
WAYNE GIRDLESTONE >
INSTRUCTOR CANTERBURY REGION
NZTA Approved Instructor
CBTA Assessor
Ride Forever Provider
My father had a Yamaha RD 400 and riding on the back was my first experience on a bike. To say I enjoyed it was an understatement.
In ‘81 my parents “succumbed” to the nagging and gave me my 1st bike for my 16th birthday. A bright red Kawasaki AR50. I LOVED that bike, but truth be told I lost more skin from that than all my other bikes combined. You see, we lived about 2km from the local kart club so I would sneak onto the track every day after school. “Safety Steve” was never present in those days as my riding gear consisted primarily of a helmet, a pair of rugby shorts (jeans if it was cold) and flops, yes I was one of “those” kids… 😊
As the years passed, bikes came and went but my love for speed and racing was ever present.
In ’99 I crashed my CBR 600 F4 at over 200km/h while racing at Kyalami (South Africa) breaking more bones than I care to talk about.
As part of my recovery my doctor suggested I take up cycling and that set me on another path in life.
I became obsessed with cycling, first as a racer then as a coach, something I still do to this day. In 2016 my youngest son Keagan had a life-threatening accident while racing his bicycle in Italy, and this again changed the course of my life.
After spending 3.5 months in Italy while he regained enough strength to fly back to New Zealand, I again found my passion for motorcycles.
On my return I purchased a 2016 GSX-R750 only to discover how much motorcycles had progressed in the years I had been away. Well, it was either that or I had become old and rusty…hmmm, ok it is fair to say, it’s a bit of both.
I met Dan doing a Ride Forever Course towards the end of 2016, liked what he had to say, and the rest is history.
Today I enjoy riding my 2017 DL1000 V-Strom taking in the beautiful sights that NZ has to offer or taking a gentle cruise over to Akaroa on my 2017 GSX-R1000. Of course, I still love the days on the track when I can let “GIXXZILLA” stretch her legs, but the days of the ultimate lap time are long gone.
For me it is more about getting home in one piece and sharing my experiences on the bike with those who want to learn.
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