Auckland to Rotorua and Back on a GN250?

[gijoe1313]

The spirit of the ride lives on in you! Glad to hear you got out and about and did some long kays under your wheels! The open back roads are a wonder and a joy to pootle along and really has the bike humming along!

The more you ride, the more you want to ride! And oh yes, the mighty ginny has even done a half coro loop when I was out and about so they can and will go anywhere they please!

[Choco]

And oh yes, the mighty ginny has even done a half coro loop when I was out and about so they can and will go anywhere they please!

Hmm... Half Coro loop eh? Sounds like a challenge to do a full!

but good onya mike bloody good effort! im free 2mrw if you keen for a ride!

I have to show the Aunt/Uncle round Auck's so I'm busy sorry Have you ditched the loaner bike yet?

Good stuff, two of my fairly experienced riding mates with good bikes has never ridden further than from Auckland to Hamilton.

Its not That hard; just get on the motorway and keep going!

[fireball]

so choco not to sound bad or nothing did you exceed your 80k top speed? as i did notice the night i escorted you home you didnt like to push the bike much faster than that.......
and how is your gear shifting and confidence on the road now?
i am very proud of you young man! well done!

[PrincessBandit]

Stay off Sh1 Sh2 Sh5 and motorways. The back roads are more interesting, have better scenery, the pople are nicer (yes, you actually meet them!), and you don't need to (or want to) go more than 80kph. Just get a map, and work out a route using the little roads. Odds are you'll go all day and hardly see another vehicle.

It's relaxed, it's fun, and you CAN do it on a GN.

Sure can and well done on the big ride! And a big to your folks for supporting you; they sound awesome.
The back roads are great and my wee Rosie (GN) ate up the miles to Taupo via Rotorua (missed my turn off after Matamata) But the tiki tour was well worth it and the solitude was actually quite exhilarating.
I didn't notice a sore bum after that trip (but my GSF gives me such a numbum that i'm seriously looking into those gel seats ).
Keep up the good work man and many many more miles of great riding!

[Choco]

so choco not to sound bad or nothing did you exceed your 80k top speed? as i did notice the night i escorted you home you didnt like to push the bike much faster than that.......
and how is your gear shifting and confidence on the road now?
i am very proud of you young man! well done!

I think my shifting has improved quite dramatically; I'm pushing the revs higher and going faster before I shift up now and just generally keeping the revs high(er) so I don't loose speed on hills. Might have to go for another ride with you lot before I get tied up with work in January.

[Lucy]

if you see my profile pic it it the legend GN250 Chinese wheels going around that corner!

but good onya mike bloody good effort! im free 2mrw if you keen for a ride!

Where exactly is that corner?

[EJK]

Argh damn you ChocWheels! I was gonna go to Rotorua on my bike too

I envy your journy lol

[Choco]

I'l tell you when I'm going next time, just don't leave me for dust when you get your flash new bike!

[sprag]

-sitting on a GN thats doing 6.5 thousand rpm for more than an hour /hour and a half solid means ass ache.

I think you get that with most bikes, i know a few times i have gotten off mine and my butt has been sore.

[Taz]

Yes I had a slightly sore butt during and after the 1600km's of the 07 rusty nut's Grand challenge. 19 hours on a bike and your butt aint just numb it's dead! And BMW's are supposed to be comfortable, bullshit! I read that they hire BMW employees like this, they line them up and walk along whacking them on the arse with a 4x2 the one that doesn't scream gets to be in charge of the seat department
Congrats on your first big ride. My first big ride many many moons ago was to Dargaville on a Honda C50 step thru. top speed 70kmh! Had a ball.
Glad to see you chose one of the best bikes to learn on. More of the valentino's on here should do the same IMO.
Andy

[jrandom]

GNs are awesome.

Last weekend, I parked Betty up for a night at the Kaitaia Hotel beside a GN250 owned by a Murkn chap who'd bought it new and put 6500km on it touring around both islands. Maximum respect.

It's nice to have a big bike and be able to waft up long hills doing a hundred miles an hour at 5000rpm, but all that really means is less time spent riding and more chance of losing one's licence. Not to mention fuel efficiency that's worse than most compact cars.

I don't think small air-cooled single-cylinder motorcycles will ever go out of fashion.

[judecatmad]

LOL, we did Wellington to Rotorua and back last Labour weekend (not this one, the one before) - the whole story is regailed under 'Rotorua road trip on the ginnys'!

You did well! Seems as tho you enjoyed the experience a whole lot more than I did - having said that, I quite enjoyed the part of our journey as far as Napier (well, by Hastings I was getting a bit tired). So manybe it was just the whole distance that truly did me in?!

[Xaria]

Great report. Sounds like you learnt lots

[Choco]

Yes I had a slightly sore butt during and after the 1600km's of the 07 rusty nut's Grand challenge.

Nice! I've heard about that, might have to give it a go one day :P

Congrats on your first big ride. My first big ride many many moons ago was to Dargaville on a Honda C50 step thru. top speed 70kmh! Had a ball.
Glad to see you chose one of the best bikes to learn on. More of the valentino's on here should do the same IMO.
Andy

I love the GN as my first bike, its very forgiving and you don't break much if you do bin it....

GNs are awesome.

I don't think small air-cooled single-cylinder motorcycles will ever go out of fashion.

They are just so basic and cheap to run!

LOL, we did Wellington to Rotorua and back last Labour weekend (not this one, the one before) - the whole story is regailed under 'Rotorua road trip on the ginnys'!

Is this Auck's to Rotorua thing turning into a GN rite of passage or something?!

You did well! Seems as tho you enjoyed the experience a whole lot more than I did

Loved it; except when it started tipping it down and you couldn't tell where the center line was! :P

Great report. Sounds like you learnt lots

Sure did!

Thanks for all your comments guys!
Mike

[Maha]

Thats about all for now; might be doing this again in a week or two going up to Pihia so there might be a few more tips from that trip too.

Ride safe and Learners wear your L-plates with pride!
Mike

Just got back from Rotorua, went down there via Thames on boxing day. Sign said 'SH2 TO KOPU 40 MINS'...fuck off im on a bike, car ques not really a prob. Left Thames about 3.30, got to Te Aroha and took the Old Te Aroha rd for something different (comes out at the bottom of the Ki meyes somewhere) nice rd....saw maybe 4 cars. Bloody cold over the Mamakus (arsehole place that) then warmed up over the other side. Came back today and saw some 'interesting car driver descisions' thats where finger gestures from Number two work over time.......more ques at Orewa but once agian, round the outside, see ya later when i stop for a smoke, got some abuse from the odd stressed car driver as we rode by but hey...nuff about me, nice write up there Mike and the trip to Pahia is a goody mate, enjoy the GN....