Heading to Tauranga for Easter

[slydesigns]

Me and Mark247 are travelling to Tauranga on Thursday after Lunch for easter if anyone wants to join us for a ticket dodging trip on the bikes.

[slydesigns]

done deal. One 675 rider and a NC30 rider should be showing up around 5ish...

[ynot slow]

done deal. One 675 rider and a NC30 rider should be showing up around 5ish...

Bet they close early on Thursday lol.

[slydesigns]

Bet they head to the Drivers Bar behind McD's for the TGA Kiwibiker Thursday drinks night, so who gives a damn if they do close early, they wont be hard to find?

[ynot slow]

Bet they head to the Drivers Bar behind McD's for the TGA Kiwibiker Thursday drinks night, so who gives a damn if they do close early, they wont be hard to find?

And the worst part is the bars have to close midnight Thursday as well,get there early,enjoy the trip.

[slydesigns]

hmmm weathers looking average... this should be an interesting trip in hypothermic reaction assessments, traction coefficients and white line surfing.

[GSVR]

hmmm weathers looking average... this should be an interesting trip in hypothermic reaction assessments, traction coefficients and white line surfing.

Looking at the metservice it appears you will be riding into a long weekend of blue skies and warm weather. Have a good trip.

[slydesigns]

Thanks Gary, stay rubber side down and I'll see you on the track next weekend.

[slydesigns]

OK.... so that was an epic! As usual I arrived late... 12.30 a BP rangitikei.

No Mark... he's busy smashing his MP3 player. After coming up with a plan, he jetted off to DickSmiths to buy a cheap new player... can't ride without soundz ya know! Then its off to Marks place to load up the MP3 player with sounds...

So we finally leave at 1334hrs. Its cold. Vinegar hill is fun... but its cold.

We get to Taihape mosty incident free. Have breakfast/lunch/dinner while there and I buy a ton of sugar foods... I have a feeling they are needed. Mark laughs. Chat up a nice female police officer to sort out the location of any easter checkpoints and alternative routes past them Marks jaws on the ground as she tells me what I need to know. Its a talent I tell you, not entirely unwanted, but a talent all the same.

She mentioned the road I choose wasn't what she called bike suitable and asked that we not fall off in her disctrict while shes on duty. Whis we had listened...

The road behind Irirangi repeater station starts off good and soon turns into the 20km goat track from hell. We spend the time negotiating the singletrack mountain gravel road spraying each other with mud and grit and doing Nac Nacs and other dirtbike tricks. Ok... I do and Mark laughs, laughs alot.

Eventually we come out at the Tangimoana bridge and headed to Ohakune... now... you maybe thinking... holdon, thats the wrong way.. And you'd be right.

We decided to go out through National Park thinking, actually we didnt think, that it wouldn't be much longer. It was. A lot longer. And hour and half longer.

Geniuses.

Swapped bikes for a while, ran the VFR into reserve, gave it back to Mark and let him panic about not finding gas. HAHAHA what a jerk huh!
Found Taumuranui and filled up, got directions and headed to the western access.

...and after a spirited run through the hills Mark ran out of gas... again. Pulled up to the pumps at Whakamaru and found out the station was closed. Mark REALLY paniced now. Shop girl tells him a gas station is available 7kms the wrong was so he jets off to find it while I sit and eat. Turns out they were closing as he arrived. LUCKY!!!!

Next stop, after monkeying around off the raillings at the Dam, was Tokoroa, and a race with a 350kW GTS VE Commodore. WOW that thing could move! Shame the 675 moves better. He caught us at the gas station at Tok and we admired each others rides. His wife laughed they got sick of looking at my ass so they slowed down... NO ONE gets sick of looking at my ass... do they? damn

They followed us to Tauranga, which was lucky as Mark broke down as we came down the Kaimais... I'll fill you in on the rest and post the pics tomorrow...

[mark247]

They followed us to Tauranga, which was lucky as Mark broke down as we came down the Kaimais... I'll fill you in on the rest and post the pics tomorrow...

