When's the next 250 ride, damnit!

[toymachine]

If theres one sometime next week i'm keen.

nice write up

[Chisanga]

Sounds like you guys had a good, albiet wet, time. I'm a bit annoyed circumstances dictated that I miss the ride but I probably would not have been comfortable with this weather.

Maybe when I get my new tires and patch up my Cordura so I can be a little bit weatherproof

I still have a week and a bit holiday so hopefully will be able to head out for my own "pootle"(tm) very soon

[zeocen]

You have an amazingly creative way of spelling my nickname :P

But yes, it was a great ride.. glad I participated. gijoe pretty much summed up everything that happend so I'll just add a little bit.

Highlights:
The awesome roads on the way to raglan
The freaking delicious lunch had at the raglan bar (served by hot girls too ooOooh)
Watching the odometre click over to 400km just from one days riding
Humping the L&P bottle
Flicking stones at the ZZR with my rear wheel
Donor getting told off by a roadworker!

Lowlights
Bird doing a kamakaze into my leg (although it was hilarious, enough to be a highlight.)
Pissing around with the balaclava while riding trying to get a crease pressing directly at my temple giving me a monstrous headache.
THATS ALL.

About 5 drops of rain the whole trip untill we hit the motorway home, then it pissed down.. but a hearty hot chocolate fixed that.

Now I'm at home, in my bed drinking a bourbon.. I almost feel bad for having such a great day. Mega bling goes to gijoe for sharing his adventures with us, you have found some bloody beautiful roads to ride.

[Lucy]

Bugger bugger bugger. I wish I could have done the whole trip. Was severely punished for leaving early - got rained on as soon as I turned back, so by the time I got home I was really cold. But you lot would probably still be out there if you had to keep to my GN speed anyway....ok, I'll stop blaming the GN for my speed....

Don't forget the best pies are in Raetihi!

[Donor]

Righto then...

The day had started so well.

I had managed to argue with the wife, make two kids cry, forgot to drink my morning coffee and it would seem the bastard Zulus spoke with the wrong deity and the heavens were set to muss my shiny blinged out bike!

Pootled off to the Autobahn, accumulating a light smatter of misty type rain stuffs, and espied a rather sex-ay Hornet with a rather GIjoeish charcater at the bowser topping up with Mr BPs finest.

I fed Rosey a morning snack of the same, and we pootled over to McDs where we sat and gasbagged with the lovely Lucy whilst waiting for Rip Van Zeocen to wake up, make excuses, send numerous whiny text messages, and finally turn up.

Late.

To HIS ride! (Check who started this thread!)

Anyhoo... fast forward... (I'll ignore the obvious ooh ahh bits, we all know the ride is glorious)

Heading to Raglan we were probably 5km out when I caught a whiff of burning oil while crawling around a bend, and being the paranoid b'stard I am, thought I had best investigate.

Pulled over, played with my hazard lights and igniton bypass (that ROCKS!) and got propositioned by a rather tasty bit of crumpet in a cage. (Declined, you just don't know where them Waikato women have been... )

So I stood there for a bit on the side of the road, looking all blingy, and cool and staunch and biker-ish and stuff, when my esteemed pootling comrades rejoined me after 5km of ditch searching.

Just about to remount after final inspection, when my cellphone rang.

So I chatted to a lovely lady for a few minutes, and after hanging up, was able to put a grin on a couple of faces. (No, it wasn't the cage lady from earlier saying she had 2 friends...)

I have been offered a position with St John Ambulance starting early next month as a Patient Transport Officer (god that sounds so important dunnit??)

Not as sexy as Speedie and Riff Raffs, roles, but it's a starting point toward it. I've been a volunteer officer for 4 years, so figured they might just love me enough to pay me!

The day is a bit of a blur from there, too much whirring through my mind, and the joy of having phoned my boss and saying "I quit!".

Coming back from Raglan, there was a bit of the old "road rehabilitation" going on, with much loose metal and many signs and shovel leaners... so going through I was being VERY careful until the last 5 or 6 feet, where I 'accidentally' blipped the throttle which 'accidentally' spun up the rear tyre. Mr Stop'n'Go gave me a filthy look and an even filthier "OI!" to which I replied... "MUHAHAHAHAHA!"

The rest went thusly...

1) Got very cold
2) See 1)
3) Went to the 'tron - left hastily
4) Passed through Morrinsville, well I think we did, not big enough to notice if we did really...
5) Did some more of 1) and 2) in Te Aroha - saw some Beef Sauce for the first time.
6) Carried out incorrect passing maneuver heading to Paeroa - quite surprised neither of my colleagues pulled me up on that!
7) Bought a balaclava in Paeroa. If you don't own one, buy one. Seriously.
8) Went through Thames'ish way to Almost Kaiaua, then played follow the dumbass 4WD (4 wheels of death) ALL the way from Miranda to SH1
9) Watched fellows scoff hot choc at Autobahn.
10) Went home - total mileage from Autobahn Papakura to my garage - 403.7km

GIjoe1313 - thankyou. You are mad, no you are insane! And I am proud to have you as a biker brother and fellow pootler. You inspire me. (to bloody walk! (just kidding ))

Zeocen - though your ride is certainly inferior in the shininess stakes, it rides bloody nicely, and you ride it very well. Good stuff man, pleasure pootling with you, and may there be many more trips to come. (Leave your bedroom window open and a hose outside, I'll wake you up)

To those that didn't come because of the weather, pity because all up we had maybe 10 minutes of proper rain, and nobody really got WET as such. Take two harden up pills and call me in the morning.

