet alot of kbers that ive never met before :msn-wink:, and good to talk to a couple id met previously.

mmm yes the bin, well was getting in a good flow and following meanie (sorry about following too close their mate ) through the twisties and he let me passed probably because he feared for his life ,wot with a bloody old katana up his backside half the way ,then carried on got to about 200m to the next stop ,came up a sweeping left ,up a hill ,then tuuuurrrning right then hey wheres my bike :doh: it was in mid air and had slipped from under me ,when over the fence and into a tree :no: (believe me i was pissed off,just didn't show it,and no-one really wanted to see me throwing a shit ) anyway i ending up in the air and something like 10-15m down the road (really really horrible feeling that was tho ) gear held up all right and i didnt hit my head .
The girls patched me up bloody good and i thank them dearly for that ,i really do .(although when i took the bandages off at the hospital i soon found they were very bad holes ) i think if they'd have let me see them at the time i would've passed out lol.
yea thanks all the guys for getting my heavy beast out of the field (it was very nice grass tho) i owe you all ,and i hope ya finished ya ride to ,without to much delay .

ah yes and one who definitely need to be mentioned is Sarge,thanks mate your legend (hope i didn't talk to much lol) was good to finally meet ya although a shame it was under those circumstances ,hope to ride with ya on ya FZ1 sometime .

yea contemplating on the ride home as to reasons why i might have crashed like that i came to 2 conclusions:

Rider error + i had maxed the preload /rebound on high the day before to test the difference and forgot to reset it back which explains why the bike did what it did when it hit that kind of dip. but like ya say ,you live and you learn from your mistakes .the bike can be fixed or replaced in time ,and im very luck y i didn't sustain any broken bones only a few deep gashes in me arms and leg,which will remind me to never fiddle with preload unless ya know what your doing,and remember where it was originally. but yes this has really shocked me a bit,i think one of the worst feelings was that id looked like a typical young fella trying to be fastest and riding to fast for himself etc but yea i was riding within my limits i tell ya! but this has not deterred me from two wheels ,just took them away me temporarily,so i will be thinking about what im going to do about my bike in the next couple of days,not to sure at the moment.

Mate, not good news..... Have only just jumped on and read all about yesterdays ride...
Don't be deterred from setting up your own bike, just have someone in the know teach you how to do it...
Hope you mend up quick and get the bike sorted....

[chanceyy]

just really glad your in one piece mate .. so how many stitches? yeah they were fairly deep but was not gonna say that to you then .. just told sarge you need them looking at ...

never did get to see your riding .. but am not suprised you binned, why you might ask ..

go back over the last week or so & re read some of your posts .. knowing your on restricted, just coming off a 250 apart from playing with the preload .. that may also clue you in

Attitude plays a big part in your riding as well

at least we will get to ride with you again one day soon, & I am really pleased about that ..

[HornetBoy]

just really glad your in one piece mate .. so how many stitches? yeah they were fairly deep but was not gonna say that to you then .. just told sarge you need them looking at ...

never did get to see your riding .. but am not suprised you binned, why you might ask ..

go back over the last week or so & re read some of your posts .. knowing your on restricted, just coming off a 250 apart from playing with the preload .. that may also clue you in o

Attitude plays a big part in your riding as well

at least we will get to ride with you again one day soon, & I am really pleased about that ..

yea ended up with 35 stitches :angry2: which hurts a bit,yea well ive been off a 250cc for about 2yrs and been riding a 900 hornet since then till i recently brought the katana about 6 weeks ago, so yea i haven't just started riding bigger bikes,i stayed on my learners from age 15 till 16 then been on my restricted license since,i just haven't got my arse into gear and gotten into ltsa to book the full test, and yea i try to keep a good attitude toward my level of skill in respect to others and i try to take all the advice i can get from older riders,as i know im no valentino rossi , but I think it was just a freak accident,and i was in the wrong place ya know ,but ive taken alot from it and yea
Ill be back :scooter:

[HornetBoy]

Mate, not good news..... Have only just jumped on and read all about yesterdays ride...
Don't be deterred from setting up your own bike, just have someone in the know teach you how to do it...
Hope you mend up quick and get the bike sorted....

thanks mate,looking at it ,frames good and forks are good its ll just cosmetic as of now,will be getting it all checked out to see if it is officially alright to get back onto the road

[ynot slow]

Well I thought it was great. In fact, I could hear the CEO of Mobil cheering every time you started it.............................



Nope the bloody sultan of Brunei,likes them beasts.1 barrel each fill for fuel and oil comsumption lol.

Great words for us nooby's Lance re passing,I try to get out of the way,so do veer to the left,although not into corners if it can be helped,was same on the toy run,some guys tried to race past in stupid places,or the prats would zap past and then sit on 90km,meaning a bunch each side of you.Mind you we're all nooby's,you never stop learning,if ya think ya have give up.The roads allways change.

Sad to hear your crash Chris,don't do that to the suzi mate not good and 35 stitches,holy shit hope you don't leak,with that many holes.

[HornetBoy]

Sad to hear your crash Chris,don't do that to the suzi mate not good and 35 stitches,holy shit hope you don't leak,with that many holes.

thanks mate,yea poor Suzuki alright,held together pretty well tho,but on the upside it was a really great back road that ill have to tackle once i get back on the road

[oscarnz]

Good to meet the new riders to the Manawatu crowd and some from Wangas and the bay. Was good to have a good collection of bikes out and about and was good to see some good clean riding from the newbies. I have to say though, cause a couple of times when coming up to the new riders they sometimes looked as if they were in a hurry to get out of our way and riding to the far left of the road - so much so that it was making it difficult to make some corners. You have just as much right to be on the road as anyone else and you need to own your piece of road. If someone is behind you then it is their responibility to get past safetly. By all means, if you dont want someone following you then move to the left on a striaght piece of road but when the corners come up if they are not passing you then assume your rightful place on the road to corner safely. I noticed it a couple of times and was going to say something but got caught up with other stuff.



