Coast-to-Coast 07 ride with Ashhurst boys

**phantom** · 10th December 2006, 16:19

This year's ride was a bit damp and windy and was my first ride after my involuntary dismount at Cold Kiwi. A large group ride like that is not an ideal way to get some confidence back but felt that the riding in general was better than last year - the only really stupid riding I saw was one of the marshals playing catch-up with a pillion passing me on the wrong side of the road on a blind corner. The mighty GB didn't like the rain much and when you only have one cylinder you can't really afford to have that keep missing. I had intended to stay overnight but the weather and the fact that I had left my sleeping bag at home put paid to that idea so left after the prize giving ( the tyre wouldn't have fitted the GB anyway ) and had an uneventful and dry and much quicker trip back ( just can't seem to get the GB up to 160 no matter how hard I try - I know I should know better )

**quickbuck** · 10th December 2006, 18:10

The day started quite well for me.
Met up with a couple of guys at work, and headed on down to Himitangi.
More guys from work showed their faces, and a few from HQ in Wellington came up too....

Anyway, started off about halk way down the pack, and tried to crash at the stop sign on the main road! Guy on a BMW stopped before the sign, then moved forward a bike length and stopped again.
I assumed (we all know what that means) that he had already checked to see the way clear, and was gone.
He wasn't! Grabbed a fist full on brake (when I turned my head to the front to see a BMW parked in front). Kept it all together, but left about $50 of my front tyre on the road.

Only 2 (+1 pax) of us continued to Akatio (both 91 CBR600's).
Boy, are some people going to get some e-mail banter on Monday.

As for the rest of the ride, it has been covered.
I must have got similar fuel mileage to cowboyz (150miles with 12.4 litres by the time I got back to Feilding).
Good to see cowboyz win the tyre.
Sad to see the guy laying down in Feilding (must have happened minutes before we got there).
Heard about the guy visiting the farm gate on the saddle. He barreled past a mate who was a few bikes back, so it must have happened behind me by metres.
I was going to stay over the night, but decided to return home due high winds, and felling like cr*p.
Was a brilliant ride home, only a couple of showers to dampen the track, sorry, road.

A great day all round.

**bladez** · 10th December 2006, 18:22

bugger i missed it

good to see you all had a fun day
went last year and watched a guy on his Ducati drop it in front of me

stoped to help no thank you or even nod must have hurt his pride

oh well always next year if i get my piece of crap going again

**quickbuck** · 10th December 2006, 19:45

Originally Posted by bladez

watched a guy on his Ducati drop it in front of me :

Was that the one that went straight ahead on the Tararua side of the Pahiatua track onto the shingle road?

Mate saw that unfold before his eyes.

**sels1** · 10th December 2006, 21:15

Well thats my first Coast to Coast done, and a double one at that. Good to catch up you Manawatu guys. Great collection of bikes at Himatangi.
A pleasant if uneventful trundle thru to Woodville tailing Bonez's interesting machine (every time I've seen him he has a different old Honda) I got in behing the Marshals leaving Woodville, having farewelled a few of the Wgtn boys who were heading home and had a fairly brisk ride out to Akito, considering how wet the road was. We kept coming up on other riders who must have left Wdvlle early and were making their own way out....some were a bit awkward to get around....Ulysses type riders on Goldwing type bikes must be the campervans of motorcycling!
Anyway by the time we got to the coast some of that rain had found its way into my boots and a few other places not worth mentioning and I was getting a bit cold. The hot chips helped and the coffee, while not being that great, was hot enough to warm up a bit. The weather not being that flash I decided not to hang around too long so took a couple of photos, said goodbye to Phantom and headed out on the gravel road up the back of town. That turned out to be the best part of the trip. Once I got over the first couple of hills and into the sheltered valley the sun came out and things warmed up. I tootled along taking in the scenery and the Tiger enjoyed a bit of a workout off the seal. made good time thru to Pihiatua then back into the rain again. Turned the hotgrips back on and headed for the Track. Wasnt much better going over the hill so just hunkered down and kept going. The weather got better going down into the Horowhenua and it was about Levin I realised I hadnt stopped even to put a foot down since leaving Akito. Hmm can I get home on this tank of gas? The fuel light came on just north of Waikanae and I made it Shell on Kapiti rd. Not bad considering I filled up at Foxton and rode Himatangi/woodville/Akito/Pahiatua/Levin/Paraparaumu Beach on one tank of gas - West coast to East coast and back.
But a good day out and will probably be back next year.

**Meanie** · 10th December 2006, 21:23

Awesome day as has been said the weather could have been a little better but it could have been worse too Its great to see a lot of familiar faces on these rides I had that dam marshall with his pillion tear past me on a left hander round the outside in the other lane and i remember looking at his pillions orange vest that said something about riding to survive and thought what a bloody wanker

Give a guy a bright coloured vest and it goes to his head
Bloody good ride back through to webber and on to Dannirirke with the dry roads
I got a real kick out of riding the saddle road with the chopper hovering above us it landed at the top just as i was going past, gave me a heck of a fright
All in all a dam good day
Thanks Gary you got the meanie in two of your shots

Shes very photogenic and not shy at all

**Sparky Bills** · 10th December 2006, 21:27

Saw you on your way back Sels.
I was heading up to Palmy for the weekend. Today was heaps better for riding!!
Always next year aye.

**bladez** · 11th December 2006, 14:46

Originally Posted by quickbuck

Was that the one that went straight ahead on the Tararua side of the Pahiatua track onto the shingle road?

Mate saw that unfold before his eyes.

sure was didnt stop long there as heaps of others stoped to me looked like he misjudge the corner.

**mazz1972** · 12th December 2006, 15:38

My post is a bit late but anyway...

Six of us headed out from Himitangi on our dual-purpose bikes for our inaugural Coast to Coast Ride. Still being a learner (but minus my L plate for the weekend) I was a bit apprehensive about the weather, as I’ve thus far avoided riding in the rain, and haven’t ridden such a distance. We had been warned about “idiot” riders so was very wary of that as I rode along.

Yes it rained a bit but I coped with it rather well once I got used to it. Apart from some back road somewhere in the middle of nowhere where the temperature dropped to sub-zero and my visor and glasses fogged up.

We didn’t pike out at Woodville like it seems many did, as we’d booked a beach house for the night at Akitio so there was no turning back. More rain in the afternoon but it seemed to warm up a wee bit, instead it blew like hell and just got worse the closer we got to Akitio. Went over the wee bridge just before Akitio wondering if I would make it to the other side or end up as part of the railing.

We left in the middle of the pack, but with me not being the speediest, we got passed by practically everyone else. (Ok so I am officially a nana rider!). Some of the road bikes sound just awesome as they zoom by.

We sent to the prize giving and then found our warm and dry beachouse for a hot cuppa and down came a hailstorm. So it was on with the wet weather gear for the first time just to walk down to the club for the bang up $10 meal and cheap drinks.

What an awesome ride! Some of those roads are just made for bikes. Didn’t see any of the idiots (they probably were all in front of us to be fair).

Sunday weather was much improved and we made our way back via Waihi Falls – my first time on gravel so was drearily slow, but it was worth it as the falls are gorgeous. The road from there through to Dannevirke is totally awesome on a bike once you get past the gravel part. Definitely worth a detour if your bike can handle gravel (the beauty of a dual purpose bike). From there it was back pretty much the way we came, with a stop in Pohangina for a cuppa.

Feeling a whole lot more confident with my riding now, much better with the cornering and getting up to speed faster.

Hope to be there again next year!