3 Aussies need help with adventure ride

[rhino_343]

First post on Kiwi Biker:done: Well me and a couple of mates are heading over to NZ at the start of April for a couple weeks and we are planning on landing in Queenstown (but that is flexible, we were originally planning riding south to north but anything is possible) we want to do a couple weeks adventure riding and were planning on shipping our bikes over as one of the guys works for a big shipping mob. But now we are thinking it might be easier to hire some bikes. so we have been looking for a hire place that does dirtbikes like 250/400 dual sports. Well there are heaps of 650 BMW' etc around but hard to find smaller dirt bikes(only found one so far in south Backroadbikes), can any of you guys recommend any hire places that could suplly us 3 road licenced dirt bikes for 2 weeks? Panniers would be a bonus as well. Also any advice into good trail rides would be great as well. I have the NZ motorcycle atlas, but we want to do a fair bit of ridiing off the tar. Thanks guys any help greatly appreciated. Also would be great to catch up for a beer or several with some of you guys whilst we tour around or even ride together for a while?? :Punk:

[tri boy]

Hi rhino.
Also try posting on the Kiwi forum over on Adventure Rider,
Yallingup is a very nice spot to hang out. Great waves/wine etc. I envy you when its winter here. (I was up the road at Binningup beach just past Bunbury till 99).
Good luck with ya ride, and if you get to the nth island, I would like to catch up.:drinkup:

[rhino_343]

Hi rhino.
Also try posting on the Kiwi forum over on Adventure Rider,
Yallingup is a very nice spot to hang out. Great waves/wine etc. I envy you when its winter here. (I was up the road at Binningup beach just past Bunbury till 99).
Good luck with ya ride, and if you get to the nth island, I would like to catch up.:drinkup:

Hey Tri boy, yep Yallingup is a really nice place, but to be honest I am really keen to move to NZ south island... I like mountains and snow! Anyway for now I am happy to be able to come over and ride and hopefully I will be back for a weeks snowboarding in winter with the wife.
One of the other lads (AngryAds) has posted on advrider in the Kiwi forum, so hopefully between the two we will find some who rents dirt bikes.. otherwise I will come over and start the business as there must be an untapped market:msn-wink:
If we end up doing north and south islands I will definately contact you to catch up, would be great to meet some locals whilst we are in NZ! If you get a chance PM me your contact details and I will enter in my mobile.

[junkmanjoe]

this may be of some help to you.

http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/transport/motorcycle.cfm

im up in wairarapa welcome to call in on your way past.

all the best with your tour.

[rhino_343]

this may be of some help to you.

http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/transport/motorcycle.cfm

im up in wairarapa welcome to call in on your way past.

all the best with your tour.

Thanks Junkman! Will try and visit as many other adventure riders as possible! Can you pm me your contact details? :Punk:

[rhino_343]

Guys one of our crew only has a 250cc licence here in Oz, does he need to get his open class to ride a 650cc in NZ or do you guys not have the two different classe??

[CookMySock]

Guys one of our crew only has a 250cc licence here in Oz, does he need to get his open class to ride a 650cc in NZ or do you guys not have the two different classe??Yes he will need his open class before you leave Oz, if he would like to be legal here.

If he's unable to get this, don't worry about it too much. Just come over anyway and wing it. Make sure the hire-bike company is ok with this or he's walking. As long as he is not being a complete squid on a way-too-big bike, and he stays inconspicously in the middle of your group, and he doesn't wobble like a fool, it is unlikely he will be targetted. Even if he does get processed, the fuzz will ask for his home street address at which point he should supply his Australian address, and inform them that he is here on holiday, and usually they will send him on his way with a frown. Worst possible case, they will issue him with an infringement notice and he goes home and doesn't pay it.. boo hoo hoo. Well, worst worst worst possible scenario is he gets forbidden to ride at all.. but he would have to do something pretty dangerous to upset the fuzz that much.

It goes without saying, that his roadskills should be sufficient to manage himself safely so he is not a risk to himself, you, or us. There is, and will be, some backlash at inexperienced tourists on our roads causing problems for locals, so if you want to wing it, then be aware of this. One mistake and he is all over the newspapers, here and at home, and the media or the locals will not be kind about this, so be very careful.


Have a great trip!
Steve

[awayatc]

650 cc is a good size for the south island.....(BMW, suzuki DR, Kawasaki KLR etc)bit more comfort on the open road,ability to carry lugage, fuelrange etc...
Especialy when renting a bike (or at least trying to..) I would imagine a full licence would be almost compulsory.....
Good luck.
I live near Christchurch, you can contact me if you need any sort of help or a place to stay when you get here.

[ducatijim]

Also would be great to catch up for a beer or several with some of you guys whilst we tour around or even ride together for a while?? :Punk:

Hey, you guys not from Brizzy are ya?

