What the hell have I been up to?

We are back in lockdown and are all doomed...in the meantime here are some the of things I have been up to in the last few months.

I took the R Nine T out to Castlepoint which is about a 2 hour ride from Wellington. This is a well known holiday spot in the summer but was a bit bleak and cold when I was there in March. 

We spent a long weekend in New Plymouth back in June. The weather was pretty horrible although that didn't stop us getting out and about. On the way back the clouds miraculously cleared revealing Mt Taranaki in all its splendour.

A couple of weather related pictures taken in late Jun and early July. The climate has gone bonkers in NZ along with the rest of the world and we are in the midst of our warmest winter ever. Having said that we have had a couple of cold snaps which is when these pictures were taken. The first one is from a walk near the Brooklyn wind turbine just before a snow squall. The other one is on a cycle ride on the Rimutaka Incline at a place rather aptly called Siberia.

These were taken on a rather splendid motorbike trip up to Taupo. Despite the snow on the volcanoes it wasn't actually that cold.

BMW R Nine T Review with added Waffle

If you want to avoid a bit of non R Nine T waffle, then skip this first section.

Background

A bit of context. I live in New Zealand, which from a riding point of view, has a nice mix of cruisy and tight and twisty roads with very few motorways to spoil the fun. For all but a few short stretches of road the maximum speed limit is 100km/hr, which is fairly low by world standards. Spectacular scenery comes as standard.

I have never been that keen on day rides and prefer weekends or indeed weeks away on the bike either alone or with one or two friends to share the experience. To me, in addition to the general euphoria and heightened sense of awareness that comes with riding on two wheels, this gives these trips a sense of purpose as I invariably set myself some kind of goal be that visiting friends or exploring a particular area of the country. My preferred mode of accommodation is camping and I like to travel light, so no adventure bikes or tourers for me.

Back in the day my dad had various knackered BSA’s and Nortons (and Reliant Robins) and I think this is where my love of naked bikes comes from and possibly why I was drawn to the R Nine T.

For the last 4 years I have been riding a 2017 SV650. To be honest, it is almost the perfect bike for riding over here as it is fast enough to be fun, goes round bends really well and has a terrific engine. The only thing it really lacked was in the looks department and even then it wasn't too bad, although its closer to Anne Widdecombe than Elle McPherson - this might sound a little shallow, but gazing at ones bike in the garage is one of life’s great pleasures.

Ever since it came out in 2014 I have lusted after the R Nine T, but it is an expensive bike, so it was very much a case of admiring it from afar. Fast forward to earlier on this year and due to not being able to travel funds suddenly became available and the R Nine T came back into focus.

I was looking round a local bike shop and to my surprise spotted a used 2015 R Nine T up for sale. The bike was the proverbial tarts handbag with every other part painted gold or swapped over for its gold equivalent, enough to make even Liberace blush! The exhaust had also been nastily wrapped and the shop wanted an exorbitant amount of money for the bike. Still, needs must and a test ride was duly booked.

Within a minute or two of getting on the bike I was smitten. I loved the twist from the engine on startup and the rocking at idle and the slightly raw but also refined feel of the bike and above all it was enormous fun to ride, which after all, is what its all about. 

There was too much bling on the test bike for me, but there was a nice new one sitting in the showroom. I got chatting to the salesman who offered a very good trade-in price on the SV, and as they say, the rest is history. My next bike was always going to be for very long term ownership, but was something I was intending to buy when I retire, but given the uncertain times we live in, I thought what the heck why wait!

Incidentally, the blinged up R Nine T sold the same day I rode it. I am told the new owner had the shop strip off all the bling including the exhaust wrap that it turned out was covering badly corroded header pipes, which had to be replaced.

My bike is a Euro 4 model and has ABS, traction control, LED indicators and heated grips but none of the other fancy gadgets you tend to get these days like riding modes or cruise control or ghastly TFT screens. To my mind, the R Nine T has just what you need and nothing more, which suits the stripped back nature of the bike.

Impressions after 19000 kms:

Looks

The bike, not me - I could give Anne Widdecombe a run for her money.

To my eyes, the R Nine T is one of the most beautiful bikes ever made. BMW have nailed it, from the wonderfully exposed boxer engine, to the shape of the tank, to the gold forks and the analogue clocks. The fit and finish is (mostly) excellent which is as it should be for a premium end bike. Even the mirrors look OK.