Thanks for a great day Cowboyz, appreciate the feedback above, as you know it was my first group ride and I learnt alot. All feedback is greatly received.

[banditrider]

Thanks for a great day Cowboyz, appreciate the feedback above, as you know it was my first group ride and I learnt alot. All feedback is greatly received.

Good on ya! Cowboyz actually makes a lot of sense - both with his comments on the crash and his suggestions to newbies. Just remember to ride at a pace which you find comfortable and not try to stick with the faster mob. Don't be in a hurry to go fast or push your bike. It ain't a ride unless you get back home safe & sound.

End of sermon - not good at preachin'. :blank:

[ynot slow]

. Don't be in a hurry to go fast or push your bike. It ain't a ride unless you get back home safe & sound.

End of sermon - not good at preachin'. :blank:

It aint preaching if you take notice,we should all respect any titbits of info given out.If thats preachin give me more I say.

[cowboyz]

yea contemplating on the ride home as to reasons why i might have crashed like that i came to 2 conclusions:

Rider error

you should have stopped typing here.


+ i had maxed the preload /rebound on high the day before to test the difference and forgot to reset it back which explains why the bike did what it did when it hit that kind of dip. but like ya say ,you live and you learn from your mistakes .the bike can be fixed or replaced in time ,and im very luck y i didn't sustain any broken bones only a few deep gashes in me arms and leg,which will remind me to never fiddle with preload unless ya know what your doing,and remember where it was originally. but yes this has really shocked me a bit,i think one of the worst feelings was that id looked like a typical young fella trying to be fastest and riding to fast for himself etc but yea i was riding within my limits i tell ya! but this has not deterred me from two wheels ,just took them away me temporarily,so i will be thinking about what im going to do about my bike in the next couple of days,not to sure at the moment.

Here is a word from me. Take it however you want. I couldnt give a shit. As the ride organiser I have since had a couple of comments about you riding to what appeared to be outside your limits. Hanging off the bike, riding on wrong side of road on blind corners. In all fairness I wonder if I would have recieved the complaints if you had not crashed. With all due repect, (which is actually getting lower from you comments above) you crashed 82km into the ride. Add that to the approx 85km from wangas to ashhurst and that makes around 160km of riding on your new setup. More than enough time to figure out how the bike was handling and if it was drifting/lifting/tucking under you should have been riding at a pace to compliment your setup. I am not the fastest rider in the manawatu riders by far although it is often commented that I may have the fastest bike. I know my place and dont care if other riders are in front or behind me.
I was hoping that you would contemplate your riding sytle, pace, lines and control rather than blaming the bike setup or the road.
We dont need a skidmark or Zeroindex down this way. Smarten up or move up north.

[banditrider]

Here is a word from me. Take it however you want. I couldnt give a shit. As the ride organiser I have since had a couple of comments about you riding to what appeared to be outside your limits. Hanging off the bike, riding on wrong side of road on blind corners. In all fairness I wonder if I would have recieved the complaints if you had not crashed. With all due repect, (which is actually getting lower from you comments above) you crashed 82km into the ride. Add that to the approx 85km from wangas to ashhurst and that makes around 160km of riding on your new setup. More than enough time to figure out how the bike was handling and if it was drifting/lifting/tucking under you should have been riding at a pace to compliment your setup. I am not the fastest rider in the manawatu riders by far although it is often commented that I may have the fastest bike. I know my place and dont care if other riders are in front or behind me.
I was hoping that you would contemplate your riding sytle, pace, lines and control rather than blaming the bike setup or the road.
We dont need a skidmark or Zeroindex down this way. Smarten up or move up north.

Didn't really want to get into it, but yeah, I saw some weird shit in my mirrors at one stage so left it behind.

Hornetboy: this lesson hasn't come cheap but a lot cheaper than it could have been. You don't want to push ya luck.

Cowboyz: totally agree with ya last couple of sentences!

[cowboyz]

It aint preaching if you take notice,we should all respect any titbits of info given out.If thats preachin give me more I say.

This crash couldnt have happened at a worse time and I am more than a little miffed about it the more I think about it .

To start with there has been a flourry of RIP threads recently and it was pure dumb luck that HB got away as lightly as he did.
Then I have been trying to get the wife on the back for ages and although she is enjoying the riding the ugly reality of what happens when things go wrong doesnt need to be put into the forefront of her mind.
The ashhurst crew, come manawatu riders have been riding together for nearly 3 years now and when we started we discussed what type of riding we want to do. A group of us decided we want touring/day rides at a comfortable safe pace for a social aspect. Since then we had prided ourselves on putting together rides that people feel comfortable with where riders of ALL skill levels can ride their own ride and have plenty of laughs at the plentiful stops. Yesterday there were a range of riders from the complete newbie who had virtually zero experience on group riding to very experienced fast riders and all but one made it comfotably and safely. I hope that we made the new riders feel welcome and they dont feel intimadated by the speed of the front runners. In saying that I cant responibily sit back and let Hornet250boy think that there was any other influence to his accident except his own riding.

