New Plymouth to Invercargill in a day...????

[R650R]

Too many hills and towns in the way (even taking the highest speed bypass) to average 165 for that distance. You'd have to be sitting on say 200 at every opportunity - which means guzzling fuel ...... thus more stops.

Now it is looking achievable if your have the ability to stay awake. Which is not unrealistic if you count sailing time as sleeping.

An average value is the middle of the bell curve, which may or may not be equal measurements on either side. A massive top speed would not be needed if you could limit the amount of time spent at 'below average speeds'.
Now if you are breaking the law with extreme speeds it could be taken for granted that fatigue management is not a priority and a variety of things could keep one awake.......

Back when 11 hours was a pertinent number a loaded linehaul truck could make a Hastings-Auckland-Hastings return trip in 11 hours allocated driving time (excludes refuelling/loading etc). Now this owrks out at an average speed of 78km/h, comfortably under the 81km/h average speed that the cops said was maximum a truck could achieve by doing 90 max and slowing down for small towns. Most people would be familiar with the very alrge hills on this route were you would be climbing at say 30km/h for quite a few places. But most of the journey is really on cruise control on boring relatively easy straightish state highway. See the analogy, a big fat dirty slow truck achieves a good average speed by keeping on the move and although goes very slow at times, most of the journey is above the average (78) so makes up for slow bits.

[R650R]

The key is consistency. Riding fast burns more fuel and tires you out. You then spend more time stopped, resting or refueling. Reducing the stopped time is key, easy to lose time, very hard to gain it back.

100% agree. In the truck you see this with MR midlife crisis flash HSV and 2.5 children. They overtake your truck about 4 times but stop at every piss and lolly stop that you still beat them from Auckland to hastings....

But in this mythbusters style breakdown we don't know the riders strengths or weaknesses so assume they make the cut on that count.

[FJRider]

The key is consistency. Riding fast burns more fuel and tires you out. You then spend more time stopped, resting or refueling. Reducing the stopped time is key, easy to lose time, very hard to gain it back.

I remember one TT2000, I was heading south from Christchurch, barely over the speed limit. Sportsbike comes past, I shrug. 50-100km down the road, he's refueling. After a while, neeeeoooo, comes past again. Tortoise and the hare

I recall a few riders (from Roturua) doing the Chatto Creek 1000 mile challenge in a shade over 14 hours. About 1635 km's in distance.

Another Central Otago rider (not ME) was about 10 minutes behind.

There are a few that can do the distance very quickly.

[Trade_nancy]

Well I have done the trip to Invercargill - from palmerston North - the ride came from New Plymouth..in a Nissan Terrano. Left NP at about 5pm picked me up at Palmy about 8:30pm - we arrived in Invercargill (for a family funeral) at about 4:30pm next day. Non-stop except for fuel and a pie at a Timaru cafe. We had two drivers to share...a bike? Doubt it. Return trip..doubt that more.

[Daffyd]

Two Ferry crossings - 6 hours sailing. Add at least a hour or more waiting time after boarding/disembarking for the two.

Lets say 7 hours are used on the two crossings.

Maybe they didn't go that way...

[pritch]

Funny but I've lived in New Plymouth off and on since 1960, and in most of that time have had bikes and mixed with bike people. Never did hear mention of this feat. The memory ain't what it was but I'll try to remember to ask around.

[Zedder]

Maybe they didn't go that way...

Haha, that reminds me of a skit Billy T. James did.

[Daffyd]

Haha, that reminds me of a skit Billy T. James did.

That's what I was quoting, but couldn't remember where I heard it.

[eldog]

I recall a few riders (from Roturua) doing the Chatto Creek 12000 mile challenge in a shade over 14 hours.
There are a few that can do the distance very quickly.

Usually in an aircraft


and yes there are a good number of people who can travel very quickly.

[Virago]

I recall a few riders (from Roturua) doing the Chatto Creek 12000 mile challenge in a shade over 14 hours...

Awesome. Here to London twice as fast an A380.

...Was listening to talkback radio in the other night and the discussion got onto motorbikes and road trips etc. Some geezer calls up and says he knew of a few guys that rode from New Plymouth to Invercargill for a burger then road back the same day..???

He was 150% positive that they did this and gave the talk show host a bollocking for questioning it, but seriously, is that a ride that could be done in 24 hours including burger, ferry crossings, fuel stops and time allowed for poos and wees?...

I call bullshit. It's one of those chinese whisper stories, which invariably starts with "I knew of some guys...". Supposed event becomes story, story becomes myth, myth becomes legend, and legend becomes truth.

A day each way - maybe. A weekend adventure is certainly more plausible.

Don't listen to talkback radio mate, it rots your brain.

[Zedder]

It's possible it's just a wind-up by FatMax...

[BMWST?]

its the ferry that kills it.Thats a at least 600 km of distance right there,may 800.It is very difficult to maintain even 100 km hr on a a bike.I am not saying you cant but not over a whole day .It the fuel stops.You need a at least a 600 km range for that sort of caper.I reckon it may have been a 24 hour time,not including the ferry.A mate once did a circumnavigation of the whole south island ch ch to chch within 24 hours.
The average speed thing is insidious.It easy for a truck to average 80.Its an entirely different ball game to average 165.If you say travel through a town at a highly lillegal and dangerous 100 km an hour and that take 5 minutes you have to do 225 km an hour for 5 minutes too get back on par.If you stop for fuel for 5 minutes you have to do 330 km hr for 5 minutes.a very high average speed is too hard.

[FatMax]

It's possible it's just a wind-up by FatMax...

Nope, can assure you 100% that this is what the guy was saying. The host, Marcus Lush, questioned the caller on the shear logistics of the ferry crossings but this guy was '80's Highwayman Singer'...Adamant...geddit...., anyway he was certain to the point of getting narked up that his biker mates had done this trip. And that it was in a single day, no doubt about that,

The debate on the radio at the time was about Harleys and noise and blah de blah, but this guy banged on about his mates ride. It was at the weekend I heard this, either Friday or Saturday.

In my limited riding experience of the South Island I would say this it could not be done, but thats just my opinion.

So seriously guys and girls, no wind up from me at all, its exactly as I heard it on the old wireless

[Banditbandit]

It's around 18 hours one way - plus ferry time .. so No, it is not possible in 24 hours there and back ..

[R650R]

The average speed thing is insidious.It easy for a truck to average 80.Its an entirely different ball game to average 165.If you say travel through a town at a highly lillegal and dangerous 100 km an hour and that take 5 minutes you have to do 225 km an hour for 5 minutes too get back on par.If you stop for fuel for 5 minutes you have to do 330 km hr for 5 minutes.a very high average speed is too hard.

You don't have to have equal time spent above and below the average point, all that matters is you limit the amount of time spent BELOW the average.
Eg an average speed of 165 could be attained by going no faster than say 180km/h but spending a significant amount of time at that speed, no need for 330km/h.

Lets slow it down and eliminate the hysterical speed numbers. I did a 50km mountainbike event in around 4 and a half hours at an average of 12ish km/h. Now the race winner did that 50km in about 2hours 20 min. and average speed of about 25km/h. Now I was getting pretty decent speed on the downhills but where this obscenely fit fella would have wasted me was on the climbs. He would have spent much less time below his average speed, he didn't need to come down any of the hills at 130km/h to beat me and do that time.