This Friday I'm riding to Wellington. I have a meeting at Upper Hutt at 1pm, so I'm planning on leaving home at about 4am. Meeting only lasts about 90 mins, whereupon I'm back on the bike til it gets dark, hopefully about Taihape/Waiouru/Ohakune or maybe Napier if I go that way. Home on Sat about lunchtime or so. I could fly (yawn), but I did this same trip in April, and it was a great ride. I had my XJ600 then, but I'm keen to take the VF on a road trip. I don't imagine anyone would be keen/able to come ,but I'll never know if I don't put it out there. Of course I imagine many would be keen! Just not able. Forecast is great for both days so I'll try and take the camera and post a ride report! (Just a bit jealous I couldn't make last Sunday, so this'll be my turn!) Eat your heart if you have to work!! If by chance anyone is keen/able, let me know. I'm not a fast rider at all ,just a cruiser and coffee stopper. Cheers
Diggers Today 22:06 Of course I imagine many would be keen! Just not able. ...... Eat your heart if you have to work!! Bastard Have a good time on your ride and yes, I'd love to be free to come along.
Diggers This Friday I'm riding to Wellington. thats some serious mileage mr diggers! have a great trip and do indulge us with some photos
ENJOY the ride mate, Swine! I wish, butt alas it is not to be, come on you lot there must be someone out there who can go!@#$%^. I'ts been posted,therefore I reckon it could be classified as a BFTP Ride. STICKET may well be in order here. Certainly for distance and determination it must qualify.
Update: plan change, meeting is now tomorrow, so I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 4. Everything's brought forward 24 hours. I didn't mean to box above my weight by trying to organise an official Club ride! Hope I'm not out of line, lol. But if I'm in line to get my first sticket, then so be it! I'm at the mercy of the Administration. The weather's still gonna be good so it should be great. I think we all live a little vicariously thru each other's good times rides!! Bring it on.
diggers i'm at the mercy of the administration lol............
we all live at the mercy of the machine....
especially those on life support
i have yet to meet anything that supports life as efficiently as a microwave in a house full of teenagers..
[U]Ride Report![U] I left home yesterday at 4am, almost on the dot, it was cool in Auckland but the sky was clear and thge moon full, very nice. However by the time I got down on the Hauraki Plains the fog had come in (perhaps it was already there, waiting for me). The temp dropped, along with the visibility, along with the speed and after a while, along with some enthusiasm for my 4am departure. The fog seemed to be outside AND inside my helmet. Couldn't see very far at all at times. Stopped for a break at Matamata, still dark and cold, but the public toilet had a hot tap! Alright! Thawed out a couple of numb fingers (it was worth the pain) and carried on. No fog and on to Tokoroa for breakfast. A bit more fog from there to Taupo (I was getting used to it by then, at least the sun was up, somewhere up above!). Taupo was a picture: still lake, snow encased mountains on the other side. I didn't take a picture though as I thought I'd wait til the Desert Rd, closer to the action! However by the time I left Turangi the clouds rolled over, temp dropped again, even got some light rain! If you've ever been on the Desert Rd on a cold, bleak day, that's what it was like. On to Taihape for a coffee and then blasted on thru to Upper Hutt via Paekakariki Hill. The VF just loved the open roads with long sweepers in the lower half of the island. The Paekak hill was little to narrow and twisty for my (lacking) skill set, the open sweepers are more my cup of tea. Meeting only lasted an hour, then back on the bike, over the Rimutakas and onwards to Napier for the night. Nice fast roads that afternoon, VF country! Beautiful morning in Napier this morning, ice on the seat! Leaving Napier was one of those "great to be alive, on my bike, not at work" moments. Sun just up, glassy ocean, nil wind, not much traffic. Needed a video to record it really. (Perhaps helmet cam next time?). Lots of fog in the numerous valleys between Napier and Taupo. (repeat yesterday morning!). Great run over the plains prior to Taupo. Time for a speed test for the VF. Ahem... goes great at 100km/h..... or did I mean mph? Bit more fog north of Taupo (repeat yesterday morning!!). Great run across the plains. I passed 3 MAWOLFs (Men and Women Of Law Enforcement) (listen...I had lots of time to come up with all sorts of inanities) yesterday. All at about 120 or so, I feared the worst but maybe they were reading the paper as I elicited no response. This morning I was on the Hauraki Plains, dawdling along behind 2 semis at about 90 km/h. I came to a short straight, not terribly long, but enough to get past if I wound it a bit. So I did. Glanced down as I pulled back in and saw 150 on the speedo. No problem. Looked in mirror. Saw a MAWOLF. Problem. Lights flashing. Bigger problem. Immediately start thinking about: what I will say to him, how will I pay, how will I get to work, what will I tell my wife, where is my life headed etc etc. Slowed to 99.9 km/h and waited for the inevitable... He got right up behind me...then pulled out and passed, carried on to something! I didn't care what because it wasn't me!!!! All in all, a great ride, very cold in the fog (thanks goodness I'm soft and have heated hand grips). I did 941km yesterday and 417 today, 1358 over the two days. VF went great, never missed a beat and plenty there when I wanted it. Glad I wasn't paying for the gas. I averaged just on 40mpg!! Gulp! I have some photos, but don't know how to post them yet! I'll figure it out. Cheers Diggers
hey sounds fantastic, diggers. and some serious milage there. i dont think we did that much over a whole year of the bftp rides, lol. flyingcroc may need to correct me here (he's in charge of comp education around here, he he) but i think the easiest way to post pics is to upload them to the album under your profile and then copy and paste the IMG code into the thread
Awesome descriptions there Diggers, know that feeling when you think it's you! they ! want. Pleased it wasn't. Napier through the gorge is an amazing ride.Last time I was dwon that way was April this year. had a fantastic trip there and back.I went through Rota Vegas both ways. VF's just love eating up miles aye.
Good effort, sound like a ride that was all the more rewarding for the inconvenience and challenges posed by the fog and cold. I have no doubt you are well stoked that your bike did so well
I've uploaded some photos onto an album on my profile. If only I'd known about posting stickets round the country, I may have had a head start! You're right, I'm very pleased with the VF. For an old bike with 81km on it, it was went like a dream. I sure had a few of those "it's great to be alive and on a bike" moments!! Looking fwd to my first Club ride and chewing the fat.
