WORDS: Chanelle Higgins
PHOTOS: Geoff Osborne
FIRST
TIME
RIDER
orking for Kiwi Rider came with
an exclusive requirement- you
either ride a bike, or you've got
to be keen to learn. Riding a
motorbike had always been one of many
teenage fantasies. I’d always envisioned
myself gearing up in full leathers zooming
around town on a rumbling black and
silver Harley Davidson (literally the
only kind of bike I was aware of – so
sheltered...). I’d always hoped to be
just as cool as my once upon a time
gear-head dad or grandpa and felt a
responsibility as the last child to continue
the tradition of bike riding in the family.
After crashing my friend’s scooter only
a few years back, scraping up the side of
my leg (and the scooter) in the process,
my teenage fantasy quickly fizzled away
as I came to the realisation that maybe
the motorbike life was just not for me.
Wedged quite unhappily underneath
the scooter, injured and feeling pretty
disheartened, I thought to myself, if I can’t
ride a scooter how on earth could I ever
ride a motorbike?
A few years later, I’m sat in front of Vege
and Ben for a job interview at Kiwi Rider,
showing total external enthusiasm as I
presented keen interest in learning to
KR’s designer
Chanelle Higgins
had never ridden a
bike before...
well, once, and it
didn’t end well.
ride a bike, despite internal screams of
anxiety as I automatically reflected on my
epic scooter-ride-fail.
Well, I got the job... so there was no
escaping it now. It wasn’t long before we
picked up a shiny new Honda CRF150F
which I was assured was perfect to learn
and progress on, got some gear and I was
all set to get started. I was determined to
redeem myself and prove to the universe
that if I can’t ride a scooter, I can and I will
ride a bike!
We met at Vege’s in Waimauku on a crisp
late-Winter morning. I saw the CRF150F in
the back of the van and may have peed a
little bit. It hadn't quite hit me that I'd be
on the back of that thing in a couple of
hours. I have to admit feeling a little sick
and part of me wanted to just go back
home and sink into bed, but the other
part of me was itching to hop on and get
crunching.
The drive out to Leighton's Farm was
beautiful, the landscape stretches out
for miles featuring an expanse of rolling
hills with ocean views peeping up just
behind them. The stunning rural scenery
calmed my nerves a little as we neared
our destination.
KIWI RIDER 55