[banditrider]

Yesterday there were a range of riders from the complete newbie who had virtually zero experience on group riding to very experienced fast riders and all but one made it comfotably and safely. I hope that we made the new riders feel welcome and they dont feel intimadated by the speed of the front runners. In saying that I cant responibily sit back and let Hornet250boy think that there was any other influence to his accident except his own riding.

Yep, I've got no problem sitting behind the L-platers, although like to have a play every now and again. I certainly hope that no one thinks that they have to keep up - everyone has to start somewhere and develop their skills at their own pace. Haven't got an issues with stopping & waiting (hell I want to know everyone is ok - when I heard about the accident all sorts of horror pictures went through my head) or helping out people in any way.

Riding is supposed to be fun and I never, ever want to see a serious injury or hear of it happening to someone I know. I'm sick to death of the RIP threads too (http://banditrider.blogspot.com/2007/12/2007-done-dusted.html)!

[Meanie]

Well said cowboyz I think you have said what we are all thinking, like you i am enjoying having my wife come with me on these rides and if someone is going to put her or myself at risk then there are going to be severe consequences
I was so concerned with HBs riding that i waved him through cause i realy didnt want him behind me where i couldnt watch him to avoid him if needed. I was realy not surprised to see him when i came round the corner, it was just a matter of time.
HB dont get us wrong you are a bloody nice guy and we realy enjoy your company and hopefully we will again when you get your bike back on the road but I believe you need to slow down and ride to your actual abilities, not what you think they are. I too could ride a lot faster than i do but experience tells me what will eventualy happen if i push myself and bike to the limit
Why are we so oppinionated you may ask, been there and done that, listened to what everyone told us and survived
You had a very nasty accident and were extremly lucky that you walked away from it. Please listen to what everyone is saying, dont take offence and take a little advice There are far too many of us bikers dying at the moment.

Ride to survive

Lecture over
Hope your feeling a little better

[STUPY]

I can't really comment on peoples riding styles, As i push my bike fairly hard sometimes and just seem to know when to button off (other than missing turn off's, Sorry guys). From my side of the fence the crash has not detered me in any way from riding but just highlights that the road is sometime unreadable and the need to adjust your speed is needed. it was great to see all of you and will be on as many rides as i can get on to ride with any of you. you are all a great buch of people. thanks for the advise and the ride cowboy, thanks to the ladies for hornetboys patch up, and the men for dragging the bike up from the bank. thanks to sarge for the rescue and don't worry bout the statesman jokes, i run the central districts commodore club so your car rocks:yes:

all in all , one hell of a day and really enjoyable

See you all in the saddle soon, that means you too hornetboy:clap:(can't wait)

[ynot slow]

Cowboyz couldn't agree more,you as the organiser must have nightmares if anyone crashes let alone dies.As for the idea of wives/girlfriends riding on the back,I know the feeling,it is great to include them,but also means responcibility,by us and others.Shit it's taken a while for me to persuade mine to hop on the back,and the last thing she wants is to see anyone taken out,and not ride with me. The last thing is to be taken out by someone being reckless or downright stupid(not aimed at hornetboy)with wife on the back.Do not need thinking about with the thought of kids with no parents.There is no way I would try to keep up with say you or 86 yet anyway,the bikes older and my skill level isn't up to it and I know that,hence the old adadge ride to your ability.You guys offer the riders you take out ideas on riding from experience,and that can only be acknowledged with thanks from those you help,thus they come better riders.Too many guys have died lately,mostly some could be avoided,but that's beside the point.You stress that it is not a race,but you can't predict the riding of some.Sure you do go fast at times,and if only 1 or 2 on the ride,and that's the way it should be,not racing with in a group of say 10 or more bikes.
Also to all you fine people have a good new years eve,will be down in Palmy in the morning for an interview,then home for a few beers,make up for not having any xmas eve.

[Dak]

Yesterday there were a range of riders from the complete newbie who had virtually zero experience on group riding to very experienced fast riders and all but one made it comfotably and safely. I hope that we made the new riders feel welcome and they dont feel intimadated by the speed of the front runners.

Felt welcome alright, I've been riding for a fairly long time, and still classify myself as a pretty shit rider really, and this is, well would be, the first ride I've ever been on with other people, I normally ride by myself. I thought it was very well done, I mean you couldn't have a wider variety of bikes and riders, and they way it all went worked out very well I thought. Certainly hasn't put me off.

Cheers, Jeff.

[WellyRyder]

yea contemplating on the ride home as to reasons why i might have crashed like that i came to 2 conclusions:

Rider error + i had maxed the preload /rebound on high the day before to test the difference and forgot to reset it back which explains why the bike did what it did when it hit that kind of dip. but like ya say ,you live and you learn from your mistakes .the bike can be fixed or replaced in time ,and im very luck y i didn't sustain any broken bones only a few deep gashes in me arms and leg,which will remind me to never fiddle with preload unless ya know what your doing,and remember where it was originally. but yes this has really shocked me a bit,i think one of the worst feelings was that id looked like a typical young fella trying to be fastest and riding to fast for himself etc but yea i was riding within my limits i tell ya! but this has not deterred me from two wheels ,just took them away me temporarily,so i will be thinking about what im going to do about my bike in the next couple of days,not to sure at the moment.