Meh my bikes getting a knack of breaking down! Hadn't broken down for about 6000km, and now it's broken down twice in 2 weeks, what the!! Wasn't major tho, just full loss of all power ( lights, spark, everything, hehe ) nothing poking a few wires couldn't fix.


Oh and I'm looking forward to the photos

[sarahtvet]

Meh my bikes getting a knack of breaking down! Hadn't broken down for about 6000km, and now it's broken down twice in 2 weeks, what the!! Wasn't major tho, just full loss of all power ( lights, spark, everything, hehe ) nothing poking a few wires couldn't fix.

It's hanging around with Sly I am sure. He is the electrics gremlin
Glad that you both made it safely. HAve fun up there and make sure we get pics of Sly looking smart

[slydesigns]

Pics will be up tonight. Weddings done so I'm off to Hamilton again for the morning.

[slydesigns]

I hate rewrites... but as the first attempt has vanished and I need a break from studying the riveting subject of Quorum Sensing or Cell - Cell Communication in Bacteria, here goes...

So... I chased Mark out of Tokoroa followed by the GTS again, we ran and hid from it pretty early on once we hit mild traffic. Mark made an attempt on my life after passing me to point out a turnoff. He showed me where to turn by promptly hauling up on the anchors and it was lucky I have a habit of riding staggered, otherwise I'd be a little too intimate with his backside!

Turns out not to have been our turn off...


I then got schooled in the art of carving the Kaimais. Man that was a fun run up! We have NOTHING to compare to this perfectl smooth, perfectly curved section of highspeed sweeping uphill heaven!

On the run down into Tga we got excited after spotting the lights of the city! Mark shot passed a line of traffic then everything went dead on the VFR... Nice one Honda, no, really, thanks!

We coasted to a quiet stop, set up the D675 to light us up alittle and preceeded to strip down the Honda in record time. All the while the night traffic was roaring passed 100mm from us as we were stuck between a cutting with no runoff. I love excitment!

Mark then discovered why I bought the sugar foods as he was freezing cold and seriously pissed off. Chewing made him alittle happier.

The GTS caught up, stopped, parked up to give us some protection, the crew got out, laughed just enough to be appropriate then the driver got us a torch.

Menatime I continued the debate with his wife over whether my butt as the sort of thing you'd really want to be looking at on a trip, or at all. She relented and agreed it belonged in a glit frame on a wall for all to see as one of mans greatest achievements. I never doubted for a minute!

I poked a random wire and the VRF regained conciousness. odd. We reassembled the bike as fast as we could, while Mark dropped to his knees to give praise to Allah, baby Jesus and the Tooth Fairy for delivering him from shame and ridicule, we remounted as we all took off.

to thank the GTS crew, we passed them, lingered infront of there high beams so they could admire the rearends, then jetted off to the bright lights of TGA and the bar.

Marks last trick of the night was showing my how to bust a Toll Gate at speed. Thats how they roll up here apparently... interesting.

We made it to the Drivers Bar at 8.30pm! We were to meet at 12 noon, actually met at 12.30pm, left at 1.30pm. Hmmmm, just a short trip!

The TGA Kiwibikers were true to their word and had offers of drinks, both hot and cold, for us on arrival. Pretty hardcore bunch too! I like them!

[mark247]

Good write up. Get them pics up boi!

My bad on the late braking when i thought it was the turn off, which wasnt. I just couldnt remember if there was a sign or not! Oh well, we are all alive, thanks to allah or the toothferry or whoever.

My bike seems to have fixed itself, I'm riding around with a tool kit for now on anyway until i find the time to take it apart and fix the problem for good.

[slydesigns]

Some of the photos.

Photo 1. Taihape BP - Freezing

Photo 2. Still BP, Still Freezing

Photo 3. Some goat track road out behind Irirangi - Whys he so happy???

Photo 4. Me explaining/ lying that I know exactly where we are and that we go this way for ... awhile. Trust me!

Photo 5. Mark striking the pose for the local ladies at Taumaranui BP - Freezing still

Photo 6. Me reminding Mark the clocks running and to stop talking to all the ladies!