Saturday, 21 August 2010
Bombay Mix
If my plans for the winter come to fruition I will be creating a new blog towards the end of the year. I have itchy feet and I can feel Goa and a Royal Enfield calling me. Watch out for "Bombay Mix". Other than a base in Goa, and an Enfield, I have no idea what will happen. As ever, the road will write the story.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Elsa
I'm due to pick her up from the dealer this afternoon. The clutch was totally shot at. I have had the bike from new April 2006. No one else has ridden her. The mileage is 25000. The repair bill over £1030. I am upset (huge understatement). The bike is out of warranty which would not cover a clutch anyway.
The dealer asked for a contribution towards costs from BMW. BMW declined. My riding style is blamed. In all of my years of motorcycling I have never burnt a clutch out. My riding style now is calmer and more gentle with my machine than ever before. I am a 53 year old tourer.
Apart from the horrendous repair bill, the dilemma I face is this. I believe that the bike arrived with a bad clutch. That is actually the best scenario, because if that is the case I can hope that the new one will last more than the joke 25000 I have had from this one. I am an international tourer likely to do large mileages going forward. I cannot support a machine no matter how gorgeous and well loved, if I face a £1000 repair bill every three years. The worst case is that the RT eats clutches and therefore despite its fantastic ergonomic design and great handling, is not fit for purpose.
It is with a very heavy heart, and in a grumpy mood that I go to fetch her.
I will ride out again next year. In the mean time I have some serious thinking to do. BMW dealers are also thin on the ground in Sweden.
The dealer asked for a contribution towards costs from BMW. BMW declined. My riding style is blamed. In all of my years of motorcycling I have never burnt a clutch out. My riding style now is calmer and more gentle with my machine than ever before. I am a 53 year old tourer.
Apart from the horrendous repair bill, the dilemma I face is this. I believe that the bike arrived with a bad clutch. That is actually the best scenario, because if that is the case I can hope that the new one will last more than the joke 25000 I have had from this one. I am an international tourer likely to do large mileages going forward. I cannot support a machine no matter how gorgeous and well loved, if I face a £1000 repair bill every three years. The worst case is that the RT eats clutches and therefore despite its fantastic ergonomic design and great handling, is not fit for purpose.
It is with a very heavy heart, and in a grumpy mood that I go to fetch her.
I will ride out again next year. In the mean time I have some serious thinking to do. BMW dealers are also thin on the ground in Sweden.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Recovery
I've been home two weeks now. It passes so quickly. Last Friday my bike was recovered to the BMW dealership to assess the clutch. It needs replacing. What a sad day for a fantastic motorcycle. I got seriously saddle sore with this journey, but I miss Elsa hugely. I am waiting to find out whether BMW will make a good will gesture. I didn't extend the two year warranty, but there is a known manufacturing fault on this new Boxer. I await their decision before writing further on the subject.
Personally I have slept and eaten a lot. My body weight is back up to where it should be, and my sleeping patterns and energy levels are back to normal. I have tight tendons in my legs so I guess I'm due to put effort into walks to get my flexibility back. It was a hell of a long time in the saddle !
Contact with friends from the trip, and those of you who have followed me, continues to delight. Thank you.
Personally I have slept and eaten a lot. My body weight is back up to where it should be, and my sleeping patterns and energy levels are back to normal. I have tight tendons in my legs so I guess I'm due to put effort into walks to get my flexibility back. It was a hell of a long time in the saddle !
Contact with friends from the trip, and those of you who have followed me, continues to delight. Thank you.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
The Long Road Home
A bad incident on the return journey has caused me problems for several days. I have recovered now and it doesn't seem right not to describe my final homeward journey. Bikers and drivers may want the information it provides.
A reminder of my outward route for comparison. Harwich - Esbjerg, west to east across central Denmark, crossing into Sweden at Malmo via the tunnel and bridge.
I left Domsand with a slippy clutch at 09:00 last Tuesday. As long as I didn't try to turn on too much power it was OK. Long slow overtakes only. My route took me south to the ferry Helsingborg - Helsinger, then due south to the ferry to Germany at Rodby. I broke my journey after 300 miles.
At 05:00 I was back on the road having had no sleep. I knew that tiredness would end my day early. I had 400 miles to the ferry, and probably couldn't make it. Most likely I was going to miss the ferry. I knocked off 100 miles fast, before an early breakfast with lots of black coffee. I ran on Adrenalin until that point. I washed and shaved at a truck stop then eased back into the North German motorway system. It is every bit as crowded and aggressive as the south of England. Torrential rain at 09:00 forced me off the road for 45 minutes during which genuine tiredness began to seep in. I reasoned that since there was no wind, the down poor wasn't slowing, and my understanding of the days weather was isolated showers, I should get into it and try to ride through it and out the other side. I got drowned for an hour, but I was right. I stopped for a brew at 11:00. Warm sunshine lifted the water off my outer suit as steam. I hadn't seen a service station in 40 miles and I needed caffeine. The solution was to boil up strong tea in a rest area, much to the delight of some other travellers, I was definitely being English. Another hour and lunch over the border into the Netherlands. Their motorways are as bad as the Germans and English. Northern Europe is getting very crowded.
Beyond lunch it got really hard. Another 50 miles and my eyes were closing. A stop for water and to walk around. Another 20 miles and I nodded off on the bike. I swooped, limped into a rest area where the Dutch truck driver watched over me. I slept in my leathers, flat on my back, on a grass verge near his truck. I was definitely on the edge at this point. I washed to wake myself up and finished the last 40 miles to the port. I missed a turning. GPS Jane is mute, and I couldn't make sense of her attempted corrections. A novel solution. I followed the signposts to the ferry !!
