CONFESSIONS OF A KIWI MOTORCYCLIST
By
Paul Fris
CONFESSIONS OF A KIWI MOTORCYCLIST
Published by Paul Fris at Smashwords
Copyright © 2012 by Paul Fris
Smashwords Edition License Notes
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Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist is a work of non-fiction. Some names have been changed to protect the identity of the persons involved and any online names used are not the actual names of the persons mentioned.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Introduction
At the time of writing this book I’m fifty four years old and have ridden over three hundred thousand kilometres on motorbikes. I can honestly say that I’m surprised I’m still here but happy that I am so that I can share with you the joy and passion of Motorcycling in New Zealand. I do know that as I grow older, the negatives of my motorcycling past are going to haunt me during the cooler seasons of the year. For some unknown reason, healed broken bones and winters do not mix very well.
There is much I could discuss and many tangents that could take me down other paths but you bought this book to learn more about Motorcycling in New Zealand and my own confessions and that is exactly what you are going to get. Of course, the tips and odd “training” sections are applicable anywhere in the world. I have ridden often on my own and many times in small and very large groups. I have organised rides that have taken us over New Zealand’s most technical roads and had over a hundred motorcyclists turn up from all backgrounds and experience levels.
At the end of each chapter I will post a quote from some of these riders about how they perceived my riding. These quotes are anonymous and taken from a well-known forum. Only those who know the online names will recognise the characters. Many who read this book will not know me and it’s easy for you to think I speak from my own perspective, so I believe it’s important that third party quotations are thrown in to make sure you know exactly what kind of animal you are dealing with here.
I’m not a trumpet blower and I don’t normally go around expounding my knowledge and making out I’m an expert but in this book I’ll write about what I believe every reader will enjoy and relate to in some way. You will read about incidents that have had a marked effect in my own life and you will share the joys and the heartache of an avid rider. Thrown in will be real life practical training because I want you to be a survivor and you will find a couple of reviews and some information for new riders.
This book will not be “English grammar” correct but it will give you a taste for “Kiwi” humour, language and more importantly the joy and sheer exhilaration of riding on good old “Kiwi” back roads. Any person who has experienced the liberty and let’s face it, has the “balls” to ride a decent sized motorcycle at speed will instantly be at home reading this book.
Those who may be contemplating taking the next step and throwing a leg over a mechanical beast that has more power to weight ratio than anything short of an interplanetary missile booster, should enjoy the ride but be warned… there are some squeamish moments that are unavoidable when you participate in this kind of activity.
There are many who would never even consider riding anything that has only two wheels and affords no protection at all should things go “belly up” but after reading this, you may hopefully have a better understanding of what drives a “Kiwi Motorcyclist.”
I hope you enjoy this work as much as I did writing it.
One who is passionate about riding…… Paul Fris
~*~
Quote: “Superdave”riding a GSXR600 on the Coromandel Loop commenting on my riding my Suzuki GSX1400.
“Giving you rep for that wicked riding of yours. You really lean that thing over! I saw you warming up your tyres before that first good stretch of twisties and I was thinking why the hell is a guy on a bike like that bothering he's just gonna cruise and take it at a leisurely pace but then I saw you go into those corners and I was like ha-ha.”
Chapter One
Mortality
As you get older, you really do have to ask yourself the question, how long will you live?
Are you really aware of your own mortality? How many of us know exactly how many heartbeats are allotted to us in the short time we have on this world and if we did know, would we do things differently, try something new or “out there?”
When we are young we do not think of these things as we consider ourselves to be indestructible and we expect to live a good long life. We took greater risks and when things didn’t turn out as expected; we healed quicker and dealt with the knockbacks in a more efficient manner.
What will it be that finally extinguishes the flame of your life? Will it be cancer, an accident, a disease or some new virus that sweeps the world or simply old age?
We live in an extremely complex world with so many things that can go wrong and yet the millions of things that can affect our intricate bodies are dealt with by an awesome immune system in most cases. Check out a medical dictionary online sometime and be amazed at the fact you are actually still here. We think nothing of the fact that we live and breathe when so many things could go wrong and end our lives in so short a time and yet many of us ride or have ridden a motorbike and think nothing of that either.
How stupid is that? We throw our legs over a machine that in comparison to bikes that existed 30 years ago, are so much faster, more powerful and able to end your life with the simple twist of the throttle in a blink of an eye and all that with no protection whatsoever. We rely totally on the oncoming motorist to stay on their side of the road, or we have little chance of surviving if they decide at the last second they prefer our side of the road to their own and for some strange reason, many do.
Between our legs is a tank full of highly ignitable substance, gleaned from the bowels of the earth from extinct creatures that lived millions of years ago, that could also make us extinct in a second should a spark find its way anywhere near the vapour. If you survive that sort of mishap, you are unlikely to father any children and a certain appendage will take on the look of a well-cooked barbecued sausage.
