Retro riders rejoice: Call out for motorbike riders of Hawke’s Bay’s past for special reunion

Robin Thomas, pictured during his Hawke's Bay motorcycle days, hopes to reconnect other riders from the past.

Do you remember taking your trusty 1984 Handgrenade XR250 motorcycle for a spin on a rural Hawke’s Bay paddock? Or racing across Horonui Station in 1985 with the mud flinging into your helmet?

If so, Robin Thomas and hundreds of other riders of Hawke’s Bay’s past want to hear from you.

The Nelson-based ex-Puketapu resident lives and breathes bikes and, along with good mates Paul Ashton and Jon Barrett, wants to gather the old guard before it’s too late.

“We’re noticing now that we’re in our late 60s, 70s and 80s, and many of us are falling off the planet,” he said.

“We thought we really need to catch up with our old riders and mates of the past because we’re getting rarer on the ground.”

Thomas, who ran a motorcycle school for many years in Hawke’s Bay, said there would most likely be a diverse group of riders out there keen to reminisce.

“We’re all riders who have ridden competitively against each other in competitions, trials, motocross and street racing,” he said.

“Many farms used to host events, and Roger Alexander’s property at Puketapu was one of them. Lots of foresters hosted us to ride their forest trails as well.”

Quite a few things have changed in the motorcycling world, particularly regarding technology and the competitive nature of riding.

“We’ve seen it go from tracks that weren’t established to these new state-of-the-art ones. Sometimes, it was just members and myself heading out to cut trails so that we could hold an event. It would often take us two or three weeks to get a trail or loop going.

“We’ve also seen a change from what was very much an amateurish riding style to now pit tents and multi-thousand-dollar bikes.”

But the change hasn’t stopped Thomas and others from the glory days. They are still getting out and tearing up the tracks to this day.

“A lot of the old riders are still heading out competitively for a laugh, and that’s just what we did. We went there just for a real good laugh and a lot of fun,” he said.

“We made very very good friends. Lifetime friends. I am still visiting my riding mates from my 20s.”

While the reunion at the Cheval Room in Hastings on September 14 won’t see riders take to the tracks, there will likely be plenty of stories and chances to catch up with long-lost friends.

“The response has been brilliant. We’ve got plenty of people coming, even some from Australia making the trip,” Thomas said.

A minor issue is that many riders of the past don’t have social media access, so in order to rev up some more traction, Thomas hopes a call out in the local paper will do the trick.

People can register by contacting 7080reunion@gmail.com, stating their name and address and how many will attend the event.

A door fee of $40 per head will cover costs, with the remainder being donated to charity. Fees can be sent to the Westpac Account 0306980245156002 with name and email address.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.