Great ride but turned to shit

[Blind spot]

My first big trip from Auck to Cape Reinga turned to shit!
Sat 6.00 am met 4 mates at kaukapakapa,good blast up to maungataroto where tim and Keith on the Ktm950 and transalp split of here and went gravel rd to Rawene.
phil bandit 1200,Craig Kwaka 5oo and me on weestrom went dargaville, Waipoua, Opononi to Rawewe.
great ride dry and bugger all traffic.
All met again at ferry at 12.30 ish
Bridge was closed on other end of ferry so phil went on to Ahipara via kaikohe as the Bandit is not great on gravel.
Rest of us had a blast of a ride on back roads and finally made it to Ahipara.
Checked into lodge / backpacker at Ahipara camp ground and then shot of up 90 mile beach ( bandit stayed in town and i wish i had).
Got to the Bluff aprox 20 k from te paki stream and the kwaka was worried about petrol (lesson 1 fill up before you hit the beach) we left Ktm and Trns alp and went of the beach at the bluff.
Here is where it turned to shit, there was a puddle on the track that looked maybe 12 inches deep.
Dick head me ploughs thru and suddenly the puddle was 3 feet deep, bike spluts to a halt with water up to the tank.
Oh F---ck i am sitting on a dead nearly brand new bike stuck in gear in a bloody hole. big panic, got of bike and then could not find neutral, bloody weestrom suddenly seemed to weigh 500kgs,managed to push it out after a big struggle and she was seiszed.(can't spell that word )
No way the thing would turn over, i can tell you i had a sick feeling in my gut, i have f all mechanical savvies and it was about 6.30 pm, what to do?
Parked the bike with a family camping there and pillioned into Houhora, tow truck guy turned out to be a biker and was brilliant, sped off with me in tow truck to get the bike before it was borrowed permanently by the locals and took it back to Houhora.
By this time it was 10,pm and craig pillioned me to ahipara, bloody scary in the pitch black with only my prescription sunglasses to wear so couldnt see buggar all.
Next day rang kaitaia bike shop who said no prob get bike down here on Mon early and they will drain it, At least first part of tow was covered by AA.
The others left me in a motel near the bike shop and they headed home in pissing rain all the way, i watched bloody Steel magnolias on sky and felt sorry for myself all day.
Bradleys had the bike at the shop at 8,30 Mon and 2 hrs later i was back on the road with bike running perfectly.
I had the most brilliant ride home on monday sunny and dry and most happy to have got away with no damage.
Costs= $150 for tow to Kaitaia, $89 for motel, $180 for bike shop,shop recommended change oil again when i get home so more money to spend.
An expensive lesson learnt , in future follow the leader don't be the wanker in front to lazy to check the depth of a puddle.
Hope the rest of you had a better weekend

[James Deuce]

Sounds like a memorable trip rather than a "shit" trip.

Umm, I can't stop laughing at the thought of a Wee-Strom eating puddle.

Really, really sorry.

I'm off to lie down.

[Colapop]

You're alive and well, and you've learned a couple of things without totalling your bike. AND you got to watch Steel Magnolia's without any interuptions (it's important see the whole story). I'd say a pretty successful weekend all up!



I mean you read your post and look at it from a different perspective - ya just gotta laugh sometimes...

[Leong]

Guess it was shit at the time, but least all turned out well....

[RiderInBlack]

Glad to here you were well looked after. Yep those Northern Riders are top blokes and so is the Kaitaia Bikeshop dude I'm looking forward to seeing them again this WE for their Treble-T Poker Run.

[Ghost Lemur]

Now there's a story to share with your grandkids.

Lets face it when we go all we have is the memories. Those sublimely perfect corners that flow on forever. The times spent with great friends and loved ones. And those disasters that made life "interesting" and without which the good never would have tasted so sweet.

Glad you made it home safe and sound. Plus you've got a lesson we can all learn from.

Not to mention the laughs resounding around the country thanks to your story.

All in all more positives than negatives.

[M1CRO:Me]

Sorry to hear of your adventure Blind spot, but as time goes by, you will sit back and it will bring a smile to your face...

Dont mean to hijack but ... I recall "quite a few" years ago, I took the CBR1000 up that way, and I was dying to get out onto 90 mile beach. I went alone (one mistake), so I read alot regarding maintenance of the bike, how salt water was going to react etc etc etc.. Some hints I got from people was to ride on hard sand (not the soft for obvious reasons) and I even saw some brochures where buses go in pairs to pull each other out if need be... Anyway, I was young but the thought was there..

So I bought a few cans of CRC, some chain oil, loaded up the pack and off I went.. As I got to where the road meets the sand, I accelerated and made it into the soft sand. Still "gingerly" treating the throttle, the front end started to wobble and I guess I made the fatal mistake to stop. After a breather to relax the heart-rate, I put it into 1st and started to slowly accelerate. Of course, the bike was not moving, so I started to accelerate more and tried to "rock" the bike more. Well, needless to say, the rear wheel dug more and more of a hole. I turned the engine off and got off the bike. Much to my surprise, the bike never moved (ie no need to put the side stand down). When I looked at the rear wheel I then knew why.. THE BIKE HAD DUG A HOLE WITH THE SAND LEVEL REACHING THE SWINGARM..

Anyway, you get the idea.. Nobody around, tried to get the bike out myself but being of a "moderate" size back then, I just didnt have the strength to get it out... sat around on the sand for around 30 mins before a group of surfies came over the hill and helped me push the bike to good ol' tarseal.

Anyway, loved your story and bought a smirk to my face with a glimmer in the back of my mind of the time that I ... made a mistake

Thought I would share

[Blind spot]

I thank god for full face helmets as i think the look on my face when the water was up to my knees and there was no going back would have been memorable.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I was laughing WITH you dude, really!!!

pleased your bike has lived to tell the tale too.