I posted almost exactly the same post over on Adv 'bout 18 months ago, when I was goin to Brizzy to lay plans for my great adventure.....

......ya know what?....................I got COMPLETELY ignored! Never did catch up with any Brizzy riders!

Youall have a great time now ya hear!

[_Shrek_]

First post on Kiwi Biker:done: Well me and a couple of mates are heading over to NZ at the start of April for a couple weeks and we are planning on landing in Queenstown (but that is flexible, we were originally planning riding south to north but anything is possible) we want to do a couple weeks adventure riding

hiya rhino
if you're down Queenstown way send Rurualman, jantar, oldrider a pm, :devil2: any one of these three will put you chrook but you will have heaps of fun & good back roads to play on & like awayatc said if you're up this way the canterbury rabble will quite willingly lead you astray & then blame you :laugh:

[rhino_343]

Hey, you guys not from Brizzy are ya?

I posted almost exactly the same post over on Adv 'bout 18 months ago, when I was goin to Brizzy to lay plans for my great adventure.....

......ya know what?....................I got COMPLETELY ignored! Never did catch up with any Brizzy riders!

Youall have a great time now ya hear!

Nah mate we are from South West Western Australia... were a polite hospital bunch to visitors...:buggerd: hahahaha We will definately be looking to contact as many of you fellas as possible on our trip, nothing like a local to show u a good time, I know I have done it for a bunch of travelers through my way and they would never find the good tracks and trails without a local! Also nice to have a beer or two with the locals, only real way to get to know a place!:2thumbsup

[awayatc]

... were a polite hospital bunch to visitors...

Have to see helen of troy then, she is a nurse...
I don't know any good hospitals myself....

[ducatijim]

I know I have done it for a bunch of travelers through my way and they would never find the good tracks and trails without a local! Also nice to have a beer or two with the locals, only real way to get to know a place!:2thumbsup


Funny you should say that.....its EXACTLY how I feel too!!:niceone:

Looks like Qlders are a little...shall we say.......differant?

As an aside....I got no help/info/ideas/offers from anyone online at ADV, but over at ExpolrOz, the 4x4 site, folk were very forthcoming! Figure that!!?

If you make it to the middle of the mainland( read NORTH island!) then pm me and I'll show yous some shit!( and some kiwi horsepatality too).

[rhino_343]

Hospitality, thank God it doesn't rely on spelling ability eh or anyone who visits me would be farked!:lol: My wife, who is an English teacher (Head of Dept. even) is pissing herself and shaking her head at me...:dodge: hahah
BTW never been to Queensland, would like to do the Cape sometime, but yeah I probably wouldn't ask the Qld Advriders either... sarcastic bunch they are :Pokey:

[clint640]

Hi mate, have a trawl through the local ride reports sticky on the NZ forum on advrider.com too, heaps of stuff in there & if you need more info PM the instigator. I'm about to start putting up the pics from last weeks south Is efforts.
Another good way to find out about the rougher tracks is to call into the local bike shops wherever you are & ask. The department of conservation (DOC) is also a good place to ask - there is lots of free access stuff & also a few spots that they can give you a permit to ride.

Cheers
Clint

[oldrider]

There is a guy at Cromwell that rents bikes.

He gave us his card at the Vincent and I can't find mine just now.

I will have a look and post his contact details when I find it.

Otherwise ask any Cromwell KB'r and they will tell you.

Whatever, have fun anyway. :ride: Cheers, John.

[cave weta]

When you hit the North Island- I would be happy to show you around my area.
The Southern Coromandel. www.ascnz.co.nz
My tours are very much -Enduro based- so your hire bikes would not be suitable but I can certainly put together a cruisier itinerary:niceone:
Also got loads of accomodation options.

[rhino_343]

Well we have booked the bikes from Ardmore Auto Rentals in Aukland (www.ducatihire.co.nz) Nice people to deal with and very accomodating! We have 3 DR650's with long range tanks, airhawks and Ventura bags! We land in Aukland 1st of April (hope thats not a foolish thing to do) and fly out on the 16th April from Christchurch. I will post up our route in a couple of days with more info. Wooohoooo here we come!:headbang:

[warewolf]

Looks like Qlders are a little...shall we say.......differant?Yep, the banana-benders sure are! :whistle:

"Welcome to Queensland... please set your watch back 20 years" :lol:

[Winston001]

There is a guy at Cromwell that rents bikes.

He gave us his card at the Vincent and I can't find mine just now.

I will have a look and post his contact details when I find it.


Yeah he was with me at the time :lol:. Dave from Central Otago Motorcycle Hire http://www.comotorcyclehire.co.nz/ Good mate and I know he has a trail bike even though its not on the website.


Yes he will need his open class before you leave Oz, if he would like to be legal here.

If he's unable to get this, don't worry about it too much. Make sure the hire-bike company is ok with this or he's walking. ......Worst possible case, they will issue him with an infringement notice and he goes home and doesn't pay it.. boo hoo hoo.



