What makes a good distance rider?
- Good distance riders are those who can pace themselves and make a realistic assessment of their endurance capacity and ability to meet the event's timeframes.
- They need to be confident riding through the night if they are riding a North Island 1600.
- They need to be confident riding in any sort of weather conditions.
- They need to have a comfortable and appropriately equipped motorcycle. If you have questions about this, please let us know well prior to the event, in case our Scrutineers do not approve your machine.
- They should enjoy riding with and be respectful of other riders and road users. While solo riders can participate, the organisers recommend buddying up with other riders with abilities and strategies similar to yours.
- Our events are not races. Completion is the most important thing and the Organisers' objective is to see all starters safely complete the event.
What a 1,600km North Island event looks like
Riders who are considering doing a 1,600km-in-24-hour event for the first time may be wondering what that distance looks like in terms of a route around the North Island. Our route will always be on sealed roads (apart from occasional patches of road works) and regularly go past 24-hour fuel stations.
We've attached some route maps from past North Island events to give examples of what's possible.
We've attached some route maps from past North Island events to give examples of what's possible.
Event preparation tips
- Understand the fuel range of your machine. The ride route will go past 24-hour fuel outlets at reasonable intervals.
- Make sure your bike has been recently serviced and has tyres that should pass a WOF test AFTER the event is completed.
- Understand your personal range. How big is your bladder? When stopping for fuel you should have a toilet stop, take on liquids and have a snack. 24 hours is a long time.
- Eat a good meal before starting.
- North Island 1600 riders should practice riding at night on back roads. This will ensure that your headlights are adequate and that you are comfortable riding on roads with no street lighting, limited other vehicles, poor road markings, possible wandering stock and night-time critters.
- We ride in all weathers, so you'll need to be prepared with a good set of wet weather gear and a place to stow those on your bike when you're not wearing them.
- Keep cash and EFTPOS cards somewhere handy to save fumbling around at service stations
What to expect when riding your first NI1600 or NI800
(Have a look at the Briefing Section in one of the Rider's Guides in the 'Past Rides' section of this website)
Event HQ
The HQ is setup at Kings at Ohakune. Banners will identify where to check in and where to go to get your bike scrutineered. The Friday night (7pm) ride reveal and briefing is carried out in the bar area at Kings, Post ride meals are served in the bar dining area.
Scrutineering
This is similar to a Warrant of Fitness check and includes confirmation that your licence, WoF and Rego are all current, then, our scrutineers will look at your tyres, brakes, lights, spokes etc. If they feel these items are marginal, or wouldn't pass inspection AFTER your ride, you will be rejected from participation and either have to withdraw, or get the bike fixed. It is highly recommended that you get your bike serviced/inspected in the week leading up to the event and tell the shop what you are doing. This will avoid unnecessary stress and panic on the day!!
Remember, the scrutineering starts from noon on Friday. Plan to arrive on Friday afternoon and get your bike scrutinised then, particularly NI800 riders who will leave early on Saturday morning.
Route Release
This happens at 7pm on Friday evening. First off, there will be a general welcome & briefing about the weekend, then one on Spotwalla, then the Route Reveal and some general info on the two routes. After that, Riders are issued with their Rider Guide booklets and a T-Shirt (if you have purchased one with your entry - these aren't issued earlier as they have the route map on the back). You then need to plan your route and fuel stops, whether that be loading it to a GPS unit, or writing notes, or whatever method you prefer to commit the ride to memory... remembering that Long John is a bit of an arse and it is most unlikely that your route will not be a simple jaunt over Main Highways!
Help is available from the team, if you have questions.
NI800
A short rider briefing will be held at the start line area at 8:45am with departures commencing, in groups of 10, 3 minutes apart, from 9:00am. (You need to photograph your odo prior to starting)
NI1600
Another short rider briefing will be held at the start line area at 11:45am with departures commencing, in groups of 10, 3 minutes apart, from 12:00pm. (You need to photograph your odo prior to starting)
Finish
When you arrive, photograph your odo again, then proceed to the HQ with your Rider Card and photos (phone or camera). You will then be issued with you certificate, badge (& patch for 1600 rides), plus a post ride meal. (You need to let us know prior to the event if you have special dietary requirements)
You can then Go Home or stay the night!
