Brass Monkey rally

[Mongoose]

A mate of mine and his friend got though the Hast Pass before it got closed.
He is all right and so is his mate.

My mate (a X cop) said that someone should be held responsible for the
shit condition on the roads down there.
Not the ice, the condition of the roads, as they need resealing, lots of shiny
bear tar-seal. So they where slipping on that as well as the ice.

I guess it all depends on what you are used to, although I never went this year I have been to several,not sure how many, Brass Monkeys before. It amounts to slowing down, sitting upright and steering with the handlebars, ie no lean into the corner. This has saved me on moe than one ocassion, managed to get a full figure *S* in on one corner but both bike me and pillion stayed upright and on the road. < Was the only damage done to clothing

[dangerous]

I saw some brief shots of the rally on tv3 news and i can say whole heartedly that I have absolutley no wish to ever do something that crazy.... sleeping in tents when it is snowing?? trying to ride in those conditions must be impossible too...

Well its funny but the year that I was there when it snowed was one of the warmer (snow kinda insulats you from the ground which is whats realy cold) and I've done 10 odd starting in 85. As for riding in snow its actually sticky (when fresh) and traction isent normaly a problem, however once the snow has been squeshsd to mush and then it frezzes then its bloody hard work and I'd sooner be at home

[laRIKin]

I guess it all depends on what you are used to, although I never went this year I have been to several,not sure how many, Brass Monkeys before. It amounts to slowing down, sitting upright and steering with the handlebars, ie no lean into the corner. This has saved me on moe than one ocassion, managed to get a full figure *S* in on one corner but both bike me and pillion stayed upright and on the road. < Was the only damage done to clothing

I may have not been as clear as I could of been in the previous post.
But they were being very careful. But they hit a patch of ice, 300M long.
They where riding with their feet down.
And when they tryed to pick up their bikes they could not, as the wheels would slip away from them. And they could only just keep their feet as they were falling down alot as well.
So it took two of them to pick up one bike.
When one of the bikes was leaning up against the railing, the wheels, still on some of the ice, slipped and the bike went down again.
And at one point they could not get up the hill, as the wheels where just spinning.
One of the guys let down this tyre to try to get up the hill and still couldn't.
Until the grit truck came and helped them across the road and on to the grit.
So they could get under way again.

[Mongoose]

I may have not been as clear as I could of been in the previous post.
But they were being very careful. But they hit a patch of ice, 300M long.
They where riding with their feet down.One of the guys let down this tyre to try to get up the hill and still couldn't.
Until the grit truck came and helped them across the road and on to the grit.
So they could get under way again.

Apologies, sounds like they were doing everything the right way alrighty. But, it is a mid-winter rally, so I guess you have to expect the unexpected.
Was there one year the damn was frozen over and dudes were racing around on the ice on four-wheeler farm bike thingies.

[dangerous]

Was there one year the damn was frozen over and dudes were racing around on the ice on four-wheeler farm bike thingies.

All the time in the 80's I cant remember when it last was frozen from one side to the other.... I remember one year they were racing side cars on it I was a some what pissed out of my teenage tree and thougt it was the awesomest thing to watch.

[laRIKin]

Apologies, sounds like they were doing everything the right way alrighty. But, it is a mid-winter rally, so I guess you have to expect the unexpected.
Was there one year the damn was frozen over and dudes were racing around on the ice on four-wheeler farm bike thingies.

No apology needed I just thought that I would clear it up mate.

I was at that rally when the lake was frozen over.
I can't remember the quads, but did see guys on bikes doing donuts on the lake.
And some guys sliding down one of the hill on a sheet of corrugated iron
across the lake.
We went to look as we could hear a funny noise and could not make it out.
Fark it was cold, I stayed most of the night by the fire. Or should I say,
Standing in the fire.
We had a tarp over our bikes and we still got a frost on our bikes.

[scumdog]

Yep, you have to "steer" and not lean over, makes it tricky to wipe your visor to get the snow off, if you turn your head to one side the wind generally blows most of it off.
Went over the Lindis after the B.M. about 1995, snow was about 10" deep (250mm) for a lot of it, felt glad to get through alive and in one piece.

You couldn't tell where the edge or centre of the road was, all the road signs were just white and if you followed ruts left by truck tyres half the time you found out they were actually from a truck going in the opposite direction and you were trapped in ruts on the wrong side of the road.

[pete376403]

It was great! We made a week of it, wednesday night at St Arnaud, thurs at Mercer, Fri at Wyndham, sat at the rally (natch) sunday night at Chch.
Weather was mostly good for the week, a bit of rain here and there. Rally nite was good, nice young girl on stage must have been feeling the heat and found it necessary to disrobe, ah well. Not too sure about those three or four guys walking around starkers, must have been the heat as well. I thought someone had fallen on to my tent when the wind came up, as it nearly collapsed. Looked out at the pretty snow and went back to sleep. Got away ok in the morning, police breath testing everyone. Was going to go via Lindis pass but that was closed, pigroot was the only way out. A slow trip with the snow and so-on, no dramas except I'm sure a lot of people made it hard on themselves by trying to go too slow. On the steepest downhills I killed the engine and left it in gear, used the clutch to control progress with both feet as outriggers. Sunday and monday were quiet rides, went via inland Kaikoura for a change and thats a good ride. Put the bike, my pillion (daughter) and I on the weighbridge at Picton ferry - 506 kgs all up. Must leave the microwave and kitchen sink at home next time.

