South Island Passes Ride 2008

[windboy]

I mean beans...

Sounds grand Ruralman; yet another Jafa keen as.

Sounds like a weeks mission for us (huh crisis?). May try to drag gingabiker and surely we wouldn't be able to stop triboy from coming down too... Feb sounds good for me, as long as it doesn't turn onto March.

That's good notice too, gives us plenty of time to get organised. I guess the plan is to camp? Should be wicked. Have you got a limit of people or the more the merrier...?

[Jantar]

Am talking to the Duck 01 on Skype. he is in Kununurra, WA.
How would a "saddles" ride go, we would both be keen, especially if we cover the "passes" on the way.

At first glance a ride that includes all the saddles looks great, but as I looked at the saddles in more detail, (late last night), it would add an additional 4 - 5 days to the ride. One day for the saddles in the Catlins/Southland area, one day for the ones in Fiordland and getting back up to Queenstown. The ones in the Skippers would be most of a day on their own. The Rainbow and Takaka areas add a further day and then there are the ones in Canterbury/South Canterbury and Dunedin. So a combined Saddles/Passes ride would require around 10 days.

I am available for anytime between the 26th Jan and 18th Feb, but I can probably only plan on a passes ride rather than a combined one, and I need to get a leave application in fairly soon.

Shall I start the route and accommadation planning RM?

[Jantar]

Another thought is that we start in Christchurch this time, as it is more centrally located for our Cantabrian and North Island riders.

The route would then be:

Day 1: Christchurch; Weka Pass; Jollies Pass; Jacks Pass; Ward Pass; Dashwood Pass; Weld Pass; Blenheim.

Day 2: Blenheim; Redwood Pass; Taylor's Pass; Nelson; Hope Saddle; Rotoiti; Lewis Pass; Hamner.

Day 3: Hamner; Weka Pass; Evans Pass; Dyers Pass; Gebbies Pass; Burkes Pass; McKenzie Pass; Little Pass; Hakatarmea Pass; Myers Pass; Pig Root; Naseby.

Day 4: Dansey's Pass; Ahuriri Pass; Lindis Pass; Haast Pass; Franz Joseph.

Day 5: Franz Joseph; Arthurs Pass; Porters Pass; Lees Pass; Okuku Pass; Christchurch.

[young1]

My preference for dates would be week of the 11th of Feb or week of 28 January (fits in with work better).

North Island riders it would be good to ride down together?

Closer the start and finish is to Picton makes it easier on us to.

[NordieBoy]

Ohhh...
That does sound tempting...

[limbimtimwim]

I'm keen. Hopefully I'll have developed my gravel and dirt skills a bit by then.

[timg]

Another thought is that we start in Christchurch this time, as it is more centrally located for our Cantabrian and North Island riders.

The route would then be:

Day 1: Christchurch; Weka Pass; Jollies Pass; Jacks Pass; Ward Pass; Dashwood Pass; Weld Pass; Blenheim.

Day 2: Blenheim; Redwood Pass; Taylor's Pass; Nelson; Hope Saddle; Rotoiti; Lewis Pass; Hamner.

Day 3: Hamner; Weka Pass; Evans Pass; Dyers Pass; Gebbies Pass; Burkes Pass; McKenzie Pass; Little Pass; Hakatarmea Pass; Myers Pass; Pig Root; Naseby.

Day 4: Dansey's Pass; Ahuriri Pass; Lindis Pass; Haast Pass; Franz Joseph.

Day 5: Franz Joseph; Arthurs Pass; Porters Pass; Lees Pass; Okuku Pass; Christchurch.

That sound's like a plan Jantar. I'm planning (saving!) on being in for the full trip this time. Happy to kick it off from anywhere.

I'm keen. Hopefully I'll have developed my gravel and dirt skills a bit by then.

That's OK. You can bring up the rear with me - I'm not quick on gravel, or anywhere for that matter!

[Ruralman]

At first glance a ride that includes all the saddles looks great, but as I looked at the saddles in more detail, (late last night), it would add an additional 4 - 5 days to the ride. One day for the saddles in the Catlins/Southland area, one day for the ones in Fiordland and getting back up to Queenstown. The ones in the Skippers would be most of a day on their own. The Rainbow and Takaka areas add a further day and then there are the ones in Canterbury/South Canterbury and Dunedin. So a combined Saddles/Passes ride would require around 10 days.