No hire company would accept this. Hellevua lot of money to lose if the insurance co says NO to a claim.

As for tickets, many vehicle rental contracts say that fines incurred by you are payable by the hire company and chargeable to your credit card. Have a look at the fine print.

And if you get a ticket but don't pay, the next time you enter NZ the computer will flash up the bad news. :buggerd:

[rhino_343]

My mates booked in for his open class licence test, so should be no worries. Yeah I agree that most hire places wouldnt rent the bike to you without a valid licence and I also agree that most governments would move heaven and earth to serve you a ticket... memories like elephants as well....:spanking::Police:

[rhino_343]

Well our flights and bikes are all paid for and we are just tying up final details. Wooohoooo:2thumbsup
We fly in to Aukland at 9.30pm on the 1st of april and pick up the bikes on the second, so we will have a beer on Aukland town on the 1st and a good nights sleep. then we fly out of Christchurch on the 17th April at 2.30 pm after dropping the bikes back on the 16th. So if anyone wants to come and have a beer in Christchurch on the evening of the 16th let me know. PM me if ya want to get my mobile number. Thanks to all those that have supplied their contact details so far, hopefully we will meet up along the way!:headbang:

A couple of pics of us lads:
Me (Rhino on Husky TE610) and AngryAds (on KTM 640ADV)

Me on the Husky:

Sean in the pines:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3644/3345963958_b9c62774eb_o.jpg

[rhino_343]

Only a couple more days before we fly in to NZ!!!!:Punk::shit: Staying in some apartment in Auckland near the waterfront called Bianco off Queen for the first night and will try and get a few drinks in and a stroll down the waterfront, Auckland looks like a nice place and unfortunately we will just have the one night there. Bring it on!!!!!!!! wooohooooooooooo:wari:

[RedKLR650]

I'm based in Timaru about 1/2 way between Christchurch and Queenstown, and would be happy to show you some of the awesome gravel around here if you're keen. I'm on 0274 342 372 if you need a tour guide. :baby:

cheers, Stu

[rhino_343]

I'm based in Timaru about 1/2 way between Christchurch and Queenstown, and would be happy to show you some of the awesome gravel around here if you're keen. I'm on 0274 342 372 if you need a tour guide. :baby:

cheers, Stu

Thanks Stu, will try and contact you mate

[vtec]

If one of your guys is on a learners bike, then why not get him a 250 trail/commuter like the Kawasaki Supersherpa. They make great courier bikes, so it would handle adventure riding easy. Might have to take a bit extra petrol in a container though just in case.

[rhino_343]

Well he wasn't exatly on a learner bike, just didn't have the big bike licence as he rides a WR250R... but has got the full licence now so all is good!:headbang:

[rhino_343]

If anyone is interested I have started a thread on our trip over on ADVrider... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=448194 :woohoo:
Only two more days to go!!!!!:crazy: B ye wifee, bye dogs:bye: Hello NZ:cold::scooter::wari:

[Tone165]

Hey, you guys not from Brizzy are ya?

I posted almost exactly the same post over on Adv 'bout 18 months ago, when I was goin to Brizzy to lay plans for my great adventure.....

......ya know what?....................I got COMPLETELY ignored! Never did catch up with any Brizzy riders!

Youall have a great time now ya hear!

Don't take it too hard Jim, I tried from this side as well about 2 yrs back...nada!

I bought a bike in NZ, from a guy who allowed me to pay it off. Win win as I see it.

He sold his bike, but got to keep it...I bought one and got someone to look after it, keep the battery up, insurance and rego current.

Next time your coming over..try and get in touch. I reckon its a matter of mostly timing....and finding the right person to deal with....OK...a lot of dumb luck as well!

[rhino_343]

Don't take it too hard Jim, I tried from this side as well about 2 yrs back...nada!


Well I can tell ya this time that Jim has got a fair response in the West Coast... in fact if he ever has any time to make himself available I think he has quite a few offers to catch up, myself included!

[Crisis management]

We're obviously a bit slow here in Auckland, I just caught up with this thread....
If you want a pick up from the airport, lift into town and a quick beer and talk over some maps on wednesday night I would be keen to meet you, I will PM my number to you, so let me know if that suits.

Cheers
Iain

[rhino_343]

In the Qantas Lounge in Perth!!!!:eek:

[Crisis management]

Well, they've definately arrived! Three large and excited Aussies bounced out of the airport last night lugging what looks like enough luggage to set up a small city....I'm sure the DR suspension is up to it!

I picked up the guys last night from the airport, stopped for a chat and a beer and then dropped them off in the city (there was mutterings of more beer, so I'm not sure what happened after that). They're heading for Coromandel today hoping to camp at Port Jackson so if you're down that way say hello, they are very friendly.

Have a good trip guys!