Here is where not to go.

[cowboyz]

Headed out this morning on a ride. Haven't been out for a little while so was really looking forward to it. Bonez invited us on a ride that his mate was organizing and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

So up early and off over to the neighbours for some good home cooking (ta Meanie) and we get ourselves sorted and head over to palmytown. The big VN1500 and my screaming GSX600 looking forward to a great day out.

Sitting at the meeting place with no one around we start discussing if the time was the "new" time or the "old" time but all is well as bike started to pull up. Ducati 500, SV1000, Shadow, CBR1100,GB400, CX?500 with sidecar I forget the others but about 14 bikes showed up. This is going to be great.

So off towards Wanganui to start with. Out in front following the CBR and keeping good pace and enjoying the early morning sun.

Stopped for a chat at Wanganui and then headed toward Raetahi. Turned off down river road towards Pirikiki (who cares if I got the name wrong because I am NEVER going back there) The first bit of the road was fun. nice twisty bits and getting the bike going with a bit of pace. Then came the gravel. A TAD of gravel. Here is where we point out that in this case TAD means about 45km. Which felt like 450km. After 3 and a half hours on route I had covered 174km! All I can say is thank christ the scenery was so damn good. Gravel on a sportsbike is not fun. Especially one that you are really quite fond of that would be very very pissed off if I dropped it.
Made it through. ... finally... and were rewarded with some quick sweepers through the rest of the way to Raetahi. A stop for a bitch season on how much I hate gravel and we were away again. The day improved a great deal and we went through to Waioru and then down to Kimbolton. Stopped for a drink. Great road through there. No gravel anywhere to be found.

Then back up to Apiti and through the twisty roads through to home.

All in all it was a good day. Plenty of good roads to cloud the memory of that evil gravel road.

Anyway, Pics ahoy..

[Ixion]

Oh oh oh. Where is it? What a bugger that all the decent gravel roads are so far away. Lucky bugger, wish I had 45km of gravel handy. Oh, and if a BMW-RT can handle gravel, anything can.

[Bonez]

Doug must have sorted the Ducs electric gremlims as the rope wasn't required. It seems toodling along at between 2-3000rpm with the light on and accidently selecting park instead of OFF at Ratahae, didn't do the GBs battery much good so it's on trickle charge overnight. Thank goodness for kickstarts. Hope it didn't catch something from the Pantah Am going to remove the tank after work tomorrow and give the thing a good degunge, clean connections etc. My home built air filter seems to be doing the trick, not a sign of dust on the carb intake portion of the airbox. James VNs going to keep him busy next week with a
toothbush...................

Pantahs make good pissing posts for dogs it seems.

One broken clutch cable on a GSX600 and fading front brake on the Shadow wasn't too bad an attrition rate considering all the jarring all the bikes got on that TAD bit of gravel. Along with trying to avoid a date with a few of Rodgers girlfreinds [the cx500 combo guy-nice to see him out and about again]-umm I mean sheep and the odd cattle beast just to add variety. Hope he signs up with KB.

Was a quite bit of new seal on the Mangaweka/Kimbolton and Apiti/West Pahongina Valley Road. So a fare bit of pea gravel was still present.

We also had a GN250 with us the whole trip, so those that dish them don't know shit. They are a very capable wee m/c. A Guzzi V50 was with us too. Quite a
broad spectrem of bikes really- MT-01 there as well.

I'd do it again on the CB550 happily enough now I know the area. It's funny that the second time on a stretch of road like that it seems a lot shorter.

[Meanie]

Headed out this morning on a ride. Haven't been out for a little while so was really looking forward to it. Bonez invited us on a ride that his mate was organizing and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

So up early and off over to the neighbours for some good home cooking (ta Meanie) and we get ourselves sorted and head over to palmytown. The big VN1500 and my screaming GSX600 looking forward to a great day out.

Sitting at the meeting place with no one around we start discussing if the time was the "new" time or the "old" time but all is well as bike started to pull up. Ducati 500, SV1000, Shadow, CBR1100,GB400, CX?500 with sidecar I forget the others but about 14 bikes showed up. This is going to be great.

So off towards Wanganui to start with. Out in front following the CBR and keeping good pace and enjoying the early morning sun.

Stopped for a chat at Wanganui and then headed toward Raetahi. Turned off down river road towards Pirikiki (who cares if I got the name wrong because I am NEVER going back there) The first bit of the road was fun. nice twisty bits and getting the bike going with a bit of pace. Then came the gravel. A TAD of gravel. Here is where we point out that in this case TAD means about 45km. Which felt like 450km. After 3 and a half hours on route I had covered 174km! All I can say is thank christ the scenery was so damn good. Gravel on a sportsbike is not fun. Especially one that you are really quite fond of that would be very very pissed off if I dropped it.
Made it through. ... finally... and were rewarded with some quick sweepers through the rest of the way to Raetahi. A stop for a bitch season on how much I hate gravel and we were away again. The day improved a great deal and we went through to Waioru and then down to Kimbolton. Stopped for a drink. Great road through there. No gravel anywhere to be found.

Then back up to Apiti and through the twisty roads through to home.

All in all it was a good day. Plenty of good roads to cloud the memory of that evil gravel road.

