852kms in 2 days on the biatch!

[Ms Piggy]

Well I decided that my riding buddy Jazbug5 needed some company while making her long haul to Auckland for Christmas. I decided to go as far as Taupo with her.

We started off at around 9.30am and took our time along the journey, why hurry?

Actually before we even got out passed Mana we had seen 4 :Police: ! We had been passed by 1 on a bike and then passed the others parked up. Poor Jaz with her L plate flapping away…mine had, errr, ummm, had fallen off.

It was a mild day, not too sunny & not too cold. Pretty uneventful ride really apart from a stint behind a Tranzit Bus that belched black smoke every time it changed up or down “Hack, hack! Cough, cough!”. We had a few stops a long the way and had morning tea at the Brown Sugar just before Levin and lunch at the Taihape Brown Sugar.

It was a little bit windy some parts and my little buddy was getting blown around a bit.
"Hang on Jaz we’re almost there!" :gob:
One of the advantages, for me, of being a bit more of a substantial woman is, when it’s a bit windy I get a bit of a wobble but, Jaz is having to lie across her tank holding on for grim death!

It got really cold when we got onto the Desert Rd and there were heaps of roads works from just out of Taihape through to Turangi. Especially on the Desert Rd, they had scraped the surface and it was really unsettling to ride on. It felt like the bike was gonna slip out from under me.

We arrived in Taupo and had chosen to stay at a Backpackers called Rainbow Lodge. www.rainbowlodge.co.nz A great little place, only $21- a night, although I get the feeling the bathroom facilities aren’t quite given as much of a detailed cleaning as they should. Good cheap accommodation though & nice warm room. We were both pretty buggered and in spite of a phone call at 11.40pm begging us to come out & partay! We had gone out for a feed, earlier with another friend and while we were wandering a woman said to me. “We’ll be seeing you tomorrow then." It turned out to be Slim and she had seen my KB t-shirt.

Woke up feeling refreshed & toasty warm – that could be cos we had left the heater on all night! We had breakfast at a nice café called ???, errrr, can’t remember actually but, it was on Ruapehu St. After breakfast we came back to our bikes to find some knob head in a 4WD had parked in front of our bikes & boxed us in :tugger: , we could both still get out but just the cheek of it!! He came out just as we were leaving offering to shift – I wasn’t as polite as Jaz and said “It’s a bit f*cking late now!” Grrrrrrrrr. I’d also left him a note “Thanks for boxing us in! Dickhead!” Full of eloquence I is! :stoogie:

We went to the track for a bit of a look and then I headed out about 12 as I wanted to stop in and see a friend in Masterston. Talk about windy!! Eeeeeeepppp!!! :confused: My little bike went really well but man oh man! On the Desert Rd I was lying across the tank and going flat out at 80kms! Arrrrgggggghhhh. Then when between Greytown and Featherston I struck a really BIG gust that gave me a huge fright! :shit: I’ve been in wind before but this just about blew me & the biatch over! I took it very slooooow over the Rimutakas and finally got back home around 9pm, it was still and serene in Wellington.

Great ride though and the bike went really well. Bob bye Jaz – I’ll miss our little jaunts out and about. See you when you get back – missing you already. :weep: :wavey:

[James Deuce]

Good stuff, you aggro little socialist! :)

Keep the tales a-coming, and we want Jazbug's version of the rest of her ride - give her a nudge will ya CSL?

When are you dropping by for a coffee?

[Quasievil]

She Pm me today so she got to Auckland okay, we looked after her on the Taupo Hamilton leg, I never relised my bike could do 80kmhr:scooter: , novel really:)

Hope someone can ride with her north from Auckkers ?

[Hitcher]

Isn't long-distance motorcycle riding just the bestest fun? You, your bike, the road, your mates. New places to visit, new places to eat at and stay. Your "other" life on hold and forgotten. Terrific fun! Words don't do it justice. Fantastic!

[merv]

Great to hear you enjoyed yourselves and had some life experiences. Those scraped roads are a bugger eh! The grooves kinda make your bike track all funny.

As for wind, one time on a Ulysses run it was so bad coming back down the Wairarapa a few of our crew parked up at Carterton and caught the train back and collected their bikes later. It turned out on a day like that it was eerily still over the 'takas anyway and I had a nice ride home.

So you did well.

[Ms Piggy]

She Pm me today so she got to Auckland okay, we looked after her on the Taupo Hamilton leg, I never relised my bike could do 80kmhr:scooter: , novel really:)

Hope someone can ride with her north from Auckkers ?

:killingme Cheeky!

