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Snoozin last won the day on March 26 2021
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About Snoozin
- Birthday 17/09/1982
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I admire your dedication to this, it makes for great internet entertainment but also reinforces how hopelessly lazy I am at doing car stuff. I feel like you need to present all of this on a 4th form science fair type cardboard display board once you've got a screaming doort-machine with a degree of mechanical stability.
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We're going to do this in a not-strictly-chronological order... and focus on the bigger bike hoons first. So after New Years, with a return work beckoning on the 6th (yesterday) and not having enough time or ferry booking availability to head on a multi-day trip down South as I initially wanted, I figured I'd better get out for a spin nonetheless. A while ago, I'd been fortunate enough to take the DRZ on a run through White Rock Station and Ngapotiki Station (the latter being private access) with a small group, and really wanted to have a go at the White Rock road again as I recalled it being a ripper section of gravel. For those who don't know where this is, it's right at the bottom of the North Island on the Eastern coast, not far from Cape Palliser really. I mapped a route comprising of roads I'd done a lot of before, and set off about 1pm. Heading over the Pahiatua Track (tarmac), I'd eventually hit Tararua Road, sweeping gravel in immaculate condition, then head South to Nikau Road, with a tarmac stretch leading into Kopikopiko Road which crosses the Mangahao River and turns into Pukehoi Road, a short tarmac section on Kakariki Road, before back onto gravel at Mangarapiu Road. A flat-out gravel section on Mangaroa Road would ultimately lead me into Eketahuna, via Quarry and Cliff Roads. Phew... sounds exhausting. Now the smart man would assume I'd just continue South, but no. I doubled back North, because I wanted to hit Pori Road in it's entirety, one of my favourites. If you've been following along on this thread, the name might sound familiar - it's hill country gravel road that leads onto Puketoi, the unmaintained paper road that I lost my phone on all those months back. Anyway, we made it midway along Pori Road and stopped for a couple of scenic snaps. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (28) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (30) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Delightful scenes really present themselves everywhere when you're doing this... this is at the end of Saunders Road, and just as I was about to hit the longest stretch of tarmac, Route 52 to Whangaehu Valley Road through to Masterton. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (35) by Richard Opie, on Flickr The tarmac stuff is fairly uneventful. I don't really like to push too hard on knobblies (despite being road legal tyres) plus even if I did, it feels like wasting good tyres? It didn't prevent the odd side mission down dead-end gravel roads, just to see what was there... 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (42) by Richard Opie, on Flickr But eventually, we'd hit Martinborough, fuel up and get set for the run out to White Rock - and 'in and out' ride of just over 80km of gravel plus a bit of twisty tarmac to get to my ultimate destination. This road, to me, represents peak gravel riding. The road is grippy, sweeping, and there's usually loads of visibility on the faster sections. There's plenty of side quests, as below... 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (43) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (45) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (47) by Richard Opie, on Flickr There wasn't much up that little road across the stream (which was running quite fast and full of sediment following a fair amount of rain), but later on I came across another side road with this picturesque wee bridge. This lead up Cape River Road, a twisty, bushy track that culminated in a river crossing to a farmhouse/woolshed etc. Can't imagine the isolation and how tough it could get living in this idyllic, but no doubt demanding at times environment. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (49) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (52) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (55) by Richard Opie, on Flickr In-and-out of Cape River Road we went... and onwards. Not too far further and I reached the intersection of White Rock and Kaiwaka Road (another dead-end track), and this is where the entry to White Rock Station happens proper, and road gets a little rougher - not too rough really, as normal cars can get down there, but enough to make life interesting with a bit of pace on. There's a bit of stock you have to be wary of, and horses that it's wise to slow down and pootle quietly past (because there are ALWAYS people aware of maniacs on bikes disrupting the animals I'm sure). But the reward is some neat vistas, such as this one overlooking the Opouawe River. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (58) by Richard Opie, on Flickr As the end of White Rock road beckoned, it became a bit rougher at the very final sections, thanks in part to heavy rain creating some impromptu stream crossings/water splashes. At this stage, I was facing East, looking towards Ngapotiki Station and the hills of the Aorangi Forest Park, the sun descending behind them with a hint of sea spray and misty clouds presents quite the impressive backdrop for... another photo of an Austrian motorbike of dubious reliability! 