[Geoff]

For all the non-Kiwis on this forum, you might be interested in what it's like to ride in NZ as I've uploaded a whole load of photos of a recent 2000 km short tour to my blog with a bit of narrative.

There's nothing like NZ's south island for touring by bike but some mates and I were due to attend a conference in the lower north island late last month and decided to turn it into a tour of some of the north island's back roads whilst we were at it. I haven't toured for over 5 years and it was genuinely good for the soul. We had an absolute ball and were amazed just how little traffic there was on the roads in late summer if you pick the route with a bit of care. We also met some awesome people all the way round, from gas station attendants to cafe and motel staff and so on.

https://geoffjames.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-green-badge-tour-part-1.html

https://geoffjames.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-green-badge-tour-pt-2.html

https://geoffjames.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-green-badge-tour-pt3.html

My Duke 790 turned out to be a really competent touring machine, travelling light. Have owned it for just on a year and it's turned out to be the perfect choice for this old fella - makes me laugh every time I throw a leg over it!

Cheers,

Geoff

 

[YoungLion]

Great job on all 3 parts Geoff - easy writing style and other than my fumbling to understand some Kiwi phrases it was an enjoyable read - you boys know how to tour!

 

[Geoff]

Great job on all 3 parts Geoff - easy writing style and other than my fumbling to understand some Kiwi phrases it was an enjoyable read - you boys know how to tour!

Thanks YL, it was great that the conference fitted in nicely. Next year, it's in the south island so I think a lengthy tour down south has to be on the cards before I get too old! :grin:

 

[airfingy]

Looks like you had fun.

 

[Geoff]

Looks like you had fun.

Sure did! NZ is a fantastic place to ride motorcycles. Small population, not much traffic and plenty of twisty roads :grin:

 

[Booney]

Hi Geoff
Love NZ, especially the North Island. We were back packing/woofing there back in the mid nineties and had a whale of a time! Many fond memories and we met the nicest people too.
And John Britten what a man and what a bike - the story just took our breath away!
All the best
B

 

[Geoff]

Hi Booney,
Glad you enjoyed your time in NZ. One of my friends here on the Coromandel Peninsula has woofers on his organic farm. I've seen the Britten race on many occasions including earlier this year. You can actually stay at John Britten's amazing house as part of it is open for bed and breakfast. A friend has stayed there and it has a lot of memorabilia of John.
Thanks for your reply!

 

[Steve Davison]

Great write up and pics, Geoff. NZ looks beautiful.
Steve

 

[Geoff]

Great write up and pics, Geoff. NZ looks beautiful.
Steve

Thanks Steve - not as spectacular as your Spanish tour, that was sensational! I trust that the 790 behaved itself?

Take good care of yourself and your family with C-19. From what I read, it's hard to tell whether the UK authorities have really got a handle on it. Very much relieved that it's about 80-odd days since NZ had any community transmission.

 

[Steve Davison]

Hi Geoff,
The trip to Spain was good but as you know I've followed your exploits from Coromandel for a while now and it's obvious you have a beautiful country to ride your Duke in. One of the things I took from my own trip was the total lack of traffic which makes things a whole lot more relaxed, and I'm sure you'd agree on that point from your own experiences.

Yes,it did. Have had a couple of oil leak issues lately but no issue on the trip (and my dealer just fixed them free of charge) so all good. The engine was superb on those roads. Just perfect amount of power for an old-timer like me.

They tell you they have a handle on it but when you read we have the 3rd highest death toll in the world then you have to wonder . We just seemed (and sill are) so slow to react to everything. Example: back from my trip and whether you agree with the merits of face masks or not they have only just made an actual decision. Face masks were a matter of course in Spain and the people policed themselves with everyone respectful of each other. Of course, this was out in the country so can't comment on big city living.

Keep up the great work.

 

[Geoff]

Hi Geoff,
The trip to Spain was good but as you know I've followed your exploits from Coromandel for a while now and it's obvious you have a beautiful country to ride your Duke in. One of the things I took from my own trip was the total lack of traffic which makes things a whole lot more relaxed, and I'm sure you'd agree on that point from your own experiences.

Yes,it did. Have had a couple of oil leak issues lately but no issue on the trip (and my dealer just fixed them free of charge) so all good. The engine was superb on those roads. Just perfect amount of power for an old-timer like me.

They tell you they have a handle on it but when you read we have the 3rd highest death toll in the world then you have to wonder . We just seemed (and sill are) so slow to react to everything. Example: back from my trip and whether you agree with the merits of face masks or not they have only just made an actual decision. Face masks were a matter of course in Spain and the people policed themselves with everyone respectful of each other. Of course, this was out in the country so can't comment on big city living.

Keep up the great work.

Hi Steve,
I noticed the absence of traffic in your photos and didn't know whether it was C-19 influenced, time of day or the fact you were patient with your shots! Yep, we're fortunate in that respect with under 5M people and an area roughly the size of the UK. Kiwis were pretty diligent in lockdown which is why we have minimal restrictions in the country now.

Reliability-wise, mine has been good too. I have a very small weep from the cam box gasket which I've sealed externally (and fairly tidily) until a service where clearances need to be checked. Apart from that, I just get on and ride it!

Take care....

