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The ferry journey back was ok and even if the bike doesn't start i can push it off and call the AA so i'm pretty relaxed about things. I sort my gear out and check the bike is lashed down ok then head to the bar for a beer.
Unfortunately they can't sell beer before 6pm so i can't have any. I go back an hour later, but they meant 6pm UK time not European time, so still not quite yet. I go back thirty minutes later, but now the problem is because we left late we are not yet 12 miles beyond Belgian waters so they can't open the bar. I stay calm and think fair enough i'll just have a coke, but that's not allowed either. He can give me water or tea/coffee like everyone else is drinking, i resist the temptation to ask why he didn't mention this over an hour ago and just wander off instead, but i do eventually get a beer later.
The bike starts fine again in the morning, but since i'm low on fuel i switch the tanks to reserve since it'll save me possibly having to do it on the motorway. It's best to stop and get some fuel and i could pick up the spare speedo cable i didn't need on my way home in Uphall and get fuel there so it all seems good. Then while on the Forth road bridge i notice one of the side panels i had taken off yesterday is now hanging off and doesn't seem bolted down. Since i now need to hold it on with my leg i decide not to stop.
I get home safely and work out that the bike has run the last leg at better than 55mpg, fully loaded and sounding like it's going to implode any minute. I can't work out how it can do that and still feel so bad, but it just kept running. The engines do have a reputation for being bulletproof and running through anything, but i'm glad i didn't get a chance to test out the former. Now i've got some more decisions to make, do i break it for parts, set it on fire, or rebuild it. Rebuilding it means a new rear wheel, stripping the engine and i should swap the front end back over to a Yamaha, oh and fix the HT lead properly.
I've a couple of friends in the UK who i can call anytime i'm feeling really low. One is for desperate occasions when i'm feeling really low, the other is not as extreme but a good starting point. I called the latter friend that night in Cologne when things weren't going well, she listened to me for about 2 minutes then launched into a story about work where a patient was giving her abuse for taking a special mattress than someone else needed more than he did, how he became abusive, then onto how bad the weather was, how long it was until payday, and before i could ring off, had she told me about the problems with her water? I realised things could be a lot worse and actually i've had a blast. Yes, i'm disappointed i didn't reach Kathmandu on my bike, i didn't get to see Istanbul or ride through Iran, but i learned a lot for next time, and i'll be better prepared, but all that preparation only lasts until you leave home after that it's just about dealing with the hiccups, solving the problems and making it all work.
I'd recommend a European tour to anyone as a first test of taking a bike abroad. If going through Germany i'd go for a bike with a higher cruising speed if you plan to use the autobahn, and for the trip that i ended up having, my CBF would have been better as it can cruise at 200kmph all day, well actually about 90 minutes before it runs out of fuel, but you know what i mean.
One thing i would recommend if you are going to visit cities in Europe though, is to get a t-shirt made up with these symbols on the front and back.
Unfortunately they can't sell beer before 6pm so i can't have any. I go back an hour later, but they meant 6pm UK time not European time, so still not quite yet. I go back thirty minutes later, but now the problem is because we left late we are not yet 12 miles beyond Belgian waters so they can't open the bar. I stay calm and think fair enough i'll just have a coke, but that's not allowed either. He can give me water or tea/coffee like everyone else is drinking, i resist the temptation to ask why he didn't mention this over an hour ago and just wander off instead, but i do eventually get a beer later.
The bike starts fine again in the morning, but since i'm low on fuel i switch the tanks to reserve since it'll save me possibly having to do it on the motorway. It's best to stop and get some fuel and i could pick up the spare speedo cable i didn't need on my way home in Uphall and get fuel there so it all seems good. Then while on the Forth road bridge i notice one of the side panels i had taken off yesterday is now hanging off and doesn't seem bolted down. Since i now need to hold it on with my leg i decide not to stop.
I get home safely and work out that the bike has run the last leg at better than 55mpg, fully loaded and sounding like it's going to implode any minute. I can't work out how it can do that and still feel so bad, but it just kept running. The engines do have a reputation for being bulletproof and running through anything, but i'm glad i didn't get a chance to test out the former. Now i've got some more decisions to make, do i break it for parts, set it on fire, or rebuild it. Rebuilding it means a new rear wheel, stripping the engine and i should swap the front end back over to a Yamaha, oh and fix the HT lead properly.
I've a couple of friends in the UK who i can call anytime i'm feeling really low. One is for desperate occasions when i'm feeling really low, the other is not as extreme but a good starting point. I called the latter friend that night in Cologne when things weren't going well, she listened to me for about 2 minutes then launched into a story about work where a patient was giving her abuse for taking a special mattress than someone else needed more than he did, how he became abusive, then onto how bad the weather was, how long it was until payday, and before i could ring off, had she told me about the problems with her water? I realised things could be a lot worse and actually i've had a blast. Yes, i'm disappointed i didn't reach Kathmandu on my bike, i didn't get to see Istanbul or ride through Iran, but i learned a lot for next time, and i'll be better prepared, but all that preparation only lasts until you leave home after that it's just about dealing with the hiccups, solving the problems and making it all work.
I'd recommend a European tour to anyone as a first test of taking a bike abroad. If going through Germany i'd go for a bike with a higher cruising speed if you plan to use the autobahn, and for the trip that i ended up having, my CBF would have been better as it can cruise at 200kmph all day, well actually about 90 minutes before it runs out of fuel, but you know what i mean.
One thing i would recommend if you are going to visit cities in Europe though, is to get a t-shirt made up with these symbols on the front and back.
posted by Euan at
00:40
3 Comments:
Phew! Great blog and epic adventure - I was exhausted reading it.
At the start you said you had been told that the riders mood often goes hand-in-hand with the bike's behaviour. Still think that's true? The bike "hung in there" ...
what a time you r having man! wow!
Samph, i think it is. By the end both the bike and i were a bit ragged. I was disappointed i didn't get further with it, but very relieved to have gotten it home.
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