wise, and stop in the tunnel and close the eyes to
adjust to the lack of light before cruising through.
Back out into the light and riding under the hot
afternoon sun we traversed more back-country
roads and onto a much steeper series of farm tracks
before heading back to base after about nine hours
of riding on a very pleasant little motorcycle.
To cap the day off, the thunder kicked in properly
and the heavens opened for 20 minutes to bring
the temperature down to a much more pleasant
level for dinner and a yack about the day’s goings
on and skiddings off in some cases. The tail of a
ride seldom does it the justice that it deserves,
so I advise getting out and going riding, the
advantage of doing this type of ride is better
access and lots of new mates to ride with.
Pesky’s Yamaha XT250
Are you looking for a bike that suits a learner,
want to travel at a slower pace, need a lower seat
height or do not wish to feel overpowered? Then
this little XT250 which I rode (courtesy of Angela
Bruce and Yamaha NZ) during the Gumboot fits
those bills quite nicely and was happy to drag my
120kg of rider and gear around a 260km day with
a ‘sufficiency’ of power. I was was able to idle at
much lower than walking speed and yet still risk a
speeding t icket on flat ground. The little bike could
always maintain forward momentum and stopping
confidence with the standard tyres set at 13psi.
As part of the sweep crew, “XT” and me chugged
along at every pace required up to ‘pay-attention’
speed. Ignoring Race Pace is obvious, however with
a set of aggressive tyres it would be possible to
achieve a turn of speed to embarrass some much
more serious bikes. I found myself confidently
covering the changing ground and seeing all the
sights, removed several marker arrows and helped
anyone who was struggling to have a better day.
I did feel a little cramped, which is no surprise after
four knee and two spinal surgeries, so if you are over
6ft you will need to be supple if you plan to sit often,
but this was easily fixed by occasional standing.
This is a bike you could learn to ride on, enjoy riding
anywhere short of extreme enduro, downsize to
from a heavier model, relax onto from a hard-nosed
enduro bike and ride from one end of the country
to the other. As an ex-enduro rider, ex-trials rider,
45-year motorcycle rider, adventure rider, course
setter and guide, I recommend this bike absolutely.
KIWI RIDER 73