[k14]

I read in the paper this morning that 2 guys got stuck in the middle of nowhere because their fuel lines froze. They both had mild hypothermia and one guy had broken ribs after he slipped on some ice and his bike fell on him. Lucky they made it out alright.

Think i will cross the brass monkey off my list of things to do.

[Coldkiwi]

Think i will cross the brass monkey off my list of things to do.

you and me both dude! The cold kiwi is fine because the weather is just damn cold and a little unpleasent... as opposed to downright dangerous!
For some reason my mother and mother-in-law-to-be both think that just because I'm getting married I won't be wanting to sod off down to Tangiwai for the rally this year??? Go figure.

Respect to all you who did go to the monkey then! verifiably hard people!

[festus]

It's all been said above really, but yes we made it back in one piece, however I had a spill on Friday morning just past chch side of Arthurs Pass, heading to Oamaru, just a low speed into a barrier, cosmetic damage only. We made it up thru the West Coast Sunday luckily, didn't know the roads where closed later, they were shocking alright, snow & ice in Haast Pass to Frans J, one area just before FJ one corner must have claimed heaps of bikes, patches of oil everywhere. Luckily someone waved us down before the corner, good work!. We returned the favour for a while but had to go..........
Got off the ferry at 430pm, traffic build up as far as Foxton!, now that sucked after a long days riding.....otherwise another 'character building ride'.

[Holy Roller]

What a trip
Left Invercargil on friday morning at 8am headed up to queenstown just before Lumsden the rain came down in bucket loads, got stuck behind a truck and did not know the road so stayed at 80kph most of the way to queenstown. The rain and mist was so thick that one couldnot see the other side of the lake would have been a great ride in the dry. The sun came out at queenstown a dry ride to Alexandera KFC for lunch. Arrived at the rally site about 2.30pm nothing was ready but being prepaid got given my badge. Set up the tent. The guys next door who had just finished setting up their tent were from Rotorua and Tokoroa. A fantastic day reasonably warm untill the sun went down then decided to go to the pub for dinner.... flat battery

Saturday the rally began to fill up heaps of bikes. at the prize giving I just missed out on the furtherest travelled(only had done 2697km) to a guy from Hikurangi. Should of gone up to Te Anau and loop back would have done it, next time may be.

12.30am the snow came in hard and fast horizontal. The next morning a good covering of snow every where. Packed up , got a jump start and headed out. Others were going to wait for better weather but seeing a big snow cloud rolling in necessitated a rather imeadiate start. (Glad I went when I did)
ice all the way to Ranfurly then good roads for about 10km untill the snow started again. It got quite heavy but the bike handeled it fine. Passed others who had stopped by the road side but was not willing to stop as it would have been dangerous on the ice. My tires inspired confidence and passed through the snow with no incidence. Palmerston to Blenheim only stopped to fuel. At Blenheim a guy who had been following pulled alongside and invited me home for a coffee. This turned into steak eggs and chips. Soutern hospitality is tops.

Caught the ferry at 9.30pm got in at 1am rode up to waiouru at 4.30am where the snow was falling again. Warmed up my feet using the hand air dryer, Hung around for a bit and saw cars that had come across dropping lumps of snow and ice from the wheel arches. I was going to rest up until it was better going but the snow plough driver said the road was ok.... famous last words aye.

Snow falling icy roads battery cutting out( problem was a loose battery terminal in the battery) a slow trip took an hour to get over the desert road. Only lost traction twice and one downhill side but no offs
Got to Turangi had an hours kip at the shell shop, heck I must be crazy to do the trip so to curl up in a corner seemed normal, to me anyway.

Rotorua by 9am got the photos developed crashed at my mates place for acouple of hours before attending my daughters birthday party. It was the best present for my girl, to be there. Still not welcome home so went back to my mates place for the night. It was too much for the Mrs seeing me when she thought I was still down south.
Good news I'm now home after a day in the shop with the mrs and plan to keep it that way

[laRIKin]

they were shocking alright, snow & ice in Haast Pass to Frans J, one area just before FJ one corner must have claimed heaps of bikes, patches of oil everywhere. Luckily someone waved us down before the corner, good work!.

Sounds like the same corner that my mate went down.
He also said that there was a lot of oil about, some of it was from his bike as
he holed his rocker cover on his Guzzi. Thank goodness for that knead it metal.
And BMW total his cover and he was not going any where.
If you heard a real loud Guzzi (cracked or broken pipes just after the headers
after the crash) that was my silly mate. He thought it sounded real good in
the hills.

[Mongoose]

you and me both dude! The cold kiwi is fine because the weather is just damn cold and a little unpleasent... as opposed to downright dangerous!
people!

The Cold Kiwi losr respect with some of the Mainlanders a few years back, the big softies canceled it because it was too cold!!! It is a Mid-wnter rally after all.
Mongoose

[merv]

Great trip man. Not my thing that tent though, with no queen size bed, electric blanket or spa bath.