Thats great! I'm glad she got some others to ride with. :2thumbsup

She sent me a text last night saying she was just out of Akld, so it's all good. I believe she does have company for the ride North Akld but, I'll let her tell you about that. ;)

[Ms Piggy]

Good stuff, you aggro little socialist! :)

Keep the tales a-coming, and we want Jazbug's version of the rest of her ride - give her a nudge will ya CSL?

When are you dropping by for a coffee?

Yes I can be quite aggro when it involves some toss pot in his oversized shopping trolley! :Punk:

I will tell her to get tapping!

Coffee? When am I invited? :)

[James Deuce]

Coffee? When am I invited? :)

Anytime. Just text, or bowl up downstairs and get the Deceptionist to call me.

[Firefight]

Well I decided that my riding buddy Jazbug5 needed some company while making her long haul to Auckland for Christmas. I decided to go as far as Taupo with her.

We started off at around 9.30am and took our time along the journey, why hurry?

Actually before we even got out passed Mana we had seen 4 :Police: ! We had been passed by 1 on a bike and then passed the others parked up. Poor Jaz with her L plate flapping away…mine had, errr, ummm, had fallen off.

It was a mild day, not too sunny & not too cold. Pretty uneventful ride really apart from a stint behind a Tranzit Bus that belched black smoke every time it changed up or down “Hack, hack! Cough, cough!”. We had a few stops a long the way and had morning tea at the Brown Sugar just before Levin and lunch at the Taihape Brown Sugar.

It was a little bit windy some parts and my little buddy was getting blown around a bit.
"Hang on Jaz we’re almost there!" :gob:
One of the advantages, for me, of being a bit more of a substantial woman is, when it’s a bit windy I get a bit of a wobble but, Jaz is having to lie across her tank holding on for grim death!

It got really cold when we got onto the Desert Rd and there were heaps of roads works from just out of Taihape through to Turangi. Especially on the Desert Rd, they had scraped the surface and it was really unsettling to ride on. It felt like the bike was gonna slip out from under me.

We arrived in Taupo and had chosen to stay at a Backpackers called Rainbow Lodge. www.rainbowlodge.co.nz A great little place, only $21- a night, although I get the feeling the bathroom facilities aren’t quite given as much of a detailed cleaning as they should. Good cheap accommodation though & nice warm room. We were both pretty buggered and in spite of a phone call at 11.40pm begging us to come out & partay! We had gone out for a feed with another friend, while we were wandering a woman said to me. “We’ll be seeing you tomorrow then." It turned out to be Slim and she had seen my KB t-shirt.

Woke up feeling refreshed & toasty warm – that could be cos we had left the heater on all night! We had breakfast at a nice café called ???, errrr, can’t remember actually but, it was on Ruapehu St. After breakfast we came back to our bikes to find some knob head in a 4WD had parked in front of our bikes & boxed us in :tugger: , we could both still get out but just the cheek of it!! He came out just as we were leaving offering to shift – I wasn’t as polite as Jaz and said “It’s a bit f*cking late now!” Grrrrrrrrr. I’d also left him a note “Thanks for boxing us in! Dickhead!” Full of eloquence I is! :stoogie:

We went to the track for a bit of a look and then I headed out about 12 as I wanted to stop in and see a friend in Masterston. Talk about windy!! Eeeeeeepppp!!! :confused: My little bike went really well but man oh man! On the Desert Rd I was lying across the tank and going flat out at 80kms! Arrrrgggggghhhh. Then when between Greytown and Featherston I struck a really BIG gust that gave me a huge fright! :shit: I’ve been in wind before but this just about blew me & the biatch over! I took it very slooooow over the Rimutakas and finally got back home around 9pm, it was still and serene in Wellington.

Great ride though and the bike went really well. Bob bye Jaz – I’ll miss our little jaunts out and about. See you when you get back – missing you already. :weep: :wavey:

Bloody good on ya, :first: way to go !!!!

F/F

[Storm]

Quite the hidden talent for writing there CSL. Good effort all round and happy to see you got there and back safely. :2thumbsup

[FROSTY]

I never relised my bike could do 80kmhr:scooter: , novel really:)
But quazi wasnt that the speed ya was doing round taupo raceway?
next time we go out mate I'll get outa first gear on me 400 :baby:
Sorry mate i just couldn't resist
An the call to party was from me douggie and 6chris6

[mangell6]

Quite the hidden talent for writing there CSL. Good effort all round and happy to see you got there and back safely. :2thumbsup

Riders are trained well down here :cool:

What a mighty ride by the two of you I am impressed, keeping a steady 50mph is pretty tough, a lot of people on here couldn't do it on the open road. :lol: :lol:

[StoneChucker]

I would've come with, as offered, if it weren't for the coast to coast (about 700kms, in one day, on the big biatch :done: )

I stayed at the RainbowLodge, it was great. I love Backpackers, there is an atmosphere about them, so many people, so many cultures... Only thing, I wouldn't have slept, since there is no secure parking for bikes :brick:

It was a little windy tonight here in Welly, so, as you do, I went for a ride up to the Karori Wind Turbine, then out past Karori, Makara and to J'Ville.

