Wellington KBer's: ride Sat 31 July

[Velox]

Ooh Merv - you've got cheek mate - putting that close-up in there! I wondered if Lynda would use it as an advertising ploy though! Great to meet some of you guys and thanks for organising it Lynda - looked like the rest of the ride was a bit of fun!

[Paul in NZ]

Hey Linda we wish our bikes were KLX 400's, but the ones we rode on Sat were the trusty old ex army half rooted KLR 250's.
They still go OK tho as some of the boy's going over the hill found out

Mate... That was some style.... I took one look at you tearing down the hill and thought... Nah! Not today..... (you bastard, we all voted and we agreed we were not going to talk about that)

Then again, I was holding the others up on the Guzzi so hardly fair on them that they couldn't get past the old wreck, but I was still impressed!

No excuses but... At the begining of the hill before you lot caught up, I had a wee flutter hitting some ripples at full lean, the front went all mental and threw me wide in a very alarming fashion. I've never ever had that happen before, moved across nearly a whole lane... Methinks the dampers have finally given up the fight....

(sigh)

Oh well, it can wait...

Paul N

[Kickaha]

Thanks once again to Hamish for watching my rear

It's pretty hard to miss


Yeah a top ride and really good to put a few more faces to the names I see on here so often,thanks to Lynda for organising it and putting such nice weather on,I'll expect it every time I come up now

[Ms Piggy]

It's pretty hard to miss


Yeah a top ride and really good to put a few more faces to the names I see on here so often,thanks to Lynda for organising it and putting such nice weather on,I'll expect it every time I come up now

Say that now that you're back in Rangiora & far enough away that I can't hurt you!

[Kickaha]

Say that now that you're back in Rangiora & far enough away that I can't hurt you!

Well I'm not dumb enough to say it while you're anywhere in close proximity

[Pickle]

Next ride we will come over on our road bikes or should I bring the mighty CT110??

[James Deuce]

Lynda's already put all the best bits in!!

It was an absolute blast, with no bins, a bit a maturity, some mental moments, and someone got stoned. Something to please everyone! If only the stoned bit had been illicit drug use that is.

We met up at Caltex at approximately 9-10:30, introduced ourselves and followed our sole attending Guzzisti onto the hill road. The road works are coming along now, and they've turned the first left hander at Te Marua from a 65km/hr (more was possible easily) signposted corner to a balls out gentle 200km/hr + corner. On ya roadworks guys.

Lynda's already named the guilty parties, but I have to say that it was really neat to catch up with old friends, and a bunch of people I'd never met before, all thanks to that bloody Interweb thingy. And "they" reckon we're all a bunch of bloated huhu grub like creatures, wedged behind video monitors, never seeing the sunlight. to "they" and "them", eh brothers and sisters??

The first stretch really is getting a little "old", thanks to the road works. The road improvments are obviously incremental in nature, but each part is taking so long that the existing and largely unmaintained roading infrastructure is staring to break up. Doug was also particularly annoying, buzzing up alongside on the KLX. I think we were all a little cautious (except Doug) because we didn't want to add to the tally of KB ride "bins", and we had a fairly broad range of machines and riding standards (see Lynda's post) to account for. Every time he buzzed up alongside I wanted to reach out and push him off. Pity he didn't approach from the left, cos then I could have done the kill switch trick.

Paul managed to get a good break in the traffic and unleashed not only the Guzzi rubber band, but also the Guzzi bungy. We were half way up the hill before Merv and I got him back in sight, and near the top when we caught up. Merv was very smooth and and he kept me honest UNTIL BLOODY DOUG BUZZED BY AGAIN, just over the top of the hill. It took every ounce of restraint, NOT to get involved in dice because:

a. Doug is twice the rider I am (at least), and
b. It was bloody funny watching that KLX tip over like a collapsing skyscraper. As Paul has said, Nice!