Gidday chris how ya going see ya had a bit of a mishap how r ya? (just had to join up and mention something) Mate dont worry, ive been their before mucking around with preload etc without a clue lol and had a few very close mishaps ,but as ya say ya learn from it .as for the peoples comments around here ,i think you guys should give him a break ,hes a top bloke and doesn't need some people giving him the harsh words ,i think he will have learnt his lesson,
ive ridden with HB a few times in the last couple of months and from what i could see he was an alright rider,as for the knee out on corners id advised him to do it as much as possible as it gives you a better feeling of stability imo, i mean yea he travels a little to close for comfort but never to intentionally freak me out nor others,
but hey its just my 2c

Have a good one HB hope to catch ya on the road again

[cowboyz]

Gidday chris how ya going see ya had a bit of a mishap how r ya? (just had to join up and mention something)

welcome to kiwibiker.
Mate dont worry, ive been their before mucking around with preload etc without a clue lol and had a few very close mishaps ,but as ya say ya learn from it
the bike setup wasnt the cause of the accident. I examined the crash scene and can say that in my opionion the bike didnt tuck under or lift. Simply caught out with a switchback going too fast into the turn and running wide on the out.
.as for the peoples comments around here ,i think you guys should give him a break
repectfully disagree good sir, Some things are not ok and as ride organiser (and I did say from the pretext that dangerous riding was not welcome) I am disappointed with not only the crash but the comments I am getting from other riders on the ride who were concerned with HB riding and to quote "an accident waiting to happen" I never rode close enough to HB to witness his riding one way or the other. I just get the comments thrown at me cause I dont care if people like me or not. Just trying to make our rides safer.,

hes a top bloke
no argument there. Chris is a top bloke and very entertaining to have around at the stops. Its the bit in between the stops that has people concerned.
and doesn't need some people giving him the harsh words
just calling it as I see it. If you dont like it then dont pay attention and go buy some flowers for the funeral.,
i think he will have learnt his lesson,
I hope so. I also hope he pays attention to what others have been saying. BR is a extremely experienced road rider with more long distance touring rides under his belt than I have had swedish woman (I wish that wasnt true) and he had concerns. Meanie is a very senisble road rider and on the day was telling HB to back off and he didnt like the way he was riding and HB didnt look to me like he was taking it in.

ive ridden with HB a few times in the last couple of months and from what i could see he was an alright rider,as for the knee out on corners id advised him to do it as much as possible as it gives you a better feeling of stability imo,
the whole knee down thing. What can I say. I play round with styles. putting knee out, not putting knee out. transferring unpper body to striaght on cornering side of bike, dropping bike under the corner. Simply sticking your knee out doesnt make for a dangerous rider one off. Neither does it make you safe. It was a package comment that you have taken one small aspect to comment on.
i mean yea he travels a little to close for comfort but never to intentionally freak me out nor others,
unacceptable. Travelling too close is a perception thing and if either the rider behind or rider in front thinks that it is too close then it is too close. The objective for the ride was a cruisy "ride your own ride" with all levels of skill levels there. Meanie mentioned to me that he felt he could not brake as he wanted to to make the turnoffs cause HB was simply too close. That is why Meanie waved him through. Meanie is very easy going and if HB was following close enough to have both Meanie and Mrs Meanie concerned then it was too close. No excuses will wash here. Couldnt give a rats arse if you and HB want to go out riding and follow each other 1m off eachs shoulder. But, on this ride - and every other Ashhurst ride I organise - that is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
but hey its just my 2c
I dispense my advice for free and some still think its overpriced.
Have a good one HB hope to catch ya on the road again

comments inline but if I dont type something here it doesnt register 10 chars.

[oscarnz]

Yesterday there were a range of riders from the complete newbie who had virtually zero experience on group riding to very experienced fast riders and all but one made it comfotably and safely. I hope that we made the new riders feel welcome and they dont feel intimadated by the speed of the front runners.

I felt very welcome (as was very nervous about coming on the ride yesterday), and wasnt intimadated by the front runners at all. But being able to ride my own ride made the nerves disappear, and as I said before "Thanks for everyone patience", As Chanceyy said yesterday, we have all been where I am at, and the only way to learn is out there doing it. It is great to be able to ride with experienced riders, and learn from them.

[GSVR]

I think when you get a new bike the first few weeks are the most likely your going to fall off.

If your young and haven't experienced intense pain and broken bones you don't worry about it as much.

Hornetboys not a dumb kid and I think he's already learnt enough without a public flogging.

Pity he never made the trackday then he may have reacted different or destroyed his bike in a safe enviroment.

Now Banditrider might remember me with arm in a sling after falling of on this exact same road coming home from the coast to coast about 3 years ago ( This was when he actually owned a bandit). I'd only had the bike a month and fitted new rubber for the ride. I was having a ball but then I came over a crest and for a split second lost my sense of direction stood the bike up and then couldn't turn quick enough to make the turn and ran off on the exit. Bike was ok but not rideable I broke my arm up near the shoulder. Haven't fallen off on the road since and don't intend to.

[NZsarge]

don't worry bout the statesman jokes, i run the central districts commodore club so your car rocks:yes:

all in all , one hell of a day and really enjoyable

See you all in the saddle soon, that means you too hornetboy:clap:(can't wait)

He he, nah i'm only playing silly buggers, not offended in the slightest mate:niceone:

[cowboyz]

I think when you get a new bike the first few weeks are the most likely your going to fall off.

If your young and haven't experienced intense pain and broken bones you don't worry about it as much.

Hornetboys not a dumb kid and I think he's already learnt enough without a public flogging.

Pity he never made the trackday then he may have reacted different or destroyed his bike in a safe enviroment.

Now Banditrider might remember me with arm in a sling after falling of on this exact same road coming home from the coast to coast about 3 years ago ( This was when he actually owned a bandit). I'd only had the bike a month and fitted new rubber for the ride. I was having a ball but then I came over a crest and for a split second lost my sense of direction stood the bike up and then couldn't turn quick enough to make the turn and ran off on the exit. Bike was ok but not rideable I broke my arm up near the shoulder. Haven't fallen off on the road since and don't intend to.

