In an edited extract from his new book, Kiwi Bikers, Ken Downie finds out what lies behind the passion for motorcycles.
Avalon Biddle, Rangiora
2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
"When we were kids my brother got a dirt bike. Of course, I had to have one too," says the 2019 SuperSport champion Avalon Biddle. "Dad would take us kids to places like Woodhill Forest, north of Auckland, and we would go motocross riding."
Avalon has a garage filled with bikes at her Rangiora home, and she goes dirt-bike riding some weekends. Back then, she wasn't so great at motocross — "I wasn't that keen on leaving the ground" — though she quickly discovered she wasn't afraid of going fast. "Speed didn't faze me at all." She got her first taste on the tarseal doing bucket-racing when she was 13 years old. "It was an affordable way to get into the sport"— swapping the handlebars for road clip-ons and changing the tyres on her Honda XR100. "Riding on a go-kart track is pretty tight, but I was having fun and learning to go fast."
By the time Avalon was 19 she was going very fast, racing professionally for the next six years. "I did two years in the European championship, three years in the Italian championships and another year in the World Supersport 300 championships," she says. "I was very determined." Her old school friends would boast that she was a motorcycle-racing superstar. "They had no idea, it was all quite foreign to them," she laughs.
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"Although I don't know what people expect a motorcycle racer to look like. Strangers always seem surprised when I say I race bikes."
It might have something to do with gender. Some seasons, Avalon's been the only woman competing, and she made history in 2019 when she became the first woman ever to win the New Zealand SuperSport 600cc title on her Kawasaki ZX-6R race bike. "I'm always racing against men, though these days there are a few more women getting into the scene," she says.
She and her motorcycle-racing partner Jake Lewis make a pretty fast couple. "Sometimes we race against each other," says Avalon. "Recently I got third and he came in first. Who's got the most trophies? I've never counted." Avalon loves the performance aspect of the race. "I've been asked to race old classics, but why would I want to race something that doesn't go fast and handle really well? Bikes like my Kawasaki are so good, the tyres are so sticky, and everything is 20 seconds faster. For me you can't beat that.'
On top of her racing career she also has a background in marketing and these days she works for a specialist bicycle retailer. She meets a few cyclist know-it-all types in the job. "Some guys can be quite condescending, like they are the best riders ever," she laughs. If only they knew.
Reverend Tony Brooking, Waiouru
2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse
There is only one motorcycle in the Reverend Tony Brooking's garage in Waiouru, and it takes up almost the entire space. "Yes, my wife Sonya often reminds of me of that," he says as he pushes the big 2016 Indian Chief out on to the driveway. You'd expect it to be a two-man operation, but Tony handles the enormous 1800cc motorcycle with ease.
Reverend Tony Brooking with his 2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse.
"I think I'm the only Anglican minister in Aotearoa who has a motorcycle," says Tony. He's almost certainly the only man of the cloth with an Indian Chief Dark Horse. Tony is based at Waiouru, where he's an army chaplain, and everyone knows him as "Rev", but if we were to be formal, it would be Captain Brooking.
Rev is also a member and past-president of the Christian biker group The Redeemed Motorcycle Ministry. The multi-denominational, multicultural group was started by Amos Perese Ale, an ex-Head Hunter who found God. "We're spreading the word in a different way," says Rev. "The jacket patch has a big cross with 'Jesus is Lord'.''
That doesn't stop some people from getting the wrong end of the stick, however. One day, minding his own business, Rev got pulled up by a cop who thought Rev had stolen the bike. The police officer then scoffed at him when he gave his occupation. "It was a close call for a while there," says Rev. "When I went to get my driver's licence, she went for her taser. It happens a lot more than you might imagine."
Rev's always been into motorbikes. "I've had tons of them, but I've never had a Japanese bike. I started out on British bikes and moved to American." His first bike was a Triumph. "When my uncle gave it to me, it was in bits. He said that if I could get it together it was mine. No one else in the 6th form rode a Bonneville 650 to my school."
