Fieldays hold out the begging bowl
OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.
At Fieldays will be the DR200 Trojan, a benchmark farm two-wheeler motorcycle since its introduction 23 years ago.
Designed from scratch by the engineers at Suzuki New Zealand for the country’s unique conditions, it’s ideal for all types of NZ farms. During its development Suzuki NZ custom-built a farm-oriented version of the already robust DR200 trail bike, added features that NZ farmers needed then sent it back to Japan for final sign-off and manufacture.
A popular feature on the Trojan has always been its large 12V headlight, a bonus during early morning starts, and the quality aluminium protectors that give handlebar levers a second chance, not to mention saving knuckles from nasty skinning.
Japanese-built means a quality standard that has some competitor products looking distinctly cheap. A case in point is the four-stroke engine’s exhaust header pipe (stainless steel) and oil cooling for performance and durability.
Dual side stands are a winner on any farm and the chunky Bridgestone knobbly tyres front and rear make for great traction.
Low gearing with a quality O-ring chain allows slow speed riding without continual stalling or heavy clutch use, and the 13L fuel tank holds enough to last most farmers all week.
The Trojan is a real Kiwi farmbike.
Tojan will be at Site F86-92 at Fieldays.
Visiting US climate change expert Dr Will Happer says the idea of reducing cow numbers to greatly reduce methane emissions is crazy.
Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping "The Twelve Days of Christmas" for "The Twelve Pests of Christmas" in an effort to highlight the most troublesome farm pests.
The Rapid Relief Team (RRT) has given farmers in the Tararua District a boost as they rebuild following recent storms.
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
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