Motu's first 2004 ride

**Motu** · 2nd January 2004, 20:04

Went for a ride today - didn't ask anyone from here to come,don't think you like my preferences.

The family all wanted to go to a beach today,but Motu's a misanthrope - he doesn't like people,just want's to get as far as he can get from them.The XLV750 needs some use,but I want to get away from the hordes,go on roads less traveled,so my XT400 gets the nod for today.Off that bloody horrible motorway at Bombay and head to Tuakau,to fuel up...last time I went where I am going I did 220kms before I got out - this thing only gets 220 to a tank.

At the end of the Tuakau bridge you can turn left and take the road to Nike,or turn right to Port Waikato....or a road to the right goes up the hill to Onewhero - I've never been up that one,well,not for 30yrs,so up it I go.Not a bad road at all,I wished I had of brought the big Honda,it just loves this stuff,it's a bit rough with crap on the road at times,maybe you guys would like it ,maybe not.Happily after 15km it turns to gravel - yippee!! The XT is the weapon for this,I'm just loving it - sure,the XLV would do this road no worries,but I'm happy not to be fighting that heavy front end,or trying to slow the beast down - getting airtime and having to stop it for a corner sucks the seat foam right up my arse! I miss that Vtwin bellow and mad rush to the next corner,some more punch to get the rear wheel out would be nice,but hey,this thing is the berries! (Motu is 50 now,although he thinks he's only half that - a gutless 400 is ample enough).

The roads are fantastic,the scenery is what this country is all about - I feel sorry for you guys who only ride nice sealed roads with no hidden surprises,this is the real thing.I've been doing this for over 30 years,the roads you now like to ride on your sports bikes I was riding on when they were gravel - the new so called West Coast Highway was gravel all the way to Wellsford...the loop around the Hunua's,all that was gravel,I've done 100mph on the flats beyond Miranda,kinda wild on the peastone gravel.I'm not going too far - I can go almost to Raglan on these roads,so I turn north again just after Waikaretu and go past the Limestone Downs heading towards Port Waikato...there is a rodeo at Port Waikato,a bloody traffic jam!

Back at Tuakau for more fuel,now I head out Aka Aka way - I see on the map that there is a boat ramp to the beach,but I ride every road I can find,but no boat ramp.So I go to Kariatahi anyway and go for a blast down the beach...one day if I have more time I'll go right to the end to find a way out.Back up the beach and into Waiuku to see my Mum and Nephew who's visiting from Canada - a beer and a feed to finish that part of the day.

So,I started this year with a damn good ride,a bit less than 300km,no problems - and traffic...what traffic!! never met a car coming the other way nor passed one on all the gravel,just what I wanted.Stuff all on the other roads either,cept that bloody rodeo. :bigthumb:

**wari** · 2nd January 2004, 20:21

You're onto a good thing there motu ... better keep quiet about it though mate or everyone will be doing it.

Good descriptive post ... made me wish I wasn't in bed

sleeping off the night shift and wasting that sun.

**XRNR** · 3rd January 2004, 08:20

Makes me want to put the plates back on my XR.

**bluninja** · 3rd January 2004, 10:01

Motu, glad you had a good ride. Gravel is not the surface for me, certainly not on my bike. I took my first outing of 2004 yesterday also.

Decided that though riding in groups and the camaraderie is nice, I wanted a day doing my own thing. A quick blast down over the Bombays and out to Ngahawaria taking it nice and easy. Noticed lots of melted tarmac, some of it a bit slippy (hmmm complains when it's too cold/wet, complains when it's too hot). I then just had a blat to Pirongia, across to Te Awamutu, then Putaruru and a sad trip to Taurananga, enduring queues of cars and lots of heat.

Decided to have a wavy day, and waved at any 2 wheeler coming the other way. Got a shocked look, a smile, and a big wave from a youngster on a 150 (in T-shirt), a wave from a chap on a shiny blue BMW, and a couple out on a Harley look alike. Lots that didn't wave, but I was having fun, so who cares.

About 20 kms from Paeroa I overtook a chap on a blue VFR800 with yellow headlight covers who was just pootling along. He then followed me all the way into Paeroa, probably for something to do and disappeared when I pulled in for a break at the end of the main straight. MEt and spoke to a chapo called Mike and his partner Sarah out on a GSXR1000 complete with jeans and trainers. At this point I was doubting the wisdom of full leathers cos I was so hot it was distracting from the riding. Mike is a sometime racer, and gave me some good advice about storing wets, and how they handle after being stored for a long time. Also about learning to ride on 'cold' tyres for the first 2 laps if you haven't got tyre warmers.

So a nice peaceful ride back up to Auckland in the early evening. Along the way a deep purple haze of a lavender field gave a splash of colour and a nice bit of aromatherapy to perk me up for the last of the trip home. Well 600 ks for the day, now I get to sit home and play with the kids before another ride on Sunday.

TTFN

**Marmoot** · 3rd January 2004, 11:14

**riffer** · 3rd January 2004, 11:47

My first ride of 2004 was a quiet (!) little trip from Upper Hutt to Napier to pick up a cousin and back again the same day on Thursday. Longest ride so far on the bike!

Bike performed wonderfully. The only problems were the expected ones, namely that that rock hard seat really started to hurt once I was over the 'Takas, and didn't get much better over the remaining 550+ kms.

High points of the day:

1. Finding out that although the speedo only goes up to 180, the bike doesn't stop accelerating

2. Eventually finding out the bikes top speed - absolutely no

around on New Years day arvo between Masterton and Ekatahuna.
3. Convincing my 22 year old (female) cousin that bikes are a good form of transport.
4. Spending a whole day on the bike!!!