No public flogging here. But neither am I going to say "oh thats ok" I am not complaining about the accident itself. Ok shit happens. What I am trying to get clear - and this is aside from if I like anyone or not or anyone likes me or not - is the reports about HB pre crash riding is pretty shocking. Maybe it was a bit of enthusiasam or maybe he left his brain behind or maybe he rides like that all the time and thinks thats ok. What I am saying - in a public forum - is that riding is unacceptable on the ashhurst rides. Fullstop. I say this in a public forum to save time.
If you condone close riding and obviously riding outside your comfort level, overshooting and undercutting blind corners on the wrong side of the road then organise a ride with like-minded people and go for your life. Anyone reading this who is contemplating going on a ashhurst ride then let this be a formal public annocement that riding like a tosser is not welcome. I did put it in the orginal thread that idiots dont need to come. If that means that we get less bikes on the rides then that is fine - as long as it is safe.
Garry, you have had a dig at my riding on occasion and I have taken some of what you said to heart and thrown some of it away. I respect what you can do so effortlessly on a bike and add that to a comprehensive history of bike riding to create my own style. But always safely and I am damn sure I not putting anyone else in danger.

[NZsarge]

First of all, it's blardy hot!
I've been agonizing over wether I should pipe up and say something on what I observed at the scene of Hornet Boy's incident and comments he made to me on the trip back to Wanganui but really I think it's well covered by people far more qualified (for perhaps lack of a better word) than I, Cowboyz, Meanie, Chanceyy, Banditrider and others.
I personally don't think any of their comments were in the slightest bit out of line of overstated and the fact that so many people are coming to this conclusion if you will, speaks volumes and the said amount of people feeling they need to comment on this hopefully Hornet Boy brings you some realization.

I think on the trip back to your place we got on quite well, I think you're a good sort and please don't take any of these posts as anything but genuine concern and desire to see you keep all your limbs and skin etc...


Ah bugger it, when you get back on your bike for gods sake take it easy.
We all make mistakes but it is important to try to learn from them and be honest with yourself and really think through what you you did wrong to lead to this accident.
I tryed the subtle approach on the way home in the car but....

I hope my butting in is'nt seen as jumping on the band wagon but if it is then whatever, so be it.

On the subject of making mistakes or over doing things on rides I cincerely hope people tell me if they are uncomfortable with the way I conduct myself. I KNOW I have made mistakes (some of them pretty stupid) on rides before and I hope I have realized and made oppologies to the people concerned. If not come up and tell me if nothing else but to make me think about what i'm doing.

[banditrider]

Ok, while it seems that we're coming down a bit hard on Hornetboy it's for a pretty good reason: I for one do not want to be present at a serious accident (or even one like yesterday).

I was on the Coast to Coast the year of the double fatality (so you know what roads I'm talking about) and while I arrived late on the scene I still got to see a couple of riders stretched out on the ground with blankets spread over them. Like I said I did not see the gory details but I can still picture what I did see in my mind as clear as the day it happened. This terrible accident really got to me and I skipped the Coast to Coast for a number of years and am always aware of the idiots that do come out for that ride.

Now, Hornetboy is not a total moron and I really hope that he takes on board some of the points we've tried to make - we want to see him on more rides but do not want to be picking him or anyone else up out of a ditch or fence or worse.

Like I said earlier this has been an expensive lesson so I hope all riders who have been viewing this thread can learn from it - if it prevents even one injury then any embarrasment or offence that Chris may be feeling has been worth it.

I for one have not intended to offend Chris and really hope he can get his ride sorted, injuries healed, have a wee think about his riding and then come out and enjoy another ride with us.

[Meanie]

First of all, it's blardy hot!
I've been agonizing over wether I should pipe up and say something on what I observed at the scene of Hornet Boy's incident and comments he made to me on the trip back to Wanganui but really I think it's well covered by people far more qualified (for perhaps lack of a better word) than I, Cowboyz, Meanie, Chanceyy, Banditrider and others.
I personally don't think any of their comments were in the slightest bit out of line of overstated and the fact that so many people are coming to this conclusion if you will, speaks volumes and the said amount of people feeling they need to comment on this hopefully Hornet Boy brings you some realization.

I think on the trip back to your place we got on quite well, I think you're a good sort and please don't take any of these posts as anything but genuine concern and desire to see you keep all your limbs and skin etc...


Ah bugger it, when you get back on your bike for gods sake take it easy.
We all make mistakes but it is important to try to learn from them and be honest with yourself and really think through what you you did wrong to lead to this accident.
I tryed the subtle approach on the way home in the car but....

I hope my butting in is'nt seen as jumping on the band wagon but if it is then whatever, so be it.

On the subject of making mistakes or over doing things on rides I cincerely hope people tell me if they are uncomfortable with the way I conduct myself. I KNOW I have made mistakes (some of them pretty stupid) on rides before and I hope I have realized and made oppologies to the people concerned. If not come up and tell me if nothing else but to make me think about what i'm doing.

What he said :niceone:

Were not publicly flogging anyone, we are just genuinly concerned for all of our friends we ride with. If i rode bad i would expect nothing less than a wind up from my mates
We also never want to see someone being shoveled off the road and have to explain to his or her loved one why and how it happened
Just climb back on HB but be a little more careful, I personaly have no problems riding with you again

[banditrider]

On a more positive note: it was great to see everyone jump to help out. Particularly the girls who patched HB up and of course Sarge for doing his epic rescue mission!

How's that buddy system thingee work?

