Motorcycle Forum / General / Sportbikes / August 2007

Me and a few mates headed North to meet up with the 'Ducati Owners Club'
who were heading down our way for the weekend. Iv'e been on a couple of
their 'criuses' before and knew it was going to be a good day! We met up
with them after a 2 hour blast to a rock climbing cafe in the middle of
nowhere......but it was in the centre of awesome backroads I'd never
been on. (I must get out more!). I was a bit disappointed there were
only 'new' Ducati's as I was looking forward to seeing some old bevel
drives. 1/2 an hour sitting around as the bikes trickled in had me
itching for some riding.

All up there were about 30 bikes...including one of the new 1098's. At
first glance I thought "What a bunch of posers" as a few of the guys
were in new race leathers complete with back protectors to go with their
I-pods (and dare I say it....died hair!!). Compared to our motley crew
of Triumphs, Aprilias, Moto Guzzi, Laverda & Honda's they looked just
like the yuppie scum Auckland is known for. Just before we headed off
the music of inline fours going fast was heard and a group of 'RR' (GSX,
CBR....) riders arrived, buzzing from adrenaline. Too bad they were
heading the other direction. It would have been fun watching them ride!

I thought I would hang back and see how these guys rode, before deciding
who I would stick with. Within 5km I was very disillusioned as they had
all strung out in a staggered convoy doing 118kmh!! (maybe they had
points on their licences?). 'Sod this', I thought to myself, chopped
down a gear and went for it, passing the lot down a long straight....it
was time to find out who wanted to play.
On my tail were my mate with the SuperDuke riding an ST Triumph shop
bike (while his was in for a service), a couple of Tuono's and a 955i
Triumph. The roads were wide open with huge sweepers going past hydro
lakes....no traffic and no cops so the speeds got silly. Most awesome
ride Iv'e been on!......then the Ducati's started arriving and passing
me (with my mates passing me as well). First it was a two up 851 going
ballistic with the 1098 on his heels......another 851 and a couple of
749's....then my mates (including one who had dragged his Guzzi 1100
Sport out for a dust off, with his daughter on a Honda VTR).......and I
was on my own between the fast group and the 'convoy' who were miles
behind by this stage. I felt a lot happier with less bikes near me!

By the time we made it to the main road we had the speed thing out of
our systems and the guys with radar detectors were out front sitting on
135kmh until we stopped at the Awakino pub for a feed (and beer) and
re-group. I should have taken a camera as there was some lovely machines
there.....a carbon fibred MV Augusta 'Senna' stood out from the sea of
red and yellow Ducati's. The only fright I got was when I had counted my
mates off as they went past but I had forgot about the Laverda 750S
piloted by an old racer. As I was on my own, my lines were getting a bit
loose and as I was running wide on a corner (still in my own lane) the
laverda arrived out of nowhere right beside me. If I stood my bike up I
would have hit his bike! But it looked real nice, so close and cranked
over....I must get a helmet camera.

For the last leg we sent the detector boys ahead and waited a couple of
minutes to give us some hoon space. I took off with a group of 749's and
had fun dicing with them for about 5kms, then I decided on a passing
move in a small gap, then hesitated and got off the gas, the gap widened
so I snapped open the throttle......the rev limiter went beserk and I
was losing speed.....clutch in (just in case!?), snicked up a gear,
reased the clutch.....nothing!!!! f.ck! As I coasted to a standstill my
mate on the ST pulled up laughing his a.s off and mentioned my chain was
back down the road and I should have seen the Ducati behind me freak out
as it went past him. I was relieved to find out it was the chain thjat
had gone because all I was thinking was "great ...another f.cked 
gearbox!". As luck would have it, I was only 200 meteres from the top of
the hill, it was hot, and I needed some excercise anyway.....so I just
kept pushing until I thought I would have a heart attack ,then had a
rest (x4). As I crested the hill, the next small down was all down hill
to the police station, where I parked the Aprilia, locked it and
prepared for the next step of the journey.

After doing some sumo wrestler stretches, it was time to brave the
pillion seat on the Triumph ST (The same rider that dropped his missus
off the back doing a wheelie). On the second attempt I got into position
and we were off....the open road was OK....a bit bumpy as the poor old
grossly overlaoded shock coped as well as it could. Then came the bit I
was dreading...Mt. Messenger! The first couple of uphill corners were OK
then a tight turn i didn't think we would make....I twitched and made
the bike stand up a bit. I didn't need to be told not to do that again!
the simple answer was just to close my eyes when the turn looked
impossible....and it worked....four times! Getting to the top seemed to
take forever (reality....3-5 minutes) then all I had to do was cope with
the downhill and it was all open road from there to home. By the time we
were half way down I was feeling physically sick so it was sort of lucky
we stopped......to help a mate lift his Guzzi out of the ditch! 1/2 a
roll of duct tape to hold the bodywork together and we were off again
(No rest for the wicked!). Man, was I glad to get off that bike.

When the kids saw me on the back of the bike they came running outside
to ask what was going on....I couldn't resist and told them I'd binned
it. No sympathy from them...they cracked up laughing and just wanted to
know where. No, "Are you OK" or "Hows the bike"....they remind me of me!

All that was left to do was an hours drive away, so I swung around to a
mates place to get some muscle, a quick tinnie stop to keep him
'lubricated' and it was off to the cop shop to pick the bike up.

It was well and truly the most fun Iv'e had in ages. Yesterday it felt
like someone had kicked me in the back of my legs as the muscles hadn't
been strecthed that much in years!  :)