Hanmer is a place that attracts annual meet-ups , from American cars to cruisers and it looks like it ’ s Indian ’ s turn . Their bikes are a little unwieldy , so as one moves off from the front pumps , others don ’ t shuffle around . I ask if anyone ’ s going to use the vacant front pump , but they ’ re all happy to sit and wait . Although not the smallest of bikes , the Tiger and I skip to the front of the queue and I fill the 19 litre tank . I ’ d like a larger tank for road touring , but I didn ’ t want the extra bulk and weight that comes with the Tiger Explorer Pro version . It ’ s horses for courses .
It ’ s the next two bits of the course where I ’ m looking forward to pushing the Tiger ’ s comfort zone some more . The gravel up to Lake Tennyson is smooth and fast , the 21-inch front wheel taking the sting out of any pothole hits a little more than a 19-incher would do . The shaft drive negates the need to adjust and lube the chain in the dusty conditions - I ’ m a fan . 40-something kilometres of almost pristine gravel later , with an excursion through each bridge-side creek along the way , I trickle down the track to Lake Tennyson . There ’ s a little
70 KIWI RIDER