ADV Banned Camp

Day three, the East Cape, one of the most iconic rides in NZ.

Day started with a frost




380kms of views like this







There is a lot of forestry around the East Cape and after heavy rain logging detritus washes down rivers to the coast then ends up stranded on beaches. A shame really. This is otherwise a very nice swimming beach!


This is highest point in the range that runs to the east coast, normally it does not get any snow on it at all, but the recent storm dropped its load on the way through

Day four, the slog home, made all the more fun by taking an indirect route where options allowed it.

Every good riding day starts with a good breakfast, my brother cooked us up a good big breakfast (handy having family living all around the country, makes for cheap accommodation)





My bike hid in his biker garage for the night



Every good long ride is punctuated with mandatory cafe stops


Then I took a detour




Eventually home and now stuck back in the office working. (Well writing a post or two on this web site )

I always enjoy your travel posts. Especially when I see a ADVbanned camp sticker in a few pictures.

Camp Director wrote:I always enjoy your travel posts. Especially when I see a ADVbanned camp sticker in a few pictures.

The stickers are kind of hard to hide given where they are on the bikes.

Love you new avatar addition

Last weekend I took Red out for a ride.

Initially it was a fabulous time. Light winds, warm sunny day....



Notice the screen, the stickers and how pristine Red looks



Well that was all about to change. After the above photos, I headed out to Pahiatua via Route 52 and the wind was now a howling rage. At one point I could see a huge gust of wind coming up the valley so I thought discretion would be the better part of valour and I pulled the bike over to the side of the road to let it pass. It hit with a force I have not experienced since my climbing days on tops of mountain ridges. It swirled and buffed me threatening to push me and bike over. All of a sudden the wind screen peeled off and flew a long long way away. As quickly as it came the gust passed but I was now missing my screen, torn from Red in a moment of rage

Red was now looking like this


No more banned camp sticker

On Monday I ordered a new screen from a local supplier who makes them for this model and less than 24 hours later he had made the screen, drilled holes in the locations I wanted and had it couriered to front door 400kms down country from his production plant.

The location of the holes I wanted (to avoid the fairing damage)


I still have some repair work to complete, but Red is now loking good again (minus a sticker or two).

That must have been a cracking gust of wind!

Silly question - the screen on the bike looks rather sleek. Did the wind gust somehow get around and come in from the back?

yes, it swirled and blew it outwards

Delicate Snowflake wrote:That must have been a cracking gust of wind!

Silly question - the screen on the bike looks rather sleek. Did the wind gust somehow get around and come in from the back?

Shouldn't happen again, shorter screen this time with extra screws holding it in place...

They say that if you make something foolproof they invent a better fool. Next time, the whole fairing will be tumbling down the road away from you and the bike.

I have to get down there and see that great countryside.

diogenes009 wrote:They say that if you make something foolproof they invent a better fool. Next time, the whole fairing will be tumbling down the road away from you and the bike.

yeah, that could well be the case...

Yesterday I took a few Australian riders around my local patch. They had a route planned which I had ridden several times so I took the lead and let them focus and riding and looking.

Pics of the day follow.

You've seen this one before but I had to take them here so they could view where we would be riding to, that point in the distance where the mountains reach the sea. That is Cape Palliser the southern most tip of the North Island.



At the southern tip is a lighthouse, and they decided they wanted to see the view from it. Up the stairs we went, all 183 of them!







The view is good, yes it is. Looking each way.






On the way back some more good views


Then we went hunting for some gravel roads to carve up.





Then home along some more twisty roads with good views





I live in a horrible place, you wouldn't want to come here at all

Took Red out for a ride yesterday. Had a blast except for the last 5 kms before home, got a flat front tyre. Didn't have my tools with me, and MrsKiwi was out and about. She eventually came to my rescue with my pump. Pump up the tyre and it last about 3 km, pump it up again and get home. No obvious external reasons why it went flat.

Anyhow, a few pics from my ride, cool, damp roads (being winter) but a sunny day.

4 degrees C, heading out


Starting to warm up, now 9C as I hit the start of the gravel route


Nice views


Adventure salute


Coffee on the way home

I can see I have not posted in here for a while, shame on me. What a slacker

My new bike in a range of places locally