DB1k 2010 - Official Thread

**rogerh** · 21st January 2010, 21:46

That was one seriously good ride...

I have been a lot of places, and seen some pretty spectacular ones, but that route is world class by any standards. But don't ask me about the route sheet though, as I was not that organised, but thanks to all who saved me from being totally lost.

Oh, and what Aslan said

Huge thanks to Ryan & all involved in organising the DB 1k 2010!

I will be back to parts of the route fairly soon, as I have left my bike down there for now. Will enable me to look at some of the detours I went past at way too much speed

**Aslan** · 21st January 2010, 21:55

Ride Report over on ADV

Chris has started a photo ride report over at ADV under Ride Reports

**mattsdakar** · 22nd January 2010, 04:11

Hey guys, sounds like everyone also enjoyed themselves and apart from Racing Dave there was no major heart aches which is great.
Apart from a couple of navigational errors on my part we also had a great Saturday.
Orari Gorge was also a hoot, great ride thru there for those that missed it, a special thanks to Kenny for his sense of humour (and adventure), I'd like to nominate Kenny for the "most improved rider" award (if there was one)!
Sounds like Kenny got all his weekend crashes out of the way in the gorge and his Dusty Butt smooth sailing.
On day two (Sunday) Alf and I met up with Monstaman from Wanaka for a ride over the Waikaia Bush rd, past Potters out to Wakaia near Riversdale which was awesome. Lots of long boggy puddles, some 30 odd metres long and plenty of rough Schisty trails.
After lunching at Lumsden we ascended the Mt Bee track near Five Rivers which was great, another neat track worth checking out. Unfortunately Alf completed a tidy downhill highside with a pirouette and a twist resulting in sore hip possible cracked ribs and damaged BMW. The biggest casulty was his broken mirrors, front brake lever and bent handle bars. That put pay to our plans of also doing the Mullholland track and Eyre Valley. Never mind another time.
After some running repairs we decided to call it a day and spend the night at the Garston Hotel before tackling the Nevis and the rest of the Dusty Butt route but unfortunately our best laid plans didn't come to fruition, the bloody Hotel is closed Mondays!
So we had to road it to Queenstown missing out on the Nevis but picking the Dusty route back up the next day at Cromwell for the blast back to Fairlie.
All in all a fantastic weekend and as always on these events a great opportunity to put some faces to names and meet up with a great bunch of like minded individuals
Cheers everyone!
Rgds Matt

**umopom** · 22nd January 2010, 08:25

Originally Posted by Transalper

So other than Cell#85 the turn right on to Oven Hill Rd which actually had a different name on the street signage (toward Lake Onslow) were there any other roll chart issues?
That is the only one I saw, but then I used gps mostly.

We found one other at the bottom of the Omarama saddle road - cell 149 showed left down farm track, we took this route back to the top of the saddle!!!! a great detour but not the right route if the cell showed left after two gates and the text was gravel road we would have got it right the first time but would have missed our extra loop!!

But once again who cares it was an awesome day detours and all.
Cheers
JC

**Woodman** · 22nd January 2010, 08:58

A couple of photos

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**cooneyr** · 22nd January 2010, 12:31

Originally Posted by Woodman

A couple of photos ....

I've been getting copies of everybodies photos and know where almost all of them are but the last one of yours have me stumped. First one is on Thurlow Rd over the hills north of Poolburn on the way to St Bathurns, second and third one are on the side of lake benmore but where they hell was kenny in the forth one? I dont remember sending you lot through any water like that - must have been on the Orari Gorge trip right? He's still got his top box on.

Cheers R

**cynna** · 22nd January 2010, 15:21

and his tank shroud is still intact. that was the last crossing going up the river bed on the way to the orari gorge. he didnt come off just dunked his bike in water for a quick clean.....

**mattsdakar** · 22nd January 2010, 15:51

Here's a few of my photo's

1/. Mark (whatastoner) at Serpentine church
2/. Kenny being assisted by Woodman (?) in Orari Gorge
3/. Alf and Monstaman near end of Mt Bee track
4/. My bike at rest, Manorburn dam
5/. Alf n bike after downhill highside, Monstaman in background
6/. Manorburn

**mattsdakar** · 22nd January 2010, 16:11

Another couple of photo's

1/. My poor old DRZ up Mt Bee
2/. Lunch at Andrews Stream, Orari Gorge
3/. Alf and Mark in the Serpentine
4/. Serpentine with Lake Onslow in distance
5/. Endless Dunstan trail

**Crisis management** · 22nd January 2010, 17:47

Right, time for a short story…….the Jaffa tour of the south, or how Roger (Rogson) (the tatty freewind), Clive (Borrowed DR 650) & I (640adv) went without a decent coffee for 5 days!

