Bob’s burn going well

Press, 12 April 1978, Page 32

Bob’s burn going well

By

ROD DEW

The 66-year-old Christchurch motor-cycling enthusiast, Bob Burns, was back home yesterday after completing two-thirds of his 5282 km ride around New Zealand on his three-cylinder XS7SO Yamaha. He will resume his trip, his way of celebrating 50 years as an active motor-cyclist, at first light this morning. Travelling over Arthur’s Pass and down the West Coast, he hopes to reach Te Anau “in one bite” today. He plans to return to Christchurch on Friday at the end of his marathon

ride, which began on April 2. If he keeps to this schedule, he will complete his solo tour in 13 days well inside the 20 days he allowed for his abortive first attempt last October. “Physically I am fine. And the bike is going well, too,” he said yesterday after completing the 400 km journey from Nelson in 4|h. “The weather has been good. So far it has been a trouble-free trip was the theft of his what the South Island has to offer.” The one incident which has cast a shadow on the trip w as the theft of his safety helmet in Richmond

on Monday. He left it on his bike while he had a drink with a friend and when he returned lOmin later it was gone. The helmet was a special full-face model, which he brought back from Australia a few weeks ago, and had his name painted on it. Fortunately, he was able to borrow another helmet for the trip to Christchurch and for the rest of the journey his head will be protected by a spare helmet he kept at home. Mr Burns, who still holds the world motorcycle sidecar speed record of more than 293km/h, has not been wasting any

time on his trip. “I have been cutting down on social calls. I’m not hanging around. I have been away from home too much lately and 1 want to get back by Friday. The weather will have to be very bad to stop me doing this.” He has regularly been riding 400kni a day. Last Thursday, the day he reached the Cape Reinga lighthouse, he covered 520 km and the next day rode 570 km between Pukanui and Tirau. In the photograph Bob Burns arrives home at his Brougham Street flat yesterday.