KIWIRIDER ZINE

THE LAST DAY - RIDE TO RAETIHI

2013-04-08T12:23:00.000+12:00

By Robert C On the last day of daylight saving I headed up the Para Paras from Wanganui to Raetihi for a cuppa and to log some miles on the BSA Lightning during the running in phaze for the recon motor. This road gets scoffed at a bit by some riders but I find the power characteristics of a classic twin, and its nimble handling suits the road great. I first headed up this road at Easter 1973

GASTROMRIDER AND L'ART'E

2013-04-01T19:56:00.000+13:00

A couple of days r&r works wonders for the soul and this little gem of a place was well worth stopping into on our journey home. The food is great and the surroundings are unique. It is that good i would put it in the top 5 places that ive visited on a motorbike. If your from Taupo you will already know of it's existence. If you're not from these parts you owe it to yourself to check them out.

GASTROMRIDER'S ADVENTURE

2013-04-01T14:46:00.000+13:00

An invite to the wife to tag along on an adventure to Taupo was supposed to be a leisurely way to spend the easter holiday break.Taking the long way down brought new meaning to the phrase when upon stopping for a break just north of Waingaro the bike decided it didn't want to go any further. A flat battery was the culprit and after an unsuccessful attempt at crash starting,it was decided that we

NORTH ISLAND MOTO TRIALS @ KAPITI

2013-02-26T15:20:00.004+13:00

Adrian Walcroft in action going through Section 2 on Sunday Feb 24th at the Ixion Motorcycle Club hosted North Island Moto Trials Championship. Adrian (Beta) was third in the Clubmans on Saturday and second on the Sunday. Round 1 was held on the Saturday and the second on Sunday on an interesting and challenging property. The steep incline on Section 12 was not to everyone's liking. Warren

GASTROMRIDER AND OPONONI

2013-02-02T23:55:00.000+13:00

Just had to get back up here. It's my happy place. The roads are never congested and the pace of life is a lot less rushed. The locals are a friendly bunch, and the ride is just superb.

GASTROMRIDER AND NIKAU

2013-02-02T23:47:00.000+13:00

Christmas holidays found the Ed and i going for a cruise down to the waikato. If glow worms are your thing this place has plenty.If your like us and just need to blow away the cobwebs of 2012 this is a great little ride out to a great little cafe

SUPERBIKE CHAMPS GETTING RED HOT

2013-01-18T13:06:00.000+13:00

The New Zealand Superbike Championship is heating up as it moves to Invercargill’s Teretonga circuit this weekend, with at least three riders expected to be fighting for the lead. Australian Robbie Bugden, the reigning champion, had looked set for a straightforward ride to his fifth title in the absence of perennial rival Andrew Stroud, the Hamilton racer out with a broken collarbone. But other

TUSSOCK ADVENTURE JANUARY 2013

2013-01-17T12:13:00.000+13:00

Last week I was on the Tussock Adventure ride down in Waiouru. What a fantastic three days of off road riding. All of them a challenge. Of particular regret on the third day I fell off in the sand, and wrenched my ankle putting an end to the 'adventure' and the next three days of riding at the BMW Rally in National Park! Instead of exploring on my bike, I was hobbling down corridors at the

GASTROMRIDER AND KOHU ROAD

2012-11-04T14:21:00.001+13:00

Kohu Road Icecream..... As the name suggests Kohu road icecream is located no where near Kohu Road. In actual fact the factory is located at 44 Portage Road New Lynn Auckland and that is where you will find their cafe, at the factory. I discovered this place on labour weekend, choosing to keep off the main highways for the long weekend and just chill in the big smoke for a change. What a great

GASTROMRIDER AND THE SCALLOP FEST

2012-11-04T14:04:00.000+13:00

Destination Whitianga and a feed of scallops was on the menu. This festival is held every year and coincides with the opening of the scallop season. If crowds aren't your thing then it probably isn't for you. The roads to Whitianga are just fab if your on a bike, but the weather for this trip looked a bit doubtful and i didn't come across another rider all day. The crowd was what gave this

GASTROMRIDER AND THE BAKERY

2012-11-04T13:50:00.000+13:00

Here is a pitstop worth a mention . Kaiwaka aint famous for much, except probably for the fact that it's the last stop for cheese when you're heading North on Sh1. But things are a changing and the italian bakery just as you come into town is a must stop, if not for a pie then some artisan bread or maybe that fresh cream doughnut and a coffee.If you've been traveling North from Auckland ,

BARRY SHEENE NEWS - MIKE PERO TZ350

2012-10-08T21:19:00.002+13:00

For news and background stories on the Barry Sheene Trans Tasman Festival Challenge event for Labour Weekend at Hampton Downs go to www.barrysheenetranstasman.co.nz. The 30 Australian entries will be joined by 200 Kiwi riders on a total of 330 race machines entered. Here is a photo of one that's just come in showing the great standard of machine presentation. Multiple NZ Production and Road

TWINSHOCK TRIAL HEAVEN

2012-09-30T23:03:00.003+13:00

There are some places you ride that are special and if you were given the chance to have one last ride before you head off into the big sky for that special highway, we all have one place. Today my friend Alan and I talked about a paradise property we would love to live on and ride bikes on every day and as I write this, it wouldn't be a race circuit, a high speed sweeper or a favourite S bend.

