Longest ride so far

[varminter]

Went for a ride from Rotorua to Kawerau at the weekend. Longest so far. No great attractions in Kawerau but a whole heap of bends round lake Rotoiti and over the Rotoma's. Sometimes it was all good and the bike just flowed round the bends but then I'd get all tensed up, I'll keep taking the vallium.

I find 70 good, 80 ok, 90 bit of a worry, but 100 feels like the wheels are off the ground, I suppose I'll get used to it, I can't guess what 150 feels like. Got home (feeling a bit knackered) and found the stretch hooks on the rear rack hanging down the side of the bike...duh. Lucky they didn't catch in the rear wheel or chain. Couple of months to go before my restricted and I'm already looking for a bigger bike. Oh yes, I actually overtook a car, he was only doing 80 or so, do I get a badge or something??

[Blackshear]

Oh yes, I actually overtook a car, he was only doing 80 or so, do I get a badge or something??
:rockon:

You get my respect!

[TKDSKIP]

Its a great piece of road, especially from Kawerau up to the top of the Rotomas. Got to be careful not to be cop bait past the lakes.
Keep doing that road and your skills will improve heaps.

[Hinny]

Watch out for the ice grit.
Potentially more dangerous than fuzz.
Especially in your shorts.

[McDuck]

Another good road once you have gone from kawerau over the hill you turn right at the edge of the first lake. Then follow that road for about 40kms and you end up at matata. A nice country road. Watch for slight gravel and the unexpectedness of country roads. If you like i can take you over for the first time this time next month (maby)

[CookMySock]

congrats !! Yep watch out on the rotomas, sometimes theres diesel spills and slippery sandy shit everywhere. When you are really getn the hang of it, go toward taupo, then to murupara, then down to te teko. Its a nice clear road with nothing and no one on it. Just miles and miles of clear space. Watch out for cows crossing this time of year.

Theres always a stopover point down our way too, and couple of other learner riders here.

Steve - Edgecumbe

[Hitcher]

The only way to learn how to ride is to get out and ride, on as many different roads and weather conditions as possible. People who ride the same circuit in fine weather when the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars are not extending themselves and therefore unlikely to learn anything about themselves or their bikes.

And the Rotomas seriously rock. They are one of my favourite stretches of Kiwi twisties.

[Jerry74]

Good to hear you had a nice ride, keep it up

[KoroJ]

Good one. Rotomas today......Grand Challenge in October!

[Blossom]

Nice to hear that someone else has similar experiences to myself.
I am slowly getting used to 100k but boy does it hurt my forarms after an hour or so. lol

[blairh]

I find 70 good, 80 ok, 90 bit of a worry, but 100 feels like the wheels are off the ground, I suppose I'll get used to it, I can't guess what 150 feels like.
I know exactly what you mean - went on the motorway here for the first time over the weekend, it's mental!! Especially when the wind starts to pick up ;)

[Slyer]

You have motorways down there? Who'da thunk it? ;)

[Griffin]

I actually overtook a car, he was only doing 80 or so, do I get a badge or something??

Yes - there is an 'overtaking cars on a GN250 merit badge' but you have to fill in triplicate application forms and provide video evidence of the feat itself along with proof of identity, proof of GN250 ownership, proof of licence held and proof of a university degree in womens studies. Once you have all of the above post it in to the GN250 appreciation and admiration club of NZ and they will send you the cloth and official coloured threads to sew your own design up with and then it can be formally presented to you at a function held at your dinner table by your cousins parents sister.

Congrats on the acheivement :Punk:

[Slyer]

Go the GN though!

[<Rhino>]

Awsome dude. Sounds like a nice bit of road to ride however I have no idea where that is! I think the speed thing is normal, I was the same. It dosn't take long till your going 100 and you get the urge to push that little bit more, I dont have to worry about that though my (no cred) bike wont go that fast....:lol:

Still....a few months in and I'm already thinking of what I would like to step up too next year. :banana:

[slimjim]

Dude wait til you get your bike to a express way :love:
:shifty:

[raftn]

The more you ride the better you get.....the better you get the more you ride......after a while anything less than a thousand kms on a weekend feels like you are just shooting out to get the paper...........sort of an way i am sure you get my point.

[Maha]

Went for a ride from Rotorua to Kawerau at the weekend. Longest so far. No great attractions in Kawerau but a whole heap of bends round lake Rotoiti and over the Rotoma's. Sometimes it was all good and the bike just flowed round the bends but then I'd get all tensed up, I'll keep taking the vallium.