Performance

Th engine rocks on startup and idle but is very smooth up to around 5000 RPM whereafter the vibes start creeping in. The exhaust has a terrific low down rumble which changes to a World War One biplane type bellow when you give the engine a trashing accompanied by some popping on the overrun. I have changed the exhaust on practically every bike I have owned, but don’t feel the need to do so on this one. All of the above gives the engine a lot of character and is central to the R Nine T’s appeal.

Performance is pretty good in the low and midrange and the engine also has a surprisingly decent top end given its relatively low state of tune. For the sort of roads you get in NZ the performance is more than you would ever need or could safely use. Fuelling is spot on.

At an indicated 110 km/hr, which to me feels like the bikes natural cruising speed, the engine is turning over at just below 4000 RPM which is right in its sweet zone and pretty vibe free. Above this the vibes increase and become more intrusive which might be an issue if you spend significant time cruising at higher speeds, so something to bear in mind.

Handling and ride

The boxers low centre of gravity coupled with the bikes wide handle bars mean that it handles corners very well indeed which makes it great fun in the twisties. Mind you, I am an averagely skilled rider, so what the handling is like when the bike is pushed harder I cannot say.

The ride is mostly fine but the suspension is definitely on the firm side and I have been bounced out of the saddle on a couple of occasions. With time, the ride felt more compliant which I suspect is a result of components bedding in and also of me getting used to the bike.

Eventually, I got round to having the suspension professionally setup. 

On the front, both the preload and the rebound were increased considerably with the compression left unchanged at 5 out of 10. The rear shock, which I had set up myself previously, was left as is. 

The R Nine T is never going to float along like a Goldwing but the result of the above adjustments is a bike that rides much better and feels more planted - my only regret is that I didn’t get the suspension sorted out sooner.

Brakes

Plenty of power and feel from the front and back brakes, so beyond reproach so far as I am concerned. 

Comfort and Ergonomics and Touring

Obviously, the R Nine T wouldn’t be the first choice for most as a tourer, but with a rear hugger and a Ventura pack rack installed along with some soft luggage it does just fine. The pack rack doesn’t do much for the bikes looks but it would be just a toy without it.

The seat looks like a bit of a plank but is actually comfortable for a couple of hours before the dreaded numb bum sets in. Stopping for a coffee break or to admire the scenery every hour or two is a major part of the riding experience for me, so in this regard, the seat isn’t an issue.

What has surprisingly been an issue is cramp in my right leg. The pegs are fairly sporting, but not especially so, but a combination of this and maybe the width and reach to the bars has caused me a lot of pain (this has never happened on any other bike I have owned and is unlikely to be an issue for most). To remedy this I added a set of SW Motech pegs which are 25mm lower than the stock ones and also some Wunderlich 20 mm bar risers. These relatively modest changes to the ergonomics have made all the difference, and cramp is no longer an issue, bar the odd twinge.

Riding in the rain means the rear tire flinging muck everywhere and is not recommended. I had a Puig Rear Hugger installed which has cured this particular problem. Should be fitted as standard I reckon.

Oh the joy of analogue clocks. They are not as blingy as those on say the Triumph Thruxton but are all the better for it and provide everything you need to know, although a petrol gauge rather than a warning light would be nice.

The clutch pull is moderate but does become a bit of a pain if I do too much town riding, which is something I avoid if I possibly can.

The mirrors don’t look too dorky and get the job done.

The various switches all work well enough but do feel a bit cheap and I suspect are of the PCB variety. My SV cost about a third of the price of the R Nine T and had much nicer and more tactile switches. On the subject of switches special mention must go to the self-cancelling indicators which are a bit of a gimmick, but I have grown to rather like them.

Fuel consumption is not bad at all and I regularly get over 300km from a tank, providing I am not thrashing it.

Issues

The only issue I had had so far is with recurring marks/staining on the exhaust. Soap and water doesn’t work. I use Harley Davidson Bare Metal Polish remove the stains which works very well, but wait a few weeks and the marks are back again! This is very frustrating and doesn’t say much for the finish on the exhaust.

Modifications

Bar risers. I got these from Wunderlich. For some reason they wouldn’t send them to NZ so I got them delivered to my brother in the UK who then posted them on to me.

