Happy hound on a Harley

Napier motorcycle enthusiast Jason Wawatai and his equally enthusiastic passenger Baxter aboard the Harley-Davidson. PHOTO/Paul Taylor HBT17011001

When little Baxter the maltese pichon was only six months old his motorcycling master Jason Wawatai introduced him to the seat of his Harley-Davidson Softail.

Mr Wawatai had been thinking about the remarkable Max Corkill and his cat Rastus who loved to ride along with him when he got the motorcycle out.

Tragically, both died back in 1998 when struck by a car which had drifted onto the wrong side of the road.

But Mr Wawatai, like all keen motorcyclists, never forgot Max and Rastus and wondered how his pup Baxter would take to being on a bike.

"I just wanted to take a photo of him on the bike and he was happy to sit there," he said.
"So I wondered what would happen if I started it up - and you know the sound a Harley can make."

To his surprise, and delight, Baxter (who is now six years old) just sat there.

So Mr Wawatai took it to the next stage and donned his gear and set off for a short ride with Baxter happily aboard.

"And he's been there ever since," he said with a laugh.

"He's got a pair of 'doggles' that he wears for the wind and when he sees me get them out he gets pretty excited.

"He loves it as much as he likes putting his head out the window of the car."

Harnessed to Mr Wawatai, he plants his front feet up by the instrument pods and his back feet at the front of the seat and off they go.

The wind can be pretty buffeting but Baxter loves it, although the limit his master puts on their rides is from their home in Napier to Hastings and back.

Then Mr Wawatai had an idea.

All to do with dogs, like Baxter, who loved a bit of an outing on a motorcycle.

A supporter of the SPCA and the fine work they do, he decided to plan a fundraising ride for riders and their dogs to raise funds for them - although he conceded his original idea to stage a Wellington to Auckland ride, over several days and stopping at various centres to fundraise along the way, would logistically be a major challenge.

"But I still wanted to do something so I'm starting out small here and we'll see how it goes."

What he has come up with, and supported by his Ulysses Club mates, is a unique "dogs on bikes" fundraising ride to raise funds for the local SPCA.

"It's all about looking after the dogs and this is something we can do to help," he said.
He put the idea out and got several calls from riders who also had dogs who enjoyed a two-wheeled adventure.

So when the ride kicks off from the Napier SPCA in Pandora around 9am on February 5 there will be nine riders with doggy passengers among the group.

"We're calling it 'Bax' Gives Back."

They will ride to Taradale where they will set up a collection point before heading toward Awatoto and then back along Marine Parade and the Sunday Market for another collection stint.

"Then we'll head around to West Quay."

At the conclusion of the rally they will ride into Emerson St and park up around 1pm near the giant flowerpot feature where members of the public, for a good donation to the SPCA, can get a photo of themselves and their own dogs, with some of the bikes.

Mr Wawatai said professional photographer Kelly Hoskin had stepped up to be part of it all, and he said a second photographer may also be on the cards.

"We'll run this one and we'll see how it all goes - see what changes we may have to make and how we can make it bigger - but I really want to see it become an annual thing," he said.

"We have to look after the dogs."