Manx Biker

It has been a while but I am now ready to get back on my bike. I bought the DR650 nearly a year ago but haven’t found the right opportunity to go riding. I want to ride off-road but the only off-road riding I have found so far are organised trail rides that people use motocross bikes on. I am a bit worried that my DR650 will not cope with the really rough off-road terain and be a bit slow and heavy.

Ideally, I want to go on adventure rides. I want to ride scenic trails that wind around the country. I have found a page on FaceBook for Adventure Riding NZ but they are based in Wellington.

I have had a few commutes to work on the DR and I may try and do a few more commutes on it. For the record, I often cycle the 22km to work on a road bicycle.

I travelled up to Kaitaia from South Auckland on the 19th April with a work colleague. It took 5 hours by car to get there. I drove most of the way and Steve drove for the last 30 minutes. We arrived in Kaitaia just after 3pm and met the bike seller called Trev. He seemed a nice bloke and I could tell he really wanted a Harley Davidson. After collecting the bike I put on my bike gear and we headed to Steve’s place 40 more minutes away at Whangaroa where I stayed the night. We went to the fishing club for a couple of drinks and some snapper and chips.

The next morning was the 20th April and my 41st birthday. I headed off at 9am and other than a short stop for fuel in Whangarei I rode without a break. I arrived home at 1:40pm very tired from battling a strong headwind the whole way down. Right forearm pump was common for most of the ride.

My first impressions of the bike are good. It only took 10 to 15 minutes for the bike to start feeling like an  extension of me. It reminded me a lot of my old Honda NX650 Dominator but it seems smaller, lighter and smoother. The power delivery is spot on and I love these air-cooled singles.

Based on the first fuel stop I appear to be getting 60mpg (25  km/l) which has impressed me.

The strong headwind wouldn’t have been a problem other than the long duration of the ride. I think for longer rides a wind screen will be the way to go.

Once home I got to spend some time opening presents and cards with my girls.

Having moved with my family to New Zealand from the Isle of Man just over a year ago I have been bikeless! Having taken what feels like an age to  sell our house finances were tight and I have been without a motorcycle until now. Last Sunday I placed a bid on TradeMe and won a ’08 Suzuki DR650. I have liked big air-cooled singles ever since watching ‘Easy Riders’ (aka Mondo Enduro), a documentary about a group of bikers that travelled round the world, back over Xmas 1999.

After I sold my Honda CBR600F a decade ago I have owned and ridden a Honda XR400R, a Honda CR250F and a Honda NX650 Dominator. The latter being my commuter and intended adventure motorcycle. Having two lovely children born in the past decade, this has put any short-term plans for a long-distance adventure on the back burner. However, I hope to someday live that dream.

I sold the Dommie before I left the island as the logistics of cleaning it and re-registering it in New Zealand made it an unattractive option.

I don’t plan for this blog to be updated regularly but will be here for when I want to share a trip, a photograph or some other bike preparation tip.