It is a few years since I last visited Piha, but that was about to change - Butch was leading the ride today, Piha via the wonderful Waitakere Ranges. Ever keen to find a few more horsepower, an oil leak had been reason enough for Butch to upspec a new lumpy cam shaft, and he was keen to see if the magic he'd hoped for was there. Likewise, Mel, (a recently retired super bike racer) had recently trapised a heavy engine upgrade kit (from110ci to 117ci) home from Tennessee as hand luggage, and was looking forward to what a claimed 50% increase in power would do for him. I have the address of the supplier and am trying to resist the temptation... Other than the occasional shower, several days of serious rain were behind us, but the very strong and blustry wind remained, causing Jeff to wonder if he needed a bag of cement on the back of bike of his bike to stop him being blown about. As a consequence there were only hardy souls, a creditable 12-13 bikes lined up for the 1pm departure- delayed slightly due to Butch rushing away for a nervous widdle. Onto the motorway, westward bound, left at Kumeu, and into the hinterland Waitakere bound. Lovely quiet roads, windy and generally in good repair allowed us to get along at a good clip, Butch occasionally giving his new cam a wee work out. I was behind Mel and enjoyed following his expert lines, swooping in and out of corners with no fuss or bother, rarely seeing his brake lights glow, using the power and torque of the massive Harley engine instead. Unfortunately our progress was stymied slightly by the many ubiquitous white rental cars, tourists unfamiliar with the concept of using the many "Slow Vehicle Bays", probably oblivious, unaware of the frustration of the pack of bikers. Perhaps rear view mirrors are an optional extra... A coffee and an exceptional home made meat pie at the cafe signalled the end of the ride, time for a chat, before heading homewards. Comments are closed.
|
Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
|