Cannonball Run

[HTFU]

Sounds like a plan. Have a couple of mates who might be keen to join in Only thing is that one rides a Yamaha YZF600R and another mate rides a Yamaha R1. Maybe it shouldn't restricted to just 250CC?

PS: Doesn't the proposed licensing laws affect learners only?

Don't really know just thought it sounded like a good excuse.

Yeah maybe it should be all bikes. Just liked the idea of the little bike that could.

[Timati]

Sounds like a good excuse as far as I am concerned. Also tend to do rides with a couple of mates who have bikes but not as often as I would like to. Anyone in Auckland to keen have rides on weekends?

[Jantar]

The brother of a very good friend of mine organised New Zealand's first Cannonball Run (and called by that name) in 1975. The objective was to get from Kaitaia to Bluff in 24 hours. Entry fee was $100 and first prize was $1000.

The winner on a Suzuki GT750L took 24 hours and 2 minutes. Second was a guy on an RE5 who took 24 hours and 20 minutes. He probably would have completed it in under 24 hours except for having a police escort from just out of Waimate to just north of Dunedin then again from Balclutha to Kennington. (The GT750 slipped the escort at Balclutha), Third was a Lotus Elan in 27 hours, and I can't remember the others, except for a Kawasaki H2 which was around 6th or 7th. Only 3 bikes in it and around a dozen cars.

Or so I've been told.

[Hitcher]

That's impressive, given the state of New Zealand's roads in 1975, and the number of fuel stops required by the GT750, plus a ferry crossing. In those days too, all of the "contenders" would have had to have been on the same sailing.

[Jantar]

I believe that the first two bikes used a safeair Bristol Freighter for the Crossing.

[Hitcher]

I believe that the first two bikes used a safeair Bristol Freighter for the Crossing.

That's innovative. They should have used them from Auckland to Christchurch...

[avgas]

The do have an illegal run since the 90's from Auckland to Wellington......and an even more illegal run from Whangarei to Hamilton.
Drug dealers get their drivers to enter.
That is all i know. You know it when you see it.

[Morcs]

All the way in Coromandel...Anything closer to Auckland?

theres nothing stopping ya going out and ripping auckland up at night, we used to do it, heaps of fun

[Timati]

True...heaps more fun I reckon if done in a group.

[clint640]

My opinion: Make an event like this legit in the sense let people speed (closed off roads if possible)

So why don't you start campaigning for a bike class in the Targa Rally? That would be cool.

While on the topic of fully illegal, somewhat stupid, but kinda cool long distance speed runs, here's a good one, in a cage, but 4500km in 31 hrs across the US is pretty impressive in this day & age:

http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels..._cannonballrun

Clint

[Timati]

Read about it yonks ago.

Would a petition of some sort help if we had more than 300 signatures seeing that if you can get that many signatures referring to yourself as a "Jedi" is absolutely fine so I don't see why a run can't be made legit....?

[Tank]

The Jedi thing is an urban myth. It never happened - although Im sure more than 300 people put it on their forms each and every census thinking it will make an appearance - next time.

As for having roads closed and making a run "legit" this is a HUGE undertaking costing HUGE amounts of money. The Targa guys have their market and Bikes just arnt it. Not a hope of getting bikes tagged on.

[Timati]

Actually it did - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedi_ce...on#New_Zealand.

Why can't bikes be included?

[Steam]

The Jedi thing is an urban myth. It never happened - although Im sure more than 300 people put it on their forms each and every census thinking it will make an appearance - next time.

The Jedi thing actually happened, and NZ does have a policy of officially recognising a religion if enough people in NZ are members.
On 2001 Census here in NZ more than 53000 people registered as being Jedi. Fifty-three thousand!!
The government recognised the large numbers but decided not to officially recognise Jedi as a religion because it was clearly a big joke.

[Hitcher]

Actually it did

I was appalled at the arrogance of the Chief Statistician in discounting the view of such a large number of responses. No "religion" should be taken seriously. If Catholicism or Buddhism are good enough to be included in a list on the General Census, then so too should Jedi-ism or Pastafarianism.