What is it that causes us to risk our lives astride these mechanical monsters full of fossil fuel? The naysayers will tell us that we are mad, that we are temporary citizens of this world and we won't see old age. What if our bones and their bones and the gloop from billions of people before us, are what powers the machines of the future? Will they say the same thing and complete another cycle of life and death the same way we do?
It has nothing to do with how you ride. You can be the best rider in the world and on the open road, anything or anyone can take you out and there is not a darn thing you could have done about it. Simply put, when your numbers up... it's up. Sure, you can minimise the risk by improving your riding skills, by riding within your own safety margin envelope, by wearing the best gear, but when things go belly up, there's not a lot you can do.
I often weigh up why I ride against what I have to lose and what those left behind will feel when I’m gone. Like any risky activity, this is both healthy and normal and makes us stay within the bounds of common sense to aid in self-preservation. In the end, every person that lives is merely a temporary citizen in the scheme of things anyway. Tell me otherwise, that in a perverse way we are all born to die and there is nothing surer than that.
I love riding. I love a good twisty road and I am so pleased I found out the thrill and enjoyment of riding a powerful motorbike. There are not too many other activities that can take your mind off the cares of the world and have you concentrate totally on the task at hand and arrive at your destination, exhilarated, refreshed and enjoying the freedom of being on a bike on the open road. Riding is truly an awesome experience.
So, we weigh up the risks as do many other people in different pursuits and hobbies and we decide that what we want to do is worth the risk. If we didn't do this, every human being would simply sit at home in front of TV too paranoid to move or do anything a little adventurous.
But, the freedom of the ride, the sense of oneness with the universe, the road, your bike and you and an awesome ride alone or with mates will get you hooked forever. Sure, you think about the consequences and worry at times if you will make it back home alive or in one piece but once well into a ride your mind becomes one with the machine and these thoughts invariably get left far behind. As you get older you do become more aware of your own mortality and for me this has had the effect of really toning back the level that I would really like to ride at but have the wisdom to know I wouldn’t last long doing so. So much so in fact that since I was in my teens, my level of riding has been pegged back considerably; I’ve become risk adverse but not as much as I thought when I hear comments from others.
We live, we breathe, and we share our experiences. Some take it upon themselves to vilify the way another rides and some enjoy the comments of others. At the end of the day we take the good and the bad because we all have one thing in common......to ride, for us, is to live. I have mentioned in some of my onsite ramblings that to spend five minutes riding a motorcycle to the edge and in “the zone” means for many that they will have lived more in those five minutes than many would in a whole lifetime doing other things.
One thing I ask as I spread out my motorcycling life before you and as the title says… “My confessions”…please do not do what comes so easily to most of us and that is to judge. My activities will have some of you sharing common experiences and others thinking they have never heard anything so stupid or senseless. I admit that in the heat of the moment there are things that in hindsight I would never have done but at the same time looking back, these have been highlights of my time on the road and the most easily remembered.
We have all been taught about averages. You know all about them but what does make an average? Extremes are what make the average and to many who have ridden with me, they think I may be a little out there and I have met some who will not ride with me. Read my work, digest it. If you have doubts about ever riding I hope my book will either make you want to ride or will put you off for ever. I say this with sincerity as I would never want to be the cause for anyone doing something they felt they had to but didn’t really want to.
There is absolutely no doubt that to the initiated, motorcycling is an inherently dangerous activity. To the uninitiated, their first cause for fear when faced with the opportunity to ride a decent sized motorbike or be a pillion on one, is totally well founded. I have advised my daughter never to ride on anyone else’s bike as a pillion. How conceited is that? She can ride pillion with me but no one else. If you are a rider you will fully understand this comment because as a rider I absolutely detest the thought of being a pillion and those who have had accidents and I have taken them as a pillion home again, have the same revulsion.
Yet, this same girl asks me to ride faster with her on the back than any other person has ever been as a pillion on my bike. How can a person who loves to ride and thrives on high speed not succumb to an invite like that? On a beautiful deserted country road I take my Suzuki GSX1400 up to 235kmh just to fulfil this innocent request and she enjoyed every second of it. That is the effect that speed has when you ride a bike well into triple digit figures.
Before you throw your hands up in the air in horror, speed is something that most motorcyclists become accustomed to very quickly and on a motorbike the sensation of speed becomes less and less the more you ride. Reflexes become very sharp, you learn to read the road way up ahead, to be alert for any change, for any threat, for a shady patch, a dip in the road, a low flying bird and countless other things that at high speed would have you off your bike in a split second.
When you carry a precious cargo such as a pillion, especially your daughter or wife, you are even more alert as it’s no longer just your own life you have to worry about. Getting the 1400 off the clock in excess of 260kmh with her on the bike was simply not an option and the 235kmh we did reach was for only a few seconds.
