Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - PistonBlown https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/49420-PistonBlown Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community en Thu, 21 May 2026 12:34:47 GMT vBulletin 20 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/BP-Brown/misc/rss.jpg Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - PistonBlown https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/49420-PistonBlown NI1600 2016 - A South Islanders view https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/6632-NI1600-2016-A-South-Islanders-view Sun, 06 Nov 2016 03:55:41 GMT Being a South Islander first challenge was the 715 km to the start point. I had a typical Southerners view of North Island roads i.e. boring, congested, and with a speed cop behind every tree. The torturous, traffic laden ride from the Ferry terminal to Levin in heavy rain didn’t do anything to... Being a South Islander first challenge was the 715 km to the start point. I had a typical Southerners view of North Island roads i.e. boring, congested, and with a speed cop behind every tree. The torturous, traffic laden ride from the Ferry terminal to Levin in heavy rain didn’t do anything to dispel this.

But once past Foxton the traffic began to lighten and with it my mood. Beyond Mangaweka the landscape changed to rolling hills and the road began to twist and turn. There was still the rain but I could ignore that with a road worth riding.

Then it was the last section of this trip from from Waiouru to Turangi. This is the famous, or perhaps infamous, desert road which appears regularly on news bulletins about road closures or accidents. I’d imagined something like SH8 between Tekapo and Lake Pukaki with its wasteland feel. However, it was a softer more welcoming landscape - despite the obvious harshness of conditions that the tussock and scrubland bushes had to contend with. To top things off the rain stopped and the sun began to break through the clouds to play light and shadow tag over Mount Ngauruhoe. May be North Island roads were worth exploring after all.

The cabins at the Turangi campsite had originally been workers huts for the local Hydro developments back in the 50’s and 60’s. They had then been moved to their new location once the work was complete. They had the comfort and charm you’d associate with the term “1950’s Government Issue”, but still a lot easier than a tent.



First thing to do once I had unpacked was register and then get the Spyder scrutineered. I wasn’t too sure what the scrutineering would consist of as most of the events I been to in the past this part was rudimentary at best, but it turned out to be quite a though check of the roadworthiness.

Once that was complete I sorted out my packing, gave the Spyder a service, made a pot of coffee and sat watching the other bikes going through the scrutineering process. The same weekend as the NI1600 there was also an 800km/12-hour event called, not surprisingly, the NI800. This attracted a more diverse collection of bikes than you normally get – even spotted a Harley which is the first I’ve ever seen at something like this.

The reason for my “hurry up and wait” approach was that the route announcement is not made until 7pm, the start time being 1pm the following day. So, once the checks are complete there’s not much I could do until the route was announced.

Come 7pm and after a brief introduction we were given the route. After a western detour, we’d be heading as far northwards about as you can go - Cape Reinga. This was no motorway bash either because, as the organisers pointed out, a lot of the route would be on tight twisting roads. One organiser called Long John promised I’d be getting a good workout on my Spyder as he knew they were a more physically demanding in corners. He also said he hoped we’d experience some rain as they had a lot when planning the route:-)



Next day I find out that I’ve been put in ‘pole position’ for the start – first rider of the first group. Someone with a sense of humour must have arranged that.

Rain has been forecast for the weekend but I’m loath to put on my waterproofs in case I get too hot. Checking to the west it looked like rain on the hills so I make a last-minute decision to don mine.

1pm - we’re off and as promised the bends start coming right from the off, but they are nice fast sweepers and I make good progress. After 147km’s hit the first checkpoint which is conveniently situated at service station. Check in with the marshal, take the required photo, fill up the tank and off I go.

The next checkpoint is only 67km’s away which lulls me into a false sense of security. The road is narrow, uneven and incredibly twisty – often with a succession of 35km corners. As any Spyder rider knows these slow bends require a lot more physical effort when you’re trying keep your speed up.



By the time I get to the checkpoint I’m drenched in sweat. Made the wrong decision about the waterproofs so take them off again, have a good drink and a few minutes’ rest –during which several other riders turn up and leave. One slightly strange note is at the checkpoint there’s a cop chatting with a local, wonder what that’s about…

A few corners later and suddenly there’s several police cars and large van – my first thought is that they’ve found out about the route and setup a road block. There’s also a reporter standing in the middle of the road doing a piece to camera forcing me to slam on the anchors. Almost made the news myself that night running them down during a live broadcast. Everyone ignores me so I keep on riding. It’s not until after the ride we find out that, in this middle of nowhere spot, two people had been murdered before the killer committed suicide.