[cowboyz]

yes. Moving on to the positive note Everyones first concern was the rider - as it should be. We are human afterall. The girls did a fantastic job sorting him out and making sure he was ok. I was a little concerned with the (non surprising) shock that was settling in as he was shaking a fair bit on the side of the road. I dont like seeing hurt riders lying down as things can do backwards very quickly without notice. Big ups to CHanceyy for being prepared with the first aid kit and of course, NzSarge for his willingness to drop everything and come to the rescue. Just have to work on the shinny armour huh?
Still enjoyed the days riding. and was good getting to meet a heap of new riders I hadnt met before.

[NZsarge]

Just have to work on the shinny armour huh?
Still enjoyed the days riding. and was good getting to meet a heap of new riders I hadnt met before.

Nothing wrong with the shine on the Statesman mate!

Oh ok, I guess I could get the polish out.......<_<

[GSVR]

Nothing wrong with the shine on the Statesman mate!

Oh ok, I guess I could get the polish out.......<_<

I can't figure out why the Commodores Club would like your car. Did Lionel Ritchie use to own it. Or is it because yoou can fit the whole band in it.

Statemans are cool next best thing to a yank tank like a Lincoln Continental

[chanceyy]

These rides are working well with the smaller bikes not being an issue at all as long as the journey legs aren't too long. Also think letting any slower bikes leave a few minutes beforehand works very well. Its no fun being left behind on a ride.




Garry you mentioned above .. one of the things I would like to point out with Oscar & I getting a jump start on the rest of the faster crew .. by the time the faster riders caught us & we only had approx 16ks to go .. with dogs waving me on saying he would stay behind I had my wee bit of fun & arrived first .. with dogs & carmen rocking in less than 5 mins after .. important point .. it would mean that the newbie rider gets the full allocated break time (barring crashes) ..

having been a newbie rider on a big group ride & arriving approx 10-15 mins after the fastest riders, by the time they are ready to leave you may have only had a break of 10 mins or so ..

in this respect something to consider .. by allowing the slower riders to leave first & get a wee break means you potentially are arriving at the same time everyone gets a decent rest ..

other than that I totally support cowboyz comments and do not believe he is being harsh, if it saves a life then its worth it.

the first aid kit will be replenished tomorrow (with a few more useful items) & always sits in my tail kit bag .. for that reason I will now ride at the rear of any group rides so its accessible .. & hope it is never required again

[ynot slow]

As you say cowboyz,it's your organised ride they obey YOUR rules.

Seems to me that this may have been brewing for a while,oh well shit happens,the fact is if a guy is percieved to be riding dangerously,then anyone should be able to say,slow down,or what ever is needed,not the ride organiser.

Also some roads we are not familiar with some we are,this can breed complacency(sp)and then accidents.I concur with all in saying Chris you are a good guy,just don't want to see ya hurt bad,or worse take one of your crew out.Having said that I had a mate when he was 20 or so with a gpx750 and hit a grass verge and kerb at 100km or more,broke his rear wheel,and no bones though,nice cut on arm.He learnt and knew how it happened,combo of too fast and watching the edge of road and steering were he looked.A year later I jumped on his gsxr and we did a quick trip to manfield for castrol 6hr in total confidence,the bike looks decidedly second hand,hope no major structure probs.

[STUPY]

I can't figure out why the Commodores Club would like your car. Did Lionel Ritchie use to own it. Or is it because yoou can fit the whole band in it.

Statemans are cool next best thing to a yank tank like a Lincoln Continental

that would be "commodore" and if it were a ford then lionel ritchie would be dancing on it's ceiling

[Bassa]

Thanks for the company and good humour on the ride. I hope HB recovers quickly. Everything said so far cowboyz I concur, there's no substitute for experience. Pity I missed the sights at the seaside at least i didn't get burnt. Followed the two R1's back to vegas. thanks again for the ride.

[chanceyy]

Thanks for the company and good humour on the ride. I hope HB recovers quickly. Everything said so far cowboyz I concur, there's no substitute for experience. Pity I missed the sights at the seaside at least i didn't get burnt. Followed the two R1's back to vegas. thanks again for the ride.

good to catch up with you again Bazza ... hopefully third time will be the charm huh .. (coming on a ride with no crashes) :laugh:

[Monamie]

I think you can see from the way the guys are talking mate....that we all really care and want to keep you around a lot longer thanks!!!:hug:

:Pokey:Please take heed of what they are saying..these guys are VERY skilled riders with years and years and years..(ok not they aren't really that old) of experience....not just a few years-and when they take off and have a `run'-it sends shivers down my spine....I love to see them `go for it' and have learnt heaps just watching what they do. Trying to keep up with them-and you are more than capable-is fine but learn from how they ride their bikes and how they treat the road.
BUT......(and a big but..not mine though.:lol:...)
..when you ride with a group remember the rules do change a bit than if you are going out by yourself or with one or two others.You have to consider everyone and not just what you are out there for....ride your ride...but care for those who ride with you too. (ie: Please don't pass me so close cos' you put the shits up me!!!:()

And you WILL have to ride with MOI when you get the bike up and running:innocent:.....either that or tail end charlie for a bit!! I bet you can't wait for that....:gob:
Take care and let us know how many chickies you impress with your war wounds:dodge:.
Mo

[Dooly]

Just want to say that I thought the girls I followed at the back from Ashurst rode really well. You looked like you had much more experience than you have.
And when we missed the turnoff, I ended up following the lady on the black CB250 with the L plate.
Was impressed, rode well, good lines, and had a good pace.
Well done.