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (63) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Of course, the gates to Ngapotiki Station are locked - and I wouldn't want to venture in there alone even if I did seek permission. You can follow this track all along the coast, past Cape Palliser and it's historic lighthouse to Ngawi. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (69) by Richard Opie, on Flickr It'd be rude not to go to White Rock and take a couple of snaps of, well, the actual namesake of the place. So here it is, ft. 690 Enduro R. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (83) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (88) by Richard Opie, on Flickr It's a rugged stretch of coastline really, I think a beautiful place. Frequented by dedicated campers, fishermen, 4WD lunatics and motorbike weirdos. I'll come back again and explore further I think, but for the meantime, I turned tail and headed not for home, but for Lower Hutt to catch up with a couple of mates for dinner. This meant a run over the Remutakas with a bit of traffic, a sluggish meandering run but I bet that road would be a riot on a bike if you knew what you were doing and could fluidly link all those twists and turns at speed! I'd end up back home just before 11:30, with over 500km on the clock. An afternoon well spent I reckon, just great to be out there alone in my own head and appreciating the vastness of our beautiful countries back blocks. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (96) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Thanks for reading, sorry about the image quality, my phone's pretty low end and there's not much you can do with it yet the real camera is a bit bulky for this. Next episode will be shorter, I promise.
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So yeah, went out and did some hoons. First hoon of the holidays - that really made me question my legitimacy of being on a bike - was a run from Hamilton to Fletcher Bay in Coromandel with a group of fellas I know through some other car-related stuff. So me on the 690, a Husky Norden 910, Husky 701 and a KTM 890 Adventure R, all with very experienced, capable riders and me flailing around at the back. I didn't really stop to take pics unfortunately - the pace was fairly quick with the only stops for fuel and a quick lunch. But basically, we started around 9, wound our way through Waikato on various gravel roads, popping out on SH2 near Mangaterata. Then, a quick jaunt up SH25 to Kopu, then onto Thames, then turning off at Tapu and running the Tapu-Coroglen road in it's entirety. Quite marbly loose sort of gravel on a hard packed base, definitely meant I had to be quick of wit and quicker with weight transfer and throttle control should the 690 step out, or worse, wash out. Which it did do the latter, giving me a wee wake up call and slowing me down for a spell while I regained rhythm. Running past the Riverglen Campground (Nats 2015, anyone?) we turned left at Coroglen and ambled up SH25 before turning left again to head back the way we came - this time on the infamous 309 Road. Fairly nice and flowing, but relatively frequent traffic meant keeping left was paramount, and again, a surface with small marbles on a hard packed base. But a great run through a section of the country I have wanted to explore - next time, I'll take a bit more time to check out my surroundings and see what's going on! Hitting Coromandel Town, we stopped for a feed and a cool drink (non-boozy, thanks) before popping our lids on and heading North - all the way to Fletcher Bay, basically the end of the road if you're traveling along the Western side of Coromandel. This involves heading all the way along Colville Road, until you have the option to turn left for Port Jackson, or right for Port Charles. Well, you're not going to hook a right are you... that road's tarmac! Instead, left is where the fun begins, and hole-lee-chit what a hell of a road this is. Scenic? Check. Loads of visibility? Check - for the most part. Sweeping, fast corners with tonnes of grip? Check, check, check!!! Because we were riding in peak holiday season, traffic volumes, while not heavy, were frequent. So it paid dividends to be super aware on blind corners that a rogue ute with fishing rods dangling out the side could be smack in the middle of the (one lane) road. It did not detract from the enjoyment factor at all. In fact, it may have enhanced it somewhat, being able to take in the awesome vistas that rewarded the intrepid rider once the road started snaking along the coastal cliffs North of the Port Jackson camp ground. And prior to that, it was a fast, smooth almost-sea-level jaunt right on the coast. Sublime! We'd eventually wind our way down to the Fletcher Bay campsite, and disembarked for a sharn, some lies and a drink slash snack. Hell of a road, will run this again. Here's the sole photo I took all day. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (100) by Richard Opie, on Flickr We'd head home the way we came - taking in a couple of shorter Waikato gravel routes on the way, arriving back at Luke's place about 7pm to load the bike back on the ute an head home (yes, I transported it up, because bugger riding home to Palmy after that!). About 8 hours in the seat, and pretty much bang on 500km covered!
