Advice Wanted, Please.

[Anonymous]

#4072

I received the message pasted below from Bob Alexander, who hails from the US of A:

My name is Bob Alexander and I think I’ve e-mailed your club a few times after you published the “30 years of GS” ride article.  I was a trustee of the BMW Riders Association here in the states.Anyways, I’m turning 60 next year and a visit to New Zealand is on my “Bucket List”…especially to motorcycle the south island!  I’m trying to plan ahead and would like to explore options.  Right now I’m thinking we’d like to spend 2 months over there, sometime between Dec, 2013 and April 2014.My wife loves golf(motorcycle second) and I play a bit, so we are thinking about staying in 1 place for a month and golf (motorcycle a bit) and then traveling the other month.  So I’d love your input and suggestions.1-      What time of year would you go…especially if we’d like to avoid high tourism season?  Weather warm enough for golf and motorcycling.2-      Which areas of NZ (north or south islands) should we consider for relaxing and playing golf?  I’m thinking we should stay in one place on the north island for golf and then head to the south for our motorcycle tour.  There are lots of vacation home websites to find rentals, but if you know of anything that would be great…we are thinking of a 1 or 2 bedroom cottage or similar.  Maybe one of your members has something that is available for lease?3-      What would be your advice and getting a BMW bike available for my stay(older is fine)?  Should I rent or buy and re-sell?  Is that easy to do in NZ?  I’ve been riding Beemers for 36 years, but would consider another brand if it would be available at less cost?Next week I’ll be riding my “K1” to the BMW MOA bike rally, and will again talk to John Fitzwater the NZ Tour company about bike rental and tour options.CheersBobPS- I’ve got a lot of riding experience traveling the US (and Europe) and if any of your members needed assistance in a “bucket list” trip over here, don’t hesitate to e-mail me!

I've created an account in this Forum for Bob as "Rockers", and let him know that his message is here, so I'm guessing he'll find anything helpful you want to post for his benefit.

[Anonymous]

#16861

Well I know nothing about golf, except that you whack a ball then chase it. I reckon it would be easier to whack it straight into that little hole anyway…As for travel, I think the South Island is more scenic than the North, more rugged beauty, far fewer people too. Do you like to ride gravel roads or just sealed roads?Generally the "summer" weather (if you'd call it that) is most settled around February/March, and schools go back end of January ish (University a little later) so the holiday rush is also disappearing and it's a quieter time for travel.Re bike, given our distance from Europe, yes, BMW is a premium brand, depends what you want in a bike however, as certain stuff like ESA, you're hard pressed to find a Jap bike that has it. Besides, if I yell too loudly for another brand (I have a Honda and a BMW) in here, I'd be bashed, so like hell I'm sticking my neck out...  😮For long trips, ie, weeks turning into months, I suspect you already know that renting is going to turn out real expensive. Do some simple math and see how much you'd stand to lose. Depends if you intend to have a bike the entire trip, or just some of it... changes the numbers ya see. The disadvantage of buying a bike is selling at the end, unless you get a buy back arrangement from a dealer, which some will do. Otherwise you might have to sit around trying to sell, unless you know someone who can help you sell while you leave etc. I did a 6 week trip to the USA last year and we shipped our own bikes. Nice having your own (my GSA is perfectly setup as well) and packing it up at the end was far easier than selling.The only thing you may struggle with is insurance, at least I know we run into issues in other places, ie, being a US resident, purchasing an NZ vehicle, then getting NZ insurance on it when you're not an NZ'er. Boss struggled like hell in the UK to sort this, eventually got there, and I'm not sure if NZ is nice and easy or not... Insurance is not compulsory but naturally most recommend. Those that don't have insurance are usually the ones you need protection from!  ???

[Arne Rohde]

#16862

I would suggest February and March. For option 2 I'd stay in Taupo or nearby for the golf part of the visit. It's central, there are several golf courses within easy driving distance, and you can do sightseeing of the North Island from there. Most of it is accessible in one or two-day trips.Motorcycle rental is quite expensive, but there are some places that rent bikes but don't much advertise the fact. For example, my local dealer, Mount Motorcycles rents a 1996 R1100R with unlimited km for $150 per day. You can probably get a lower price for longer rental. AFAIK they would also do a buy-back deal on other bikes.http://mountmotorcycles.motorcycletrader.co.nz/Stock.aspx?N=0

[Anonymous]

#16863

Watch for them blokes at Mount Motorcycles. I went down to test ride a GSA then ended up buying the damn thing… I didn't even go down intending to buy, but they worked out a great deal!  😮

[Anonymous]

#16864

Bob here from the USA….I'm waiting for snowmobile season and you waiting for summer!Thanks Bwucie and all for the help so far.  I've started to send out a few e-mails to look at rental options for a place in the north and also to Mount Motorcycles. I'll keep you up to date as I plan and will probably overload you with questions.  My direct e-mail is  rockers@centurytel.netI've been riding Beemers for 35 plus years (and others) for over 700K miles in the North America and Europe, so If anyone is thinking about venturing off your islands and could use some planning assistance..don't be affraid to contact me!ThanksBob

[Dave Morris]

#16865

hi Bob. Go to this link many of your questions will be answered in threads already their.http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=65steve

[Anonymous]

#16866

Hey Bob et al, For travel insurance, we used World Nomads for our five month trip to Malaysia, Nepal and India.  It covered us for motorcycling (yes, even for scootering around Penang and elephant/camel/monkey/auto rickshaw dodging in India).  Cost was about NZD650. NZ has a no-fault public health insurance scheme for residents and visitors that will cover you for injuries - check out acc.co.nz Not sure about NZ motorcycle insurance for visitors, but my bike is insured through Dave at Kiwibikes.co.nz and he'll have a few words of wisdom for you.A good contact would be John at te Waiponamu Motorcycle Tours, based out of Christchurch.  He's been in business since the 1980s and operates a fleet of BMW R1200RTs (I own one of his ex-rental bikes).  He has a wealth of knowledge about importing bikes from the US.

[Anonymous]

#16867

Scottmac, laws get a bit murky when you're not the registered owner of the vehicle re getting insurance.Travellers insurance is most likely, but be careful and read the fine print. Often motorcycle travel is not included, and if it is, it's limited to 200cc or the like. The rental company you pick may be able to advise...

[Anonymous]

#16868

I'll say, Gremlin.  We were going to buy an Enfield in India for our trip, but we faced the same issue of non-residents not getting cover, so we rented.  The travel insurance covered us for injury but excluded damage to our bike, but the rental company was able to provide this.World Nomads travel insurance cover also changes depending on your country of residence; Kiwis have considerable limitations due to us trying damn near anything on the planet that is adventurous, stupid, or involves long lengths of rubber tied to your ankles.  However, reading the fine print, we were permitted to take our elephant safari to Antarctica, as long as we weren’t roped together for glacier travel.  Go figure...

[Anonymous]

#16869

Update: Bob is now looking at Mar 2016, and threatening to bring others with him! Alert the Treasury – incoming greenbacks!

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