So we started our day at 9:30 buy tracking back along the highway to inspect this slip that has been causing so much grief - we could have crossed it, and so could any light vehicle with treaded tyres had they not built a dirt wall to prevent it. We went back down the hill to get some pies for breakfast and tell the locals the situation, and found our brakes to be somewhat less effective than we'd perhaps like them to be.
Studylink has apparently come through, so as we ate our week old pies we had a chat with the locals who had already being talking about their new visitors, and got to know yet another happy community who's present and future are uncertain after the loss of a single road.
The road north was pretty shocking, to say the least. Somehow we made it to te araroa by 12:30 and stopped for a drink. Little did we know those 500ml flavoured milk bottles would be the last thing we consume for ten hours. We had a sit on the beach which is apparently made out of driftwood, and then set off along the closed road to the cape at 1pm. The road was mostly narrow gravel with patches of mud and plenty of slips. I kinda got into dirtbike mode and we tore through it without incident (a few wheelies though). The diggers were kind enough to move their arms out of our way and before long we were tearing along our own personal sealed racetrack, before returning to a narrow dirt road around the bluff.
Due to running out of gas in the main tank at the very end of the road, we didn't notice any signage so thought the cape was a bit of a fail. It wasn't until later, whilst talking with some locals waiting for a digger to let them through, that we discovered there is infact foot access to the cape. Within 30 minutes were were heaving and panting our way up the hill -Brown Fury having been thwarted by the gate- up to the lighthouse to learn a bit about the local history and typical poor NZ planning. It took 22 years to decide to put the lighthouse on east island, and another 22 years (and three dead children) to realise that the mainlaind is a much better place than a crumbling island.
At 3pm we blatted back into the village for lunch, only to find it had all shut up shop, and that petrol was $1.84 per litre; Sucks to live there!
We continued west (with the sun somehow setting on our right), through more mint roads until part way through an AWESOME set of twisties we came across some more slips, some of which had the road sliding down the hill and subducting under itself. For repairs they had just put some hotmix down fill in the step but didn't actually smooth it out at all. We hit it in a pretty bad way (jafa piloting, too low a gear to get any squat on the rear or weight off the front) and while I worried about my rims the whole bike got airborne and we both came off the seat.
Now, at the speed we were travelling, there was no "good" way to hit this, and we definetly didn't do it the best way, but nonetheless we both landed back on the bike and managed to carry on through the next corner and carried on riding.
The road became painfully windy, going up and over hills rather than around through the flats, but still came deep into bays to cross rivers, so our approach to Tauranga was painfully slow. Eventually we could see the mount sticking out of the sea on the horizon, and then the land around and behind it, but it remained there, on the horizon, until there was too little light to see. We stop and consider a backpackers, but decide to continue on to tauranga, having consumed only a single pie each and a bottle of milk so far today.
Now with myself at the helm, we are travelling at a fair pace along a straight part. Brown Fury has been making a lot of noises lately, some from the chain, some from the brakes, a little from the motor, but the power is still good and the plug is still healthy. Right as I'm powering into the band in top gear, the rear suddenly locks and engine stalls. I have the clutch in within the instant but no idea as to what just happened. We roll to a stop and inspect the bike. All wheels work fine though the rear is a bit grumbly and both brakes squeal, the bike starts fine and seems ok despite the sudden stall from redline but does make an annoying ticking/rattle noise that may or may not be new, the rear sprocket looks good but I suspect the chain is buggered. We can't see it due to the chain guard but no doubt it's badly stretched and worn considering all the mud we've gone through and having both of us loading it up. It could be an issue with the transmission at the gearbox end, especially considering that at least 5 times just today we've forgotten the race pattern shift and voilently downhifted instead of upshifting.
We get back on the road and the motor is jut as good as it was before, so I suspect the chain, at max speed and loading, had skipped and jammed, and then come free again when I clutched it. We carry on and all is well, but we're taking it easy so as not to tempt the chain again.
It soon became dark and the full moon was still on the horizon. Our headlight is especially useless tonight, but atleast the brake light makes the whole red gas can on the rear light up... if only the brake light would turn off without having to manually pushing the front brake lever forwards after braking....
Then, going into a particuarly dark corner, Brown Fury got all wobbly on us, and into the next too. We continued wobbling to the top of what must've been a small mountain before stopping, absolutely sure the rear was going flat. We hop off to inspect and it's fine... Odd. We weigh up our options, but considering there's no signal nor any credit on our only working cellphone it would appear we only have one option. We head down the hill and all is fine, so perhaps it was just the result of both of us steering the bike blindly round corners with potentially uneven surfaces.
Over in the next bay we're tearing along, tempting fate again by *just* edging into the power band in top gear again, when *boof* the bike is completely sideways at 100kph
*to be continued.....*
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Blackbird
I FEEL THE NEED, THE NEED FOR SPEED 
Bookmarks