During the course of this book, I am going to offer safety tips both on equipment, riding and what to look for on a motorbike. My experiences are shared openly that you may learn not to repeat my mistakes and that should you be a rider or expect to become one, you will live long on this earth and remain in good health. As I recount my stories, please do take the opportunity to see where I made my mistakes and what you would have done differently because as you do this, you will become a better rider and certainly become more aware of the issues that face a person who chooses to put their faith in two credit card sized pieces of rubber that meet the Kiwi roads.
While we are on the subject of mortality, it is a known fact that most motorcycle accidents are a result of rider error and the most prevalent cause is overshooting a corner. With that in mind, the following discourse is considered prudent to throw in right here at the beginning to make sure that if you ride exuberantly you will be here to finish this book. Besides, I need you around to write a review on this book once finished.
What do you do when you find yourself going into a corner too hot? This is not a stupid question and the answer is tantamount to a motorcyclist’s survival because road bikes are not designed to go off road at speed without the result being detrimental to the rider in one form or another.
Firstly, we need to look at why we found ourselves in this predicament in the first place because when you start riding and then going a little quicker this will happen to you.
1. Our perception of speed and distance didn't measure up. This comes with experience and time in the saddle.
2. Not familiar with our machine or we upgraded to something faster and more powerful that takes us to the corners way quicker than we are used to.
3. Not familiar with the braking system or the lay of the road.
4. Riding with a group and trying to prove something when in front or trying to keep up when at the back or middle of the group and riding beyond your own abilities. This is known as the “red mist syndrome.”
5. Not being experienced with riding at speed and finding that the faster you go the centrifugal forces increase requiring harder steering inputs to prevent you edging outwards from the turn. It is for many, unbelievable how much more effort is required to get a motorcycle around a sweeper at 250kmh than it is at 120kmh and the bigger the bike the more the effort. It pays to be fit.
There are many reasons, but at some time, even experienced riders are going to enter a corner way to fast, known as going in “too hot” and then it's "Oh S..T." I don't know about you, but I've had plenty of sphincter puckering moments and I believe this is common for many riders who like to push things a little more than you would on a nice quiet Sunday afternoon ride.
So, here you are, blasting along and you come up to what looks like a nice sweeper, you are watching the vanishing point, planning your entry and apex point and it appears you have got it all sorted. You chop down a cog and drop the bike into the corner, only to realise it's one of those nasty decreasing radius type bends that gets tighter and tighter and you are leaned right over by now. The well-known saying that “slow in and fast out” reverberates around your panicked mind but hindsight is a wonderful thing when the world is going pear shaped around you.
For the inexperienced, the first thing they do is panic and have a mental block where their mind tells them they can't lean any further, so they simply don't. Or they stand the bike up and whack the brakes on hard, or they whack the brakes on while cornering to slow down their speed. In the above scenarios, they are going to have a closer look at the scenery than they really intended and in various states of pain in doing so, depending on what panic reaction they took. Hopefully they won’t hit anything hard because that unfortunately does more damage or kills more riders than sliding untold metres down the road in a large piece of thick cow hide. Humans don’t appear to like stopping suddenly against solid objects.
Let’s look at these different panic reactions more closely.
1. Not leaning any further. I honestly believe that it takes around 5000kms of riding any particular bike to know fully what it is capable of and what its limits are and 10,000kms is even better if you like to push the envelope. A bike can lean a lot further than many people think. By not leaning more you will run out of road, hit the gravel and lowside, which of course is a lot better than a high side as long as you disappear into some soft ferns or mud on the roadside. Fences, power poles and other hard objects seem to be somewhat unkind to the human body when it decides to try and pass through them at warp speed.
2. Standing the bike upright and hitting the brakes. This of course will slow down your velocity depending on how much road you have left but your wide open eye balls will still get a very close look at the roadside scenery and will leave your pristine riding gear looking a little worse for wear. Chances are you still might stick your bike into a fence simulating a cheese slicer dispensing with a double cream brie and if you stop suddenly, there's a good chance you might damage your family jewels on the tank or mirrors as you go over the front which isn’t going to bode well for future generations or lack thereof.
3. Using the brakes while cornering which is known as trail braking. This can work depending on your lean angles. If you are near the limit of lean angle for your bike, front braking will wash out the front wheel with a resulting lowside. Rear braking, at or near the limit of lean angle, will high side you more often than not as the rear tyre will slide out and at some stage re-grip as you release the brake in panic, throwing you off the top of the bike. Now, rumour has it that this is the nastiest way to come off the bike as you will be thrown off higher into the air, come down hard and will more than likely bounce and roll a few times. I’ve had first-hand experience of this scenario and believe me, it’s not pleasant. Again, bone and muscle do not take too kindly to this sort of treatment and the faster you go the more detrimental the effect. Also, there is always the chance the bike will bounce and roll as well and try to make contact with you once again which can be quite unpleasant considering most bikes are a lot heavier than you unless you have a penchant for fatty meat pies. Once you come off your bike at speed, it is extremely preferable not to become reacquainted with it again whilst you check out how much friction your leathers create sliding down the road.