SW Motech Ion Pegs. These are lower than the stock pegs by 15mm but I increased this to 25mm by taking off the rubber insert. There was no increase in vibration and I reckon they suit the look of the bike.

Quad Locke. These are super easy to use and come highly recommended. I have also installed the optional vibration dampener and USB socket so I can mount my phone on the bars if I need to do any navigation and keep it charged.

Seat screw. BMW secures the rear seat with a torx screw, which is a bit of a pain. I replaced it with a knurled knob which I sourced from eBay.

Puig Rear Hugger. These should come as standard fitment and I reckon actually improve the look of the rear of the bike.

Ventura pack rack. I have been using these for years. The rack is a terrific piece of kit and transforms any bike into a tourer. I use a Ventura bag which slots straight onto the rack and this combined with a large dry bag is my touring luggage setup. I have a Ventura Aero Spada bag which works great if attached facing to the rear. If I am using my dry bag I have the Ventura bag facing forward which results in it intruding onto the riders seat, which is hardly ideal. To get over this issue I purchased a Ventura Bora I bag which is narrower and doesn’t intrude but at the expense of reduced luggage capacity. Like I said, the R Nine T isn’t the ideal tourer and there are compromises to be made but overall it works fine in this role.

Bar end mirrors. As I mentioned before, the stock mirrors, to me at least, work just fine but the the inner hipster in me finally succumbed and on went a set of Oberon 75mm bar end mirrors. The Oberon's are really well made, were easy to install and look terrific on the bike and also, on the practicality front, give a good view behind. I used some cheap M10 mirror plugs sourced from eBay to fill the holes left by the stock mirrors.

Future modifications

Currently, I am happy with the bike the way it is. Unlike many riders I don’t have any issues with the tail and don’t think the bike needs a tail tidy to clean up the rear end, not least as the pack rack has ruined the rear end anyway!

Another South Island Trip...

Neena and I spent two weeks in the South Island. We stayed in Dunedin and Stewart Island and also spent 4-days cycling the Otago Rail Trail.

Dunedin was founded by Scottish settlers. New Zealand overall has a mild and in places almost tropical climate, yet the Scots chose to settle in just about the coldest most miserable area of the country (presumably the climate is favourable for breeding Haggis). They also founded in my opinion the most attractive city in NZ. There are a great many fine stone buildings (a rarity in this part of the world) and the place has a noticeably more chilled out feel which is quite a contrast to Wellington these days let alone the humungous sprawling metropolis that is Auckland.

Dunedin very much reminds me of some of the nicer parts of the UK, which is maybe why I like it so much. We may have a serious look at moving there at some point.

The Otago Rail Trail utilises the disused railway line running from Clyde to Middlemarch. We rode the trail over 4-days staying in Omakau, Wedderburn and Waipiata along the way. I am a much stronger rider than Neena so she hired an e-bike whilst I pedalled old school which had the effect of levelling things up between us effort wise and made for a better trip. Trail Journeys organised the accomodation, supplied the bikes and transported our bags, so all we had to do was ride.

The first two days were uphill and into a stiff headwind at times so the riding was a little harder than I was expecting, but in the overall scheme of things, still pretty easy. In contrast, the second two days were almost entirely downhill and with a tail wind as well so we fairly flew along and spent a considerable amount of time not pedalling at all!

The first few hours cycling from Clyde were a bit of a grind as there were endless roads to cross which really interrupted the flow. It was also very hot. After that the trail settled down and we were out into the wilds and the adventure really began.

The scenery on the trail is (mostly) not dramatic by New Zealand standards with much of the riding through wide open central Otago big sky country, but very nice all the same. There were also various bridges, tunnels and gorges to contend with, which added to the fun.

After the Rail Trail we headed south to Stewart Island where we spent five days in Oban.

Stewart Island is located at the bottom of the south island and is reached by either a short plane ride or a much longer and notoriously bumpy ferry ride. We took the plane.

I have been involved in conservation work on and off for years inspecting fences, feeding Kaka’s, trapping stoats and in the early days radio tracking Kiwi’s. In all that time I have never seen a Kiwi in the wild. Stewart Island is one of the few areas in NZ outside fenced reserves where Kiwi are hanging on, meaning that we would have a fighting chance seeing them. For me, this was the main driver behind going there. We had also planned to walk the 3-day Rakiura Walkway but this went somewhat awry.

