Mrs Pedersen turned 79 recently, and Mr Pedersen is 83, but both still enjoy riding together.
They have ridden on the same bike or separately and now share a large, 1000cc Can-Am that also allows them to transport a barbecue for picnic stops.
"We bought this for our old age, in case we couldn’t ride our ordinary bikes,’’ Mrs Pedersen said.
The couple live in Karitane on Dunedin’s north coast.
Mr Pedersen is an avid motorcycle builder-restorer and their garage is filled with the Can-Am, tools, parts and two examples of his workmanship - a beautifully crafted 1965 650cc Triumph Thunderbird and a 1958 350cc Triumph 3TA he is restoring.
Over more than 66 years he has built or restored 15 motorbikes.
‘‘I build them from nothing, just parts.’’
Seven of the bikes are still at their property and the remainder are all over New Zealand.
He bought the 3TA as parts but half were missing, so he worked on sourcing items from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. The bike had no forks, seat, handlebars, muffler or pipe.
Mr Pedersen has rebored the engine, redone the bottom end, put in new valves and inserts, and rewired the whole bike.
The couple are keen Post Vintage Motorcycle Club members and when he gets stuck members of the club help out.
Nowadays, Mr Pedersen rides a Yamaha or Suzuki and the Can-Am three-wheeler, and only occasionally the Triumphs.
Mrs Pedersen has a 125cc Yamaha and the 110cc Honda she used to gain her motorcycle licence in 2001.
However, she has not ridden her own machine for two years, after an accident on the Kyeburn straight on the way to Ranfurly.
They were on the Can-Am when a strong wind caught them twice, first throwing the bike on to a verge and then into a deep irrigation ditch.
Fortunately, after throwing them off, the heavy bike righted itself, the water was not at their end of the ditch and a farmer rescued them.
‘‘If it hadn’t gone back on its wheels, we’d be dead by now,’’ Mrs Pedersen said.
While she was still recovering from arm injuries sustained in the accident, she was determined to get back on either her Yamaha or Honda.
‘‘If I can’t ride, I’m going to sell that bike and go back to my little bike,’’ she said, referring to her smaller Honda.
Meanwhile, never stopping, the couple are planning their next ride on the Can-Am to Herbert in North Otago.
By Sharon Fowler
- dailyencourager.co.nz