So, what do you do then when faced with this situation?
When in the crap and on the limit and nothing can be done with the following tips, it’s always better to bail out on a right hander than a left hander if you ride in New Zealand which of course is the left side of the road. Therefore it is better to leave more of a margin for error on a left hander than a right hander. If you come off on a left hander there is a chance you will become a grill badge on a truck or car or disappear under the same with fatal results. Unfortunately, if you low side on a left hander and disappear under an oncoming vehicle, it is very common to reappear at the other end with less appendages than you started with and that is one of the most negative aspects of having an accident on two wheels.
Obviously it is good to ride on the road with a large margin for safety, but most people on bikes, do tend to ride closer to the limits of their machines than they really should.
Also, many riders go into a sweeper too hot on corners they can't see all the way around so these tips are for those who push the envelope and ride harder than most, but will cover
95% of the problems faced when entering a corner too hot, in the dry and to a lot lesser extent in the wet. In the wet, tolerances are a lot less and things happen a lot more quickly.
1. Don't panic.
2. Your bike will lean a lot further than you think. In fact, find a nice road somewhere safe and practice leaning more and more into the same bend until something touches down or you feel your tyres starting to squirm a bit. A cruiser will touch down a lot earlier than a sports tourer and a sports tourer a lot earlier than a sports bike. You will then know exactly how far you can go and will be very surprised at the amount of grip modern motorcycle tyres afford. So, here you are going into the corner way too hot; just push the inner handle bar forward a bit more to drop the bike down even further and you can do this as often as necessary in a corner. It's called counter steering and is a life saver when extra lean is required quickly or when you need to make adjustments to your riding line mid corner.
3. Right, you haven't panicked and you have counter steered but now things are touching down a little or you are getting close to maximum lean angles. The foot peg may be bouncing under your feet as it scrapes the pavement. Remember that if you are on maximum lean for your bike, you are at its cornering limits and any use of the brakes is going to take you out at that moment. If you are not at full lean for your machine, you can brake “slightly” with the front brake to bleed off speed. In a corner on most sports bikes, the weight is more on the front tyre than the rear until you reach the point of acceleration. If you use the rear brake at maximum lean your rear will slide out and chances are you will high side should you release the brake again and low side if you don’t release the brake.
A point to note: Normally the use of braking when cornering will have the effect of standing the bike up depending on how hard you brake and you will need to counteract this with a little more counter steering by pushing the inner bar forwards slightly to compensate.
4. You can use a lot of braking into a corner but must remember that as your lean angle increases into the corner; your braking force must decrease correspondingly. i.e. You are at 60% of maximum lean for your bike, then you can use up to 40% braking or you will exceed the forces being applied to your tyres and it's all over.
5. When coming into the corner and late braking, it is easy to lock up the front tyre and wash out the front as you enter the corner. Do not slam the brakes on hard entering a corner. When using the throttle on a bike under acceleration or maintaining speed, the weight is more on the rear tyre than the front. If you hit the front brakes hard, the weight has not transferred to the front quick enough and you 'beat" the weight transfer to the front thereby locking the front tyre. The best method is to use a little rear brake to start the weight transfer to the front tyre and then progressively apply the front to maximise braking into the corner. On most modern sports bikes, once the weight transfer has occurred, the rear brake has minimal braking force and virtually none when using the front brake hard.
If, you are at maximum lean, you can't brake and there is not a lot you can do. You are well past your safety margin and if the corner is still tightening up, you have to bail in this instance. Always go for a lowside and get away from the bike. You will slow a lot quicker on your own and the bike will always slide further.
With this knowledge under your belt, in the following chapters we will now delve a little deeper into my history and why I was bitten by the motorcycling bug.
~*~
Quote by “Terbang” (who rode a Suzuki Hyabusa) on a controversial video I uploaded.
“Ridden with Paul on many an occasion, bloody smooth rider who rides well within his own limits. Very nice to watch indeed. Like all of us, he risks life and limb by just getting out of bed in the morning, but that’s where it stops and I have had many conversations with him about riding safety in general. His views are sound and what you are seeing is a thinking rider who is very aware of his threats and manages his errors. I like the video; it’s a spectacular exposition of the GSX1400 on some of our roads around here. I instantly recognize Pauls riding style too.”
Chapter Two
Two Great Rides
Join me as the rubber hits the road.
It's a beautiful day, the warmth of the sun caresses your leathers and the smell of the countryside wafts past your senses. You feel alive as you pass through the countryside and are fully aware of everything taking place around you.