It turned out that the two huts serving the track had severe bedbug infestations, so much so that it made the national news! In the end, we ended doing a series of day walks instead. In the evenings we hunted for Kiwi.

Being so far south the weather was also on the cool side which wasn’t great for sunbathing, but perfect for tramping.

I had expected the island to be beautiful as that is pretty well par for the course over here, but what did surprise us were the wonderfull sandy beaches.

In the evenings when it got dark we headed off in search of Kiwi. The best place to see them in Oban is (allegedly) an open area called Traill Park. I am buggered if we could spot them though. We did hear one and also saw a couple of deer, but that was about it. At times there were plenty of other people doing the same thing with many of them using bright white lights rather than the recommended red lights (red light also doesn’t destroy your night vision). Bright white light is evidently like Kryptonite to Kiwi’s, so in retrospect, we were probably wasting our time. 

A special mention must go the Kai Kart who do the best fish and chips in the entire world and quite possibly beyond.

On the last night we got desperate and signed up on a commercial kiwi spotting tour. For what it was it was pretty pricey but worth it as we got to see a number of Kiwi and got very close to one as well - we had been standing in the pitch black with all the torches turned off (this is evidently a good tactic as Kiwi have very poor eye sight and hunt mostly by feel). When we turned our torch back on we found a small male Kiwi right at our feet. I don’t know who was more surprised us or the Kiwi!

Seeing Kiwi for me was the highlight of what had been a very enjoyable trip.

Otago Rail Trail Day 1. Taking a break from the wind at Chatto Creak.

Otago Rail Trail Day 2. This cafe was in the middle of nowhere and situated right next to the trail. They did the most amazing bacon and eggs.

Otago Rail Trail Day 2. Yours truly.

Otago Rail Trail Day 2. There were some cracking bridges to go over.

Otago Rail Trail Day 2. On the way to Poolburn Gorge.

Otago Rail Trail Day 2. Poolburn Gorge.

Otago Rail Trail Day 2. There were a few tunnels to cycle though - this was the longest one.

Otago Rail Trail Day 2. Sunset in Wedderburn.

Otago Rail Trail Day 3. Our accomodation in Wedderburn.

Otago Rail Trail Day 3. This was our accommodation for the night - a rather lovely 150 year old fully restored farmhouse. Pete's Farm was located a fair way off the trail, but well worth the effort. 

Otago Rail Trail Day 4. The last day's ride was pretty long and we needed to be in Middlemarch by 1pm to catch a bus back to Dunedin, so didn't muck about. Fortunately, it was downhill all the way and we had the wind at our backs, so fairly flew.

The photos below were all taken on day walks from Oban in Stewart Island. Oban is the largest and indeed only town on the island. It has one pub and one cafe. Being so far south I guessed the island would be cool and windswept and rugged, which indeed it was, but there were also lots of wonderfully sandy beaches, which came as a very pleasant surprise.

We found some "Dead Mans Balls" and had an impromptu game of Petanque.

You will have to screw your eyes up real good for this one. If you look close enough you should be able to spot a Kiwi. It took some serious video manipulation to get it even this bad. I am not considering a career as a wildlife photographer.

    

Xmas Trip

Compared to much of the world, the mere fact that I am writing about this trip means that I am in a lucky and privileged position and my heart goes out to all those people whose lives are currently seriously constrained.

Over Xmas it is traditional for Kiwis to head for the coast, meaning that these areas are usually super busy and no fun at all. We consequently invariably head inland at this time of the year to escape the madding crowds.

We stayed in Ohakune which is a small town situated on the edge of the Tongariro NP - home to many of New Zealand’s volcanoes and a stunningly beautiful area in general. To add a bit of spice Mt Ruapehu’s volcanic alert level was raised the day before we went (since the White Island tragedy the alert levels are taken a lot more seriously).

The weather was unseasonably cold and even snowed at one point, but we got out and about anyway.

Among other delights, we walked to the Hapuawhenua Viaduct, visited the Mangawhero Falls and took a gondola ride up to Mt Ruapehu.

Mangawhero Falls - it was supposed to be summer, but felt like mid winter.

Hapuawhenua Viaduct

Hapuawhenua Viaduct again

Mt Ruapehu - this is about as far as we were allowed to go