I took the Indian Bobber from Easy Rider Motorcyle Hires for a trip down to Taranaki for a few days recently to meet up with a few old friends and had a great time. Although the Bobber isn't the best bike in the Easy Rider Stable for a long journey, I found it to be easily capable of 4-5 hours in the saddle in a day.
Leaving from North Shore in Auckland, I went around the back road, turning off the expressway at Taupiri and going through Ngāruawāhia and popping out at Otorohanga is to avoid Hamilton is usually my first choice - and a far better road when on a motorbike. This can sometimes be a slow road depending on how heavy the traffic, but on my way down it was a great ride through some typical North Island scenery. If I had time I could have diverted for a bit to Raglan or Kawhia, but on this occasion I was late leaving, so didn't have time to get too distracted.
I didn't make my first stop until I reached Te Kuiti where I needed to refuel both the motorbike and myself at the local BP. They offer a great selection of unhealthy junk foods, so they're always a good pit-stop and chance to stretch the legs or make a toilet stop. While I was there, I had a few people stop to have a chat about the bike as it often catches the attention of passers-by. New Zealand is a great country for motorbike hire and Easy Rider Motorcycle Hires has some great cruisers to choose from, all of them eye-catchers. The colours and design of the Indian are definitely a popular combination with Kiwi's.
From Te Kuiti my next stop wasn't until I reached my destination at Belt Road Motorcamp in New Plymouth, total trip of around 400km and probably about 5 hours. The road works and potholes all the way down on this trip were a lot less than last time I rode to Taranaki, so the entire trip was a lot more pleasant. That said, I was still quite pleased to reach my destination. Next time, I should probably "plan to plan" and get organised a little earlier in the day so I have time to divert to some of the awesome side-roads on the way down the West Coast.
Setting up camp at Belt Road Motorcamp was easy (even without a booking) and the views from this site over the harbour are just great.
I spent a couple of nights here to visit friends and some favourite sites around New Plymouth, including the mountain, the surf beaches and the CBD. The weather was perfect the entire time I was down there and I enjoyed some great sunny days. The other campers at the camp were friendly and keen for a bit of banter about different travel itineraries around both North and South Island.
The main reason for this trip was to catch up with some old friends, so with only 2 days to spare it was a bit rushed, but I still had time to relax and enjoy the Indian on the winding Taranaki roads. With 1100cc V-Twin power on demand, I was impressed with the performance of this bike over some challenging roads. It's a cruiser, not a sport bike, but it's still plenty responsive without having to chop gears every few seconds to achieve peak performance.
It can still manage a corner at good clip of speed and it's light and agile, so it's a great mix of both long distance cruiser power and comfort and quick response fun riding. Definitely a great bike for a fun journey on both factors.
On the ride back up north, the weather was starting to turn a bit wet, which was initially a bit concerning as I know Indians do suffer from a bit of 'fish-tailing' in the wet due to the light weight and high torque, but with the upgraded suspension and the tyres currently fitted on this bike, I didn't have any concerns at all on the wet roads. Some of that credit should probably go to NZTA (Waka Kotahi) too for doing some great work to rebuild the neglected roads of just a year ago.
Overall, it was a short trip and would have benefited from a bit more time to explore along the journey, but I had a good time and enjoyed the ride on Easy Rider Motorcycle Hires Indian Bobber. Whether you're planning a long trip around the country or a long weekend around the North Island, I would definitely recommend the cruiser life!
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