You're about to enter a well-known set of corners and the anticipation builds as you prepare to work as one with your machine. Over a hundred horsepower are ready to do your bidding through the simple twist of a wrist and a basic wire harnesses them all. You approach the first corner, push the inside bar a little and drop your inside shoulder as you start to lean the machine over. The horizon line tilts to 45 degrees and you compensate to keep your head horizontal so your brain and sight can make the necessary computations.
Your inside boot dances as the foot peg feeler bolt brushes the asphalt. You already know the apex point on this well ridden road and as you pass that point your wrist slowly twists the throttle and you begin to unleash all those horses once more. The rear wheel momentarily breaks loose and you throttle off a fraction to enable that rear hoop to dig in and thrust you out of the corner into the next one. The sheer thrill of raw power has your senses on full alert as you use two fingers on the front brake lever to bleed off speed before dropping the bike into the next bend.
This time a shiny tar patch, causes you to change your line through the next known apex point and you end up sweeping a little wider than normal for that corner. You already know your bike can lean a lot more than that as you correct the line and drop her in harder than before. A more aggressive push on the inside bar, some more upper body weight off to the inside of the bike and once again you sweep through the apex and twist that throttle again.
The exhaust howls with that low down torque coming on song and the wind snatches at the more exposed parts of your riding gear as the rear wheel once again hooks up and thrusts you forwards. At times, the road surface has changed from the last time you were through here and every now again the rear lets go as you apply more fodder to those horses. A simple, gradual decrease in throttle input has you holding the line so as not to high side through suddenly throttling off and the buzz of the ride has your full concentration.
I ride because I want to. I don't need my bike to commute or as a necessary tool for my work or business. I own it because whenever I feel like it, I can leave the stress and cares of this world behind and every thought is simply one of taking that next corner with the best line, the perfect throttle position, the feel of that power throbbing between your knees and working as one with a machine you have gotten to know inside and out. I come alive when the rubber hits the road and the ideal place for that to happen is the Coromandel Loop.
If you are a Kiwi and have ridden the Coromandel loop either as the figure eight run or straight loop, you will know exactly what I’m talking about in this chapter. If you are overseas, have never ridden it or don’t even know where it is, drop into Google Maps and put in a search for Coromandel Peninsula, zoom in and even go to geographic- satellite mode and you will relive one of the best motorcycling roads in this country. The Google eye view will show you the corners but not the up and down countryside which leads to a most rewarding ride.
The Coromandel loop is a very technical road and demands respect from every rider. It is responsible for more motorcycling deaths and more accidents than any other road in this country but ridden once, it will beckon you over and over again. I’ve actually lost count of the times I’ve ridden this awesome piece of roadway but it would have to be easily over thirty times now.
It doesn’t matter how you approach the Coromandel. You can go for a Sunday pootle or do a quick run with a few mates, or go on a big group ride. For me, I can’t stand anyone in front because it means the tank on my GSX1400 starts to take on the look of someone having a close range pot shots with a Mossberg 12 gauge pump action shot gun. Sports bikes in front with soft tyre compounds have an affinity for loose stones that attach themselves to the tyres and fires them back at you which unfortunately does not bode well for nicely painted motorcycle tanks. I’ve also had a rider in front decide that throwing up a large stone at speed would be a good test for my padded Spidi race gloves but still ended up breaking a knuckle in the early stages of a long ride. Therefore for me, it’s best to get out front and stay there but this is not easily achieved on what is considered a large sports tourer when most people I have ridden with prefer sports bikes, whatever the capacity. It does make for a good challenge at times when a large cross section of riders show up with the latest hardware and gear but also the ability to match. There are times I actually have to let my tank take a good beating.
This tactic can result in setting a higher pace than you generally prefer to ride at but also makes for a very exciting journey, cutting down standard Coromandel loop times to a few hours, rather than a good part of the day. It does have the side effect of the Coromandel loop being called the Coro GP which has the local constabulary out in force especially in the weekends. Because of these negative connotations and the fact that the 1400 is only idling at anything less than 120kmh, the use of a top of the line Beltronics Radar detector is probably a good piece of kit to have on your bike, complete with the LED light emitter in your field of vision because at speed you just don’t hear it going off. Should the light go off even when the upholders of the law use instant on radar, you get plenty of warning and have the time to decide if you want to face the music or continue on at a quicker pace than before to ensure you don’t face a long walk home. I’ve chosen the latter course of action on a few occasions for obvious reasons but don’t advocate this practice unless you have a full tank of gas and a little experience in moving quickly when necessary. If you do like the look of a mobile disco unit in your rear view mirrors than it’s certainly worth the effort.
So with that in mind another day dawns and the patter of rain on the roof would seem to suggest, that what is known amongst bikers as the CoroGP, would probably be best left for another day. Yet, the hunger for a decent ride with fellow bikers has you climbing out of bed earlier to look at the weather forecast and wishfully think the rain and clouds away. Despite the patchy drizzle, it still looks like it might be a goer. You know the tyres you currently have on your bike are crap in the wet, but the road calls and your bike sits patiently in the garage waiting for you to enjoy its attributes.