I find 70 good, 80 ok, 90 bit of a worry, but 100 feels like the wheels are off the ground, I suppose I'll get used to it, I can't guess what 150 feels like. Got home (feeling a bit knackered) and found the stretch hooks on the rear rack hanging down the side of the bike...duh. Lucky they didn't catch in the rear wheel or chain. Couple of months to go before my restricted and I'm already looking for a bigger bike. Oh yes, I actually overtook a car, he was only doing 80 or so, do I get a badge or something??

I remember when I had a GN, 180-200kms was a good ride.....
When I sold it, I delivered it to the new owner up North, tapped it out on a passing lane north of Ruakaka, passing a milk tanker...135kph.

Give it a go sometime, between Rotoehu and Rotoma theres a straight bit from memory? Graveyard on the left ? or better still, through Hongis Track!
Sorry about the spelling, but ya know where I mean.
That Hongi must have been pissed when he cut that track!!.....:yes:

[Rosie]

Awesome stuff! :sunny:

It was a great weekend to be cruising around the Rotorua lakes.

[slimjim]

When I sold it, I delivered it to the new owner up North, tapped it out on a passing lane north of Ruakaka, passing a milk tanker...135kph.


That Hongi must have been pissed when he cut that track!!.....:yes:[/QUOTE]


thought cause he was been chased by you white folk lol :niceone:

[insomnia01]

Another way through to Kawerau is via the " Million dollar Highway " from Murupara to Kawerau

[varminter]

Don't think Hongi was on a bike when he went that way. He was on his way to do a bit of serious damage to the Rotorua locals.

I'm planing to go to Tauranga on Saturday (son's birthday), I'll go the Tauranga direct it's got a shed load of bends in it. Only problem is, as it's a short cut, it's incumbent upon all users to go rip shit or bust and I'm paranoid enough as it is.

I still get nervous putting all my gear on but my hands are shaking less:laugh: Plus I now have a tinted visor so no one knows I'm an old fart.:msn-wink:

[1 Free Man]

I'm planing to go to Tauranga on Saturday (son's birthday), I'll go the Tauranga direct it's got a shed load of bends in it. Only problem is, as it's a short cut, it's incumbent upon all users to go rip shit or bust and I'm paranoid enough as it is.

I still get nervous putting all my gear on but my hands are shaking less:laugh: Plus I now have a tinted visor so no one knows I'm an old fart.:msn-wink:
Hey varminter. I take it you are coming over the Pye's pa Road to TGA. I ride it regularly To Rotovegas and back. Go over to Nongataha (sp) to friends for coffee as ya do.
It's a great ride, the more you do it the better you like it. The worst part of it is the gorge. The rest is just like regular road. I ride the gorge like a nana as there is quite often oil/diesel on the road. Ride the gorge at your pace and fuck the cagers.
Take care and have a good ride.:niceone:
ANOTHER OLD FART.

[CookMySock]

as it's a short cut, it's incumbent upon all users to go rip shit or bust and I'm paranoid enough as it is. I still get nervous putting all my gear on but my hands are shaking less:laugh: Well I hope you are joking. If you are really this overloaded, you should be taking smaller steps until your emotional state subsides. Overloaded riders make dangerous and life-threatening mistakes.


Plus I now have a tinted visor so no one knows I'm an old fart.:msn-wink:Theres no shame in being an old fart on a learner bike, which is why I went to a noisy 650 vtwin right away. :nono:

Be careful out there. Those first few months are not really a laughing matter on the open road. I am through rotas with a couple of learners in tow quite regularly (just off learners myself) so if you want a safe environment to ride in, just holler, or join us for a ride over here at edgecumbe.


Steve

[Lias]

I find 70 good, 80 ok, 90 bit of a worry, but 100 feels like the wheels are off the ground, I suppose I'll get used to it, I can't guess what 150 feels like.

Ahh the good old GN.. I did Hamilton to Wellington on mine a few years ago.. Walked like i'd been rogered by the Samoan rugby team afterwards mind you lol.

