Tuesday 12 January 2010

Motomuck - the miracle cleaner

Riding a dirtbike is great fun but there will come a time when the bike needs to be cleaned as they tend to get a little dirty.

I don't know about you but I always struggle to get my bike as squeaky clean as it was when it came out of the box or back from the bike shop after a periodic tune up.

No matter how diligent I am I can never seem to get the bike completely clean. Not only do I manage to miss bits of mud, sand or dust entirely and those bits of grease on the swing arm where I was a bit generous with the chain oil. I just cant seem to get the plastics and the shiny bits smear free. It is little wonder that she who must be obeyed always says don't bother when I help out with cleaning duties around the house.


Now I have always been skeptical of miracle cleaners, they either don't work unless you follow extremely detailed instructions and water blast the bike clean first or they strip the bike back to bare metal and consume the plastics.

That is until I discovered Motomuck and turned this..............








the result of a fun day in the forest.......






......into something that closely resembles the trusty steed when it was brand new.

Ok so I have taken a few liberties here but needless to say I am impressed with the product.

Basically once you get home (or maybe the next morning as the bike and any muck needs to be dry) spray Motomuck all over the bike. Wait ten minutes (maybe have a beer)and then wash the bike clean.

Any muck or grease simply washes away, especially from all those hard to get to bits., the engine cases and exhaust system. Hey my bike doesn't look brand new but it isn't far off.

Motomuck has been developed and is marketed by Hiltron Security Systems. Motomuck is a non caustic, non acidic cleaner that won't damage plastics or metal. For more information and ordering information click here.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Places to Ride-The Possum Trapper Trail Ride

Greg Power has multiple New Zealand Trials and Enduro titles under his belt and through his events company Power Adventures organises anything from training sessions to most recently a three day enduro in the Maramarua forest south of Auckland. Power Adventures also runs a number of trail rides around the place.

The Possum Trapper is an annual trail ride held in the early New Year in the Maramarua Forest. The Maramarua trails are clay based. Wickedly greasy in the wet with slippery roots snaking across the tracks to tip up the unwary and incredibly dusty when it's dry.

The trails are a combination of overgrown access roads and single track through the trees linked by gravel roads in various states of repair.

Greg does his best to provide something for everyone-from the novice to the expert. One of the aims of these rides is to get people involved in riding. The last thing a novice rider wants to encounter is an almost impassible obstacle that exhausts them and puts them off riding. But there is also enough to keep the likes of me and indeed experts happy.

The only real criticism I have is  that some of the sure directional arrowing is a bit obscure. We were intent on doing the expert tracks but I'm not sure that we rode them all. A  map of the tracks and clear arrowing would be useful.



Contact
Power Adventures
Where?


View Maramarua Forest in a larger map

Places to ride-The Kawasaki Sandpit

We're quite lucky in this part of the world to have several motocross tracks available and several active clubs and charity groups who organize regular trail rides.

We are also really lucky to have the Sandpit where for $25 a throw a man can blast around to his hearts content.

The Kawasaki Sandpit is an offroad motorcycle park based in Woodhill Forest 40 minutes north west of Auckland along state highway 16 towards Hellensville.

There are some 1000 acres of sand based trails winding through the trees in the forest. The trails ranging from tight single track to full throttle return roads provide something for everyone; from the novice rider to expert.

The park also has a couple of motocross practice tracks and a trials area. The best part about the Sandpit is that even when it is pissing down it is always open. In fact the best time to ride at the park is just after heavy rain which compacts the sand and provides awesome traction.

Set in a pine plantation long dry spells increase the fire danger and at these times recreational users of the forest operate under restrictions or can be forced to close temporarily. 

Long dry periods make some of the return tracks quite fluffy and a bit of a challenge for some riders. But there are plenty of tracks to choose from.




The Park is open 5 days a week, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays when the main trails are groomed and open late on Thursdays through the summer.

Contact
The Sandpit

Where?
Woodhill Forest
Molloy Road entrance (off Rimmer Road)
SH16
Helensville


View State Highway 16 diversion in a larger map