Bloody hot here today in the bay.
Robertydog called in with his partner and we went for a blast to Patangata.
Took my Duc, amazing the lines I can take on that and the faster corner speed etc than an upright naked like the Triumph. Was like chalk and cheese from yesterday.
First time ever saw a bacon car at Patangata. Fortunately he turned onto the long drag strip straight there as we came down the end and I think he got a shock to see us.
Had time to throttle off!
Think he was looking for quota as there were lots of bikes at the Patangata pub this arvo.

Once again, cheers for yesterday, will make an effort another time.
Anyone on HW50 riding, need gas, or a pitstop, PM me, I'm about 20 mins from Hastings, down the road from the bar/cafe at Maraekakaho.

[NZsarge]

Just want to say that I thought the girls I followed at the back from Ashurst rode really well. You looked like you had much more experience than you have.
And when we missed the turnoff, I ended up following the lady on the black CB250 with the L plate.
Was impressed, rode well, good lines, and had a good pace.
Well done.

Bloody hot here today in the bay.
Robertydog called in with his partner and we went for a blast to Patangata.
Took my Duc, amazing the lines I can take on that and the faster corner speed etc than an upright naked like the Triumph. Was like chalk and cheese from yesterday.
First time ever saw a bacon car at Patangata. Fortunately he turned onto the long drag strip straight there as we came down the end and I think he got a shock to see us.
Had time to throttle off!
Think he was looking for quota as there were lots of bikes at the Patangata pub this arvo.

Once again, cheers for yesterday, will make an effort another time.
Anyone on HW50 riding, need gas, or a pitstop, PM me, I'm about 20 mins from Hastings, down the road from the bar/cafe at Maraekakaho.
Sweet, welcome anytime mate, hopefully next time i'll be out there on my bike....

[chanceyy]

speaking of which .. I have been meaning to finish but given the reg manawatu riders which is increasing .. I still have the phone list to hand out ... but before I do the newbies are you happy to have your names phone numbers added to the list .. home numbers as well???

I will reprint & laminate so it can fit into tank bags etc without fear of getting wet .

guess there are a number of lessons to take away fr yesterdays ride ..

if you want your details added to my list can you please PM me your phone numbers, (home, cell etc) I have the master list as an excel file & can add or update as needed ..

I will have it completed as soon as i get back to work & hand out as I see you all .

[robertydog]

speaking of which .. I have been meaning to finish but given the reg manawatu riders which is increasing .. I still have the phone list to hand out ... but before I do the newbies are you happy to have your names phone numbers added to the list .. home numbers as well???

I will reprint & laminate so it can fit into tank bags etc without fear of getting wet .

guess there are a number of lessons to take away fr yesterdays ride ..

if you want your details added to my list can you please PM me your phone numbers, (home, cell etc) I have the master list as an excel file & can add or update as needed ..

I will have it completed as soon as i get back to work & hand out as I see you all .

So will mine be laminated so the moist choclate cake wont damage it?

[STUPY]

i'm all ok with that i have added you to my buddy list so you can retrieve all the details needed, cheers:woohoo:

[chanceyy]

Just want to say that I thought the girls I followed at the back from Ashurst rode really well. You looked like you had much more experience than you have.
And when we missed the turnoff, I ended up following the lady on the black CB250 with the L plate.
Was impressed, rode well, good lines, and had a good pace.
Well done.



Thanks Dooly ... good to put a face to the name as well, wanted to stay with carmen since it was her first ride so spent the time practicing my one arm riding esp after leaving you guys at pahiatua .. so regardless I spent time practicing some skills which was totally worth it ...

[NZsarge]

So will mine laminated so the moist choclate cake wont damage it?

Ha ha, you had to see that coming Chanceyy....:laugh:

[chanceyy]

So will mine be laminated so the moist choclate cake wont damage it?
:lol: nice try


i'm all ok with that i have added you to my buddy list so you can retrieve all the details needed, cheers:woohoo:

cheers chick :msn-wink::niceone:


Ha ha, you had to see that coming Chanceyy....:laugh:

yeah was waiting for it .. methinks Rob has choccy cake on the brain .. :killingme

[Monamie]

Just want to say that I thought the girls I followed at the back from Ashurst rode really well. You looked like you had much more experience than you have.
And when we missed the turnoff, I ended up following the lady on the black CB250 with the L plate.
Was impressed, rode well, good lines, and had a good pace.
Well done.

Bloody hot here today in the bay.
Robertydog called in with his partner and we went for a blast to Patangata.
Took my Duc, amazing the lines I can take on that and the faster corner speed etc than an upright naked like the Triumph. Was like chalk and cheese from yesterday.
First time ever saw a bacon car at Patangata. Fortunately he turned onto the long drag strip straight there as we came down the end and I think he got a shock to see us.
Had time to throttle off!
Think he was looking for quota as there were lots of bikes at the Patangata pub this arvo.

Once again, cheers for yesterday, will make an effort another time.
Anyone on HW50 riding, need gas, or a pitstop, PM me, I'm about 20 mins from Hastings, down the road from the bar/cafe at Maraekakaho.

