KoroJ's Blog

Today we finally got to do the Three Passes Ride (Track – Gorge – Saddle) which was cancelled due to bad weather a few months back.

After yesterday’s practice, I finally got the opportunity to clean the grime from the last ride off the bike and when I checked the fuel log, I saw that this was the first fill for a month, so it’s definitely been an economical period of weather (although there was a wee excursion to the Gold Coast in there).

I wasn’t expecting too many riders thanks to marginal, but improving weather forecasts, but after getting away from home by 0900, filling at Shell Mana on the way to the Weigh Station, then waiting and chatting, we departed just after 1000Hrs with 18bikes

With Mike at TEC, I lead out and maintained a light pace to keep the group together, stopping at Otaki for a few small tanks to top-up, then scooting up SH57 via Shannon to SH3, pootling through the gorge and up to the Wind Farm Lookout for another brief stop. We did encounter a few very light showers and some wet roads along the way but made it to the Fusion Cafe in Ashhurst by around 1215Hrs.

While we paused at the summit of the Saddle, Dennis nipped on ahead to video the group as they descended, then we enjoyed some sun at a very busy cafe, but I had rung ahead from Otaki to warn them to expect 20 bikers.

After calling at the Ashhurst Mobil for some of the group to fill (I had only used a 3rd of a tank), we lit out for the return over the Track, down to Eketahuna, deviating via Mauriceville, then straight home over the Rimutaka’s. ’57 had dried for the return but the Track was a mixed bag of wet, dry and gritty, so after a couple of squirmy moments, I reverted to ‘riding the rut’ and the same applied through Mauriceville. The Hill was good, but the sun was getting low and there were plenty of wet areas up there as well, so we sat at a good clip but with plenty of margin for error.

I was back home by 1640Hrs, having done 382Km for the day at 18.8Km/Ltr, now having 116742Km on the bike. All in all, a pleasant day out and about time to get a few Km racked up.