Low points of the day:

1. The clowns in the souped up Falcon ute who decided to chase me over the 'takas when I had an inexperienced passenger on the back - not good.
2. Coming around the corner with said ute behind me - this was in the dark of course - going downhill - leaned right over - and finding out there was a small rockslide halfway through the corner.
3. Hitting 4 inch wide rock while leaned over a doing an interesting wobbly thing.

However, a wonderful day on the bike and looking forward to going out for another long one again when my arse isn't feeling quite so raw!!

**Motu** · 3rd January 2004, 17:43

The rego on the XT expired on the 2nd,so I did a message on the XLV750 today - couldn't help myself and went for a blat.

What a contrast - this thing is huge ,how I ever took it off road I don't know - this is a dirt bike on steroids! A monster tank in front,the bars are wider with more pull back than on the XT,everything is bigger and heavier.And OH,the power! ooohh,the noise! it's quieter than the Supertrapp on the XT and although it's a 45 deg twin,it has a 90 deg crank,so it sounds like a Duke....um,in reality more like two XR 400s,anyway,I think it sounds great.Hopeless brakes.

I just do the loop around the Hunua's - Otara to Brookby,over to Cleavdon,Skyline to Hunua,then around anticlock.Not too much traffic till I got near Kawakawa,but still able to clean them up.This thing rocks on these roads,suits me just fine - I might keep it and set it up as my road bike.I go up to the Mangatangi dam for a rest - this means going on a gravel road,so I can compare my two bikes,the road has recently had new gravel and is thick in places.The Honda is definatly more of a handful,that front end needs constant attention...but the squirt between corners - oh boy,this thing can move ...wheelspins crazily even in 4th,but hooks up with a huge thump,gotta hang onto those bars.Slowing 250 or so kg for the corners is my biggest worry,I nearly overshoot the bridge,but sew it up ok.Stop for a leak at the toilets,then go to the top with no helmet - I reckon helmets should be banned for summer...damn, that was cool.On the way out I can see some clown on a dirt bike has been up the road - huge scars coming out of the turns and halfway up the straight,looks like he was having fun.

From Kaiawa on the road is melting everywhere,I get out of shape a couple of times and keep my eye out for them.Some dickhead in a Subaru tries to race me,but I got to get rid of him before the Kawakawa hill - as I clean him up on the last straight I hit the limiter and miss a gear!! shit,how come that always happens.Got the uphill to myself,but pick up a car at the top - they are throwing beer bottles out at power poles...they go smash and glass goes everywhere - cool fun eh?

My only scare - apart from the melting tar...but you can see that,I was never surprised - was on Skyline, coming around a corner I see a huge ridge has been pushed up in the road,trucks and tour buses I bet.This thing is a monster,like nearly 200mm,it's taller than it is wide - shee it,this could be a bit tricky.Hey,you don't try to dodge these things - I pick it up and hit it....big nasty ridge?,what big nasty ridge? Riding a dirty big trail bike is fun I reckon.
I start the year riding two of my bikes back to back - that's going to go round in my brain for a few days...digesting a good ride I feel like a well fed tiger.

**Jackrat** · 4th January 2004, 07:03

Hey Motu,I saw ya' ride through the car park at Kariotahi standing on ya' pegs
I did wonder if maybe that was you.
I guess you were the bike my Mr's said went flying down the beach while her an her mum were riding their horses back up.The beach sure wasn't the place ot avoid people That day was is!
Like bloody Queen St Mate

**Motu** · 5th January 2004, 07:14

Yeah,I didn't want to get involved in the melee by the river,so went between the cars in the car park to the beach.Like last time I was there the tide was in and the hoons had cut the beach up making it hard work on the bars.Saw the horses and hope I slowed down or backed off the throttle - I gotta be carefull on that beach...my cousin owns it,or at least thinks she does

she trains horses there every day (Golden Flares trainer)

You shoulda come over and pushed me off just to say hi.

**Coldkiwi** · 5th January 2004, 10:03

I thought I spotted you coming back from down south Simon. You went past the other way as I was taking the Frank Grey Place off ramp by Onehunga (I waved to point out the cop with the laser on my side by the off ramp!). That was just after I'd been playing tag with a maori bloke on an old school GSXR750 (black and red one behind me) through the motorway traffic (can't let 12 years of suzuki development go to waste now can i?). I think he knew that bit of mway very well because he backed right off before we crested the hill by the Tip Top factory in anticipation of a piggy. how right he was (no ticket for me tho.. I gave piggy a friendly and cheeky wave as we went past)

**wkid_one** · 5th January 2004, 10:46

Originally Posted by bluninja

So a nice peaceful ride back up to Auckland in the early evening. Along the way a deep purple haze of a lavender field gave a splash of colour and a nice bit of aromatherapy to perk me up for the last of the trip home.
TTFN

This part could be in the Metrosexual Riders thread also.

My 2004 starts and no doubt finishes bike-less. Well technically I still own my bike - but hopefully not for much longer. Maybe I will scrounge the odd ride or 5 - but am definitely fore going bike ownership (read:HAVE TO, anyway I have sold nearly all my gear).

Looking at a stump thumper (against Jet Ski) as I don't need my license for this (which looks unlikely to get back for another 12 months) - but those who must be obeyed have indicated that this would be a worse option than the road bike - Bah Hum Bug.

This weather fecked me off as all I could think about was riding.....although I did notice an increased case of passing bikes on the m'way who are scared to do over 110kph......cant blame them really.