Rev bought the Dark Horse new in 2016. "It's a selfish bike," he says, "with the single saddle seat." But he does have a spare seat in the garage if Sonya ever wants to come for a ride. "My old Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic was such an armchair that she would fall asleep on the back," he says.
Devilishly handsome, the Dark Horse is a mean machine; you'd think it was designed for the Desert Road. Sometimes Rev must feel like he's riding through his own private John Ford movie. "Some days when I'm on the Desert Road it almost feels spiritual. That big white mountain at sunset draws you in," says Rev.
"When you're on the bike it's as if you're seeing everything in high definition. When I get home and get off the bike, physically and spiritually I'm completely rejuvenated."
Chris de Wagt & Ian McKercher, Blenheim
2017 Royal Enfield Classic 500 and 2016 Ural Selectable 750 two-wheel drive
Chris de Wagt remembers getting her first Harley-Davidson back in 1980. "I was a student at Victoria University. It's so long ago now that I beat the bikies to their own bikes — they were still on their old Triumphs back then," she says. A rider and a fixer, Chris has had a few bikes, mainly "old ones", both before and after her student days. "I should have been a motorcycle mechanic," she says, "but it wasn't the thing then."
Today Chris is an operations manager for a security firm, and she and her partner Ian McKercher, a retired aviation electroplater, have a shed full of motorcycles at their Blenheim home. It's not unusual to see Chris riding around town on her favourite, a 2017 Royal Enfield Classic 500. "I prefer older bikes normally, but I love this,"she says. If she's not out on the Royal Enfield then you'll find Chris and Ian riding together on the 2016 Ural, a Russian motorcycle with side chair. They bought this old-fashioned bike brand new, but Chris and Ian weren't new to Urals, having in the past organised tours riding these rugged machines across Vietnam.
Chris de Wagt & Ian McKercher with their 2017 Royal Enfield Classic 500 and 2016 Ural Selectable 750 two-wheel drive.
While the Ural is officially Ian's, it's an experience to be shared. "We both take turns as rider and passenger," says Ian. "With a top speed of 107 kilometres per hour, that's not fast but you wouldn't want to go much faster. It will happily sit on 90 all day." The Ural is essentially a reverse-engineered BMW, a shaft-driven throwback from another time, and that's the appeal of these bikes. The Ural is a two-wheel drive, meaning that the rear wheel of the bike and the wheel on the side chair can both drive, if you choose. It also has a reverse gear.
Designed for Russian roads, it's got what's affectionately called a "suicide chair" in Ural circles. "Riding on our roads means the passenger faces the traffic," says Ian. Because of all the running gear, the side chair won't fit on the other side of the bike. "It's easy to cross the centre line," he says. "Usually that's followed by a polite nudge."
These bikes can handle pretty rugged terrain, "though it can be hard work", says Ian. "In two-wheel drive you're using your body weight to lift the bike around corners because there is no differential."
"It's great fun, too," says Chris. She and Ian once took the Ural flat track racing — a bit like motocross without hills — sharing the rider and passenger roles. "Chris likes to stand up and take photos, and that's when the day didn't finish entirely perfectly," recalls Ian. Chris ended up with a fractured arm and shoulder, but "that didn't matter, it was the best day," she says, without hesitation.
I'd be happy to do it again any time.
Richard Noble & Rachael Crawford Brown Noble, Auckland
2016 Prozac Chopper 2000
"I can remember riding on my father's Vespa as a small kid," says Auckland truck driver Richard Noble. "I would stand on the running board with my father behind me, looking out over the handlebars."
Later, his father, Tom, moved on to bigger bikes, including a Honda CB750 and a Harley-Davidson. Indeed, both father and son have come a long way from the little Vespa, especially if the current line-up in Richard's workshop is anything to go by. It's all "chopper life" around here and, fun as it may be, chopper life isn't always an easy ride. "Whenever we go on our big trips with the choppers there's always a chance something might break down. These bikes can be quite temperamental," says Richard's wife, Rachael. "Sometimes we have a backup, just in case," she says, pointing to a big Chevy pick-up.