And so, a couple of hours later, you are well into the Coro GP with another forty or so machines all enjoying the feeling of freedom and camaraderie that only those who ride would know. You have told yourself yet again, that you will not exceed 140kmh and that you will ride carefully and generally behave because once 40kmh over the speed limit you can forfeit your machine for thirty days and end up walking home with the loss of your licence. Of course you have already broken the first promise before getting half an hour into the ride. All the best of intentions dissolve as the throttle hand helps pour liquid fire into the bowels of your engine to feed the horses that are so willing to thrust you forward and satiate that desire for power and speed.
Another town disappears behind you and you tell yourself again, to slow down or you'll be helping to pay for the current Prime Ministers next first class trip to wherever. Then a Yellow and Black GSXR 750 screams past ridden by a gentleman I’ve ridden with many times. Its exhaust note mingles with your own, producing some curious harmonics. Let the game begin.
The executives at Mobil rub their corporate hands in glee as your throttle is pinned. As you crest a rise above the valley, the views are sensational but never register in your mind as your eyes are focussed on the winding asphalt snake before you. Keeping the GSXR 750 in view and your 1400 on the road is now consuming your entire concentration. Your foot executes fluid gear changes and you are constantly scanning ahead for hazards and choosing the best line for your heavy bike. On the odd straight you approach speeds that the chief executives at BMW designated as being the safety limit for their vehicles in order to satisfy the politicians and the politically correct.
Large insects dissipate into blobs of jelly as they end their lives on your helmet visor and leathers and you are now in the groove. Mentally, physically and almost spiritually, you are now one with your machine. You flow from one corner into the next. Braking hard, off with the brakes, maintaining corner speed and then on with the throttle slowly to ensure the credit card sized contact patch is kept in touch with the road. Onto the short straights and the throttle is pinned again with the next gear selected when torque and horsepower hits the peak.
The scrape of metal on road lets you know that on many corners, the signs of your passing are being recorded, as fragments of Japanese alloy paint the Kiwi seal. You know you are riding your bike at way past its design limits and you also know that there is no way you are going to catch that particular rider on that particular bike, but it's so much fun trying and so rewarding to ride a large sports tourer to the edge, within your own known safety margin.
Your tank is refilled with Arabs delight at the next stop and a real twisty piece of road is before you. It's always difficult to overtake in the twisties. Extra care has to be taken and the timing has to be perfect. A moment’s hesitation on the part of the other rider, a wrong line, braking slightly earlier into a corner, throttling out a little late, all give small windows of opportunity and choosing that moment makes it all so much fun.
Then, there are the reminders of our mortality and our fallibility. The steeds we ride will seldom let us down and they don't make mistakes, but those that sit astride them are made of flesh and blood and fixing them is not a one day panel and paint. Those that enjoy the thrill of the chase are still mortals and errors are still made. Too much brake, too much throttle, too much lean, a little gravel, a damp patch, a stopped car around the corner.
The Coro GP has had many a casualty and in my time I have seen some bad and some lucky and yet we keep coming back time and time again for more.
Why? Because we all live, breathe and yes, one day we will all die. As I and others have said before, a biker can live more in five minutes than some people will live in a lifetime. Five minutes of full concentration and "in the Zone" on the Coro GP is enough to make you come back again and again. Yes, it’s addictive and the attraction is as strong as positive is to negative.
The scenery is some of the best in the world but when you are one with your bike and moving a lot quicker than the recommended limits, you cease to be a tourist and have become a rider of the Coro GP.
For those who are thinking about riding this awesome road, the normal route is starting at Kopu just south of Thames on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. You then head over the ranges on highway 25A to Hikuia. This is full of tight twisties, open sweepers and some really high speed straights and is in itself an amazing ride. The big downhill and uphill dip on the East side of the range is an ideal spot to blow off some cobwebs but you have to be sure there are no colourful marked cars or unmarked cars in the layby down the bottom on the left side. From Hikuia to Tairua heading north on the east coast, there are nice open sweepers and plenty of straights with some odd kinks in the road. If you like to get some air under your trusty steed, the bridge at Hikuia needs to be taken in excess of 170kmh but the next bridge further north is a one lane affair and it’s actually prudent not to try and take that without slowing down to ensure no one else is occupying the narrow space. There really is not enough room on this bridge for two vehicles at once even though your profile is a lot narrower than most.