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I am acutely aware of the whole 80% rider 20% bike thing and trust me I'm not changing bikes because I think it'll make me a good rider - although I'm sure it's the butt of many jokes all the same! I hope I'm self aware enough to know I'm dogshit at this though, however much I practice I just can't seem to figure it out.
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Nah no one's been a dick, I've always tried to shift aside to let people past since I'm bit shit and don't want to hold up any other riders like that, but when you roll up to an intersection and there's a group waiting I feel pretty bad about it. I don't have any interest in riding small bikes though, I routinely set off and just do a 4-500km day for shits and giggles and a little bike just ain't ever gonna cut it. Even sitting at 110kmh on the DRZ felt like it wasn't being particularly kind to it. But everyone I have ever ridden with is very experienced and can generally really pedal a bike well! I've never taken a camera though either. Cameras and doing work with them have stripped most of the joy of cars now for me, I'd like to avoid making this feel like work!
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For those more experienced in this than me, do the slower riders wreck the experience of the faster guys? I'm definitely not the speediest fella out there, as my confidence - especially going into corners on gravel - isn't exactly at an all time high, especially post shoulder injury. This basically leads to me playing catchup, and every 15 to 30 minutes folks need to stop to let me catch up. I'm also a bit shit scared of cars coming around a bend kn my side of the road whilst on narrow gravel roads, which isnt uncommon really, so tend to be pretty cautious (overly cautious?) which of course equates to a bit slow. I don't feel out of my depth on the bike - I'm not attacking this any different than I was on the DRZ, and if anything the big 690 feels a bit more nimble on its feet. But keeping up is definitely a mission more often than not, and I'm acutely aware that I could well be ruining the experience for anyone unlucky enough to invite me for a ride. I actually sit here dwelling on this often - to the point I contemplate ditching this altogether and stick to my knitting of not lowering cars enough.
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Sold the DRZ on the weekend, and went to look at this. I mean I bought it because I'd already sold myself on it, in my mind. Because that's how we emotively buy vehicles. It's a 2019 350 EXC-F. Big tank, switchable maps/TCS, 136hrs, and.... short guy low suspension (there's a theme here). A few other issues but nothing major, just KTM quality gripes and some cosmetic things to sort. Overall pretty chuffed. Goes like fuck, revs to the moon, will no doubt cost me a packet and get me into lots of strife off road. Ideal. Good photos to come. Already ordered a few key accessories and booked in a suspension revalve/spring to suit my heft. 2019 KTM 350 EXCF Phone (5) by Richard Opie, on Flickr
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Discuss here about Yoeddynz's little Imp project...
Snoozin replied to yoeddynz's topic in Project Discussion
Yep, A539s are flippin' outstanding. I run them in 175/60/13 on the KP. Everything China I have tried thus far has a real floppy sidewall... -
Would check your gearbox mount with certifier, when I did my version 1 mount which was offset forwards from the mount on the gearbox and picked up the factory mounts in the floor, @cletus informed me that if it was offset like that it needed to use 4 bolts in the floor but if in line with the mount on the box, then 2 was fine. I ended up welding new pickup points into the floor.