Richard Noble & Rachael Crawford Brown Noble, of Auckland.
"For me, a motorcycle has to be unique and express something of the owner's personality," says Richard. Unique is certainly what they have. In a garage filled with the kind of motorbikes you don't see every day there's a Big Bear Chopper, an American Iron Horse and the almighty Prozac. All totally customised, they are more like fantasy machines than motorcycles.
"The Prozac is a show bike, really, and it's won me a lot of trophies," says Richard. "You won't find another bike like it." The American Iron Horse, he says, "is more of an everyday chopper — if there is such a thing."
The Big Bear is Rachael's bike. "I ride it, Richard fixes it," she says.
"The size of these bikes can be deceptive," says Richard. "They are much longer than a normal motorcycle, and can be challenging to manoeuvre." The Prozac has a giant V-twin 120 cubic inch (2000cc) motor. "The rear tyres are 360 millimetres across, wider than some hot rod wheels," says Richard. They don't come cheap. "A bike like this can cost big bucks."
Both Rachael and Richard are deeply involved in the chopper club: she's the treasurer and he's the club captain. There's been a chopper parade in Auckland, complete with police motorcycle escort, in the past, and they are hoping to do it again. "It's great fun — I love to wear the bling, and I am totally into my steampunk," Richard says. "When I'm on my bike, dressed in all the gear, motor thumping away, everything just feels all right."
Mike Perry, Mapua
1960 Cezeta 175
"I love motorcycling — it's like swimming in a river, it seems to free the mind," says Mapua potter Mike Perry.
"Even after a quick ride around the block, you come back refreshed." He's been riding scooters and motorbikes around the block ever since his father gave him a Vespa when he was a teen.
Mike Perry with his 1960 Cezeta 175.
Like a tiny Smash Palace, there's all sorts of interesting stuff at Mike's place — bikes and cars. He has a Honda CB450 and an old Suzuki GT250; the Humber 80 he's planning to restore belonged to his late sister. "At least I can bring the Humber back to life," he says. He's also fixing an early 1960s Citroen DS, an unusual English model that's slightly un-French on the inside, given its Smiths gauges and wood-trim dash. "Lately I've somehow found myself the go-to Citroen guy around here," says Mike, sounding slightly surprised. For all that, after pottery it's more likely to be scooters that Mike is most famous for in Mapua. Everyone seems to know about his scooters, some of which are quite rare, like his Triumph Tigress 250, which looks a bit like a pregnant Vespa. A short-lived venture for Triumph, the Tigress, released in 1960, had all sorts of problems.
Many of Mike's bikes have been restored, but he thinks there is something about the rustic patina of his 1960 Cezeta 175 that's worth retaining. "I could never recreate that look. I might just leave it the way it is for now," he says.
Although Mike's Cezeta was made in Czechoslovakia, 4000 of the same scooters, called "NZetas" were made in New Zealand in the 1960s; they look exactly the same, apart from the badge.
Once quite a common sight on our roads, the Cezeta and NZeta are pretty rare today. However, the Cezeta is not entirely a thing of the past. Since 2017, a manufacturer in the Czech Republic has been bringing the Cezeta back from the mists of time. "You can now get the most beautiful handmade electric Cezeta," says Mike. "I'd be getting one myself if they weren't so incredibly expensive."
Mike thinks the Cezeta is "quite a decent ride for a 60-year-old scooter". It's very long as scooters go, with big wheels and good suspension, and the unique design, with the petrol tank above the front wheel, makes it stand out.
"I love the look of these. It's like an amphibious battle tank," says Mike. "Quite simply, they are very cool. There's nothing like them — no wonder they have a cult following."
Kiwi Bikers: 85 New Zealanders and their motorbikes, by Ken Downie (Massey University Press, $65) is out on October 13.
