Running in a Marauder -- 28 February

[Hitcher]

Tonight I plan to put some more miles on Mrs H's new blue Marauder.

I will be leaving from Shell Mana at 6:30pm and may go to Palmerston North and back or just do some Manawatu back roads. No more than three to four hours riding.

No silly speeds, but nothing excessively nana-sih either. I will, after all, be riding a Marauder.

Anybody who fancies a toddle would be most welcome to tag along.

[White trash]

Perhaps I should bring an Intruder and someone could join us on their Invader. What a trio we'd make.

In seriousness, I may be keen. Got to stop off and see Mikey after work so I'll be out that'a ways. If ya see me, ya see me.

[Hitcher]

Finally escaped Wellington and got to Shell Mana at about 6:40pm.

I headed north up SH1 and was caught up by a single headlight at Paekakariki. At the Paraparaumu lights, its rider said he was heading to Feilding and how far was I going? I said Foxton or Shannon.

The traffic was minimal and flowing nicely. A light southerly from astern made riding most pleasant indeed. At the Otaki roundabout my wingman informed me that he needed gas at Levin.

So off to Levin we rode, taking in a very sharp shower just south of Manakau. By "sharp" I mean that the rain drops felt like hail but weren't. At the Levin BP station my riding partner and I had a good yack. His name is Paul and he was taking his newly reworked 1983 Suzuki GS750L up to a place he rents at Feilding. "Reworked" applies to the engine. The rest of the bike is "original", apart from a hand-painted black tank (not Paul's doing) and a one-dial dashboard. It seemed to run along pretty darned well.

Paul followed me to Foxton, where I turned off onto the Shannon road and he continued north up SH1. The sun was setting and throwing the most gorgeous pink light up onto the hills. It was flat calm and perfect riding conditions.

At Shannon the road was wet from recent rain. About 2km further on so was I. It positively persisted from Shannon to Levin, where I cut back into town to get some food, wandered into the local Scottish restaurant and proceeded to create a lake on its tiled floor as I removed articles of rather moist motorcycle-riding apparel. Gore-tex is a fine product. So too are heated hand grips.

After consuming the requisite warm cardboard and styrene, I suited up and headed back out into the rain. By the Kimberley turnoff the rain cleared off. At Otaki I hit the southerly proper. Hmmmm. Heated hand grips...

Refuelled at the northern Mobil at Paraparaumu. The Marauder is doing about 19kml at the moment. Not too bad considering its engine is still not fully run it and it has been carrying my bodddy around.

Back home and 536 miles have now elapsed since the Marauder rolled out of WMC on Saturday. Only 85 miles to go now before its first service on Thursday. So tomorrow evening's excursion can be a bit shorter -- a run to the top of the Takas should just about do it. Even shorter if Mrs H goes out for a ride tomorrow.

[LB]

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Mrs H is indeed fortunate to have such a kind husband.

Where are you off to for your hols?

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[White trash]

Sorry I couldn't join you Hitcher. I got home, the thunder started, it began to piss down, I grabbed a couple of beers and parked my skinny white arse before the TV for the evening.

Soft eh?

[Hooks]

Sorry I couldn't join you Hitcher. I got home, the thunder started, it began to piss down, I grabbed a couple of beers and parked my skinny white arse before the TV for the evening.

Soft eh?
Yup that's soft alright !!! :apint:

I took the old bitch out to the golf course for the twilight comp and played golf in the lovely balmy summer evening weather !! :yeah:

I take it those Violater leathers don't like getting wet then huh ??? :shake:

[sels1]

Back home and 536 miles have now elapsed since the Marauder rolled out of WMC on Saturday. .

So does that mean it was on its maiden voyage when we went past you at Mackays Xing on Saturday??

[James Deuce]

So does that mean it was on its maiden voyage when we went past you at Mackays Xing on Saturday??
He loves shafting virgins.

[Hitcher]

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Mrs H is indeed fortunate to have such a kind husband.

Where are you off to for your hols?
I am happy to run-in bikes for others, if necessary...

Hols are probably down south. Plan A was Coromandel and Northland but Mrs H's dad is unwell, so we're doing Plan B, which is the South Island.

[Hitcher]

So does that mean it was on its maiden voyage when we went past you at Mackays Xing on Saturday??
Sure was. Hence the leisurely pace...

[Hitcher]

He loves shafting virgins.
In this case "chaining" them...

[Jantar]

May I add what a nice looking bike the Marauder is. After some 5h!t South Island weather on thursday, Mrs H still had the bike nice and shiny when I saw it yesterday :yeah: . My GS1200 was positively filthy when parked alongside.

[Hitcher]

May I add what a nice looking bike the Marauder is. After some 5h!t South Island weather on thursday, Mrs H still had the bike nice and shiny when I saw it yesterday :yeah: . My GS1200 was positively filthy when parked alongside.
It's not quite so shiny now. Wet roads, dairy herd doings and a couple of gazillion cabbage white butterflies and wasps have taken the gloss off the Shiny Blue Marauder and the Big Red Honda. The BRH clocked 3,411.1km in 10 days in the South Island, the SBM a couple of hundred fewer, as Mrs H opted for pillionhood the day we rode in and out to Milford.

The GS1200SS didn't look too untidy that day at Omakau...