I remember when I first went out for a ride and 100km was "OMG i'm gonna die" so I know where your coming from. You will get used to it, but you wont get up to 150 on a GN, unless you fit some NOS tanks :msn-wink:

[CB ARGH]

You will get used to it, but you wont get up to 150 on a GN, unless you fit some NOS tanks :msn-wink:

Nah c'mon bro the GN250 is the man! I rode it one day and got to 200 no troubles!

well... 200rpm at least.

okay that wasn't funny, I'm tired, slept in, pissed off now because there isn't enough time for a bike ride, FARK :bye:

-----

Long distance rides are alright, I'm planning another trip this weekend. I have already travelled OVER 1600 km and I only started riding the bike last monday. If you don't believe me come to my house, see the ownership details with the odomoter reading then look at the bike's clock :yes:

I love bikes!

Don't know where I'm going this weekend though, I might try Tauranga, Te Puke. Any reccomended routes to do this in a day (8 hours riding max). I'm bring a pillow for my arse btw.

[Subike]

good on you young fella.
That GN's gonna have a lover affar with you over the next few months , then she will become a slow old usless bitch as you improve to the point of desiring something that has got more to give you.

[varminter]

Did the Tauranga run, hardest bit was going down into the gorge, used the brakes lots (usually manage it by going through the gears) wow it's rather steep. Going back up was easier, ease off the throttle and the speed drops quickly. I used to think 70 was fast, how soon your perceptions change.

[mephestopheles]

Yay go Varminter. Im cruisn the roads around tauranga on my GZ250 at the mo 100ks feels like bloody warp speed. Im 4 weeks into my learners and I am learning to watch out for mad car drivers. Havent been on any 'long' rides yet but have got relatives in whakatane and opotiki so I mite venture down there shortly. Maybe c u on the hiway..:woohoo:

[imne1]

I bought my bike last Saturday and rode it home to Welly from Paihiatua, a long long nervous trip at about 90k. Prior to that I'd only had about 4 or so hours putting round a carpark on a learn to ride/license course and a year on a scooter. :scooter:
The first half hour or so I rode around the back roads getting used to the bike and practising braking and also spent a fair bit of the journey well under the speed limit, I'm sure the people behind me going through the Manuatu gorge weren't too impressed... :Oops:

[Slyer]

Good work! I'm doing my first long distance trip this weekend.

[TOTO]

Way to go falks. The longer the first rides the better I reacon. You get used to your bike and speed faster :niceone:

[davebullet]

I find speed brings a false sense of security. The increased gyroscopic action improves stability. I went home on the motorway last week in gale force winds, just to see what it was like. Geez I had to hang onto the grips tight, centre of my lane just to be ready for cross winds. Up the gorge was fun. The ol' VTR was chugging along nicely though. I was quite impressed.

I still need heaps more practice at the slow stuff. I think the measure of skill lies here.

David.

[varminter]

I usually pop into one of the local car parks at the weekend and practice slow turns, getting better. Today I saw some guy on a trail bike just amble through the car park, he just idly turned on a sixpence, may even have been one handed, I beat him to death:laugh:

[davebullet]

I'm doing the same. Every weekend, just spending 30 mins or so puttering around a carpark (local schools) - that is after I scare off the kids playing basketball first.

Managed to do a 1080 in full lock without a foot down at slow speed (feathering the clutch and humping the back break). :laugh:

Doing some figure 8's in a half basketball court. slowly getting better... might go out now while the sun is out and have another go.

Cheers,
David.

[varminter]

I know it's in my head but I seem to be able to do reasonable turns in a car park but show me a curb on the other side and I'll head straight for it, target fixation?:(

[Blackbird]

congrats !! When you are really getn the hang of it, go toward taupo, then to murupara, then down to te teko. Its a nice clear road with nothing and no one on it. Just miles and miles of clear space. Watch out for cows crossing this time of year.

Theres always a stopover point down our way too, and couple of other learner riders here.

Steve - Edgecumbe

+1. That's the way I used to ride from Tokoroa to Whakatane when I lived down that way. Beautiful bike roads with minimal traffic. Stopping at the Matahina Dam is well worthwhile.

[Rosie]

I know it's in my head but I seem to be able to do reasonable turns in a car park but show me a curb on the other side and I'll head straight for it, target fixation?:(

Always look where you want to go. If you look straight at the curb, it will send out it's force field/tractor beam and you'll be sucked towards it :shit:

Mid u-turn it does seem like you are heading straight for the curb and won't make it, but, keep looking where you want to go, and you'll get there.

Good on you for practising your slow speed handling.