If you have come from Auckland, Tairua is a good place to tank up and prepare for the twisty sections ahead. Coromandel town ship is a good place for a feed with some cafes and a restaurant known as the Peppertree who cook a nice dish of mussels along with a good selection of other delectable delights. It’s not a good idea to wait until Coromandel town ship to tank up with gas as it’s a little off the beaten track and unless you are desperate and are sure of a lottery win, the gas prices are a lot dearer here than anywhere else. You will definitely feel ripped off and the stuff that feeds your engine literally becomes liquid gold.
From Tairua you head north again to a small tavern known as the Coroglen. Depending on which route you take and which direction, the Coroglen is my preference for a good feed at a good price and when on a large group ride I’ve always given them a heads up so they can get extra staff to prepare for the sudden influx of up to a hundred riders or more. Their scallop burgers are to die for and any of their burgers would make the best burger at MacDonald’s ashamed of themselves. The Coroglen is reached via some tight twisties and 35km hour corners, some very technical bends and open sweepers with some very fast sections thrown in for good measure. Any of the sections on the Coromandel loop are a thrilling ride on their own but put all together make for a demanding, satisfying ride.
With a scallop burger and some fries keeping the growing tapeworm at bay, it’s time to head north again towards Whitianga which is off the main road and a place you visit if you get too excited with the ride and forget to top up your bike with gas at Tairua.
From Whitianga you head north towards Kuaotunu which is an awesome golden sandy, north facing beach renowned for its body surfing but with breakers that dump you hard on the sand. The road from Whitianga has many tight turns, hairpin bends and close quarter twists but on a heavy sports tourer with wide bars and an upright stance, using your body a lot can get you through them surprisingly quick. In fact the GSX1400 excels in this environment even under heavy braking into downhill bends. On these roads there is no room for error unless you want to perforate the radiator of an oncoming vehicle, bounce of their hood or park your bike in the tree tops on the steep drop offs.
The next section is actually my most favourite piece of road from Kuaotunu to Coromandel over what is known as the Coro hill. Initially you travel along the coast, then head onto long sweeping roads with uphill and downhill sections and the odd tight corner thrown in. There are some places where the 1400 is comfortable going off the clock but once at the foothills of the range the real fun begins. The road is formed well with a nice hot mix seal which is as smooth as some of the best race tracks in the world. The entire run is very tight and it’s just an awesome experience throwing your machine from one side to another, picking the best entry point, getting the apex perfect to choose the best corner exit. This is a section of road you just want to ride over and over again and if you are one of those riders that like to get your knee caps on the pavement, then this is just ideal.
You do need to watch for falling debris from the steep hillsides, the odd small rivulet that covers the road in water and take extra care when wet but this section of road would be as addictive as any highly rated road in the world. If you take time, the views are stunning but for me, it’s all about the ride and achieving cornering perfection making sure I lean off the bike enough to prevent some real hard pieces touching down. This is an issue on such a bike and I have worn away the exhaust header clamps under the engine where they meet the exhaust pipes, have worn away countless foot peg feeler bolts and even the bolts on the bottom of the engine cases. I’ve had the main stand touch down so hard on a right hander that’s it’s thrown my rear wheel out by a good half a metre but being a heavy bike, it just gives a good waggle and continues on with some minor inputs to stop you cruising into the Armco.
From Coromandel, the road down the west coast is also a great run over the Manaia hill and then down to the coastal run all the way back to Thames. The road along the coast can be very narrow in places with some very tight bends and you need to be careful for trucks, camper vans, caravans and boats on trailers coming the other way. Once again these vehicles seem to prefer your side of the road on corners and this can make for a ride full of surprises. Keep your wits about you, don’t panic and be prepared to counter steer when necessary and you will make it back to Kopu easy enough.
The figure eight option on the Coromandel run can be an all-day affair if you stop regularly for gas and snacks but if you want an all-out fast ride it can be done in a reasonable time having you back in Auckland to put on a barbecue for friends. This run has you starting in Paeroa further south from Kopu through the Karangahake Gorge to Waihi. From Waihi you head north to Whangamata and after you cover the first section of nice straights and fast sweepers you are into the tight stuff again and this part of the run is a lot of fun. This can be a busy piece of road and a lot of concentration is required to pick the best lines. Other road users coming from the opposite direction seem to prefer your side of the road on the sharp bends so be mindful of this to save your skin with split second changes in direction as required.
From Whangamata you head north to the Kopu to Hikuia highway. This stretch of road is another awesome run and can be taken at speed if you know your stuff. Sadly it has been the demise of several good people, two being professional riders I’ve had the privilege of sharing rides with and road side crosses mark the spot they ended their lives in December 06. Both loved this section of road and it still haunts me that these two guys who also raced on the track ended their lives in a head on with each other during a large group ride.