We started off by cheating flagrantly and trailering the bikes to Palmerston North. The excuse being used was something about buying a Husaberg 390 there and not being able to ride two bikes back, weak, we know but it sounded plausible to me. We staggered off from Auckland around 7.30 am on Thursday after loading my bike on at the end of the southern motorway and spent the next 6 hours trying to make Clive exceed the speed limit so we could start riding, with incredible restraint he managed to get us to PN without inflicting bodily harm and we spent a happy hour playing with a demo Husaberg in some blokes field. Neat bike by the way, smooth power and magnificent suspension, I’ve been looking sideways at my 200EXC since I got back and I’m sure it senses something.
After a bit of faffing around we loaded up and shot down to Wobblington to stand around in a bit of wind at the end of the dock for an hour until the nice people from the Interislander took us away. A grateful nights sleep was had in Picton at one of Roger & Clives relatives.
Friday morning awoke with a bit of cloud and us being asked to leave so they could tidy up the mess we made (you can never really tell with dry wit can you?) so we sodded off in the general direction of South out via Taylors valley from Blenheim towards the Molesworth station. After a bit of not finding it, we found Mt Altimarlok and did our best impression of heroic adventurers by riding up it and nearly getting blown off the bloody top, I’m sure if I had got the balance point right I could have stood the bike up without the stand. In fact, on the way down (yes, we did admire the view) we had wheels steering into the wind and being blown the other way as the fronts’ snow ploughed through the gravel over the first 50 metres…interesting concept! The Molesworth was conquered (did it notice?) uneventfully and lunch and a beer was found in Hanmer following small diversion which was not my fault. Bloody Roger and his bright ideas….we stopped at the top of Jollies pass just before Hanmer and seeing a side track went along to get a view down on the town. Someone nameless suggested that this track was one he had ridden in the rain with a pillion last time he was here so we should follow it to Hanmer, there followed 30 minutes of vertical plummeting, questions of someones’ parentage, some bush bashing, a bit of where the fuck are we and a small tour of local forestry before we emerged in Hanmer. Someone then notices that probably wasn’t the track he meant.

Following lunch, the nice new DR had a pool of oil under it and despite trying to pretend we hadn’t noticed it persisted until we spotted the cracked case, somewhere on the Molesworth road there is a malicious rock. I can highly recommend the garage at Hanmer, they provided the bits and we molested the bike, as a side note you can turn DR’s upside down and no oil escapes. Epoxy and a quick trip to Christchurch for a bash plate and on to Fairlie just in time for the small bore challenge idiots departure.

Just to get back to Christchurch, I can recommend the Zumo for getting you somewhere on time, it delivered me right outside Sportzone exactly at 4.45 as predicted, unfortunately I didn’t know what a Sportzone looked like and spent 5 minutes riding up and down the road looking for one before asking the nice people in the Suzuki dealership for directions. Needless to say, I made their day.
Even worse, I got shut down at the lights by a mountain bike just after that, the swine had a 70cc dirtbike motor mounted to the frame, I only made that mistake once.

Following an interesting nights “sleep” at the pub we began our meticulous preparations for departure by filling up the bikes, annoying Struan who wanted to leave early and waving to everyone else as they left before being led into the fray by Tim on the Transalp. I have absolutely no idea where we went but it was fun, no sheep were hurt and we did close all the bloody gates, one of the best bits was opening the bikes up on the Dunstan and the sensation of absolute joy when it all comes together. After being alerted to the fact that my no refuelling plan had a fatal flaw (1000kms in two days is 500 each day right?) there was a period of panic until I found a gas station, then we lost the Serpentine (we were all following Struan, ok) then the Serpentine ate Struan twice and I got my boots muddy, a huge hole tried to eat the 640 (I baled out) and we almost rode off the road into the setting sun before arriving in Alexandra in time for the gas stations to be closed. After a round of whimpering we retired.

Someone invented the next day and invited us to partake, Tim refused to play with us but Stephen (Aslan) foolishly joined in and with incredible navigation skills we went up a hill and ended up in a moonscape, Stephen stopped to open a gate and fell off the bike as the sidestand collapsed, Clive felt the urge to go ahead for a bit and got lost and in half an hour I was ready to kill someone! All was made better by the run down off wherever we were into Cromwell as the 640 got airborne a couple of times and I managed to actually pass someone (it still counts if they aren’t moving).

Breakfast in Cromwell was great.

It managed to be foggy in the MacKenzie Pass both times we went through.

The Black forest track was awesome.

Omarama? Saddle was a bit steep and I succeeded in dropping the bike on top of myself getting off for the gate, luckily help was close but Stephen wouldn’t get off his bike without the sidestand so I did the stuck bug for a while as he offered helpful hints.
I will get my revenge.

Finally made it back to Farlie and then to Ashburton and dinner!

There’s more…..

Monday via Lees valley where our sheep herding skills were tested and our counselling skills trying to escape from a lonely shepherd (somewhere near Cromwell there is girl missing here shepherd, unless I misunderstood and he was talking about a ewe). Whoever was on the 250cc? Honda, I hope your chain stayed on long enough to get home, you looked a tad miffed when we found you on the side of the river but I suspect that was karma having a go, as about 1 km before that I stopped for a ewe that was stuck in the 5 wire fence, it had managed to get its head and both legs thru different strands and then do a backflip through the fence. It seemed appreciative when released.
The Rainbow called us next and despite Clives best efforts to avoid paying the toll we were apprehended and relieved of our $$s….they need a bit better signage to avoid ignorant north islanders just riding past in blissful unawareness! Murchison and the pub with almost no beer supplied dinner and lodgings followed by a trip up the Braemar and Porika tracks then Nelson, the Maungatapu and back to Picton for the ferry.

A great trip, absolutely stunning scenery and terrain, absolutely well organised ride (thanks Ryan and others) and a bunch of jealous Jaffas as there is nothing at all that compares with that up here.

**helenoftroy** · 22nd January 2010, 19:04

Well that was an awesome read Crisis management!

The bike with the thrown chain at the Okuku river,Lees valley was none other than Tuckerbag on his NXR125.....

**Aslan** · 22nd January 2010, 19:56

Originally Posted by helenoftroy

Well that was an awesome read Crisis management!

What HOT said Crisis - very witty I enjoyed reading your account (and your company and help with all of those gates on Day 2) - sorry about being unable to get off and help you at the top of the Omarama Saddle

However, I did get a good pic of you that you can see over on ADV - till next time - cheers to you Rogson and Clive - Ciao Aslan