On my trip down south I stopped at the Whangamomona pub for a rest and had a beer....and then told myself just to enjoy myself over the saddles and don't do anything stupid. Just starting up the Pohokura Saddle I was screaming out of a corner in 2nd gear into the red line and an airhead came down the other way. I smiled to myself and thought he'll be wondering just what the hell he saw and heard. Coming down the other side I look in the mirror and he's right on my tail - pipped his interest that's for sure! He stayed there for a few km, and then just sailed on past. We've all heard the stories where someone is really flying through the corners and a BMW reels them in and just walks away - now it's happened to me....but, I'm on a BMW too! I've done over 350km and been on the road 8 hrs on some really rough and twisty roads, and a lot of gravel too, my hands and wrists are aching, and am clutchless shifting....on top of that I've just had a beer. I'm in no shape to engage in a duel, and have to keep the red mist down. He knows the road well, I can just keep up with him on the line of sight corners, and even gain a bit on short straights, but he's really moving! Corner entries are where I'm losing ground, even with my big fat race compound K180 front tyre I can't come into blind corners that fast... push it any harder and I'm going into a big mess. He lets me catch up a couple of times, and just before the Strathmore Saddle he really puts the hammer down and disappears. As expected he's at the top of the saddle, and I say ''I thought you'd have made me a cup of tea by now!'' He's a fat old guy riding an R80 Mono - almost the same bike as mine...almost the same age as me too. It's got low narrow bars and Shinko's front a rear, 100/90 on the front same as I use for road use. Of course he's a local, and these are his roads, he's also ridden Airheads for a long time, having bought an R65 brand new in 1987. He's had a lot of R65 Mono's and says he's probably owned mine...time to check my old papers. Contrary to what our ADV airhead gurus say, he reckons the R65 Mono engine is the sweetest of all the engines, and dislikes the twinshock R65. I don't think he really approves of what I've done to my bike, but finds it interesting anyway. So it was an R80 - but so much more about local knowledge, and a lot of experience on that particular bike. But oh dear - to be schooled on almost the same bike...tsk tsk.
He really needs to fit Dells and Ohlins in MHO, as well as Avon tyres, they are night and day better than Shinkos, ....hundreds of BMW's......25 years....factory visit.......... a Pilsner is the beer to match your riding style, you probably had a dark. Amazed hes made it to being old riding those roads....tis a loooooong way down if you get it wrong.
The only drinkable beer they had was Tui. He had some fancy aftermarket rear shock, but said the standard rear shock was better than all the replacement ones. Following me he thought my rear shock was stuffed, but checking it out he said it was fine. I always set my rear shocks to the lowest setting - without damping control you get less damping as you wind up the preload. After years on ADV bikes with soft long travel suspension, a bit of wallow back there is no concern to me.