I am available for anytime between the 26th Jan and 18th Feb, but I can probably only plan on a passes ride rather than a combined one, and I need to get a leave application in fairly soon.

Shall I start the route and accommadation planning RM?

That ChCh start finish looks pretty good to me and would make sense to work in with riders from further North.
While when I got to the end of our last Passes ride I could have happily mounted up and carried on, the reality is that the real world starts to need some attention by then so theres a limit to how much more most of us will be able to do - BUT - just out of interest - if we were to add ONE more day, to do some Saddles, where and which ones would you pick and how would that alter the itinerary
Jantar if you can start the accommodation planning again that would be brilliant but I guess we need to make a call on how many days and if we add anything else first.

[Ruralman]

I'm keen. Hopefully I'll have developed my gravel and dirt skills a bit by then.

We were seldom over 130km'hr on the gravel, and cruised around 115-120 much of the time on the seal (following the only bike with a detector) - but they were 7-10 hour days so a well set up bike seat and a bit of time in the saddle to develop "bikers bum" are pretty important.

[Ruralman]

Another thought is that we start in Christchurch this time, as it is more centrally located for our Cantabrian and North Island riders.

The route would then be:

Day 1: Christchurch; Weka Pass; Jollies Pass; Jacks Pass; Ward Pass; Dashwood Pass; Weld Pass; Blenheim.

Day 2: Blenheim; Redwood Pass; Taylor's Pass; Nelson; Hope Saddle; Rotoiti; Lewis Pass; Hamner.

Day 3: Hamner; Weka Pass; Evans Pass; Dyers Pass; Gebbies Pass; Burkes Pass; McKenzie Pass; Little Pass; Hakatarmea Pass; Myers Pass; Pig Root; Naseby.

Day 4: Dansey's Pass; Ahuriri Pass; Lindis Pass; Haast Pass; Franz Joseph.

Day 5: Franz Joseph; Arthurs Pass; Porters Pass; Lees Pass; Okuku Pass; Christchurch.

How much time would it add to your day 2 to include this Takaka hill ride that I have heard about? - I would also quite like to do that Mangatapu track again from pelorus bridge back to Nelson

[Ruralman]

I mean beans...

Sounds grand Ruralman; yet another Jafa keen as.

Sounds like a weeks mission for us (huh crisis?). May try to drag gingabiker and surely we wouldn't be able to stop triboy from coming down too... Feb sounds good for me, as long as it doesn't turn onto March.

That's good notice too, gives us plenty of time to get organised. I guess the plan is to camp? Should be wicked. Have you got a limit of people or the more the merrier...?

Be great to have you guys join us - we used Backpackers last time and that would be my preference again. At that time of year you do need to have booked well in advance because most of them were well packed out, so Jantar will be asking for definite commitment a few months out if he's organizing the accommodation again.

[limbimtimwim]

We were seldom over 130km'hr on the gravel, and cruised around 115-120 much of the time on the seal

At that speed, I hit reserve after 100km. This could be an issue

[Ruralman]

At that speed, I hit reserve after 100km. This could be an issue

It would be an issue - we were filling up around 240-260km but we'd probably passed quite a few fuel stops. Jantar can probably give you a better idea of minimum range but I would have thought 180-200km for the Molesworth day would be handy and the rest of the time minimizing fuel stops is important just to keep getting through the miles.

[limbimtimwim]

It would be an issue - we were filling up around 240-260km but we'd probably passed quite a few fuel stops. Jantar can probably give you a better idea of minimum range but I would have thought 180-200km for the Molesworth day would be handy and the rest of the time minimizing fuel stops is important just to keep getting through the miles.

I don't know how far it goes if I ride it gently, I am wringing the absolute shit out of it 90% of the time.

I have a suspicion if I fit a proper carb, ditch the spark arrestor, butcher the stock muffler, 'fix' the airbox and of course get a larger tank I will be able to manage 200km.

[Jantar]

At that speed, I hit reserve after 100km. This could be an issue

That would be more than an issue, it would be a serious problem. 200 km range would really be a minimum, and preferably 240 - 300 km. This is an adventure ride, not a trail ride. But 100 km before reserve does sound extremly short. Even my old PE250 two stroke could manage 160 km.

There are at least 3 sections of the route with over 180 km between fuel stops: Molesworth (190 km), Lees Valley (200 km), Hakataramea (220 km).