Laxed out rides

[awa355]

Looking forward to seeing your results... hope the night is as clear as the day has been...

It was a brilliant night for a ride. Balmy, Big moon just above the horizon, untill it got higher and disappeared behind the cloud cover. The 250 could use the lighting upgraded, but I may move it on after May.

The photography was a disaster. The point & shoot is totally useless at night. Okay for stuff up to about 6 metres away but the programme mode and the night scenes modes are hopeless. Horahora lake looked beautiful with the moon above the far side and the moonlight reflecting off the surface. None of the photos are worth posting. When I finish work end of May, I will be buying a DSLR or Mirrorless camera and a decent tripod.

There is a dedicated photography shop in Hamilton that hires out dslr cameras. I'm tempted to get a camera out for a weekend and see what a difference a decent camera can make. Trouble is, a hire camera and lens runs to around $200 a day and it's not the sort of equipment I would ever ask to borrow.

I'm taking a demo Kawasaki Vulcan 650 for a ride tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to that.

[fxxk]

I'm taking a demo Kawasaki Vulcan 650 for a ride tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to that.

Bloody comfy seat!!!!!!!!!

Not a fan of the cheaper Kawasaki motors though, let me know if you find the throttle on/off at low revs

[awa355]

Had a run on the Kawasaki Vulcan 650 this afternoon. It was spot on for me. The riding position was perfect, and it felt so light throwing it through the corners. The motor only had 200k on it so I took it easy. Plenty of mid range torque, vibes were minimal until one brief burst up to 5,000 rpm when the vibrations became more noticable. In 6th gear it pulled away from about 70kph without any hesitation, much slower and you would be changing down. It does not have the stump pulling torque of a big V twin but it never felt like a long heavy cruiser either. I loved cornering on this bike.





I could be very happy with this bike. Unfortunately, the dealer apparently expects me to pay for it. Damned inconvenient that The demo bike is at Wilkspenny Motorcycles. I had told Mark I could not look at getting serious about a new bike untill end of May but he was happy for me to take it out anyway.
At $11,000 for a LAM's bike it is not cheap, the unrestricted version (without ABS) is a grand cheaper. As an older rider who just wants a good all round road bike, it would suit me.

[Hobbyhorse]

I have just caught up with the news from Murray and Trina.

Thanks for your hospitality in Hamilton and all the best on your move to Whangarei ... you will both be missed.

Rhys

[eldog]

, the dealer apparently expects me to pay for it. Damned inconvenient that
At $11,000 for a LAM's bike it is not cheap, the unrestricted version (without ABS) is a grand cheaper. As an older rider who just wants a good all round road bike, it would suit me.

I thought dealers were there to put the bikes out on display for us to try out, return when we felt like it.
does it come with panniers? do you need them to put your camera/cut lunch in?

looks nice and a nice day for it. did you go far enough to tell how the seat/position suits you?

[awa355]

Only had it for about an hour. The whole riding position felt good. I also have to remember that after my old war horse, that any new bike is going feel like the best thing since sliced bread.

[nzspokes]

Only had it for about an hour. The whole riding position felt good. I also have to remember that after my old war horse, that any new bike is going feel like the best thing since sliced bread.

That real spring looks to be in a great place to pinch your inner thigh.....

[caseye]

Thats a good looking Hoss there awa, go on throw a rope around it's neck and ride it like you stole it.'

[awa355]

Thats a good looking Hoss there awa, go on throw a rope around it's neck and ride it like you stole it.'

If you see me riding it, I will have stolen the thing.

[awa355]

We had a house lot of screaming babies, toddlers, mothers, grandmothers etc today, so it was off for a ride somewhere. I found myself on Buckland road and stopped for this pic. Quite a bit of fog around the hills.



Over the top of the Kaimais and decided to have a look along Hanga road. It goes nowhere but if shit should ever happen, this is where you need to assemble. The sign says so .



Note the NZ MoD designed 'Fall out ' shelter in the back ground. Snooping around I spied a secret red briefcase behind the sign.



I didn't dare open the thing in case a red bat phone went off in a reinforced bunker somewhere in Wellington and the armed forces descended from nowhere.
Maybe someone can explain WTF it is doing there.

Had a look around some bikes at Bayride, caught up with an elderly cousin. Twelve months ago, she was one of the sharpest tacks around. Alziemers has moved in and I was so saddened to see her now.

Back on the road and I did a loop around the Oripi Gorge road and back over the Kaimai range. 266k today and my planned ride is tomorrow. The rain may make the day interesting. If it is showers, I'll go, if it is heavy rain, I will stay home and sulk.

[Moi]

That Kawasaki is a nice looking bike...

will need panniers and tassels...


Think you might be sulking tomorrow... it's bucketing down here...


BTW, are those blackberry canes near that sign? Where they ripe?

[awa355]

Blackberry bush was covered in dust. They tend to get sprayed a lot along the road sides. If it is raining tomorrow, I'll go window shopping for cameras.

[awa355]

After the rain last night, it is looking good here in Te A. Looks like we will get away for a ride after all.

[fxxk]

Went for a ride yesterday before the rain set in, just through the other side of Kawhia (towards Taharoa)

[awa355]

Nice views out there when the tide is in.

Three of us went on a ride this morning. Phil and I covered nearly 400k. Lance (Eldog) who came down from Papakura would probably break the 650k mark. Infact, as I type this, Lance is still on the way home.

Good for you Lance, for coming all that way to join in. The weather was good all the way, not a drop of rain. We covered roads between Lake Taupo and Lake Whakamaru, then crossed the Waikato river at Tutukau, wound our way through some back roads within the Waikiti Valley, Rotorua, Mamaku's and back home.

Some fantastic roads, will load a ride report later on under the Waikato Rides thread. Right now I'm downloading 19GB (4hr 37min) of video footage plus the camera stills. Fairly drained at the moment, coffee tastes great.