I fall in with a group of riders that passed me at the last check point. Occasionally we go off on different directions but then meet up further on as our planned routes converge again. We hit SH1 which at first I move rapidly but as we get into Auckland the traffic thickens. Though I make the most of the Spyders ability to quickly switch lanes it’s not enough to keep up with the bikes as they can lane split as well. Slowly the bikes disappear ahead of me. It seems to take forever to get through Auckland and to the next checkpoint at Orewa – another service station.

The traffics still heavy and there’s road works everywhere –I can feel myself getting frustrated with the slow progress. But as the sun sinks the road clears and I get back into the swing. I had planned to get to the next checkpoint (Kaeo) on a single tank but end up having to fill up at Whangarei, the heavy traffic has meant the Spyders been drinking petrol like the 6 o’clock swill.

After Kaeo the next checkpoint was Cape Reinga and I arrived there at 11:15pm. This is the unofficial halfway point, not only in distance at 860km, but also because it’s the furthest check point from the start. From here we’d be heading ‘home’. I stop to top up the tank from my spare can, eat a snack bar and as a special treat - drink from my coffee flask. I know many are anti-coffee on these sorts of rides, I avoid it myself with longer runs, but as this was ‘only’ a 24 hour one I wasn’t bothered.



Kaitaia checkpoint in another petrol station, just what the Spyder needed. From there the roads are fantastic to ride, switch back bends that have been perfectly cambered - a great tonic in the early hours to keep you focused.

The Two Bridges checkpoint is photo’d and its off southwards towards the last but one checkpoint, Kumeu. Beginning dark and in ‘foreign lands’ I’m completely reliant on my GPS and this when it lets me down, taking me a longer route than planned. The rain showers are also back slowing my progress – I learn later that the riders who took the correct route missed these.

Bombay Service station was the last check point before the finish. The route from Kuneu to there was motorway so I had hoped to make up some time, but for most of the 68km I have a cop car behind me which means some very careful monitoring of the right hand.

There were several options for the final stretch but Long John had recommended a backroad route to avoid all the major roads and built up areas. This route was an absolute peach to ride with very little traffic and with the sun now rising again I could finally see some of the countryside I was riding through. It had taken careful programming to convince my GPS to stick to this route but it was well worth it.

70km from the finish the showers became a downpour and then a vertical river. A few months before I’d invested in proper motorbike waterproofs rather than the cheap ones from hunting shops I normally used. After 10 minutes, it became apparent this had been a waste of money as could feel the water seeping in. Strangely the waterproofs appeared to let the water in but not out again, so I was soon sitting in a pool of water. My boots were also filling up as the water ran down the inside of the trousers. The road conditions were also getting perilous with larges puddles of water; the rear wheel began to aquaplane and I had to reduce my speed to a crawl. Fortunately, I was the only vehicle on the road.

Finally, I arrived the finish back at Turangi camp site, took a photo of the speedo and then squelched into the meeting hall to check-in having done 1707km in 19:45 hours. The extra distance due to the unplanned detour my GPS took me on.

There I bumped into Long John and let him know he’d got his wish about us ‘experiencing’ some rain:-) After that an absolute angel presented me with a massive fry-up. The organisers had cooked up a huge feed for the returning riders and waited on us like royalty – something that I hadn’t expected but was very appreciated. Had a good chat with three riders that I’d fallen in with a few times on the ride and met before at the TT2000. Then it was off to find somewhere to dry my very wet gear and a shower before getting my head down for a bit before the trip home.

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]]> PistonBlown https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/6632-NI1600-2016-A-South-Islanders-view Tt2000 2016 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/6434-Tt2000-2016 Wed, 09 Mar 2016 07:56:20 GMT So for those who don’t already know the rules are simple. There’s various checkpoints, worth between 1000 and 5000 points, dotted around the South Island. They give you a t-shirt at the start and when you get to one of the checkpoints you have to take a photo of the bike, the landmark and the... So for those who don’t already know the rules are simple. There’s various checkpoints, worth between 1000 and 5000 points, dotted around the South Island. They give you a t-shirt at the start and when you get to one of the checkpoints you have to take a photo of the bike, the landmark and the t-shirt to prove you were there. The target is a minimum 2000km (1243 miles) and 50,000 points by the time you get to the finish point 48 hours later.

