Greg Power is a bit of an old hat in the motorcycling community. NZ trials champ, NZ enduro champ and the created of Family/kids campouts. And like many, he decided to do a South Island excursion, taking in the best legal off-road parts of the big island and did so just before lockdown. This proved fortunate in that two weeks later, he and his sidekick Larry may have been stuck down there searching for a place on the ferry.

The choice of bike came down to either the 650 Transalp or the 400 XR.  Couldn’t be more extreme ends of the adventure genre. The Transalp has a nice big soft seat, a smooth V Twin motor with ample power, average suspension and excellent road holding Metzeler tyres; plus hard panniers and top box to carry 10 days worth of luggage.  Luxury! On the other hand, the XR has a narrow hard seat, Race Tech tuned off-road suspension, tiny tank, an adequate but needs-to-rev single, no luggage capacity and off-road tyres.  Of course, I chose the XR.

But to go the distance without too much inconvenience, I needed to set the XR up with some extras so that I could match the expectations of Larry and his DR650. So on went the following:

1. Big Tank – Capacity 18 ltrs -  Left over from the XR600 days and long-distance racing. I had to make up some new tank mount brackets and a new rubber securing strap and we were away.

2. A Big soft seat – I considered ordering one from the states but after a talk with Roger Boyles and the outlay of a couple of hundred bucks, Roger and his team at DR Trim took my old seat apart and made up a fantastic softer, wider and moulded seat to perfection.

3. A Screen for the front – Larry got one from Aussie so likewise, I ordered the XR version from Screens for Bikes which I fit with comparable ease and the Allen key supplied. Magic.

4. Luggage – again like Larry,  I went for the Ventura Back rack and Pack.  Dold industries still have the pattern for the rack system for the 2000 XR400 so in no time they made up a set and as I already had the pack from a previous bike in the 90’s, I was away.

5. Scott Oiler - as on my Transalp, I ordered a Scott Oiler system to keep the chain lubed.  This was easy with all the fitment gear included and having a supply of the oil I didn’t need to order extra. Bonus! I have actually been to the Scott Oiler factory in Scotland so know the product well.

6. ProCircuit Enduro 496 muffler system that breathes and is lighter and of course cooler. That was lying around the garage too!

7. Tyres! What to choose. The knobbies on the XR, whilst street legal, were worn and not going to last the distance. After a lot of research, new camp out sponsor Dirt Guide sold me a set of Michelin Anakees front and rear which seemed to look the part. Also put in some Ultra Heavy Duty tubes – no punctures!

8. DRC Large wide Footpegs out of the Dirt Guide Brochure.

9. TAG Fat Bars – an old set from Chris Power’s race spares department.

10. 18 year old Spidi riding gear was the go as it is still in tip-top condition along with the new Stylemartin (but old school look) adventure boots, my HJC open face with shield, and the new Five E3 Enduro gloves thedirt.co.nz had me testing.

11. Old mate Rob pointed out that the front wheel bearing were starting to wear - so out with the old and in with the new. Peace of mind really. Then a full check of all the nuts, bolts and screws and we were ready to go.

Being old farts, we had already decided to trailer to Carterton, ride to the Wellington ferry and be in Picton Saturday evening. A good choice as the XR is not a great road bike. We arrived in Wellington the requisite 1 hr before sailing and there the trouble started. I couldn’t get the XR to fire up. Starting was a mission. Fuel leaked out the overflow and tapping the carb to stop it was a temporary measure at best. We got to Picton on a smooth sailing with a boat nearly empty. A motel there was old and basic but warm and sported a reasonable bed. 

Next morning the XR fired up no problems so we assumed all was well??? And thus we headed off along Queen Charlotte drive following the sound all the way to Havelock and on to Pelorus for morning tea and a chat with a group of cyclists riding the whole of New Zealand – mad buggers without engines! Then it was the Mangatapu Track heading over the ranges to Nelson following the Pylons. A great ride on loose rocks, steep climbs and descents and heaps of activity this Sunday morning. We met four motorcycle locals, two guys and two gals, who were taking a casual ride and introducing the girls to off-road riding. They gave us information on tracks we could ride up around the Nelson lakes which was real helpful. Thanks team!  Then down the Maitai valley (a place I rode National Trials in 1974) following the river into Nelson where we planned to meet up with many times national Trials and Enduro champion Stephen Oliver. Steve was out so we soldiered on south to St Arnaud and called in to see the McConchie's who own Lake Station (where we have previously had rounds of the Honda Kids Campouts) and had a great catch up. 

We headed East and hooked into Howard Valley Road then onto Porika Road/Track taking us over the mountains and down to Lake Rotoroa way inland. More amazing scenery, steep rocky trails and a stunning lake. By this time, we had started with a few issues such as Larry’s pack rack frame bending through the extreme pounding and the fact that it was way back on the DR making it bounce around far more than the one on my XR. Plus, the XR suspension seems better to be able to take the big hits, therefore, less strain on the pack rack frame. Larry decided to turn his pack around and have it sitting further towards the centre of the bike.  This solved all the problems. Larry had less aggressive tyres than my Anake’s but the dry conditions didn’t seem to make much difference anyway. 

