They might be sky blue, or British racing green.
Or they could be white, purple, orange, red, silver or gold.
And the sizes and shapes of motorcycle gas tanks are so creative, too.
Some are big and rounded; some boxy and tiny.
Then there are the tank decals and badges.
They can look like pieces of glittering silver jewellery.
It’s not often I get to see hundreds of Triumph motorcycle gas tanks all in one place…
Sure, it starts out simple enough.
Pat and I decide we’re well overdue for a motorcycle road trip.
So we break out the perfect touring motorcycle, our awesome 1600cc Triumph Thunderbird.
We allow 5 days to get from the east coast of the South Island to the west coast – and back.
No problem. We’ve done it before.
We check the weather, and pick the coolest roads.
I even book a motel for our first stop.
Everything is completely under control.
Or so it seems.
(more…)
Invercargill is pretty much the last stop on the way to Antarctica.
For most of the year, it’s home to around 50,000 people (not counting hobbits).
But every November, the population explodes for a weekend, as 20,000 motorcycles roar down the wide straight streets of this sleepy little town.
Welcome to the Burt Munro bike rally.
It’s a joyful celebration of Indian motorbikes – and an annual tribute to a local motorcycling legend.
New Zealand is about the same size as California, and you’re never more than 170 km from the sea.
The population is just over 4 million (not counting the hobbits, elves and dwarves you’ve seen in The Lord of the Rings).
When you look at a map, the travel distances in this country seem tiny.
But a map doesn’t tell the full story.
A map won’t prepare you for moving through entirely different worlds over the course of an hour.
It won’t explain why it can take most of the day to ride 200 km.
And the Indian Scout motorcycle is no exception.
Glowing reviews have flowed in, as this beautiful, iconic motorcycle has been discussed from every possible angle.
Well, almost.
No-one has offered a view of the Indian Scout from the pillion seat.
Until now, that is…