The TT2000 is very much about setting your own targets through, in my case I had just two:
  • Pick a route that involved road’s I’d never ridden before or really enjoyed riding (i.e. bendy)
  • Points are less important but want to score more than 72,000 points (my previous year’s results).

There’s two start points, one in Dunedin and the other in Picton; this year I’d plumbed for Picton. There’s about 50 of us at the start point, I’m the only Spyder rider and so I field the usual questions (and insults) about what it’s like to ride, shouldn’t you be a car rally instead, etc.

The first ‘easy’ 5000 pointer from here is Hakahaka Bay. However, when I’d checked it out the day before I’d met three logging trucks on the narrow twisting road. Chatting with Dave (Triumph Tiger) I made a last minute decision to skip this one as it was too risky for the other riders having a Spyder in the mix on that road.

Finally it’s midday and rally starts, and straight away the bikes start heading off in different directions as each person has their own ‘optimum’ route planned. This is the strange part of this rally, sometimes you hardly see another rider on the road but when you get to a checkpoint (or petrol station) it’s rare not to bump into someone and exchange a words before heading off in different directions again.

Just coming up to the second checkpoint at Rainbow and the ram mounted old phone I rigged up as a GPS falls off and breaks. A few choice words but it’s ok as this was just a backup for my written instructions.

A number of checkpoints are quickly dispatched until I hit Takaka Hill about 4pm. Turns out to be just the right time as the traffic was very light and the few cars I catch up with are locals so quickly pulled over to let me pass. Pushing the Spyder to the limits on this bit as it’s too good an opportunity to miss.

Once over the hill another 3 checkpoints are photo’d, the last one being after 2km of gravel as the road has run out. Then it was back the way I’d come, and another go at Takaka hill, before heading towards the West Coast.

There’s a good reason why there are rain forests on the West Coast - but evening I spent rubbing dubbin and polish into my old jacket seems to have done the trick. A few more checkpoints ticked off before arriving in Westport with an empty tank only to find the ‘afterhours’ petrol station is out of action and will not be open again until 6am. A security guard appears and say’s they’ll phone to get it fixed but I don’t hold out much hope. After some cursing I work out that there’s enough petrol in my spare can’s to get to one more checkpoint and back. When I return to Westport at midnight the petrol stations still out of action so call it a night and head for the motel.

5:30am packing up the Spyder and I can’t find my written instructions for the second day, must have left them in the motel in Picton. I’m going to have to rely on my memory for the route and location of the checkpoints...ermmm

6am I’m topping up with petrol before heading up to the Mokihinui and Fenian checkpoints. This means travelling the Karamea Road which twists its way through rainforest covered hills, the corners are so tight and twisting you feel you're inside an Escher drawing – great way to start the day.

After that it’s back down the West Coast until the Roa checkpoint. At this point I decide to skip the 2000 pointer at Kaniere as I’m not a fan of the road between Greymouth and Hokitika. Instead I head eastwards via Arthurs pass to pick up three more 1000 pointers. The ride up to Arthurs Pass township is great but after that it’s painful with two lots of roadworks that create long tailbacks of slow vehicles. Of course as soon as you’re past them you have top for a checkpoint - at which point they all get in front of you again.

Turning south on the inland route it’s one more checkpoint at Pudding Hill before stopping at Geraldine for a bit of unscheduled indulgence, a coffee and a mutton pie. Then the long ride to Mount Cook for the 5000 pointer before heading onto the checkpoints on Lake Aviemore and Elephant Rock.


Finally start heading north again ticking off Pleasant Point, my first Mystery checkpoint and Clandeboye – not forgetting the unscheduled stop at a Police checkpoint in Timaru (why me out of a line of ten vehicles?)
It’s back onto the inland route to avoid SH1 and then ticking my last checkpoint of the day near Oxford. Finally, after 18 hours riding arrive home just after midnight so I can sleep in my own bed. So far 2200kms and 63,000 points.

4:30am and its time to be on the road again, wondering why I think this is fun. It’s a sprint northwards up the coast road past Kaikoura to the second mystery checkpoint at Clarence before and back on the inland route to clean up the last three checkpoints. Fall in with Mark (Africa Twin) for the last couple and shake hands at the final one before heading for the finish.

Get there at 10:30am after 2,857km and notching up 74,000 points. After 2 days of virtually no coffee my hands shaking from caffeine withdrawal which means my score sheet looks like it’s been filled in by a spider on a trampoline in an earthquake.
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]]> PistonBlown https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/6434-Tt2000-2016