LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT GIFT OR OFFICE ESCAPE? THEN YOU NEED TO TRY THIS.
January 4th 2008 23:06
A day trip to Hanmer Springs on a Triumph Sprint ST could be just what you are looking for. I had arranged with Blair from RentaTriumph to pick the Sprint up at 10.00am, so after showing over the bike, I was on my way.
The weather was cool and there was a threat of rain in the air, but after the last few days of high temperatures, I was pleased it was somewhat cooler. First impressions of the bike were good and feel free to read previous review for more in depth comments.
Heading onto the main North motorway, it was such a feeling of freedom as I cruised at 100km thinking of all my work colleagues back at the office.
Traffic was reasonably heavy with a mixture of trucks, campervans and cars clogging up the road but the Sprint has a good riding position and road presence, thanks to the headlights, so this wasn’t too much of a worry. It did drizzle for about ten minutes and I was just wondering about pulling over and putting on the waterproofs when it stopped as quickly as it started. If you are a tourist and thinking of travelling around NZ, then sometimes you can get four seasons in one day, so always best to be prepared.
Once I turned off at Waipara and onto the Lewis Pass road, the traffic thinned out a little but then again this was where the Sprint comes into its own as a sports cruiser. Some people think that the Lewis road is boring to travel on and although I agree that it hasn’t got the twists and turns of the Akaroa road for instance, it is a nice road to ride this kind of bike on.
Frog rock in the distance on the right
My trademark pic
The surface is generally in good condition with plenty of grip, the corners are nice and sweeping, with plenty of visibility and no nasty surprises lurking to catch the unwary.
As you can see by the earlier pics, the road surface was damp in places but the Bridgestone tyres fitted to this machine were just ace.
The distance to Hanmer is approx 135km one way and on weekends and holidays, there can be a lot of cars etc and a few times I came across groups all bunched up tail gating each other. But there are some nice clear straights with long visibility and with 123bhp on tap, these weren't really a problem on the Sprint ST.
Just after the Hanmer turn off you cross the gorge bridge where they do bungy jumping, jet boating and heaps of other fun stuff, so well worth a stop.
Whilst I was stopped here, another couple of bikies turned up having travelled down from Picton, apparently the weather had been just dreadful, so I had been lucky to miss the worst of it.
Then from the bridge you descend back onto the plains and into Hanmer village. Today it was jam packed with tourists and locals alike but I managed to park up and share a table at a local cafe with four American tourists who were on a two week motorcycling holiday.
They had hired a Honda Goldwing trike and a couple of other tourers but it was the trike that was getting all the attention in the car park.
They told me that back in San Diego and Missouri where they came from, they all rode BMWs and this is the great thing about riding motorcycles, other bikers will nearly always chat to you.
Afterwards and as a reward for the fun ride into Hanmer, I ordered a BLT and chips from Mumbles Cafe.
This was very tasty with soft fresh roll, lettuce, bacon and tomatos and great value at $13.50.
Main Street, Hanmer village
There are also some excellent hot pools to soak in after a long or tiring ride, so this is a great destination to go for the weekend.
Great scenery and great roads
On the way back, I decided to have a break, so stopped at the Hurunui Hotel, this is bit of a historic building and they also do very good coffee, so it was nice to sit outside watching the world go by for 20 mins.
Overall a very enjoyable day ,so if you need a special gift for the person that has everything or maybe just need a day to leave the office behind then this could be the experience for you.
RentaTriumph can offer three different bikes, ranging from the Sprint, Tiger or Speedmaster, with all protective clothing available to be hired. Blair can also organise tours, day trips and even pillion passenger rides, so check out them out at www.rentatriumph.co.nz and tell them I sent you.
Words and photgraphy by Heath Ling
The weather was cool and there was a threat of rain in the air, but after the last few days of high temperatures, I was pleased it was somewhat cooler. First impressions of the bike were good and feel free to read previous review for more in depth comments.
Traffic was reasonably heavy with a mixture of trucks, campervans and cars clogging up the road but the Sprint has a good riding position and road presence, thanks to the headlights, so this wasn’t too much of a worry. It did drizzle for about ten minutes and I was just wondering about pulling over and putting on the waterproofs when it stopped as quickly as it started. If you are a tourist and thinking of travelling around NZ, then sometimes you can get four seasons in one day, so always best to be prepared.
Once I turned off at Waipara and onto the Lewis Pass road, the traffic thinned out a little but then again this was where the Sprint comes into its own as a sports cruiser. Some people think that the Lewis road is boring to travel on and although I agree that it hasn’t got the twists and turns of the Akaroa road for instance, it is a nice road to ride this kind of bike on.
Frog rock in the distance on the right
My trademark pic
The surface is generally in good condition with plenty of grip, the corners are nice and sweeping, with plenty of visibility and no nasty surprises lurking to catch the unwary.
As you can see by the earlier pics, the road surface was damp in places but the Bridgestone tyres fitted to this machine were just ace.
The distance to Hanmer is approx 135km one way and on weekends and holidays, there can be a lot of cars etc and a few times I came across groups all bunched up tail gating each other. But there are some nice clear straights with long visibility and with 123bhp on tap, these weren't really a problem on the Sprint ST.
Just after the Hanmer turn off you cross the gorge bridge where they do bungy jumping, jet boating and heaps of other fun stuff, so well worth a stop.
Whilst I was stopped here, another couple of bikies turned up having travelled down from Picton, apparently the weather had been just dreadful, so I had been lucky to miss the worst of it.
Then from the bridge you descend back onto the plains and into Hanmer village. Today it was jam packed with tourists and locals alike but I managed to park up and share a table at a local cafe with four American tourists who were on a two week motorcycling holiday.
They had hired a Honda Goldwing trike and a couple of other tourers but it was the trike that was getting all the attention in the car park.
They told me that back in San Diego and Missouri where they came from, they all rode BMWs and this is the great thing about riding motorcycles, other bikers will nearly always chat to you.
Afterwards and as a reward for the fun ride into Hanmer, I ordered a BLT and chips from Mumbles Cafe.
This was very tasty with soft fresh roll, lettuce, bacon and tomatos and great value at $13.50.
Main Street, Hanmer village
There are also some excellent hot pools to soak in after a long or tiring ride, so this is a great destination to go for the weekend.
Great scenery and great roads
On the way back, I decided to have a break, so stopped at the Hurunui Hotel, this is bit of a historic building and they also do very good coffee, so it was nice to sit outside watching the world go by for 20 mins.
Overall a very enjoyable day ,so if you need a special gift for the person that has everything or maybe just need a day to leave the office behind then this could be the experience for you.
RentaTriumph can offer three different bikes, ranging from the Sprint, Tiger or Speedmaster, with all protective clothing available to be hired. Blair can also organise tours, day trips and even pillion passenger rides, so check out them out at www.rentatriumph.co.nz and tell them I sent you.
Words and photgraphy by Heath Ling
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