On behalf of 86gsxr.....

**gijoe1313** · 1st July 2007, 12:14

Oh dizzam... that sounds so good... I's jealous is all I can say!

**dogsnbikes** · 1st July 2007, 12:18

Originally Posted by Meanie

Im starting to feel a little better the last couple of days so cowboyz and i are off to meet yod at the ferry I have to measure a job in Cambourne on the way then well look for the great beaming smile as he comes off the ferry anyone wants to come with we are leaving Ashhurst at 12, calling into the workshop and should be leving there at around 12.30, 156 Fairs road if you want to catch up with us in Palmerston N

Yes I would but I am already here in Wgtn told yod I would be passing him about 230 so will wave as we head in opposite direction

**Meanie** · 1st July 2007, 20:26

Mission acomplished managed to get to the ferry terminal in time to see the boat docking and Yod with the biggest smile ever Nice bike Yod Well done

It pissed down from Paraparaumu all the way there and back to about Levin where it slowed for a bit, Met 86, Sarah and chancey down there and rode back with them A bit of fun coming out of Welly to find the road covered in water, both lanes had water propell itself down my boot somehow, not a nice feeling at all
Nice to have cowboyz riding at a cruiser pace due to his dodgy front tyre and the wet roads
Good luck with the op tomorrow Alister let us know how you get on

**yod** · 1st July 2007, 21:14

Wow, what can I say - I wasn't expecting anybody to turn up in wellies in that weather and just about everybody was there!!

came off the boat in the pissing rain....hmmmm....whos that idiot waving his arms around the place? meanie...wha...?!?!? couldn't believe me eyes....cowboyz was there too, 86, chanceyy and sarahtvet showed up about 10 minutes later

what an absolutely top bunch making that sort of effort - cheers guys, made my day seeing you lot there, that was a mighty ride up in the rain....

the bike runs well, handles well, slightly more poke than the viffer

im guessing it won't have too much trouble hitting the 200 mark and beyond

what a weekend...pity i was racing the clock up to picton, didnt have time to get any pics

**robertydog** · 1st July 2007, 21:29

Well done. Hope you enjoy it.

**dogsnbikes** · 1st July 2007, 21:35

Good you guys ......wish I wasn't working but did see the big white bus that brought yod and his machine across the ditch

**86GSXR** · 1st July 2007, 21:39

Well, another damn fine Ashurst ride, I don't think there's ever been a bad one! This was great because it was so spontaneous. I'd had to work today, but due to some fortunate circumstances I managed to finish in time to convince Chanceyy to debut on one of the gixxers (took all of two seconds too lol). So with Sarah as pillion we headed down to Wellie to meet up with the rest of the crew.

Had a nice uneventful trip down with Chanceyy taking to the gixxer like a fish to water. The rain held off until Paekoc when it really started to pour and at the bottom of the Gorge the first of it got through both sets of gloves. In the failing light and heavy rain we made out way to the ferry terminal and quickly spotted the team and Yod's new bike. Very nice! Well done Jonno!

So a quick turnaround and with the rain finding a new intensity, it was back up the line with a couple of quick stops and head counts. All accounted for, then back into Palmie.

Thanks guys for another great ride, and well done Yod! Looking forward to seeing you out there on that fine machine soon. Pics soon

I'm into hospital tomorrow for a long overdue operation so won't be riding for six weeks or so. I'll miss it, but it must be done.

**chanceyy** · 1st July 2007, 21:48

apart from the weather it was a damn awesome day .. & even then it could have been so much worse if we had the cold temps as well

fabulous ride on the gixxer .. but after a week of very little sleep & major stresses as ya do .. i am absolutely shattered .. & my arms are knacckered .. so will post more when i can type LOL

thanks Al seriously great fun on the gixxer

.. good luck for tomorrow, & I will be happy to exercise all three girls for you over the next 6 weeks

Yod a nice bike you have there mate really pleased that we could come escort you home that was a interesting trip

**sarahtvet** · 1st July 2007, 23:58

Had a brilliant trip all, what a wonderful ride!!!! Some pics to remind you all of the special occasion!!!!!

**sarahtvet** · 2nd July 2007, 00:02

and some more. awesome trip and some interesting riding for those of us who had slicks on!!!!

**cowboyz** · 2nd July 2007, 07:05

good day out. I brought a new tyre last week and decided I didnt have time to put it onand it didnt matter cause there was no riding this weekend. I should have known better.

On the up side it was a fun trip. Wet as a wet thing but nothing a nice warm shower couldnt fix.

Nice bike Yod. Cant beleive the deal you got on it but thats what patience brings.