Cathy, give me a ring sometime, we must go for a ride, and the CAPED trio must be formed aswell, I'm still waiting :)

Speak to ya soon.
Dave.

[jazbug5]

Terrific fun! Words don't do it justice. Fantastic!

Indeed.

Sorry it took me a while to put something up, Cath- but, er, you know me. And as Hitcher says- words don't do it justice. See?

However, many thanks are due to the Cathster for accompanying my sorry ass up North. And I was very sorry on Saturday morning. For the sins of over-indulgence and Abuse Of Alcomohol.
Ms. Sea Lily endured my weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth very patiently then we hit the road (after topping up my grease/sugar levels).
It was a lot of fun, though -apart from having to adopt ridiculous positions in the Foxton area. The poor GN was coughing along at 80 even when I plastered myself across the tank, and to keep in a relatively straight line it was also necessary to stick my left knee out at a funny angle. And pray.
I'm sure it provided other bored motorists with a little light relief, though.
I think I need a lead filled fat suit or something..?
Anyhoo, we did stop at fairly regular intervals (both Brown Sugar caffs highly recommended- and the lady who runs the first one has a Mighty GN too..!) on the way. Some of the surfacing on the Desert Road were pretty sketchy on the tighter corners; more praying/muttering.
Oh, and along the way we managed to get two Harley riders (and one pillion) to wave back at us..! I hope they weren't too confused by my whooping and the ecstatic victory punch in the air.
So: Rainbow Lodge was pretty good value; free sauna, coffee, barbecue area.. all kinsda stuff. After meeting Cath's mate (who wore a funky red motorbike t-shirt especially for the occasion) we retired to our rooms at the Lodge, where I promptly passed out face down on my bed.
Next day we went to 'Replete' caff- another place to be recommended; not only is the food stellar, but they have a special bike park spot right in front. Which was, unfortunately, full. So we had to park down the road, where of course Mr. 'Dickhead' promptly boxed us in with his extra large and stupidly expensive 4 wheel drive. Hmmmmmm. 2 inches from my wheel, he was.
Anyway, off we went to the track... my first time at a track event. Linda and Hamish were there to explain what was going on (thanks!) and kindly looked after our helmets and stuff while we wandered around bothering people we recognised. Ching was there looking very pleased with himself- and with good reason. Very pretty bike. VERY pretty. *dribble*
Slim, too- who had a go on the open track session and was looking pretty good out there, I must say. Might have to have a go at that training session in Feb you mentioned, Slim..!
Then Quasi very kindly/foolishly agreed to show me up to Hamilton; more plastering self across tank to achieve GN warp speeds (80k). Although I'm sure that on occasion (downhill, with wind behind us and flapping legs for extra momentum) we reaching dizzying speeds like, er, 114 k or something death defying like that. Ahem.
His friends very kindly stopped and waited for us along the way- can't remember any names, but a very nice bunch of chaps- thanks guys!
Nice one, Quasi- that was amazingly good of you; is there no end to this man's saintliness..? He then showed me to the Auckland road and rode off into the sunset, to wherever helpless folk are in danger or need and wait for a chisel chinned hero to ride into town....
-or possibly just went home to gibber and drink beer.
So, I trundled along solo to Auckland where I met my friend at the Mercer Servo and was again Mother Ducked to a friend of theirs house (who is a mechanic).
[An aside: it turns out I have the wrong sized tyre on the rear. Which is why the old girl has been handling really skittishly and wierdly on corners etc. See? It's not that I can't ride for sh*t- it was the bike all along. Ha. Ha.]

Turns out various things need doing, which hopefully I'll get around to over the next month while we're up in the Bay of Islands. Can't wait!
Anyway, I'll be heading back down in a month, but may not have much access to the site in the meantime- so, in advance
-HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Cheers all,

Jaz

[Quasievil]

Gee thanks for the nice words Jaz, it was to gibber and drink beer and wait for the rest of the guys to turn up.

Hope the rest of your ride is a goody