Piston Blown

Route Always plan in a couple of extra checkpoints to get the required points.  That way if you miss a checkpoint or have to change routes because of road closure etc. you'll not have to re-plan on the fly.   If using a GPS that supports multiple point routes, it's actually better to set it up with lots of single routes just from one checkpoint to another.  That way there is no way you'll accidently ride past one and not notice.  I did exactly that in the dark and only realised when I went to add up my score at the end, fortunately I had included some extra checkpoints. Don't just go for the fastest route, look for roads you'll enjoy riding, after all that's what it's really about. e.g. I try to avoid SH1 Christchurch to Ashburton:-) Research It's worth checking out the NZTA traffic map a few days before the event to make sure there's no road closures etc. that affect your route. Once you have your route planned, scout out junctions and checkpoints ...

Copied from:  New-Zealand-s-TT2000-in-2022 Some here will know that I’m an iron butt nut and of all the rides I do the definite highlight of my year is the annual TT2000. This year there was writeup in a local paper that will gives a good background of what is involved: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300...ndurance-rally Though the minimum is 2,000km in the 48 hours I ended up doing 2,824km in 45 hours during the event and 3,572km in total. US iron butt riders will be saying that’s not 1000 miles in 24 hours, that’s true and we do have events like that here, but the TT2000 takes place on twisting single lane roads, even gravel tracks, not multi-lane highways. Despite this I have previously done 3278km (2037 miles) in the 48 hours, so it is possible (just). The checkpoints this year where all schools with under 100 pupils, this made sure they were in nice out of the way places, though does mean the photos are not the most exciting views of NZ. There were also five mystery checkpoi...

Copied from original here:  NI1600 2016 - A South Islanders view - Blogs - Kiwi Biker forums Being a South Islander first challenge was the 715 km to the start point. I had a typical Southerners view of North Island roads i.e. boring, congested, and with a speed cop behind every tree. The torturous, traffic laden ride from the Ferry terminal to Levin in heavy rain didn’t do anything to dispel this. But once past Foxton the traffic began to lighten and with it my mood. Beyond Mangaweka the landscape changed to rolling hills and the road began to twist and turn. There was still the rain but I could ignore that with a road worth riding. Then it was the last section of this trip from from Waiouru to Turangi. This is the famous, or perhaps infamous, desert road which appears regularly on news bulletins about road closures or accidents. I’d imagined something like SH8 between Tekapo and Lake Pukaki with its wasteland feel. However, it was a softer more welcoming landscape - despite the o...

 Copied from:  Tt2000 2016 - Blogs - Kiwi Biker forums So for those who don’t already know the rules are simple. There’s various checkpoints, worth between 1000 and 5000 points, dotted around the South Island. They give you a t-shirt at the start and when you get to one of the checkpoints you have to take a photo of the bike, the landmark and the t-shirt to prove you were there. The target is a minimum 2000km (1243 miles) and 50,000 points by the time you get to the finish point 48 hours later. The TT2000 is very much about setting your own targets through, in my case I had just two: Pick a route that involved road’s I’d never ridden before or really enjoyed riding (i.e. bendy) Points are less important but want to score more than 72,000 points (my previous year’s results). There were two start points, one in Dunedin and the other in Picton; I’d plumbed for Picton. There’s about 50 of us at the start point, I’m the only Spyder rider and so I field the usual questions (and insu...

I like to think strong-willed, tenacious, resistant.  Loved ones have said pig-headed, obstinate, recalcitrant. Whatever words you use one of the ways this shows up is my complete unwillingness, once I’m riding, to stop.  I begrudgingly accept petrol stops, though always pushed to the last opportunity.  I'm happy with checkpoints, but approach them as something to complete with minimum delay. This trait played its usual tricks at this year’s TT2000 - but previous TT’s have also taught me compromise is always needed and this year was no exception. For those who are not familiar with the TT2000 then the idea is to do a minimum of 2000km in 48hrs (midday Friday to midday Sunday). This sounds relatively easy for those living in countries with multi-lane highways until you realise the sorts of roads involved - narrow, twisty, some of them gravel. There are multiple checkpoints, some optional some not, and you have to plan the best route you can to score enough points to qu...