We had to double back past St Arnaud and onto the Rainbow/Molesworth road to Hanmer. We were keen to see Dip Flat (the RNZAF field camp) where both Larry and I spent considerable time training and working there in the 70’s and me also in the early 80’s. After that, we followed the gravel south, misjudging a couple of river fords with me getting quite wet and Larry, well let’s just say he stopped for a look around.  We arrived at the toll booth and had a chat with the lady there paying our $20 and having a quick look over our bikes. The Scott Oiler was working well with a little adjustment to increase the flow whilst we were traversing dusty roads and wet fords. All good. And for me, the DR Trim seat was showing nothing! And that is a good thing because if it hadn’t been performing well, my bum would have noticed, but I was still comfortable. We rolled into Hanmer about 8 pm, found a suitable motel, a steak house and a quick beer then off for a decent sleep ready for the road run in the morning. 

Monday and the XR wouldn’t start. After multiple kicks, she started with a bump start. Larry had been analysing things (being a top-notch mechanic) and determined that the float bowl seal was leaking and the carb was flooding. After some various tests we worked out that if I turned off the petrol every time we were about to stop, the carb wouldn’t flood. Problem solved! Well, sort of if the Alzheimers hadn’t kicked in nearly every stop. So we headed south towards Rangiora and Cust (the home of very early road races) to hook up with an old mate from 70’s Trials days, Kerry Miles who used to be a top Scrambles and Trials rider, and a look at his collections of vintage and classic bikes and cars. Real nice and made me envious yet again. After tightening of some bolts, Kerry gave us directions to Lees Valley with a cool pass and long valley with very loose river stone type round pebbles and some fairly unpredictable riding. Be aware that on the pass, there is a lunatic 4X4 driver with Bull Bars that doesn’t want anyone using this public road. He actually ran us off the road. Fortunately, no damage or pain but a wake up call about backcountry roads. A great ride none the less. After that and many boring sealed roads, we stopped in at Geraldine for the night. Not a lot there but fairly comfortable. Chinese dinner if I remember rightly.

Tuesday and the push towards Alexandra! Through Fairlie and onto Dog Leg Corner were we headed on gravel to Black Forest Station after gaining permission and getting the locked gate combination. At the station itself and the start of the real off-road that followed Lake Benmore through ranges and valleys to the dam itself, we paid the koha and took off on a cold wet ride culminating in a soaking at the locked gate where the combination lock was sticking and giving everyone problems. Eventually, we rolled into Otematata for a bite and a reset of directions. We were heading to Omarama and through Lindis Pass mainly because I missed a turnoff to St Bathans via a real back road. However, we happened upon old mate Bruce Davidson who owns the Honda dealership in Alex. We were at the intersection to Thompsons Gorge Rd which is well worth the ride over some wild country and mostly untended farm tracks coming out at Omakau on SH85. We took a left, over a pass to a reservoir through another gravel road/track that looked like it took us into Alexandra by the back roads. It probably would have had we not diverted into Ida valley ending with a long return by road up past Wedderburn and again a severe shortage of fuel.  Fortunately, I remembered a 24 Hr GAS station at Omakau where a top-up got us into Alexandra.

Upon arriving in Alex, we dropped into see old mate Bruce at his Honda shop to buy some light bulbs and suss out some more riding. Bruce was one of the country’s top Enduro Riders whom I rode with in the early 80’s in the National Enduro champs and he knows the area like the proverbial, immediately produce a huge map of the region’s best legal riding areas. This included the famous Nevis Valley which was out next scheduled excursion and the Old Man range. We hunkered down in the local Top Ten motel of dubious repute and another average meal.  

So Nevis it was then! Up the track from Clyde following the power lines, we rode the magic Hawkesburn Road high up in the ranges. Great views and really fun quick riding. The trusty 400 was in top gear most of the time with the DR just loping along with no effort. We descended into the Bannockburn valley then took a left onto Nevis Road. And this too was a blast. The road was well-groomed and smooth allowing for some great pitches into the corners and speed. Further on entering Nevis valley itself, there were much roadworks with a grader tidying the road and a big crew fixing the remote bridge/culvert into the Nevis Station homestead area. We learned several weeks later that it was all done for the televised Hadyen Paddon rally sprint up the hill from the homestead. Made sense!

And so the fun begun! The Nevis Valley is a true 4X4 track that has multiple river/creek crossings, ruts, bogs, rocks and more. A real blast, especially on the XR with off-road suspension set up for just this type of riding. The Anakee tyres were perfect for the rocky trails with the soft rubber gripping well. I entered a river crossing way too fast at one stage and got completely soaked although the XR drove out the other side with a problem. Suddenly I was cold. My fingers going numb compromising the control of the bike. A quick stop and a dry set of gloves remedied this immediately and we sailed on south to the end of the Nevis Valley stopping for lunch at Garston. A welcome respite in the café with hot soup and meals and many other bikes, but mostly the road variety. One cannot recommend Nevis Valley more highly although a breakdown or injury mid-valley would be a real drama, especially if you were alone. You could be in serious trouble as after we started the 4X4 track proper, we didn’t see any other vehicles and that is not a healthy prospect.

