1300+ k's over 3 days

[KiwiCol]

This is the 'dairy' of the trip I've just posted about.  Couldn't get the text I wanted in with the pics, but the main bits are here.


The bike went very good & strong for the whole trip. I did fuel comparisons (95 & 91) over the journey, and from what I can see, it makes no difference whatsoever to economy or power. (Dave says it just cleans the insides a bit more than 91 though)


Highlights of the ride, in the order I did them.


Omarama to Tarras (The Lindis Pass)
Awesome road, much improved since I last was over it years ago. Just an awesome ride on a bike when you want to push hard into the bends.


Queenstown to Glenorchy
A very nice piece of road. Wide, good seal, fabulous vistas and some good twisties if you want. First time I'd actually been down that piece, it won't be the last either!


Arrowtown to Wanaka (via The Crown Range)
Waaaay improved over what it was last time I traveled that road, 25 odd years ago!!  All sealed now, used to be a dirt road with lots of 1 lane bridges & rutted to buggery!   Now, it's bloody awesome! Wide, great seal (it's a theme this great seat in central!) an 15k switchback at the start are a blast! Love those bits.  There is a shot of some of them above in the 2nd lot of photos.


Haast to Jacksons Bay
First for this piece of road too, map showed long straight roads & so it was.  Some of them are bumpy, quite dramatically so, but others are fine, you can let the girl stretch her legs a while on those, not traffic, no population, no side streets, just dead straight & empty road, hmmmm, what would you do?


Mt Hercules
Between Fox Glacier & Franz Joseph Glacier
This is a tight & 'technical' ride if you want to do it at pace (which I do of course) and is quite a challenge at the end of a tiring days ride, but a bloody blast & adrenaline rush as well!  Just finishes off a fantastic days ride.


Franz up the coast towards Hokitika
Some great scenery & fantastic vistas on this road.  Gotta watch the moss growing on the road surface along here (well from Haast really) it's right where we want to ride. Also have to watch the corners, you start round one & it's a dry corner, ½ way round it changes to a wet one with moss growing right where you're riding!!   Keeps you on your toes.


Must also say, in this thread too, those new tyres I put on prior to this wee trip did fantastic. Right from new they handled everything I did to them, and in a manner befitting the lady on which they were mounted. 
I did 400 - 500K of wet riding & never the slightest hint of let go or slip. Lines in the road, no prob, painted lines & arrows, all taken in stride & without fuss (or slippage).  I think they have the compound right on these Angel GT's. A big tick from me.
I'm not bagging the Michy's, just they do have some quirky traits, and, at this stage, the Angels do not appear to have these.


Cheers Col.