Fish and chips at the terminal were good, and only spoiled by a truly crazy Englishman who sat down at my little table on the pavement, and leaned into my face to enthusiastically reminisce about England. I told him I was very tired and in poor humour, and asked to be left with my fish and chips. He "skedaddled".
Lessons learnt. Ferries sap your energy and eat time. Even if there is a slight financial saving, a good bridge gets you on your way faster and fresher. The route home through Germany is a slog. The Danish route through Esbjerg is nice. For the sake of £50 I'll use the Esbjerg route when I return to Sweden. I need to find out if IKEA sell Senapsill!! I have acquired a taste for raw herrings apparently.
If you feel the need to do Nordkapp, do it! Watch your speed in Norway and be prepared for ridiculously low speeds for very long journeys. Take warm clothing, sun block and mosquito repellent. Would I go back? I've already been, so no, probably not. It was awesome though.
I have a couple of speaking engagements so will hopefully take funds raised for Myton over the £1000 eventually.
A reminder of my outward route for comparison. Harwich - Esbjerg, west to east across central Denmark, crossing into Sweden at Malmo via the tunnel and bridge.
I left Domsand with a slippy clutch at 09:00 last Tuesday. As long as I didn't try to turn on too much power it was OK. Long slow overtakes only. My route took me south to the ferry Helsingborg - Helsinger, then due south to the ferry to Germany at Rodby. I broke my journey after 300 miles.
At 05:00 I was back on the road having had no sleep. I knew that tiredness would end my day early. I had 400 miles to the ferry, and probably couldn't make it. Most likely I was going to miss the ferry. I knocked off 100 miles fast, before an early breakfast with lots of black coffee. I ran on Adrenalin until that point. I washed and shaved at a truck stop then eased back into the North German motorway system. It is every bit as crowded and aggressive as the south of England. Torrential rain at 09:00 forced me off the road for 45 minutes during which genuine tiredness began to seep in. I reasoned that since there was no wind, the down poor wasn't slowing, and my understanding of the days weather was isolated showers, I should get into it and try to ride through it and out the other side. I got drowned for an hour, but I was right. I stopped for a brew at 11:00. Warm sunshine lifted the water off my outer suit as steam. I hadn't seen a service station in 40 miles and I needed caffeine. The solution was to boil up strong tea in a rest area, much to the delight of some other travellers, I was definitely being English. Another hour and lunch over the border into the Netherlands. Their motorways are as bad as the Germans and English. Northern Europe is getting very crowded.
Beyond lunch it got really hard. Another 50 miles and my eyes were closing. A stop for water and to walk around. Another 20 miles and I nodded off on the bike. I swooped, limped into a rest area where the Dutch truck driver watched over me. I slept in my leathers, flat on my back, on a grass verge near his truck. I was definitely on the edge at this point. I washed to wake myself up and finished the last 40 miles to the port. I missed a turning. GPS Jane is mute, and I couldn't make sense of her attempted corrections. A novel solution. I followed the signposts to the ferry !!
Fish and chips at the terminal were good, and only spoiled by a truly crazy Englishman who sat down at my little table on the pavement, and leaned into my face to enthusiastically reminisce about England. I told him I was very tired and in poor humour, and asked to be left with my fish and chips. He "skedaddled".
Lessons learnt. Ferries sap your energy and eat time. Even if there is a slight financial saving, a good bridge gets you on your way faster and fresher. The route home through Germany is a slog. The Danish route through Esbjerg is nice. For the sake of £50 I'll use the Esbjerg route when I return to Sweden. I need to find out if IKEA sell Senapsill!! I have acquired a taste for raw herrings apparently.
If you feel the need to do Nordkapp, do it! Watch your speed in Norway and be prepared for ridiculously low speeds for very long journeys. Take warm clothing, sun block and mosquito repellent. Would I go back? I've already been, so no, probably not. It was awesome though.
I have a couple of speaking engagements so will hopefully take funds raised for Myton over the £1000 eventually.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
The Pictures are Published
HI all
Sorry if my achievement is a little rough and ready. The whole blog is now illustrated with the appropriate (or inappropriate) pictures added. You have to back through the whole blog therefore to see them. At least this way you have text alongside to help explain what they all are.
I had an idea and I'd like to hear from any geeks amongst you (in the nicest possible way). How do you set up a chat site? A forum to discuss and pursue ideas, conversation threads. I've seen it done with club web sites. The idea I had comes from realising just how many people from different countries are reading this. I want a forum where we can compare our different ideas and experiences. Wouldn't it be great if we could pick out the best ideas from several cultures? The ideas and observations of ordinary, real people. Fun and humour, politics, music, the weather, anything. Is this interesting?
I'm going to keep this blog going for a little while. I have an article to write for Myton, and at least two talks to deliver, also to raise money for Myton. I thought I'd charge a fee for the "regular" version, and a higher rate for the saucy version with the bad bits left in :-0
Sorry if my achievement is a little rough and ready. The whole blog is now illustrated with the appropriate (or inappropriate) pictures added. You have to back through the whole blog therefore to see them. At least this way you have text alongside to help explain what they all are.
I had an idea and I'd like to hear from any geeks amongst you (in the nicest possible way). How do you set up a chat site? A forum to discuss and pursue ideas, conversation threads. I've seen it done with club web sites. The idea I had comes from realising just how many people from different countries are reading this. I want a forum where we can compare our different ideas and experiences. Wouldn't it be great if we could pick out the best ideas from several cultures? The ideas and observations of ordinary, real people. Fun and humour, politics, music, the weather, anything. Is this interesting?
I'm going to keep this blog going for a little while. I have an article to write for Myton, and at least two talks to deliver, also to raise money for Myton. I thought I'd charge a fee for the "regular" version, and a higher rate for the saucy version with the bad bits left in :-0
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