Here's some links to prepping for long distance rides by some of our NZDR riders:
Bandit Rider on:
Distance Riding http://banditrider.weebly.com/distance-riding.html
Route Planning http://banditrider.weebly.com/route-planning.html
Skinny on:
Wet Weather Gear: https://www.thinman.co.nz/whats-the-best-motorcycle-gear-for-riding-in-the-rain/
Long John Silver on:
Distance Riding https://longjohnbiker.weebly.com/distance-riding.html
Long John Silver on:
NZDR Routing - Using a GPS on NZDR Rides and the merits of referring to the Ride Instructions to enhance your riding experience.
Event HQ
The HQ is setup at Kings at Ohakune. Banners will identify where to check in and where to go to get your bike scrutineered. The Friday night (7pm) ride reveal and briefing is carried out in the bar area at Kings, Post ride meals are served in the bar dining area.
Scrutineering
This is similar to a Warrant of Fitness check and includes confirmation that your licence, WoF and Rego are all current, then, our scrutineers will look at your tyres, brakes, lights, spokes etc. If they feel these items are marginal, or wouldn't pass inspection AFTER your ride, you will be rejected from participation and either have to withdraw, or get the bike fixed. It is highly recommended that you get your bike serviced/inspected in the week leading up to the event and tell the shop what you are doing. This will avoid unnecessary stress and panic on the day!!
Remember, the scrutineering starts from noon on Friday. Plan to arrive on Friday afternoon and get your bike scrutinised then, particularly NI800 riders who will leave early on Saturday morning.
Route Release
This happens at 7pm on Friday evening. First off, there will be a general welcome & briefing about the weekend, then one on Spotwalla, then the Route Reveal and some general info on the two routes. After that, Riders are issued with their Rider Guide booklets and a T-Shirt (if you have purchased one with your entry - these aren't issued earlier as they have the route map on the back). You then need to plan your route and fuel stops, whether that be loading it to a GPS unit, or writing notes, or whatever method you prefer to commit the ride to memory... remembering that Long John is a bit of an arse and it is most unlikely that your route will not be a simple jaunt over Main Highways!
Help is available from the team, if you have questions.
NI800
A short rider briefing will be held at the start line area at 8:45am with departures commencing, in groups of 10, 3 minutes apart, from 9:00am. (You need to photograph your odo prior to starting)
NI1600
Another short rider briefing will be held at the start line area at 11:45am with departures commencing, in groups of 10, 3 minutes apart, from 12:00pm. (You need to photograph your odo prior to starting)
Finish
When you arrive, photograph your odo again, then proceed to the HQ with your Rider Card and photos (phone or camera). You will then be issued with you certificate, badge (& patch for 1600 rides), plus a post ride meal. (You need to let us know prior to the event if you have special dietary requirements)
You can then Go Home or stay the night!
Here's some links to prepping for long distance rides by some of our NZDR riders:
Bandit Rider on:
Distance Riding http://banditrider.weebly.com/distance-riding.html
Route Planning http://banditrider.weebly.com/route-planning.html
Skinny on:
Wet Weather Gear: https://www.thinman.co.nz/whats-the-best-motorcycle-gear-for-riding-in-the-rain/
Long John Silver on:
Distance Riding https://longjohnbiker.weebly.com/distance-riding.html
Long John Silver on:
NZDR Routing - Using a GPS on NZDR Rides and the merits of referring to the Ride Instructions to enhance your riding experience.
| nzdr_routing.pdf |
The American Iron Butt Association organises a number of distance rides, including the Iron Butt 11,000 miles in 11 days event, held every second year across North American roads.
The Association has an "Archive of Wisdom" (AOW) that it has published in its web site with a range of tips and tricks for preparing to participate in a distance ride event. It's a fun read!
The Association has an "Archive of Wisdom" (AOW) that it has published in its web site with a range of tips and tricks for preparing to participate in a distance ride event. It's a fun read!
