Jatz's travels

[Underground]

I stayed in that Andrews shelter a few weeks back, awesome facility and there was no need to try to pitch my tent on the snow, even has a dunny.

[JATZ]

Ah rootraking, one of my favorite pastimes.

Same... I get a sense of satisfaction from taking a scrubby/gorsey bit of waste ground and making a paddock, same with mowing/mulching/power harrowing.

Aaaaand...

I do like it when shiney things turn up in the letter box bit like a magpie really. Especially when they come with lots of stickers



I should be able to use the rear brake while standing up, without dislocating my ankle to do so now only taken 3+ yrs to get it sorted. Better go test it out now...

[NordieBoy]

Should have got Padders to slap a set together for you. Only cost half as much...

[pete-blen]

Pivot pegz !!!!!!!

There is a cheaper option....

[Padmei]

I heard my name mentioned & had to wait 10 mins for this fricking page to load - what's up with that? Where's the page break function?

Pivots are good...



if they're crafted by an artisan in a shed... Wouldn't catch me riding with something symetrical & fully functioning

[Padmei]

Pivot pegz !!!!!!!

There is a cheaper option....

Fricking horse shoes Pete????? you've been down south too long

[_Shrek_]

I do like it when shiney things turn up in the letter box bit like a magpie really. Especially when they come with lots of stickers
I should be able to use the rear brake while standing up, without dislocating my ankle to do so now only taken 3+ yrs to get it sorted. Better go test it out now...

& they're good to use, but I'm getting mine extended by 2cm, I find them a bit short, but that may have to wait for winter now

[JATZ]

Pivots are good...

... Wouldn't catch me riding with something symetrical & fully functioning

Ahhhhh.... that explains much about Schmitty then

Pivot pegz !!!!!!!

There is a cheaper option....

Thanks Pete, but they're not quite shiney enough, otherwise I'd get a set

& they're good to use, but I'm getting mine extended by 2cm, I find them a bit short, but that may have to wait for winter now

So far so good, although I've not tested them standing up yet, passengers get a bit weird when you stick ya bum in their face I've still got to muck around with the levers a bit to get them in the right place, should be sorted by 2018

[JATZ]

Saturday morning had me loading the bike in glorious sunshine getting ready for a trip down the coast to have a look at the street races in Greymouth. I haven't been for the last couple of years so it was about time I did, just to see if anything's changed.
I swung by the G.W's place to load up the last of the crap we would probably need for an overnighter. There wasn't going to be any gates on this trip so she was promoted to head photographer for the weekend this'll be interesting...
The Gorse and Broom were looking particularly radiant heading through the Tadmore/Glenhope rd





Then made our way to Murchison without incident and hung a left in town and wobbled up towards Maruia saddle. with a brief stop at Horse Terrace bridge for a snack, and I grabbed the camera





I don't think the co pilot was to keen on the muesli bar



Carrying on over the saddle and down the other side I was directed to stop so she could take a pic of me. it was a bit soft where I turned around



But I got going again



We cruised down the Maruia West Bank rd and onto Springs Junction. we didn't stop there, although the new owners seemed to have made things better when we stopped there a couple of weeks ago.
I had been boycotting the place after coming over the Lewis last year in rain and snow, on one of my trips. I pulled in wet and cold hoping for a nice warm brew, only to be told they couldn't supply one. I hadn't been back until a couple of weeks ago when we pulled in wet and cold after another wet crappy trip up from Chch and with no other options we went in... the food was hot but still average, and the coffee machine was running.
Anyway... We carried on over the Rahu saddle



and into Reefton. A quick bite to eat, gas for the bike and we were back on the road heading South. The photographer hadn't been to Lake Brunner before so we thought we'd go and have a look. We shot down to the ramp for a bit of a leg stretch, and to let George out for some air



I get some sort of sick pleasure out of watching some people struggling with launching and retrieving boats at popular ramps. Some are like well oiled machines, but others are incredibly incompetent/impatient/imbecilic, I shouldn't judge, I've probably been the second one on occasion myself
Anyway, I thought this was pretty cool, pop popping around in amongst the large trailer boats and jet skis



We carried on 'round the lake and headed for Kumara via Mitchells



Blasted through Kumara and headed for the Old Christchurch rd. I did have a plan of where I was heading, sortof, half remembered from looking at a map a few days before. I was looking for a road that would link up with the Stafford Loop rd. Duffers Creek rd it was called. I found it alright, but part way along it had some rocks and logs blocking access. Nevermind... there was a track heading away to the right that followed some power lines.



