Blogger meet-up

So New Zealand immigration stuffed things up again and let in a bunch of bike mad Aussies (including one Chillertek) and also let them loose on our roads on hire bikes!  Oh the humanity!

After visiting Geoff out on the Coro Loop they made their way around the various pie shops and pubs on the East Coast before finally arriving in beautiful Palmerston North on a pretty damn nice day.

I had been warned that there were coming and so on my way home from work I decided to cruise past where I thought they were staying.  While parked at a set of lights two of the gang rode straight across my bow while the other two got stuck at a light.  I quickly rode around the corner and leaped out of the car to flag them down.  I got a wave from one of them but they carried on not knowing who the mad idiot waving at them was...

A text to Chillertek brought a reply saying that they had bike trouble and were making for Supercheap.  I got back in the car and drove around to Supercheap to see four guys pulling a Triumph (figures eh) to bits...

Apparently the bike had been playing up for a while and even a new battery hadn't fixed it.  After some fiddling with different bits and bobs the bike started and I suggested that they bring it around to my place where there were tools.

I trundled off in the car and didn't even have time to warn the neighbours before the four horsemen of the apocalypse arrived and started tearing into "the Black Pearl".

The headlights work...

Chillertek looking up a Triumph

Much diagnostic experimentation ensued with bits of bike being pulled apart, prodded, lubricated, hit with hammers etc but still the Black Pearl would not fire up.

Sick of the damn machine, Geoff admitted defeat and called the rental outfit.  Naturally, as soon as he started talking to the guy, the bike decided to go.  And the next 4 times he tried...Then the rental guy came out with, "it does that".  Brilliant, this guy hires out a lemon without telling the rider and lets them take it out into the wop, wops (BTW: Palmy is not in the wop wops), nice guy.

With the bike running again, the guys headed off to their motel and I then followed along after to have a meal with the lads.  It was really cool chatting with them and finding out about how their trip was going etc.  It was great to hear that they were having a good time and enjoying our back roads and also of course, to get to know Chillertek who's blog I've been reading for some time.

Update: it seems that the Black Pearl is still running and that the guys are still tearing up the North Island.  Awesome stuff!  Have a great trip chaps and I'm looking forward to reading all about it Chllertek!