Despite what kneescraper is probably thinking, I'm not joyriding on his bike (much). The most direct route from Wellington to Napier is via the Wairarapa so we left on Friday night so we could stay with the In-Laws and shed one of the kids on the way. This has the positive benfit of breaking the trip up a bit as well.
We left after lunch on one of those divine Autumn days. Still warm enough to pass as hot, but with reduced bug activity, and no traffic thanks to the rain in Wellington. That's right, rain in Wellington. Ha! Bright sunshine in the Wairarapa and all those poor sods trapped on the other side of the hill.
I can't STAND droning up SH2. It's boring, mostly straight, and populated by a demographic that think it's cool to wear hats in cars. Some of them have purple hair too. So I went via Gladstone, Masterton, Alfredton and back on to SH2 at Pahiatua. Along the way I took some pictures so Nudemetalz could see the RF in its natural habitat. Just before Gladstone is the Fisher Monoplane monument, which commemorates the first powered flight in the Wairarapa. Bikes, planes, and metal sculpture. That should keep Nudemetalz happy.
I couldn't get over the lack of traffic. It was just magic. From Masterton to Alfredton I saw one car, and from Alfredton to Pahiatua, again, only one car. Not a solitary bike. Suckers. The RF just eats up this sort of road, flicking from side side in a deliberate manner, and arcing through sweepers like it's on rails. It actually has enough mid-range that it doesn't just go "blurgh" when asking for some go on the exit of that corner you didn't get quite right.
Heather had left in the car 20 minutes after me and blatted up SH2. I got some gas, took a photo of the RF on Pahiatua Boulevard with the Palms stretching into the distance, and just as I went to ring Heather to see where she was, "toot toot", there she is!
We had a late lunch in Woodville, where I had the remarkable experience of seeing a 50-something couple climb onto a GN250 and head off into the wild blue yonder. Brave, brave souls.
Our luck with the traffic continued as we headed North, though riding in convoy with a car was a bit odd. Down SH50 to avoid the towns beginning with W and still very little traffic, lots of scenery, and man are there a heap of Vineyards from Fernhill to Napier now or what? There was more orchard and vineyard harvesting machinery on the road than passenger and transport vehicles.
The RF is super comfy, even with my legs folded up a bit and I got to MSTRS and Yungatart's with naru a hint of arse ache.
Thanks again for the opportunity to go for a ride through some great roads on someone else's bike, Nudemetalz and kneescraper.
Off to Gixer 4 Ever's tomorrow.
It's nearly there kneescraper.
).
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