Those that weren't sure of themselves, no problem, never good to put yourself in a tough position when you're on ya training wheels (so to speak!).

Keep an eye out for the shorter, more newer person rides, and go on them EVERY opportunity you get.

I am embarrassed that today I saw roads I have never seen before in my 33 years, and all within a couple of hours drive/ride from my front gate.

I am glad that today, I got to give some of them a jolly good Nana'ing!

I believe I learned more about my abilities and skills as a rider today than I have in almost the last 6 months.

Right, Milo time... catch you all later.

[gijoe1313]

Before we actually got started, we serviced our rides - oil filters and a wash n'wax with me bringing out my Autosol. By the time zeozen (I have decided to stop denigrating his KN nick by not mentioning the zero... ) pootled over, it was night... and just for shits and giggles, we decided to give his oil a looky... 8000kms since last service The poor bike! Has a plonkus gittus for an owner! (not maximus since he hasn't taken it flying like yours truly!)

We also lubed the chains, did a general inspection and talked blatherskite about all sorts of useless men stuff, as you do.

Ooh, blingy shiny shine and general bike pr0n phwoar! Yeah, ok, they're only twofiddies, but they're ours!

And a pic of Daisy 'cause she's hot and is smmoooookkking! (Jim Carrey Mask accent)

[gijoe1313]

The usual self-aggrandisement and ego stroking platitudes of a scrofulous and fulmigating trio of ne'er do wells, scallywags, Johnny-be-rotten and rambunctious bumpkin bikers to boot!

Photo 1 : Bike porn
Photo 2 : Long shot of bike porn
Photo 3 : Shows how the clouds roll in like a pea-souper bike porn shot
Photo 4 : Donor is ... Lord of the flatfooted dance!
zeozen is making with the Shakesperean pose huzzah! "Alas dear Yorick, I lost his skull!"
Photo 5 : Hubba-hubba, I gotta get one this big ... or ... how to crack a bottle of L&P
Photo 6 : I got nuthin' on Obelix ... or ... colour blind ninja does the funky chicken walk of death

[Chisanga]

Congrats on the new job Donor I will be attending next time - it just sounds like too much fun.

[Winter]

What a bugger I missed out, but I put my time to good practise, and rode to work in some of the worst conditions auckland has to offer..

Such Rain! Such Wind! Such Flooding of roads!

Congrats on the job, Donor.

Hey, if its clear tomorrow, lets ride! :P

[gijoe1313]

Did someone mention ride?

.... any excuse for a ride ... I need to do another 1000km ride (I feel like a 2000km ride actually) ... there's a burger in Gisborne that I need to eat and a little ol'Hornet for kneescraper to look at ... or failing that, a nice meal at Waiouru Army museum (ok, I confess, I just love looking at the tanks) ... or Raetihi for a pie and down to Wanganui to look at some bridges over the waters ... or ... riding around Mt Egmont via Stratford to New Plymouth ... or Hastings to Waipukurau to Eketahuna?

Decisions... decisions... oh wait... I'm gijoe1313, I'll ride them all!

[Winter]

Don't you have a job or something to do during the day?

[gijoe1313]

Don't you have a job or something to do during the day?

My son, I am a public paid minder of young cherubims whom I have been entrusted to fill their heads with learning and proper moral virtues. I am on two weeks of mental health recuperation (re : school holidays)

I have just plotted a course, around most of the lower North Island, which will satisfy even an inveterate wanderlusting fool as I.

Around 2500kms I shall say! Huzzah! I will ride it next week, oh yes, I will. Now... where did I put that pup tent?

Scary thing is ... I think it will only take me 3 days to do

[Donor]

My son, I am a public paid minder of young cherubims whom I have been entrusted to fill their heads with learning and proper moral virtues. I am on two weeks of mental health recuperation (re : school holidays)

I have just plotted a course, around most of the lower North Island, which will satisfy even an inveterate wanderlusting fool as I.

Around 2500kms I shall say! Huzzah! I will ride it next week, oh yes, I will. Now... where did I put that pup tent?

Scary thing is ... I think it will only take me 3 days to do

If I put my name down for this, will you pay my lawyers fees for the divorce?

[zeocen]

I need to learn to do my hair and shave before I get photos taken.. but then again, I'm not a girl.

Zeocen - though your ride is certainly inferior in the shininess stakes, it rides bloody nicely, and you ride it very well. Good stuff man, pleasure pootling with you, and may there be many more trips to come. (Leave your bedroom window open and a hose outside, I'll wake you up)

I'll shamefully agree that your bike is much glittery..er... than mine. But not sure on the whole riding thing haha, lots of room for improvement! You seemed to handle your still relatively new beast well. Was good to ride with you and Justin, and again congrats on the new job!

PS. While I'm sensually tending to the needs of a large, brown, paeroa-ian woman... you look like you're giving her what-for ! Let out that frustration on the big bottle!

[gijoe1313]

If I put my name down for this, will you pay my lawyers fees for the divorce?

I think I hear the shriek from jewels even from here! And in regards to that question, I know you are running out of children to sell into slavery for ready coin. That leaves organ donation or running for a backbencher's position on a quango.

Now leave me alone, I'm writing down all the details for my pootling trip of fun and fancy free madness!