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So yeah - since that last ride update, there's been plenty of others, mainly just local stuff, here there and everywhere - I have pics from all of them but really, seen one seen em all? But what DID happen, about 10-11 weeks ago, is I was arsing around pretending I was a flat track guy or something, on the beach following a group ride through the coastal forests around Himitangi/Foxton area. Arsing around you say? Doesn't that potentially lead to mishaps? Well, yeah. It did. I was in third, with the bike cranked over sideways when I think I just leaned a bit too far, the front bit in and the bike stopped but I didn't. I went sailing through the screen (which disintegrated) and landed on my left hand with arm outstretched. Got up, thought "nah this isn't good" as my shoulder was instantly locked solid, and a bit painful. Said a hurried goodbye to everyone thought gritted teeth, then rode back down the beach for a while, then 30km or so to my folks who took me into ED at Palmy Hospital. Sat around for a few hours, got an X-ray and yep, dislocated. By that stage it had really started to hurt a bit but hey, a bloke came in who'd just mashed his arm in a woodsplitter so my mishap was relatively minor in the scheme... got hauled into whatever they call the place they take you into for a quick fix or assessment or whatever, and the doctor proceeded to tell me I'd done a great job on my dislocated shoulder, there didn't seem to be any bone damage and they "should" be able to pop it back in. I couldn't actually get my jacket off without a bit too much pain, so the doc thankfully produced a little trolley with a cylinder of N2O and of course I huffed enough of it 'til I was 'comfortable' removing my jacket - the alternative was chopping it off, and I wasn't having ANY of that... The doc then instructed me to huff as much as that shit as I needed to either not care enough, or not hurt enough and tell them that, so they could have a hoon on popping my shoulder back in, and once I'd asked them "let's just send it now" the process involved the doc and a nurse and a good amount of what seemed like brutality to make the shoulder go back to where it ought to be. Instant relief. A sensation that is up there with some of the best I've ever experienced. Anyway - about 6 or 7 weeks later I sat and attained my restriced license (on the DRZ, with a repaired screen), and haven't really ridden since - until yesterday. So, if you've binned a 400cc Suzuki with a moderate level of power and hurt yourself, what's the best plan of action? Buy a more modern, more powerful, way faster motorbike over 500km from home and ride it back. Introducing the latest folly, a 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R. About a month ago I sealed the deal on this, it's a Japanese import and I'm the first owner. 6500km on the odo, a few little extras like the bash plate, a weird little auxiliary display that shows gear selection, crash bars, RPM, water and ambient temps, and that's it really. Jamie kindly picked it up from the dealer and stashed it for 4 weeks or so, while I waited for an opportunity to get to Christchurch and pick it up, between work weekends and that. What a bike though! Gobs and gobs and gobs of torque, involuntary wheelies, a QUICKSHIFTER (oh my lord, what a giggle), brakes better than anything I've ridden to date, selectable maps (mild and certifiable)... just lots of goodness. Although I didn't take any photos (too busy enjoying myself) the ride home was immense. The sun cranked up as I hit the coast road around Kaikoura, I had some belter tunes playing through the Cardo and it was one of those moments when everything is just perfectly aligned, almost euphoric. The 690 hums along at 120km/h with no drama, more than I can say for the DRZ (and the XT even) and that twin-counterbalanced single is surprisingly smooth. Throttle response is manic when it's in MAP2... But I got home after riding it 559km, and duly gave it a clean the next morning, partly because I'm obsessive with cleaning vehicles, and partly because I'd had a month to collect a few bits for it and couldn't wait to bolt them to it... 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (1) by Richard Opie, on Flickr But first, a few average beauty shots before I fall off it and scratch it. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R-20 by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R-1 by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R-8 by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R-25 by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R-23 by Richard Opie, on Flickr Then straight onto the wee scissor lifty thing in the shed... space is getting tight in here and I need to move cars out to actually work on bikes. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (3) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (4) by Richard Opie, on Flickr First port of call was to install the AdventureSpec nav tower/screen. With no real wind protection to speak of, my torso took a good hiding all the way home. There are a lot of VERY expensive rally tower options available for the 690, usually featuring LED lighting and price tags of $3500 upwards, but these were absolutely not in the budget. AdventureSpec offered this simple alternative, with a robust nav mount (and room for a switch or 2) which features an adjustable screen. Looks a bit weird I'll admit, but is budget friendly and superbly functional. Bolts on easily via the top triple clamp bolts. