Manawatu Rant n Rave

[robertydog]

didnt do the trackday, didnt want to embarass cowboyz, geez I'm a nice bloke, aye mate

had to head to Napier yesterday so had some fun on the way up but I finally did the infamous Napier-Taihape road today

- first 40km - firkin spectacular road....really really really good with a bit of everything and in top condition
- next 15km - gravel and a fair bit of traffic, arse
- next 8km - sealed, tight and steep, fairly skinny, no road markings and a bit of soft tar in the heat - yeehah
- next 20km - gravel but not much traffic anymore so a pleasant enough pootle but y'know, it was gravel and I was on a roadbike so arse really
- last 65km sealed thru to Taihape, bloody nice racetra....err....road

definitely glad I did it as the sealed sections really are awesome roads, but 40 odd kms of gravel in the middle is an arse. If it was only 10-15 then it would be worth doing again but its a pretty long haul on an RF!!

Met up with a nice couple on a CR and a DR so we kept each other company through a good portion of it

stopped in Taihape for a wild bean coffee and met a chap on a very tidy 1973 3 cyl 2-stroke Suzuki GT750. Wow. Bet I never see one of those again. Apparently the traffic plods had them back in the day. What a sound, pissed off I didnt think quickly enough to get a photo too, bugger.

was right in the groove by now so meandered down the main road and then fired thru vinegar hill at pace

Oh mate we were in the cage and i spotted you in Taradale

[robertydog]

I found cowboyz sitting in his carport, fondling his bike, a couple of hours later - I think he might have had a bit of fun at the track yesterday...

Hes trying to work out how it will keep up with an R1

[cowboyz]

christmas card list is getting shorter by the minute..................









serious, it was the best time I have had in ages chasing that R1 round the track. Bit of a weapon you got there.

[yod]

Oh mate we were in the cage and i spotted you in Taradale

I musta been heading south? ya shoulda yelled out, I wasn't on any timetable....

Hes trying to work out how it will keep up with an R1

aye?? he told me he went round the outside of you on the sweeper on one wheel....

serious, it was the best time I have had in ages chasing that R1 round the track. Bit of a weapon you got there.

true - I believe the first thing I said when I met rob was "jeebus, it just looks fast..."

[ynot slow]

didnt do the trackday, didnt want to embarass cowboyz, geez I'm a nice bloke, aye mate

stopped in Taihape for a wild bean coffee and met a chap on a very tidy 1973 3 cyl 2-stroke Suzuki GT750. Wow. Bet I never see one of those again. Apparently the traffic plods had them back in the day. What a sound, pissed off I didnt think quickly enough to get a photo too, bugger.

Those were the days of the waterbus 380,500 and 750,not forgetting the re5 rotary,then the cops went to the yammy tx models,the racers never laughed so much,a good gt 380 ridden would piss bowl the cops,not me though.

Now don't give Cowboyz grief,that's not suzuki riders style,we may need to remove our feet out of mouth at sometime,lol,the times he was doing seemed damn good,can recall a local guy in the 6 hour back in 86-87l lapping about 1.35 ish on a honda 750,they completed the race and the bike was sold on the following tuesday,was sponsored by local dealer.

[chanceyy]

serious, it was the best time I have had in ages

I know wot you mean cowboyz .. a few time had a rider in my sights & pushed til I passed them .. ... now next time will work on those lines again .. best I also finish sorting Betsy's brakes before the next one too ..

also must echo damn good to see lack of accidents

[Meanie]

right.

the pair of you are off my christmas card list!!

You got a christmas card list ? I thought you needed more than one friend to make a list

Sounds like you had a blast Yod, now youll spend the week cleaning the RF
I used to ride a friends bike, a GT 550 went bloody well too I remember it had gear display which i thought was blardy awesome at the time My first bike was a GT 125

[NZsarge]

didnt do the trackday, didnt want to embarass cowboyz, geez I'm a nice bloke, aye mate

had to head to Napier yesterday so had some fun on the way up but I finally did the infamous Napier-Taihape road today

Gettin' some k's under the rubber again eh...
Pictures look good, tis a real pity about that metal section being so long.

[yod]

Gettin' some k's under the rubber again eh...
Pictures look good, tis a real pity about that metal section being so long.

yeah i thought it was 20-25km for some reason which is long enough but when its round the 40km mark it does drag on a bit

I'll be first in the queue when they finally seal it though - the sealed sections are as good as any other road I've done and the metal sections will be too, once they're sealed - great contours and camber....

[NZsarge]

yeah i thought it was 20-25km for some reason which is long enough but when its round the 40km mark it does drag on a bit

I'll be first in the queue when they finally seal it though - the sealed sections are as good as any other road I've done and the metal sections will be too, once they're sealed - great contours and camber....

You're not the first person i've heard..... read...whatever say that.would it be worth riding up to the metal on the Taihape side then coming back to go through V hill?

[robertydog]

yeah i thought it was 20-25km for some reason which is long enough but when its round the 40km mark it does drag on a bit

I'll be first in the queue when they finally seal it though - the sealed sections are as good as any other road I've done and the metal sections will be too, once they're sealed - great contours and camber....

There has been talki n the past 12 months about sealing the rest of that road. But its all about money i guess.

[NZsarge]

There has been talki n the past 12 months about sealing the rest of that road. But its all about money i guess.

Yeah got a Civil engineer mate at Infracon that's told me that too.

[yod]

You're not the first person i've heard..... read...whatever say that.would it be worth riding up to the metal on the Taihape side then coming back to go through V hill?

yep to both sides - its a farkin good road - when you first get off the metal on the taihape side you come off a plateau and you can see the road winding down your side of the valley and all the way up the other side - looks awesome - its a pretty decent surface too, has twisties and quicker open stuff as well, it really is well worth the ride

the napier side is a farkin mint surface but its a fair bit shorter

finally bled my clutch and whadya know - I gotta huge bottle of grey fluid out of it! fresh fluid has fixed it like new
I just cant understand how it went so soft so quickly, one ride it felt ok, the next it went to the pack....

[NZsarge]

yep to both sides - its a farkin good road - when you first get off the metal on the taihape side you come off a plateau and you can see the road winding down your side of the valley and all the way up the other side - looks awesome - its a pretty decent surface too, has twisties and quicker open stuff as well, it really is well worth the ride

the napier side is a farkin mint surface but its a fair bit shorter

Sweet, must do that sometime eh? Just blardy wait until I get my bike back ok...
By the way, hows that Corbin workin' out for ya?

[Meanie]

yep to both sides - its a farkin good road - when you first get off the metal on the taihape side you come off a plateau and you can see the road winding down your side of the valley and all the way up the other side - looks awesome - its a pretty decent surface too, has twisties and quicker open stuff as well, it really is well worth the ride

the napier side is a farkin mint surface but its a fair bit shorter

finally bled my clutch and whadya know - I gotta huge bottle of grey fluid out of it! fresh fluid has fixed it like new
I just cant understand how it went so soft so quickly, one ride it felt ok, the next it went to the pack....

Thought that may have been the cause