To form the true figure eight you don’t head up the same way as the normal Coromandel run near Hikuia but turn left and head to Kopu and from there to Thames. You then work your way around Coromandel peninsula using the same route described earlier except in reverse. This entire figure eight makes for a great day ride and depending on when your better half expects you home, can be taken slowly with plenty of stops or going rather quickly and stopping only for gas and a quick bite. I generally have a busy social life and as much as I would love to stay and share experiences with fellow riders, more often than not, my rides are undertaken at more than a reasonable pace for most. When riding on my own I move quicker than other times as there is no one else to worry about and you can concentrate fully on the ride, stopping only to fill the bike with gas and keeping hydrated.
I mention a second good run in this chapter title. This is the notorious Highway 22 that runs west of the main highway down the North Island and has many offshoots and back roads heading off in most directions enabling a choice of roads and times of travel. Normally you join this road by heading south through Tuakau and crossing over the Waikato River and passing through Pukekawa. You can choose to head into Ngaruawahia, head west up the river and back to Highway 22 via Hetherington Road or travel on for lunch to Raglan via a road that used to be unsealed but is now sealed.
Any of the routes through this part of the country will have you revelling in roads that are quick, steep, up and down, left and right and will give you and your bike a real good workout. For an even longer run you can head for Kawhia for lunch which is also another road designed for releasing the cornering capabilities of your bike.
Like any country road you have to be aware of the copious amounts of residue left behind by farmers herding their cattle, which can make for some interesting acrobatics using your legs for balancing poles when you hit this stuff with a good amount of lean. Watching others try the same manoeuvres can make for a real good laugh so long as people don’t actually get a closer look at the stinky stuff. Worse still, is rounding a corner with your pegs bouncing on the ground and discovering that the aforementioned farmer actually forgot to herd some cattle into a safe paddock somewhere. These large, mobile fillet steaks, take a little bit of dodging because they become somewhat unpredictable when faced suddenly by a fast moving noisy contraption that puts them immediately on edge. In the past I have had quite a few occasions where I have nearly draped myself over a decent set of horns but thankfully haven’t felt the need to hand my leathers over to any of the creatures that created them.
I distinctly remember a ride down Highway 22 in one of the narrow tight sections through the bottom of a valley when I had just overtaken a four wheel drive and was entering a right hander at 130kmh. Right on my apex line, hidden by a slight raised section of the road, was a small spring that had broken through the asphalt and had dispensed a lovely layer of slippery clay across the road. Once again, the human mind along with experience comes into its own and you know exactly what is going to happen. I have a good lean on at this point and immediately push the bars to momentarily stand the bike up but hit this wet section with a little bit of lean that causes the rear wheel to shoot out to the left. I thank God that on this occasion I had Pirelli Angel ST’s fitted which is a softer compound than I normally use on this bike.
I knew that as soon as that rear tyre hit the dry again, it would re-grip the road hard and throw me off the top in a typical high side. I gripped the tank with my knees as hard as I could, grabbed the bars with both hands and clenched tightly as the rear tyre did exactly what I had expected. The softer compound rear tyre howled in my ears for what seemed like ages and then the wrench came as the tyre finally bit in. I was nearly thrown off the bike and my grip on the bars was nearly lost but I managed to stay on board. I was heading for the fence and quickly threw the bike back into the corner and made it out the other side. In my rear view mirrors I could see a large cloud of blue smoke from the burning rubber and both rear view mirrors were now upside down from the sudden force. You really need to be prepared for anything on these roads.
For those who live overseas and may think of travelling some of these routes, you need to be aware that in New Zealand, we have little furry tree creatures that are protected in Australia but are a pest in this country. These Opossums known here as “Possums,” number approximately a hundred million, which is a lot of critters when you consider our entire population is four million people. These pests have a habit of creeping around the countryside at night time decimating our native forests and fruit trees and seem to like warm country roads, especially in winter. Once caught in your headlights, they normally freeze instantly or some decide to try and run off. Second guessing their escape route when you get one that doesn’t freeze can be a little like Russian roulette. Be warned, you don’t really want to hit one at speed on a motorbike because the full grown ones are very solid and are a bit like hitting a rock.
A common practice in this country is to try and run them over when in a normal vehicle but the result for daytime riders, is that in some parts of the country the roads can be interspersed with a lot of these parcels of squishy Possum substance and many look like they have been turned inside out. They don’t look very cute anymore in this state and are best avoided, especially on corners for obvious reasons and if you do have a habit of getting your knee down on corners, collecting one of these really dead parcels with your kneecap can be catastrophic and somewhat messy. Should you require an ambulance after a knee down altercation with one of these parcels, the medics may have a hard time deciding what parts are yours and what parts are the Possums especially if you happen to have very hairy legs under your leathers.
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Quote:
“Swanman Fraser” riding a Yamaha FZY1000 on the Coromandel Loop.
By the way Paul (1400 Suzuki) you are a borderline nutter.
“2Much”riding a K3 Suzuki GSXR1000
Yep, I'll second that.
“R6 kid” riding a Yamaha R6: “Motoracer” equals a crazy young man
Paul equals a crazy old man.