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (5) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (6) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (7) by Richard Opie, on Flickr I'll wire the power feed in for the Garmin at a later date, as I also want to add grip warmers like I have done on the DRZ too (better actually make that update). The next port of call was to replace the OEM fuel cap/filler. It's a keyed type fuel cap, in a recess that is notorious for filling up with dirt/mud etc which has the super excellent result of then dropping aforementioned muck into your tank when the filler cap is removed. For those playing at home, the tank is under the seat - and also does double duty as the subframe on a later model 690. There is an expensive USA brand of this unit, I chose to buy the not very expensive Aliexpress knock off. After all, it's just a bit of alloy with an O-ring groove in it... 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (8) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (9) by Richard Opie, on Flickr A good view of the tank setup here. She's a complex bit of moulding. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (10) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (11) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Next up? Muffler. Primarily, for noise (because who DOESN'T love a loud pipe) but also, the stock muffler contains the catalytic converter, is very heavy, and gets very hot. Hot enough, that when carrying rackless type luggage (like the Kriega OS system I use), it has been known to get hot enough to melt the tank/side panel. And that ruins your day. So I elected to replace this behemoth... 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (12) by Richard Opie, on Flickr ...with this svelte Wings titanium slip-on unit, with an extra silent baffle just in case I get tired of a slightly noisier bike. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (13) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Installation wise, a fairly straightforward prospect. There is a small link pipe that connects to the OEM header with the OEM donut gasket in place, align the hanger and she's good to go! 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (14) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (15) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Bit of a skeleton looking thingo. The packaging and ease of accessibility to everything on the bike is spectacularly good. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (16) by Richard Opie, on Flickr A pretty simple but crucial upgrade. These things use a pleated paper filter like a car from stock, which are notorious for being overcome by dust, not filtering properly and causing catastrophic engine damage. Cue, a UniFilter 2-stage foam unit in it's place. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (17) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Another item commonly knocked off and available on Aliexpress is the PerunMoto rack. I chose the genuine article this time, as it was only $40 more than the Ali version. A bit nerve wracking to fit, as you need to drill the holes in the plastics that would usually suit the optional OEM grab handles. The problem is, the telltales/template markings on the bottom of the side panels are known for not being in the right place, so you need to drill a tiny pilot hole to first see how far out of alignment you are, then make an informed guesstimate to drill an 18mm hole in either side to accomodate a bush/spacer, and align the bolts with the OEM thread inserts in the tank/subframe. I got it kind of right the first time, with a slight Dremel tickling on the right hand side to allow adequate clearance. A great looking rack, though, that doubles up as a grab point in case of being stuck etc. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (19) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (20) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (21) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Another couple of PerunMoto parts made the grade, namely the heel plates to use as attachment points for luggage, and the rear brake master cylinder protector, as it hangs out in a pretty exposed spot. No pics though... because. After about 170km on the journey home though, my arse was screaming "enough is enough" from the absolute punishing it was taking from the factory seat. Which is less of a seat, and more of timber by-product. Thankfully, I'd scooped up a deal on Trademe (before I actually paid for the bike...) and nabbed a Seat Concepts seat, the same brand as I have on the DRZ. Absolutely brilliant product, would recommend. No real install required. Toolless. 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (27) by Richard Opie, on Flickr So this is where we are at! I've since learned this bike has a bloody short spring kit in it, which KTM offers as an option. Makes sense being a Japanese market bike maybe? Anyway, this will be on the agenda to sort, so I'll make some phone calls and see what the best action plan is. Perhaps a valving change is in order, the short, sharp hits are very harsh on this bike, but will discuss with people who know a bit more than me about this WP suspension. The DRZ isn't going anywhere, I still intend to use it on tighter stuff, although the 690 feels like it should be pretty capable. I just think at this point, I am more comfortable with the somewhat more mild power delivery of the old Roota... 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (26) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Thanks for reading. That's a bit of a chore no doubt, but I'm really excited to put more KM on this thing (and the DRZ). A 3 day ride coming up in November which I'll take the Suzuki on, so expect an update then.
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Any moment with an M series is arguably fraught with danger.... danger to headgaskets.