Manawatu weekend rides

[Bonez]

Goodness me the them and us and the others thing is getting really out of hand and tiresome ah? I'm sure there's a Manawatu and surrounding area crap thread about somewhere As thread originator could a mods be as so kind to remove the crap. You know you want to.

Keen for another not so secret ride this weekend Gary? I'm popping over to Havelock North to see the olds.

PS: for those that don't know were to post crap- http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=55645

Call me a control freak.

[KiwiKat]

Keen for another not so secret ride this weekend Gary? I'm popping over to Havelock North to see the olds.

Saturday could be a goer for a quick Hawkes Bay run.

Sunday I've got the first Feilding Ride on at 10:00am. (This is open to all sensible Manawatu Riders). The response seems to be good at stage, time will tell. Will be nice to meet a few other locals. Check out flyer link below.

No offense meant by the "them others", it's just great to see so many rides happening and riders getting together. It's not a them and us thing just different rides.

[slydesigns]

Heres my take on the weekends riding.
Had zero reception at Himitangi beach so was wondering how I'd get the ride message but...

Got up early morning, fed kids from the previous nights slumber party, let Jo sleep in and got the bike prepped. Somehow ended up assuming the ride was off as the weather was ass.
9.53am I suddenly get reception as the sun comes out and I get dumped with a ton of messages from everyone including one saying to meet at himitangi turnoff at 9.30... Doh!!!!

10am I'm trying to get out of the house and away from Jo and the kids - hard work I tell you! I have Jo message KK that I'm on my way and to relay locations as the get to them so I can try to catch up. I'm over 40minutes behind.

Hit levin as I get the message they are leaving Waikanae and heading into the akatawara's. 30mins behind

Hit the akatwara's as they are hitting the aka cemetery - 20mins behind

Hit the cemetery as they are hitting the cafe - 10mins behind... not too bad really.

Catch up, discuss graphics for KK's bike then wave goodbye as I head for one run up and down the rimutakas and they carry on over and home. I then head back to Wellington for the drifting at Karori.

As I roll up to the lights at the Silverstream bridge the bikes dies and the dodgey ignition wiring begins a meltdown. The things we do to ourselves...


Fix that in about 15 secs and still make the green light. Discover the joys and horrors of motorway riding in heavy-ish traffic, so many gaps, so many temptations - so many reasons for cagers to hate bikers. Restraint is acheived... mostly.

Get to Karori and the windturbine, a few shots then down to the LongGully Slipway track. Been a few years since I stepped foot on the Watsons land and not left in an ambulance with a few soil samples of the SuperX track. This will make a change.

The track is a $200K master peice.

Our supra is even better.

A day of baking in the sun, rev limiters screaming, radiators popping, tires smoking and rubber flying follows, along with a discussion of the folly of youth and just how broken us original 5 Long Gully Freestyle riders really are. Ben, the track owner and son of the land owner one ups me on scars with both his hip joints padding and fluid having ejected themselves from the socket and making him hobble like an 80 yr old man. Tim, the other son, blew his shoulder out a few weeks back on the track and then again yesterday. Me, I suffer from constant headaches and hip cramps after 10 concussions and a dislocated hip among other injuries from spectacular arrivals back on terra firma. Believe me, chick dont dig scars THAT much...

I reconsider going for a few laps for old times sake. Mr Watson just nods and laughs, stating we have all become old before our time.

The sun sets and we have a wee cry over packing up with 4 sets of tires untouched. Ah well, theres always the workshop driveway...

Its off to Nandos for some pointless hotsauce skulling games then home. After wiping the tears from my eyes and being able to breath again we all head off.

Footnote... bike blows a main fuse out of Levin after the dodgey wiring returns to bite my ass. A friendly MXer picks me up after watching me blow the olny spare fuse I have after touching the wrong thing. We laugh, he laughes louder though...

End the day at Himitangi for the night where Jo also laughs, and so does a few randoms I didn't know before that point. Glad I'm such a funny guy really... lol.

Well it WAS a good excuse to stay at Jo's again...

[slydesigns]

The pics

Arriving at the Rimutakas

Arriving at The Wind turbine

[slydesigns]

more pics

The slipway

[slydesigns]

The last pics

packup

skulling games

What I came home too...

[Bonez]

Great pics and report Sly. Good to see you made it back ok after a fashion. Those MX folk come in handy ah? Couple of young'ns help pick the CX up a few years back after being blown over on the Napier/Taihape Rd.

[Pegasus]

Na no sweat, I was impressed by how well you handled the wind to, well done you'll soon be scraping those pegs round the corners I'm sure

We won't mention the wind gust that I wasn't expecting on the way home. That scared the out of me, looking at the bridge getting close, and me going towards it. I don't think it was even a close call (it just felt like it).

Another first for me.

Gee (Wet roads, wind, gravel, other riders, all in one day) I might be a natural in disguise

[KiwiKat]

We won't mention the wind gust that I wasn't expecting on the way home. That scared the out of me, looking at the bridge getting close, and me going towards it. I don't think it was even a close call (it just felt like it).

Another first for me.

Gee (Wet roads, wind, gravel, other riders, all in one day) I might be a natural in disguise

That wind does that to you and its so much better to be with other riders when it does. Sounds like an awesome first ride. The wind is probably the hardest thing to get used too. It won' be long before the winged steed is showing the wise(?) old owl it's hooves. Now that will be a hoot.

[chanceyy]

We won't mention the wind gust that I wasn't expecting on the way home. That scared the out of me, looking at the bridge getting close, and me going towards it. I don't think it was even a close call (it just felt like it).

Another first for me.

Gee (Wet roads, wind, gravel, other riders, all in one day) I might be a natural in disguise

be a ton of firsts but you sure nailed alot of them on that ride ..

the close call can feel like it .. just really important to focus to where you want to be rather than where your going.. it will save ya butt ... those winds after we left feilding were quite strong .. but not as strong as last weekend

[NZsarge]

I have a plan... I'll look into it further... If you've nothing on on sunday...

[86GSXR]

Check this out if you haven't already

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=94509

[banditrider]

I have a plan... I'll look into it further... If you've nothing on on sunday...

Doesn't involve 3 wheeled vehicles does it?

[slydesigns]

If anyones interested in tagging along on the next Slipway Drift trip and finding out what its all about, drop a line. We are thinking of taking Motards and converted MX bikes on the track next time as well.

[rottiguy]

Cricky yeah that wind sure was crazy, you were still blowing around less than me on ya little 250 and he's me on a 200 + kg bike + 100kg me and I was till doing the rapid lean in the gust buzz

We won't mention the wind gust that I wasn't expecting on the way home. That scared the out of me, looking at the bridge getting close, and me going towards it. I don't think it was even a close call (it just felt like it).

Another first for me.

Gee (Wet roads, wind, gravel, other riders, all in one day) I might be a natural in disguise

I think you must be a natural we were expecting a bit of a delay to wait for you through the gravel but oh no through ya came like it weren't no thang soon you'll be riding the dirt roads like bonez