NESS OF STRANGERS
Words: Peter Elliott Photos: Weronika Kwapisz
grandmother was agile, and wreathed in the odour
of petrol, grease and 15w40. Grandmama worked
through the 44 years of Poland’s communist era
from 1945 – 1989, and beyond, training apprentices
and servicing motorcycles. Weronika said her
family were given some measure of freedom
during the communist regime, that others
never possessed, because of that motorbike
servicing element. She says that she too has
petrol in her veins, and that is how she became
completely enveloped by motorcycling.
She recently completed a circumnavigation of
New Zealand on board a Triumph Speedmaster,
and I rode with her beforehand, for a half-day
‘acclimatisation run’, during the recent launch of
the ’18 Speedie, and the new Bobber Black.
15 years ago a friend had told her that New Zealand
was the greatest riding on the planet, and for
12 years she has planned this trip. “The Happiest
Day of Her Life”, is how she describes the day
it was finalised with a bike from Triumph NZ.
She has completed many hundreds of thousands of
KIWI RIDER 71