Then it was on the road again heading towards Riversdale through Lumsden where for reasons beyond me I didn’t get any gas and this was to be a problem shortly. Wanting to head to Waikaia to reminisce about the Honda Kids Camps we ran there had us hook a left onto Old Balfour Rd to try and attract some more gravel. After a look around Waikaia (the pub was closed) we had the choice of going North East on the famous Switzers road ending up at Moa Flat via some fantastic gravel roads, or heading up the valley directly north and taking on the wilds of the Old Mountain Range via Paino Flat. We choose Paino Flat but weren’t 100% sure where we were heading as Bruce Davidson had described the route but it wasn’t well marked on any maps that we had. We stopped to talk to a farmer who assured us we would be fine so we continued right up to the end of the road and stopped to talk to a couple of retirees with quads and camper vans who are regulars to this area after the busy summer season. After describing exactly where to go, I realised I would not make it with the fuel I had left and I probably wouldn’t get back to Riversdale either. Larry had a monster 26 ltr tank and my 6 ltrs was down to about 2. Fortunately, they sold me 8 litres, which was just the amount I needed, and after more chit chat we headed off taking the unmarked 4X4 trail that you could easily have missed.  

The trail on the Old Man Range is challenging in places if you are not a seasoned off-road rider. Shale rock, bog holes, ruts and rock steps 300mm high in places had to be negotiated in order to reach the summit. Definitely a rough track and we probably went a little fast because at the summit, my Pack Rack frame broke from all the pounding. I had to turn it around so the pack was taking up much of the seat and tie it on. This meant I didn’t have any room to move around on the bike and had to sit all the way back to Alexandra.  Fortunately, the northern side of the trail is a gravel farm road with the odd rut and hole but nothing that couldn’t easily be negotiated sitting on your bum. Very fortunate. In hindsight, I would have ditched the big Back Rack and pack in Alex and done the day trip down the Nevis and back to Alexandra with a small pack carrying just the essentials. Still, you never know?

A more up-class motel this time and a nice meal and we were well refreshed. Finding an engineering shop, I cajoled the owner to manufacture the part I needed for the Rack Pack and left him to it. We rode up to the Alexandra Clock lookout and a small way into the hills soaking up the breath-taking scenery and herbaceous aroma of the wild Thyme that grows all around the clock. Within two hours we received a phone call that the job was done so we collected the rack and my pack then headed north via Naseby and the must-do, Danseys Pass emerging onto SH83 at Duntroon. If you are down that way, you have to go to Kurow and see where they are going to put the statue of none other than Richie McCaw. At the toilet stop I met some wallaby hunters who gave us the low down on a neat ride over a pass and through some private land and assured us that if we approached the farmer in the right way, we could probably do an extra 30km loop on gravel and farm tracks. Worth a try! This meant taking the Hakataramea Road and diverting off over the pass and up a no exit road to the farm. Sure as day is night, we struck up a conversation with the landowner who gave us some vague directions and pointed us north to the hills and a gap in the ranges telling us to follow our nose. Thus without too many deviations, we managed to find our way through to come out on Hakataramea Road further up the valley and then northwards to the top end of Black Forest Station. 

A detour through some more gravel roads brought us out at Farlie. We had intended to nip up to Geraldine but with a boring sealed road north, we decided to make a break for it and rode all the way to Rangioria for the night. Note there are only 3 motels in Rangioria but we managed to find the only one with a spare room. Not flash and the beds were uncomfortable so probably not a good choice.

The next day and it was off to the ferry to try and get an early sailing as we were now two days ahead of schedule. The interesting Kaikoura landscape seems to have healed very quickly but the endless road works reminded you that it was a major and that it still has a way to go to get back to normal. So through Blenheim towards Picton, we were passed by several police, sirens blaring, only to find that just north of Koromiko on an innocuous bit of road, a car and truck had a head on, with what turned out to be a fatal and a reminder to us how vulnerable we actually are. We assessed the situation and headed back to Blenheim for an hour or so then returned to find a 5 km queue that we smooched past on the bikes to the front. Low and behold, they had just opened the road so the travelers could get the 6 pm ferry (which was held up for 40 minutes to get everyone on board) and as we were at the front of the queue we were ushered on to the ferry first thereby securing the comfortable seats. 

On the way over, we discovered that the world was in a huge panic about this Corona Virus. The only Corona we had heard about during our trip was the larger variety so were amused to see the ship’s crew wiping down surfaces and checking everyone one was OK. Little did we know that within a week, New Zealand would go into lockdown and our ride could have well been the last for many months. Off the ferry at Wellington and onto the Hutt motorway to a fairly quick trip over the Rimutaka’s to Carterton and a bed at Larry’s Dads before the trip home in the Holden.

One of the great tours as done by many an adventure rider and always fun. We are already planning next year’s route which will see even more off-road adventures and possibly even some more private farmland we sussed on this trip - with permission of course. The bikes performed well with the DR650 cruising at 100 kph no worries and the XR400 revving its heart out. No injuries, no breakdowns, and some great company. It doesn’t get much better.  

Greg

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