Who else is doing the Grand Challenge this year?

[Hitcher]

Mr and Mrs Hitcher shall be there.

[Gremlin]

haven't booked yet (always end up booking closer to the time), but since my first in 2008, I'll be back for my 3rd, then 4th (long weekend) and hopefully a 5th and so on!

[Blackbird]

Mr and Mrs Hitcher shall be there.

T'will be good to meet you at long last! If you run into Freebird in Wellington (metallic red Blackbird), put the hard word on him. I'm twisting his arm too.

[insomnia01]

I'm still hopefull to give it a crack for #3 just did a Nth Isld tour & for my " GC practice run " did Paihia to Wgtn in @11hrs with a total of 950km felt alright after it

[Lurch]

I'd be keen to do the Grand Challenge one day, but to do so on the SV1000 would only result in me requiring a leg and arse amuptaion at the finish line.

Perhaps once I can afford to own a Goldwing as a second bike.

[Blackbird]

I'd be keen to do the Grand Challenge one day, but to do so on the SV1000 would only result in me requiring a leg and arse amuptaion at the finish line.

Perhaps once I can afford to own a Goldwing as a second bike.

Bollocks! On the 2003 GC, a woman completed it on an SV1000. The only concession she made was a sheepskin.

Oh, and a friend from Lower Hutt has done it a few times on his MV. Well 'ard, he is!

[Mountlocal1]

I'm still hopefull to give it a crack for #3 just did a Nth Isld tour & for my " GC practice run " did Paihia to Wgtn in @11hrs with a total of 950km felt alright after it

You lucky bastard...

I have always wanted to do it... Fingers crossed its still on in 2-3 years...

[insomnia01]

You lucky bastard...
Fingers crossed its still on in 2-3 years...

If not we'll do the South Island instead

[cowboyz]

I'd be keen to do the Grand Challenge one day, but to do so on the SV1000 would only result in me requiring a leg and arse amuptaion at the finish line.

Perhaps once I can afford to own a Goldwing as a second bike.

I did it last year and honestly.. it was tough but wasnt as hard as I had thought it would be. Its all about just maintaining pace.

Fantastic just riding .. and riding and riding. Get quite good at wet road riding after you been doing it for 18 hours striaght too!

Ill be back this year for another go.

Ill be back this year for another crack.

[shafty]

Would LOVE to do it again - especially after being on a 40 km long island for 2 years, so 2011 here I come - unless I'm doing Route 66 then.....

[Blackbird]

I did it last year and honestly.. it was tough but wasnt as hard as I had thought it would be. Its all about just maintaining pace.

Yep, pace is the key. First time we did it, we took 2 long breaks which was a big mistake as we'd stiffened up and got tired during those breaks. Much easier on subsequent GC's(at least for us) to check in, get some gas, quick rehydration and a snack and get away again (say) 15 minutes or so per stop.

How hard the ride is really depends on conditions. The first one we did in '96 was in a real gale for most of the ride with horizontal rain. That was a mental killer as well as a physical one.

At 62, I'm 7 years older since the last time I did it and on a naked bike too - that's the challenge for me this year!

[Bikemad]

yeah i agree blackbird..............you dont wanna stop for too long.............gets hard to climb back on the bike...........as for pace.....dont think you need to go that hard......just keep goin.........some geezer did it on a mini gp type bike last time i did it................bike was maybe 18 inchs high at best...........mad prick

[cowboyz]

you dont need to go quick no.. we sat on 100-120 most of the time.. its just about consistant pace rather than outright speed.

[Blackbird]

as for pace.....dont think you need to go that hard......just keep goin.........some geezer did it on a mini gp type bike last time i did it................bike was maybe 18 inchs high at best...........mad prick

Wonder if it was a Suzuki RG50? There was a guy from the Waikato who did it as a training run for the Southern Cross, then successfully did the 'Cross on it in 2003!

you dont need to go quick no.. we sat on 100-120 most of the time.. its just about consistant pace rather than outright speed.

That's spot on. I think it was in 1999, some guys on 'blades and R1's turned up and very quickly buggered off into the distance at a great rate of knots. They pulled out in the middle of the night as they'd worn themselves out.

Lee Hurley is absolutely right when he says the battle is as much in your head as it is a physical challenge.(Maybe even more so). I've never regularly worked shifts and I find that from around 2-5 am when my body is trying to shut down, I don't get tired but I do get quite apprehensive. As soon as it gets daylight, I'm ok again.

[Lurch]

I kinda wonder if I would actually enjoy the experience. I have no problem with riding long hours, even pre-dawn to post-dusk with only the necesary stops but the idea of riding through the period that I'd normally be sleeping kinda puts me off, more so due to the fact it's in winter when lack of concetration is dangerous enough at the best of times. I know it's meant to be a challenge, but I somehow fail to see the point in this one.

I think I'd rather book in for a couple of days riding down south to be quite honest.