Great to meet you too. It would be fantastic to see you out with us again- very nice bike too.
That sure was funny when you guys missed the turn off...I got to be in the middle again!!:bleh::rolleyes: Well it does get lonely out there on ya own sometimes :whistle:

[STUPY]

[QUOTE=chanceyy;1359882]
cheers chick :msn-wink::niceone:

:Oi:my riding isn't that bad!!!!!:Playnice:

[chanceyy]

:Oi:my riding isn't that bad!!!!!:Playnice:

:killingme .. sorry I must be tired .. :devil2: .. thanks dude .. is that better :laugh: :nya:

[STUPY]

:2thumbsup so much better:niceone:

[Meanie]

the first aid kit will be replenished tomorrow (with a few more useful items) & always sits in my tail kit bag .. for that reason I will now ride at the rear of any group rides so its accessible .. & hope it is never required again

Always a first aid kit in my panniers as well if they are on the side of my bike


speaking of which .. I have been meaning to finish but given the reg manawatu riders which is increasing .. I still have the phone list to hand out ... but before I do the newbies are you happy to have your names phone numbers added to the list .. home numbers as well???

I will reprint & laminate so it can fit into tank bags etc without fear of getting wet .

guess there are a number of lessons to take away fr yesterdays ride ..

if you want your details added to my list can you please PM me your phone numbers, (home, cell etc) I have the master list as an excel file & can add or update as needed ..

I will have it completed as soon as i get back to work & hand out as I see you all .

Not sure if i told you already but no probs with my nos on the list
I have a bike trailer as well, at the moment anyway


[QUOTE=chanceyy;1359882]
cheers chick :msn-wink::niceone:

:Oi:my riding isn't that bad!!!!!:Playnice:

Followed you for a bit yesterday, wont be long and youll be snappin at our heals. Nice lines, you looked very confident :scooter:

[chanceyy]

Always a first aid kit in my panniers as well if they are on the side of my bike

Not sure if i told you already but no probs with my nos on the list
I have a bike trailer as well, at the moment anyway

Followed you for a bit yesterday, wont be long and youll be snappin at our heals. Nice lines, you looked very confident :scooter:

good to know who has first aid kits ..

I have your cellie on the list already meanie .. (dunno your home one)

thanks meanie, :msn-wink:
learning how to weight the pegs has made a huge difference to betsy's stability & therefore my confidence .. still have to think about the corner & weighting pegs & counter steering, its not a memory muscle yet .. & still need to improve on the tighter twistie stuff, but its getting there & practice practice practice is the key .. got some more in today :niceone:

[STUPY]

Followed you for a bit yesterday, wont be long and youll be snappin at our heals. Nice lines, you looked very confident :scooter:

if your meaning me then thanks???

[Horse]

Well this thread certainly got interesting. :)

Thanks to the people that did the work for organising the ride and herding the cats. I enjoyed the riding, and meeting all the locals. I'll be definitely up for some future rides when work etc allows me.

I've spent the day (well, a bit of it) washing the bike - my pre-xmas hints to family members had paid off: "what do I want for christmas? Well, I've just bought a shiny new _motorbike_ with lots of chrome and paint that's going to need washing and polishing...."! I guess that'll learn me to develop a fondness for cruisers - there really is an acre or two of chrome on the bike.

Speaking of which - we'll definitely have to lure some more local cruiser riders out of the woodwork.

As for the ride - definitely a nice bit of road, I haven't driven it so it was interesting on the bike. I quickly adopted Cowboyz suggestion of "riding your own ride" and adopted a comfortable pace. I've had my learners for a month now and (after Saturday) I've done about 1400km. I'm finding that the primary determination of my cornering speed are my instincts as a car driver - I'm not having any trouble with lines or exits or anything, I'm just entering the corners a lot slower that you experienced riders because I'm not comfortable going faster yet. I figure that will develop with time so I'm not worried about pushing it for now.

One particular corner following Chanceyy on the final section into Akitio was revealing - she'd been riding fairly sedately for the benefit of us n00bs but was just a little bit faster on this one. As I followed her into this left-hander I went "whoa, this feels fast" but it was too late to brake so I just pushed the left bar a bit to keep the line right and hung on.... and the bike just went sedately round the corner. No dramas. I grinned to myself on the exit and thought "hmmm, definitely more learning to be done."

Mind you, a big thank you to whoever it was at one of the stops who suggested that I was probably slower than the main group as I was only riding a 250 cruiser. Thanks for the encouragement, but it's definitely all me - I don't think I'm anywhere near the bike's limits yet. :)

As for being followed and letting bikes past - I find everybody's natural following distance is closer than I feel comfortable with at the moment, so I'm happy to let people past me if the opportunity presents. I think this is partly due to my inexperience with group riding, and also partly because I'm a paranoid freak - I hate people watching over my shoulder when I work as well. :)

I took a few photos as well - now that I've got my laptop whipped into shape I should have them online fairly shortly.

Apologies to Banditrider about not passing that car before we got into the gorge on the way home. I did warn you I read your blog! :) I had a hunch it was going to be a slow PITA but I was feeling a bit tired so I took a more conservative approach to overtaking opportunities. Probably the right call at the time on the little 250, but frustrating all the same.

And true story - at one point I glanced in my mirrors and thought "bugger, I must be going too slow, there's a car right up bandit's arse!". Then I had a proper look and realised it was just his panniers. :) Man that bike has some width!

Sarge, don't let them give the statesman any stick - that thing purrs. Boodiful!

Finally, no-one has yet mentioned the mystery of the suddenly appearing xmas decoration......

Anyway, great to meet everyone, I'm looking forward to future rides.

[chanceyy]

if your meaning me then thanks???

:doh: .......

[cowboyz]

Finally, no-one has yet mentioned the mystery of the suddenly appearing xmas decoration......

Anyway, great to meet everyone, I'm looking forward to future rides.

ah yes. I actually forgot about that even though it is still on the bike. Looks quite good there. Whipped into town to do a little shopping yesterday and in the supermarket car park people were pointing at my bike. Took a little while to figure out what was going on. Suits it though. Check out my pics in my sig.