 

[Essie]

Wonderful! A great read and pics.
I'm all nostalgic now.
10 years ago I went 2-up with my ex and did mainly the SI over a couple of laps and crossings , having shipped the ZX7 to ChCh. It was Hubby's 2nd or 3rd trip by then, so he was a bit more conversant with the roads. We experienced the very best; and the very worst of weather. My main takeaway back then was that, as Kiwis who moved to Oz 20+ years earlier, we really should have explored more before moving away. Of course in Rogernomics times, we were some of a great many who couldn't have afforded to anyway, but I digress.
A few years later, we did the NI, but rather than going 2-up, I borrowed my dad's 1985 GPZ550 while hubby shipped his ZX9, leaving my SV650 at home. Again the best and worst weather, and again, a fabulous trip from one end of the island to the other, including a renaming of the elder Kwakka 'Ol' Masport', thanks to a separation of a manifold which we couldn't quite seal back up on the road.
Thanks 🙂🙂🙂

 

[Geoff]

Wonderful! A great read and pics.
I'm all nostalgic now.

Hi Essie, many thanks for the kind words! Over the years, I've toured in NZ quite a bit and as a motorcycle destination, it takes a lot of beating. It wasn't really a tour as such but one of the most challenging rides I did was in 2006. It was called the Southern Cross endurance ride and and we had to log in at checkpoints at the compass extremes of both islands - over 4500 km in 5 days. More like low flying on my Honda Blackbird than touring but it was a wonderful experience.

Some Aussie friends toured NZ in 2014 (South Island) and 2017 (North Island) and it was interesting to read the blog from an overseas perspective. You might be interested as they took great photos: New Zealand - Day 1 and New Zealand - Day 1 Auckland to Rotorua .

Safe travels!

Geoff

 

[Essie]

Fantastic! I'd love to get another trip in before I can't ignore the decrepitude any more.

 

[Hawkerjet]

Great post Geoff. Wonderful pictures too.

I am amazed at how much the area of the first video looks just like here in central California. Even the brown grass. I always thought that Kiwi land never had a hint of brown. Just endless green like someone poured a gazillion gallons of green paint over everything. Regardless the land scape is beautiful.

I see your mate is riding an MT-10. My usual riding buddy/mate had one for a couple of years. I got to ride it a few times. That cross plane motor is nothing like your usual inline 4 liter bike. Yamaha really hit it out of the park with that one. I had an FZ-09 with a cross plane 3 cylinder motor. It too was a beast.

Thanks for sharing. It's always fun to ride vicariously in someone's else's back yard.

Cheers mate.

 

[Geoff]

Great post Geoff. Wonderful pictures too........

Thanks for the kind words, Hawkerjet! February, when the photos were taken; is the end of summer so everything has dried off quite a bit. On top of that, climate change is definitely having an impact.

Tony's MT10 SP is quite a beast but it's pretty thirsty and 250 km is at the top end of its range, even when showing a wee bit of restraint! It's impressive to ride but it still doesn't handle as nimbly as the 790 in the tight stuff. However, the semi-active suspension does a great job on rough roads.

 

[Stewart]

For all the non-Kiwis on this forum, you might be interested in what it's like to ride in NZ as I've uploaded a whole load of photos of a recent 2000 km short tour to my blog with a bit of narrative.

There's nothing like NZ's south island for touring by bike but some mates and I were due to attend a conference in the lower north island late last month and decided to turn it into a tour of some of the north island's back roads whilst we were at it. I haven't toured for over 5 years and it was genuinely good for the soul. We had an absolute ball and were amazed just how little traffic there was on the roads in late summer if you pick the route with a bit of care. We also met some awesome people all the way round, from gas station attendants to cafe and motel staff and so on.

The Green Badge Tour, part 1

The Green Badge Tour, pt 2

The Green Badge Tour, pt3

My Duke 790 turned out to be a really competent touring machine, travelling light. Have owned it for just on a year and it's turned out to be the perfect choice for this old fella - makes me laugh every time I throw a leg over it!

Cheers,

Geoff

Thanks for the story Geoff!
It's exactly what's needed during our deep winter hibernation here in the Northern Hemisphere.
Bottoms Up!

 

[Geoff]

Thanks for the story Geoff!
It's exactly what's needed during our deep winter hibernation here in the Northern Hemisphere.
Bottoms Up!

Thanks Stewart! I'm about to depart on a warm day for a 360 km round trip to our son's place to help build a gate. It's tough, but it has to be done 😊 . You take care up there with that unmentionable thing!

 

[Stewart]

Great photos Geoff!
I particularly like the 70's suits.
Yeah, you Kiwis have been handling the pandemic well, chapeau.
Science, who would've guessed?
Landscaping looks good.
Enjoy the gate and the ride.
I enjoy your blog posts please keep 'em coming.
Bottoms Up!

 

[Geoff]

Great photos Geoff!
I particularly like the 70's suits.
Yeah, you Kiwis have been handling the pandemic well, chapeau.
Science, who would've guessed?
Landscaping looks good.
Enjoy the gate and the ride.
I enjoy your blog posts please keep 'em coming.
Bottoms Up!

Many thanks Stewart! I started the blog because my wife and kids didn't know my motorcycling background in the early days and it sort of grew its own life from there 😊 . Yep, those 70's photos are hilarious. I'm banned from posting ones of my wife with big hair and huge glasses etc in the 80's and early 90's. She's rather more proud of the ones in her micro-mini skirts in the early 70's but for some reason, our kids seem uncomfortable seeing their mum dressed like that when she was a lot younger than they are now. Love it!