As the traffic got heavier on the way down the hill we got bunched up a little. I kept seeing a flash of blue in the mirror as we got closer to Featherston, and it took me a while to realise that it was Velox, who'd tagged on to the end of our group. When she gets a bigger bike, I'm buying a cruiser so I don't have to make feeble excuses about just why I got my arse thrashed on the hill by a mere slip of a girl. Sheesh she was quick. I know she's explained this before, but I'm going to explain again. Velox = Latin for Fast. I still have no idea how Vauxhall could justify calling a 2 ton hunk of pig iron, with a 40 HP engine "Fast". Especially when a Honda Jade ridden by a 3.5kg female jockey actually properly defines the word. I reckon you big talking GSXR blokes are all gonna have a shock coming your way someday soon.

We gathered up at the bottom of the hill, just in Featherston, and Lynda described (in detail) how to get to the Flying Fish cafe in Martinborough, and provided a comprehensive seating plan including the arrangement of her Ducati accessories on the table. Paul kept us reined in to a legal pace from Martinborough to Featherston, and we settled into proper introductions, and genial discussion.

Kickaha was everything I expected of a hardened bucket racer. Short, wiry (but I bet he's strong), and capable of trading verbal punches with the best BS artists amongst us, though being a mainlander he only spoke when absolutely necessary - she's a hard road to finding the perfect bucket racer. VTWIN has the nicest SV1K I've seen, and it's also only the second other bike I can hear over the top of my own - from about 200 yards in front. His mate Stonechucker had a very cool 1 month old 04 R1, which just looks special in that metallic burgandy. He was bloody quiet, though that could be put down to the fact that Lynda was regalling everyone within range about the Ducati sunglasses, the Ducati titanium toe sliders, the official Loris Capirossi mechandising bandana, and yes, even the Ducati underwear. Like THAT was essential knowledge.

Hamish, as usual, just sat quietly, slightly bowed and saying, "Yes dear", when necessary. Poor bugger.

I think I'm in trouble with Lynda though, because a waitress wandered out with a cordless phone, headed for our table, and as Lynda reached out to take the phone, said, "Is there a Jim here?" He shoots, he scores! I owe my wife for that one though.

Once brunch was over, we did the Gladstone, Wainuioru, through to Masterton run. I keep going on about this road, but it is such a hoot. The first section is slow to medium quick and we all stayed together, but down the longer straights the guys on the bigger bikes had a bit of fun and we split up a little. I stayed with Paul, because he has an uncanny sense of when to cruise and when to push on, plus he seldom exceeds "impound vehicle" speeds.

Stonechcuker managed to get waaay in front, so it was interesting to imagine the look on his face when he finally realised that everyone else had turned right, to head up the water tower road. We regrouped here, and Hamish, doing his excellent best as sweep arrived with CSL (Celtic Sea Lily) in tow. In the meantime we were entertained by Lynda's exclamations over the size and contents of the scrotum of the bull that wandered over for a better look. Thankfully he was contained in a paddock, but having hung around farms a bit, I know that your average kiwi paddock fence is actually more of a mental trick than a capable barrier for 2 tonnes of raging steak. He was a bit pissed off that we were on "his" stamping ground too, and kept complaining vocally about the noise we were making, though he could have been discomfited by Lynda's longing gaze. I was quite pleased to get going again. For soooo many reasons.

An boy did we get going. Now I know this isn't going to stand for very long, and soon I will be gazing wistfully at a vanishing wine red coloured dot, but I overtook Stonechucker around the outside on one of the faster corners on the way up the. Eat that Mr Band New Fancy Pants R1 - err sorry. That was a fun dice. To be fair he didn't know the road at all, but still......

We whistled into Wainuioru without incident, and the next section into Masterton is a lot more open, with a couple of Looooooooooooooong straights. Poor old VTWIN was following Stonechucker, and as he already said in his "Importance of Headlight Protectors" thread he got showered with stones when Stonechucker rode through some loose seal. Merv and I had upped the pace a bit, so we were a bit concerned when it took so long for the last couple of riders to turn up. I was even more concerned when CSL turned up (please don't take offence Cathy ) well before we sighted the last guys. The story became obvious when we got to the Mobil gas station in Masterton.

We returned to the Flying Fish via Pontahi, out the back of Carterton for a late lunch and some more conversation. Well not really conversation. Just a lot jokes about Ducati mechandising, which Lynda accepted with reasonable grace, though given Hamish's demeanour at Celticno6's that night I wonder just HOW much grace.


