Sunday, September 25, 2016

Scrubbing in

So after all the recent maintenance (if you call tyres and oil maintenance?) on the Connie it was time to let her off the leash and go for a decent run.

The weather in Palmy was quite nice but I didn't really have a plan in mind.  I was even considering going a decent distance and spending the night somewhere - but where?  I quick check of KB and I spotted Al's tag so thought that I could at least grab it and then find another new one somewhere along the way...


On the way across I remembered spotted an interesting looking feature that would make a good tag.  Without giving too much away (at least not yet - read on), it's nowhere near Al's tag so now all I had to do was think about finding a decent sort of a route to go get it...

First part of mission accomplished...
Having found the tag out near Halcombe, I carried on to SH1 and turned towards Taihape.  I stuck to a very sedate cruise but only saw one cop - I did manage to pass a Prius though and that's always worth a snigger.

In Taihape I stopped to flick on the cameras (turn the wireless on so the remote could drive them) and headed up Spooners Hill towards the Napier-Taihape road.  Initially the road was an absolute joy and it was also in very good condition.  Time to sort those new tyres out...

One of the things I wanted to do was film the drop down one of the hills into the valley below.  I love this bit of the ride as not only is the riding good but the views across the valley are outstanding.  Climbing back up the other side I decided to just let the camera run as I was having a ball.  But once out on the top I ended up riding flying into a ground hugging cloud which slowed me up a little.

There's a road there somewhere...
On the next descent I shook off the friendly cloud and could once again enjoy the twisties - at least until I crossed over into the Hawkes Bay.  From Kuripapango the roads were damp and then I ran into some really sticky, yucky drizzle which once again put the brakes on things a little.  Eventually it started raining properly and my visibility improved.  The weather in the Bay was definitely not as flash as back home so grips were on and I was contemplating breaking out my new, warmer gloves...


The video below has some of the highlights (including the fog and rain) of the ride across:


The route in my head had me crossing over to the East of Hastings and riding down to Elsthorpe and Patangata before ending with a Route 52 Romp home.  Arriving in Omahu it was just before 12 and I decided that I couldn't be bothered with the traffic around Hastings/Havelock North so I turned South onto SH50.

SH50 turn-off
By now my fuel gauge was telling me off for all the fun on the Napier-Taihape so I attempted to settle into a slower cruise.  My fuel warning came on at about 290km (early) so yes, the Connie had been a little greedy...At Onga I crossed over to Waipawa where it was time for a bite to eat and then find a drink for the bike.  The little KTM I parked next to was ridden by a girl who was loaded for bear - in addition to the top-box she had a ginormous pack on her back...


With a full tank it was off down 52 and I pretty much had the road to myself.  There was a bit of a mess on the road over the hill at Porangahau and naturally plenty of sheep and wreckage on the road to avoid as I cruised down to Pongaroa.

Ain't she purty?


At Pongaroa I turn-off to make my way back towards Pahiatua.  Time for some more fun as I dropped down into Makuri.


From Makuri it was just a short ride through to Pahiatua and then over the track to home.  A nice little ride of around 525km - so that means that the tyres are about 4-5% worn out now...




Oh, and just in case I haven't put up enough hints about the new tag, here's the picture and a wee map...



2 comments:

  1. Nice trip for scrubbing in the tires. Well, except for the rain and heavy clouds over the pass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep. I didn't mention all the stock on the road this time - that's normal for Route 52...

      Really nice day on the old girl.

      Delete