Richy's Mid Life Crisis, Season 2, Episode 8 "But I Digress..."

[thegreatestben]

That's a pretty sweet bike, really makes my sportster look like blunt object.

Glad to hear you came away from that off reasonably well all things considered.

[Snoozin]

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/dual-purpose/listing/5073388001

DRZ for sale!1111!!!!!! Get a super nicely setup bike for a realistic price.

[Vintage Grumble]

Excellent plate also: Benign Rage

[cletus]

your listing photos make me lol a bit, its like taking a lamborghini to pak n save,

 

waaaay nicer than the normal scratched lens, finger over the lens, bike not in the middle of the pic, etc

[Snoozin]

Yet all you get is lowballers or people wanting to swap a boat that looks like it would quickly become a lake bed ornament.

[Snoozin]

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

 

[Snoozin]

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.

[cletus]

If I was in your shoes I'd just keep riding how you are comfortable and what feels right to you

Maybe have a yarn with the guys you ride with and see what they say? If they are getting annoyed then find some slower riders to ride with or just go by yourself, or tell them not to wait and catch up at the end of the ride, if they are not dicks they should understand the situation and deal with it appropriately 

It sounds like you have a good sense of self preservation , it would be a shame to get hurt because you're trying to not annoy some other riders

[Willdat?]

40 minutes ago, Snoozin said:

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.

Depends on who you're riding with. The biggest issue is that you have a super capable bike. I rode on bikes as little as Suzuki RMX 50s with KTM 640s when I was younger. 

I think in Nelson anyway people were just stoked to be out for the day. Provided you don't fuck around being picky about what to have for lunch, it doesn't really matter.

Finally, you take sweet photos, even if you were making the group take 40% longer at each stage. If there's a pretty record of the day out I'd be surprised if there's any shade being thrown your way.

[Snoozin]

42 minutes ago, cletus said:

If I was in your shoes I'd just keep riding how you are comfortable and what feels right to you

Maybe have a yarn with the guys you ride with and see what they say? If they are getting annoyed then find some slower riders to ride with or just go by yourself, or tell them not to wait and catch up at the end of the ride, if they are not dicks they should understand the situation and deal with it appropriately 

It sounds like you have a good sense of self preservation , it would be a shame to get hurt because you're trying to not annoy some other riders

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.

36 minutes ago, Willdat? said:

Depends on who you're riding with. The biggest issue is that you have a super capable bike. I rode on bikes as little as Suzuki RMX 50s with KTM 640s when I was younger. 

I think in Nelson anyway people were just stoked to be out for the day. Provided you don't fuck around being picky about what to have for lunch, it doesn't really matter.

Finally, you take sweet photos, even if you were making the group take 40% longer at each stage. If there's a pretty record of the day out I'd be surprised if there's any shade being thrown your way.

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!

[Willdat?]

8 minutes ago, Snoozin said:

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!

Wasn't really a small bike promo - more an illustration of how speed differences with bikes don't matter too much at the end of the day. People are always pretty good at getting you forgotten off the guest list if your company isn't worth the wait...

[Snoozin]

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.

[johnnyfive]

I'm sure they'd rather wait 10 mins for you to turn up at your own pace, over waiting 30 mins, go looking, and find you in a ditch. 

I find it impossible not to get carried away just about at times.

I'm jealous that you're getting out so often!

[Mof]

It's all about the self preservation, or lack of.

Sometimes I just think fuck it and go flat out, then my mate passes me like I'm Sunday driving 

[Positive Ape]

Jeez, I think you are worrying too much.

My only experience is mountain-biking. We used to do group rides every Saturday. For the first couple of years I was all about wanting to speed through it, cover as much ground as possible, and leave the slower people behind. I saw my rec time as being precious, and I wanted to improve my fitness.

Now I am embarrassed about those days. I had joined a group ride, but I was still thinking of myself.

So I think you find out what the purpose of the ride is. Is it a group ride, or is there some other goal. e.g training for an event, setting a new record, or visiting some place and being home before dark. If it's a group riding together for fun, I'm sure the fast guys are enjoying the chat time just as much as the ride time.

[Mof]

*recovery time 

[Snoozin]

On 31/12/2024 at 18:17, Positive Ape said:

Jeez, I think you are worrying too much.

My only experience is mountain-biking. We used to do group rides every Saturday. For the first couple of years I was all about wanting to speed through it, cover as much ground as possible, and leave the slower people behind. I saw my rec time as being precious, and I wanted to improve my fitness.

Now I am embarrassed about those days. I had joined a group ride, but I was still thinking of myself.

So I think you find out what the purpose of the ride is. Is it a group ride, or is there some other goal. e.g training for an event, setting a new record, or visiting some place and being home before dark. If it's a group riding together for fun, I'm sure the fast guys are enjoying the chat time just as much as the ride time.

I'm doing the opposite to your initial scenario - I am the slow bloke being left behind and I'm concerned it'll be wrecking other folks ride!

 

[GregT]

12 hours ago, Snoozin said:

I'm doing the opposite to your initial scenario - I am the slow bloke being left behind and I'm concerned it'll be wrecking other folks ride!

 

From where I stand as a past participant, now observer, your biggest worry isn't that you're wrecking others rides, it's that you'll be forgotten. When living in Diamond Harbour - a spot frequently a destination for rides - three times in 5 years i had to pick up crashed riders who'd been forgotten by the group. Take them to the district nurse in the village then go to the cafe to wind up/abuse shit out of the group about their missing rider.

Make sure you're not forgotten about. And ride at your own pace.

[Snoozin]

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!

[Snoozin]

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.