Cheers

**Meanie** · 2nd July 2007, 08:44

Thanks for posting the pics Sarah I dont bring my camera out on the bike now after the last one got a little wet I need to get a waterproof one
Great ride even in the rain, reminded me of our final leg of the four points from Hohoura to PN it rained the wohole trip 13 hours

**yod** · 2nd July 2007, 10:22

Thought I better give you a taste of the south island run....

Mum let the dog into my room at 7:15am - nice way to start the day...a paw in the face!

Got to the bike shop sunday morning and there she was, parked outside, gleaming in the crisp canterbury morning sun....adrenaline was starting to pump already....

decided my new leathers were too big and bulky to strap on the back with the rest of the gear as well, even though I'd stopped to get an extra stretchie so I put those back in mum's car to be shipped at a later date

the couple at Just Motorcycles were in the process of gassing me up and we discovered the tank lid is a complete pain to open, they rang the previous owner and he gave us some useful advice, but it's a thumb-breaking mission!!

finally i'm packed and ready to roll - turned her over with some choke, she starts first pop (thats promising) and hums away....hmmm....big inline four, bit of a change from the V4

see ya mum,

thanks for everything, and I'm off! once she was warmed up i started playing with the power....there's plenty! I noticed she really doesnt feel much heavier then the viffer even though there's apparently about a 45kg difference, and the seating position is very similar too. Heading out towards the northern motorway in an 80km zone and got passed by a boy racer in a skyline who seemed to think the speed limit was 130 and you weren't supposed to go below it, not bothering with you today sonny.....

filled up at a kaiapoi gas station where the chap thought he knew me and said "didn't you used to have a red bike?" spooky....

finally open road and this thing eats it, efofrtlessly up to 150km/h.... OOOPS

back off back off - and that was the theme for the first 100km or so...

getting a sore left toe from trying to kick a 5 speed into 6th all the time - was still doing it on the last stretch into palmy....

sunny weather pretty much the whole way up the coast - road was mostly dry but plenty of wet patches in the sheltered spots - still getting used to the bike, it felt easy enough to manouevre....at low speeds it wanted to drop into the corners more, at open road speeds you put it where you want it and it does what it's told. Remembered why most canterbury bikers crash - from falling asleep....hmm.....yet another long straight here, better see what she's capable of (as I said to Meanie when I got to wellies, be rude not to

)....still stable and riding true at 'higher' speeds, good to know....

as i was approaching cheviot I realised I didn't know what my tyres/chain were like, or even what my reg no was! so i pulled over for a few minutes, stretched the legs and just walked around the bike looking at it....yes, yod likes....

a few more kms up the road and we started clmbing towards the hundalees and i could feel the temperature drop, spotted the "Windey Roads Next 12km" sign....oh life is good isnt it....

ok....there's those extra kilos, she flicks side to side very nicely tho, i've read the twin spar frame makes them very balanced and stable and handle well and now i'm a believer, very controllable, although i was taking it pretty easy as the uphill section was still very wet, once i came off the hill the roads were better and i thundered up towards kaikoura in the sun

gassed up and checked the time...hmm, ok it had taken be around 2 hours to cover 185kms from chch, reasonable average....problem was it was 11:08 and I now had 67 minutes to do 160km and make check in time in picton at 12:15....
now lets see....if you needed to average 150km/h up the east coast highway in the south island of new zealand, what would your vehicle of choice be? a large displacement sports motorcycle perchance? what a coincidence! i just happen to have one at my disposal

roads were 90% dry north of kaikoura as I "freed the horses" - I decided it was probably wise to keep her under 140km - if i had to get caught i wanted to at least keep my licence....(although I may have slipped up a couple of times), and there was no need to be there bang on 12:15....

What a ride, lots of fast sweepers undulating up and down hills and a few twisties before dropping down towards blenheim - no traffic to speak the whole way from chch....only problem was my hips were starting to cramp up a bit and I couldnt stop, so it was a case of standing on the bike everytime i had to slow for a town, managed to get off the bike for a few minutes at a red light at the Seddon bridge which is a long one way setup with lights so got a bit of relief there

found a bit of drizzle about 10km out of picton along with a lot more traffic heading for the ferry but nothing really (compared to what was waiting for me in wellies!!) turned up at the check in about 12:30ish so i'd made good time and I rode straight on and strapped her in myself for the crossing

what a way to get to know your new bike!!

thanks to dogs for all the road updates and reminding me it would be a good idea to take some tie downs for the ferry, and thanks for the offers to help me get the bike up to the north island too mate - will ctach up when you get back

and thanks to the rest of you lot who showed up in wellies to meet me as i came off the ferry....couldn't believe me eyes when i spotted meanie and cowboyz waiting there in the pissing rain. Was grinning from ear to ear...then cowboyz says 86 and the others will be here soon too. That was just too nice....awesome ride back...wicked adventure....top weekend all in all