Some walkers emerged from Duffers Creek rd and said it was blocked at the other end too, but I could follow the power lines through to Kumara/Kapitea reservoir, so long as I didn't mind some puddles. Sweet.. We'll go that way then



What a cool little track
I should really have checked out RemoteMoto before going, which would've told me Duffers creek was blocked and the other track was a grade 3 and where it came out. Next time maybe.
This is a little bit of the Kapitea reservoir



After that little diversion we got to the designated campsite for the night at the Goldsborough D.O.C. campsite. Pretty soon the locals came to see what we were up to



I busied myself setting up camp



While the co pilot fretted about helmet hair



and George went play with some of the residents, although I don't think they thought much of his flying tackles



After domestic duties were taken care of we went for a wander up German Gully, just across the creek from the campsite. some of us walked, others took a more leisurely mode of transport



No wonder he's getting a fat arse
Anyway... it was a nice walk through the bush, there was trees and rocks and moss





And a cave



Thats about it for day 1...

[JATZ]

We got up next morning, had a quick brew and packed up, aiming to get into Hoki for a big breakfast, complete with all sorts of processed meat products, which, according to the latest research, will give you bowel cancer so with great anticipation we set sail ....
Got about 200m from the campsite before the normally reliable GS started making some god awfull noises from the back wheel.
I think I know what that is I said I quickly whipped off the back wheel and sure enough one of the wheel bearings had shit itself, brekky's going to have to wait I whipped out the seal and circlip and proceded to try and get it out using my longest torx key and a rock



The damn thing wouldn't budge despite putting a bit of heat on it using some white spirits from the cooker.
Before long a guy wandered along to see if we needed help, I explained the bearing had let go and I needed to get to Repco in Greymouth to get another one. He offered to give me a lift so went and got his van, came back and offloaded his wife/partner, one dog and a couple of chairs for those staying behind to sit on while we went off to get things sorted. We got to Repco where they had the bearing I needed, I also got a long 3/8th drive extension to use as a punch (40% off sales are great ) as none of the punches they had would be long enough. I think it'll live in my bike tool kit as I don't have 3/8th drive socket set to go with it. I had to borrow a hammer from the shop as I hadn't bought my rock with me, and sure enough I got just the inner race of the bearing out, along with what was left of the balls. SHIT !!!
Now... there's a lip that the bearing sits against inside the hub so there was no way to bash the outer out, I've been here before, all I need is a welder to give it a couple of spots and it should pretty much fall out. The young fellah from Repco came out to see how we were getting on and I explained what had happened and if he knew where I could get a welder, on a sunday morning, when the town's pretty much shut down for the races. "No worries" he said, I'll give my flattie a call, hope he's up, and he can bring my mig down, be about 20 mins
We stood around yaking for a bit, where I found out the guy from the van was Hec, a fencer from Carterton, he'd arrived at the camp at 6 that morning on the start of a 2 week holiday doing some prospecting, and the young fullah from Repco likes Fords, but I won't hold it against him
Anyway... the welder and flattie arrived so I set to, the bastard shell still wouldn't move so Repco guy scuttles off to grab a bearing puller off the shelf while I put some more weld on the shell for the puller to grip onto. It was pretty tight and there was some ingenuity going on to get the pullers to work but we got there in the end, with a little help from a crowbar too
Hec and I piled into the van , and headed back to the girls, we'd only been gone about 2 1/2 hrs by this stage
The wheel slotted back in sweetly, I didn't even have to remove the ABS sensor which has a habit of getting caught up, and I said bye to Hec and Hayley, true good buggers who wouldn't accept any $$ compensation. I hope the sun shines on them for the rest of their holiday and good things come their way. Also a big thanks to the young fellah at Repco (I can't remember his name) Repco eh...what an auto store oughta be
That little drama out of the way we headed into Greymouth to catch a little bit of the racing, and for some to go find some facility's while I got some maccas to inhale, we were both ravenous by this stage
We caught the 3rd round of racing, and my fingers are getting worn out from all this typing so I'll just stick in a couple of pics of the racing while they recover...



Nasty little dip on the corner in the next pic, but that's part of what makes street racing interesting



'Tards





...wish I could do this





on purpose and without shitting myself

I think the camera is slowing down cause I got a few shots like this too



We got away about 3ish for an eneventfull ride back home, always conscious that the roads would be well policed, which they were
All in all a good weekend, I do need to go back and poke around some more though.... after I replace the rest of the bearings

[Woodman]

Cool story bro

[NordieBoy]

Bearings wear out?

[Padmei]

Good story bro.
re Springs junction - Used to like stopping & getting real old school road food- white bread, egg or cheese& onion sammies. Called in the other week & the bread was the cheapest stalest cardboard I'd had. Grrrr.

Some nice looking gravel in your pics.

[NordieBoy]

Stale cardboard! Yuck!




Mmmm....
Fresh cardboard...

[puddytat]

Im afraid to say that once the place got taken over by immigrants, Springs Café turned to custard. I do have sympathy for the poor buggers working there ,one bloke was Afghan I think & he had had no days off for 3 months & his family was still back home.