KIWI RIDERS
How did you get back into it ? “ It was always something I ’ d wanted to get back into , and then I met my husband who rode road bikes . I ’ d join him on rides as a pillion whenever I could , until I got to the stage where I said I ’ d like my own bike . I ’ d had enough of being a pillion and was getting travel sick being on the back . My husband called my bluff and said ‘ right , let ’ s go and find you a bike ’.”
What bike did you get ? “ I started off with a Yamaha MT-07 . Because it had been such a long time since I ’ d been out on the road , I started from scratch as if I didn ’ t have my licence . I did some Ride Forever courses which were fantastic , and a couple of track days . For my 50th birthday I got a Yamaha Tracer 9 GT which I loved . It was an amazing bike , but I felt I was going to wreck it because I wanted to take it to places it wasn ’ t made for .”
When did you get into off-road riding ? “ As a family we ’ d clocked up huge kilometres of road riding , and when my youngest son bought a bike he started getting into off road . I wanted to see more parts of the country . I changed my bike to a Yamaha Ténéré 700 which is more capable for off-road riding .”
What do you love about riding ? “ I love that it ’ s something my husband and I can do together , and I ’ ve met some amazing people through it - you meet the most interesting people out on the road . It ’ s also really exciting and clears the head . You can ’ t worry and ride . You ’ re totally concentrating , feeling in control . I also love exploring . There ’ s so many places near home that I can ’ t believe I ’ ve never been to until I got a bike .”
Where ’ s your favourite ride in New Zealand ? “ There are just so many . We ’ re lucky to get access to so many places , it ’ s fantastic . Locally it is towards the hills around the Rakaia River and Lake Coleridge areas . We ’ ve also had some
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