The weather was brilliant, the company was great, and it was very cool to meet some new people, especially kickaha, all the way up from Rangiora on a ratbike XJ550. We'll have to come down and see some of your roads, and let us know if you are racing up this way, so we can come and throw things at you.

Thanks for the Photos Merv

[Ms Piggy]

Excellent write up Jim!! I haven't taken offence I was just feeling a bit special that I wasn't 2nd last for a change...although I guess you can't really call Hamish last cos he was looking after me and sometimes I was even 3rd last when Kickaha was being a rear gaurd as well. I want a BIGGER bike!

[LB]

Jim, what a bloody good write-up. Well done.

I'm still thinking about that bull's balls - boy were they big.

BTW - there was an ommission in your story - you haven't made ANY mention of your wee willie.

I'll leave it at that and let you explain.

[Paul in NZ]

I'm not sure the XJ550 was a rat bike Jim2... Just well used (extremely so at one stage) and showing travel staining... Entirely proper...

As for the bull incident..... I'm always amazed how a group of people can watch the same incident and come to exactly the wrong conclusions...

That bad boy wandered over to look at the bikes. Frankly he didn't think much of most of em but when he heard (or should that be herd) and saw the Guzzi he went Maaaaattteee!!! (you all heard him).... He was a bit embarassed when he saw the Guzzi rider but I guess second best in that crowd is still pretty good...

As for me knowing when to press on and when to preserve the old license... I generally (in company of R1's and the like) back off when the crankshaft is about to spit out the side...

Nah!

First time a big group rides together is no place for heroics. I thought everyone was admirably restrained (apart from that bloody trail bike - mutter grumble - heh heh)

Good story....

[Kickaha]

Kickaha was everything I expected of a hardened bucket racer. Short, wiry (but I bet he's strong), and capable of trading verbal punches with the best BS artists amongst us, though being a mainlander he only spoke when absolutely necessary

Short? yes I remember you towering above me Jim and I saw no reason to speak as Lynda did more than enough for me and probably for the whole lot of us.

The weather was brilliant, the company was great, and it was very cool to meet some new people, especially kickaha, all the way up from Rangiora on a ratbike XJ550. We'll have to come down and see some of your roads, and let us know if you are racing up this way, so we can come and throw things at you.

Ratbike hah,its got a mere 101,053km on it it's hardly run in,and It only used a litre of oil the whole trip,so it's not as though it needs a rebuild or anything,although for $400 I think it may have been overpriced.


I also road across the Akatarawa road with CSL on Sunday,that would get my vote for nastiest,narrowest,bumpiest,crappy road I have ever ridden on.

Hope to be racing up that way at Wanganui on the Sidechair this boxing day,so you can come and throw stuff at me then and If anyone is ever heading down this far I'll try and organise a ride down here.

[Velox]

[QUOTE]
Man, after reading that I feel like I've lost about 23 kg's!
Remember that hill's pretty good for 250s though - it's the straights where we can't keep up with you big bikes! Good write up, Jim2. Sounds like there were a few laughs along the rest of the ride!

[Pickle]

Sorry Jim, Merv & Paul but the Hill is fun on the little bike I didnt mean to annoy any of you, next time I will behave ( as the Tui Ad say's Yea Right )

Thanks for the nice words , The hill is a pain when there is a lot of traffic and when are they ever going to finsih the road works?? Viv & I had a good ride out to the Lemming Run where we enjoyed a hot drink on the coast before heading back to Martinborough. We had farmers out walking there cows on the road which was messy. The road down the side of the Lake is covered in moss so any road bikes be careful as it is quite slippery and there is a bit of crap on the road from the recent storms.

As Jim said you boy racers who big note it need to watch out when Velox gets a bigger bike

[Paul in NZ]

Sorry Jim, Merv & Paul but the Hill is fun on the little bike I didnt mean to annoy any of you, next time I will behave ( as the Tui Ad say's Yea Right )

Thanks for the nice words , The hill is a pain when there is a lot of traffic and when are they ever going to finsih the road works??

As Jim said you boy racers who big note it need to watch out when Velox gets a bigger bike

Annoy?? Not a chance.... Inspired was more like it....

Inspired to get my Triumph TR6C going... Apart from ancient drum brakes it's a great hill bike...

Cheers