ADVENTURE RIDER BASIC TRAINING

2012-07-24T14:19:00.001+12:00

Last Saturday the Northern Gravel Adventure Riders NZ organised a basic training course for adventure riding in Riverhead Forest. About 19 people attended, about half of these were the bigger BMW/KTM/V Strom style bikes. John G and Jim D ran the training and with such a wide range of abilities, they stuck to the basics; slow riding around cones, standing and sitting positions, weighting the

GASTROMRIDER AND A GRAND FINALE

2012-07-19T12:42:00.001+12:00

The meeting place was the Billfish cafe in Auckland. The occasion? The end of the Gastromriders Challenge and it was time to announce a winner.

GASTROMRIDER AND THE BREW

2012-07-17T19:33:00.002+12:00

The Kopu bridge was a stop I made .... not because I had to, like a few summers ago. No, it was to check out the new bridge, and looking at the old bridge, it's a wonder any of us made it to our holidays. A little reminiscing and it was on to Thames for lunch.

GASTROMRIDER AND BOSCO

2012-07-17T19:28:00.002+12:00

Ive been flat out getting about on the bike checking out great places to go for a ride and as many a north islander will tell you Bosco in Te kuiti is well worth a stop off to fuel the fire inside on a cold winters day.

TRIALS BIKE STOLEN

2012-06-20T10:50:00.001+12:00

The Yamaha TY250A twinshock trials bike pictured here was stolen in Wanganui during the Rugby Test on the weekend. Its a very distinctive machine and one of only four in use in trials in the lower North Island. The single dad owner spent a lot of time and money restoring the bike and recently completed in 3 rounds of the Belray Oils Twinshock Autumn series and won the B Class in the final event

THE PIZZA BARN WAIPU

2012-06-12T17:56:00.002+12:00

A quick blast north along the coast found me stopping at the pizza barn in Waipu. It was lucky for me that I chose to call in here when I did as it was the last weekend before they had a well deserved month off, after working hard all summer long. This is a legendary place to stop off for a pizza and taking the coast road from mangawhai is always going to put a smile on the dial

TWINSHOCK TRIAL SERIES FINAL ROUND

2012-06-11T14:36:00.003+12:00

Glen Bullock (Expert Grade) watched by brother Ivan on another Honda TLR200 with Karl and Seton Brown on their TY Yamahas looking on. Earlier in the day efforts to solve an ignition or fuel problem on Charlie Bilby's TY175 proved to be elusive so as he said, 'I will just wander around and watch the guys and learn'. Charlie is better known as a Post Classic sidecar swinger on Moto Guzzi

THE ELEPHANT RUN

2012-06-09T13:58:00.002+12:00

A trip around the Waikato and a stop for a natter with a few fellow bikers was all the excuse I needed to get the bike out of the shed. The added bonus here was the prizes dealt out just for taking part, thanks to Forbes and Davies.

TRANZ ALPINE SCOOTER SAFARI

2012-06-01T22:01:00.000+12:00

By Hanne Ready to rumble (or putt, as the case may be) What do Batman, the Red Baron and Where’s Wally have in common? 50cc scooters and the absurd urge to ride said machines coast to coast over Arthur’s pass. They were but 3 of the over 300 characters who took part in last weekend’s Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari. The Scooter Safari was started in 2009 by Jayne and Mike Rattray after a

NEW RIDER WINS AT HALCOMBE

2012-05-28T12:33:00.000+12:00

Photo of the Day from Tiffany Cochrane - John Cameron on the Honda TL200 In his first twinshock outing, and first time on a motorcycle in 3 years, John Cameron of Marton rode very, very well on a borrowed machine. He used to own and ride a Honda TLR200 in his younger days and this bikes owner Merv George who shared his mount said after the day, 'perhaps you should try the expert grade next

BELRAY TWINSHOCK TRIALS ROUND 4

2012-05-28T12:17:00.000+12:00

Photo by Tiffany Cochrane - Riders at Round 4 at Halcombe on Sunday May 27th. With a storm coming with heavy rain on the horizon we had to get the trial underway pretty smartly so at 10.30am in clear sunny skies a dozen riders took up the challenges laid out by Merv George the previous afternoon. As it was nearing dark and he was using 2 parts of the farm being a good keen man Merv gave us 2

RUFFING IT AT PIHA

2012-05-07T18:28:00.002+12:00

It was time to put the old saddle bags to rest and test out a new set of luggage kindly donated by Forbes and Davies, the NewZealand importers of the Bagster range of motorcycle luggage. What better way to test them out ..... load them with enough stuff to survive for a month and head off for an overnighter to Piha Beach.