Anyway, Pics ahoy..

You forgot to mention the rutts in the gravel roads, like giant judder bars, i wasnt aware we were going for a trail ride
A good day however with a few laughs and better than mowing lawns

[marty]

that's PIPIRIKI. first of the big rapids as you head upstream. was the furtherest up the river that the paddle boats could go. kayaked in and out of there a few times last century. cool place, but the seal only restarts at Koroniti i think.

[Karma]

Similar situation on the Coro Loop yesterday... only like 1 or 2 ks worth of gravel, but was wet and didn't fancy dropping down into the gorge

[Bonez]

You forgot to mention the rutts in the gravel roads, like giant judder bars, i wasnt aware we were going for a trail ride
A good day however with a few laughs and better than mowing lawns

Sure does. Thought I was going to loose the GB in one of the pot holes on the road works just south of Taupo though. Look fwd to doing the Wangas river on the boat next weekend. It'll be a bit more relax I feel. Been up since old 5am/new 4 am so might just pop out to the play pen for a fiddle................................

[Bonez]

Oh oh oh. Where is it? What a bugger that all the decent gravel roads are so far away. Lucky bugger, wish I had 45km of gravel handy.

What? You mean it's all seal up your way? Must be quite boring riding then . Some parts where only one car width wide. Never heard any bangos playing so the locals must be freindly enough. As Coyboyz mentioned, it was very senic. One part there I was riding a ways by myself and got to wondering where the hell am I, then around a corner a parked on a concrete bridge, funnily enough the widest part of the road on the whole gravel stretch, was Rodger giving the CX a rest. It needed to cool down a bit. We contemplated our navels for a bit and then the Pantah, with the GN250 following in hot pursuit caught up and off again we went.

The SV and MT guys were having a good gander at the places along the way, seperating from us Ratahea, after a munch and drink at the cafe and went on via a sealed backroad to Wangas. Fields Road?

[combo man]

Yeah, not too bad a ride! Mind you I did have a 3rd wheel to hold me up! Where we going next?

[cowboyz]

Whereever it is I vote you dont set the route...


ps.. good to see you made it on here.

[XTC]

Mmmmm I like gravel.....
Did you see all those tractors parked outside the farm supplies shop in that 4th photo??

[dhunt]

Headed out this morning on a ride. Haven't been out for a little while so was really looking forward to it. Bonez invited us on a ride that his mate was organizing and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

So up early and off over to the neighbours for some good home cooking (ta Meanie) and we get ourselves sorted and head over to palmytown. The big VN1500 and my screaming GSX600 looking forward to a great day out.

Sitting at the meeting place with no one around we start discussing if the time was the "new" time or the "old" time but all is well as bike started to pull up. Ducati 500, SV1000, Shadow, CBR1100,GB400, CX?500 with sidecar I forget the others but about 14 bikes showed up. This is going to be great.

So off towards Wanganui to start with. Out in front following the CBR and keeping good pace and enjoying the early morning sun.

Stopped for a chat at Wanganui and then headed toward Raetahi. Turned off down river road towards Pirikiki (who cares if I got the name wrong because I am NEVER going back there) The first bit of the road was fun. nice twisty bits and getting the bike going with a bit of pace. Then came the gravel. A TAD of gravel. Here is where we point out that in this case TAD means about 45km. Which felt like 450km. After 3 and a half hours on route I had covered 174km! All I can say is thank christ the scenery was so damn good. Gravel on a sportsbike is not fun. Especially one that you are really quite fond of that would be very very pissed off if I dropped it.
Made it through. ... finally... and were rewarded with some quick sweepers through the rest of the way to Raetahi. A stop for a bitch season on how much I hate gravel and we were away again. The day improved a great deal and we went through to Waioru and then down to Kimbolton. Stopped for a drink. Great road through there. No gravel anywhere to be found.

Then back up to Apiti and through the twisty roads through to home.

All in all it was a good day. Plenty of good roads to cloud the memory of that evil gravel road.

Anyway, Pics ahoy..

Sounds like you guys had lots of fun. I hope you managed to keep hold of your keys all the way home

[cowboyz]

yes. I have them tied to the bike now. such a good idea that is.

side point. I have my old triple clamp here and the guys in town can make up some keys for it if you want it. I REALLY appreciate your help that day getting my bike back running after being such a dumb arse and losing my keys (still cant believe that)

[dhunt]

yes. I have them tied to the bike now. such a good idea that is.

side point. I have my old triple clamp here and the guys in town can make up some keys for it if you want it. I REALLY appreciate your help that day getting my bike back running after being such a dumb arse and losing my keys (still cant believe that)

If you want to you can drop the triple clamp back my flat old flat(I've still got lots of stuff there and my brother is staying there, it might come in handy sometime and also the keys that you didn't end up using (I think I gave you a set of 3? they might still fit something useful) but don't worry about getting some keys made up for your barrel.

BTW my brother got a job with drake working in cold storage so thanks for getting us on to that.

[Free to Ride]

As the GN250 rider thanks guys!! Could have done without the gravel aye, but a lot more confident on all those windy roads (except the one with the sheep that I nearly bowled - would have been tasty for tea though). Good ride, and mainly enjoyable.