Oil & water !

I had been noticing the Old Trannie's temperature gauge had been a little higher than usual, which mean that the fan was coming on with a much greater frequency than in the UK.  This was a tad worrying as although she wasn't boiling, clearly the problem was not getting better.... and the outside temperatures weren't getting any lower.

So a quick word with my hosts and they found me a bowl to drain the anti-freeze into, and it was time to rip the thermostat out.....never easy on a modern prissy super-styled click together bike.  You can see it, but the laborious job of  removing those plastic panels is where the time goes.

I'm sure the designers never have to work on these machines.... and whatever happened to simple nuts and bolts.  OK rant over, job done, and I'm on the road by 10.30 ... much later than I planned and with 500km still to cover.

So, managed to waypoint a few Honda Motorbike shops on the way, with a view to getting a replacement thermostat.

Tried 2 places, and neither had, but then a mechanic came out and in broken English tried to explain "but eez normal to run zis hot, eez OK"

I'm not convinced, but without a stat, its not going to hurt, so I worried no more .... now I got some serious time to make up.

Pretty village

 Tried "quickest route" on the GPS, and within seconds I was on some bloody Autobahn, with slow trucks, fast trucks, and idiots in supercars tailgating you.... pulled over for petrol, went for a pee that cost just under a Euro (70 cents), and that was the last straw.  Off at the next exit and back onto the country roads.

Tonight's stop was "Couch-surfing" again, and my host had sent a last minute message saying she had to work late, so any time after 7pm would be better .... that suited me perfectly.

The roads were a beautiful mix of forest and rolling hills, ... The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music paints the picture.... but with Motorhead blasting through my headphones.

Just over the Austrian border, I stopped for lunch in a little place called Scharding... quaint cobbled streets and coffee & cake shops.  Hottest part of the day now, so chucked the jacket over the handlebars and had a Apfelstrudle & Latte.

Half an hour later about to leave, and wondered, where did that oil slick come from .... my heavy jacket had activated the chain lube valve, and dumped the lot on the floor !  Whoops, time to leave.

A good part of the afternoon's ride followed the Danube river for 100km or so.  Excellent riding which made up for the mornings calamities.

Arrived at my hosts apartments at 7.30pm and was warmly welcomed ... tonight I really did have a couch (sofa) to sleep on, but it was very comfy.  Zoltan & Eszter made me most welcome, but as late as it was, pizza was the easiest eating option.

Goodnight.

Bavarian forests

Woke at 7 to the sound of traffic on a wet road outside.  Yes, first bit of rain, so got togged up for it.  But by the time I had gone down to the underground parking, and emerged, the sun had come out.

As with most routes, I set the GPS for shortest distance and no motorways, and today it paid off ... and wasn't long before I was riding through pine forests akin to mid-Wales.

Taking pics while cornering !

All good tarmac, even on the single lane roads.

Now that's what I call a stack of logs.

Little villages every few miles.

Temptation .... I succumbed.

No overtaking !

Hmm, shortest route included the odd farm track.

Stopped to buy a bottle of wine.

Got to Ingolstadt, where I was "Couch-surfing" for a night.  My hosts lived in a brand new house, and I got a nice bed in a private room.   You are not always as fortunate as this, but on this occasion, I lucked out.

They cooked me a nice meal , and in the evening, they were kind enough to take me out for a walk around the old Bavarian city.  Inevitably one beer finished the evening off.

Ingolstadt old town

My hosts - Michel & Justyna

The "new" castle

Looks like a nice place for a beer..

Oh, go on then.

It wasn't really a beach.

Sanctuary for the night..

Straw everywhere

Woke, and jumped out of bed to the window ... Yes, bike still there.  And it looks like its going to be a hot day.

Took a look at the €4 breakfast - wasn't that appealing, but they had a coffee machine and in these days where everything is self serve, thought I would serve some myself some hot water, and use one of my 3 in 1 coffee sachets up.  Thats all I need .... caffiene.

On the road by 8am, and straight into the French countryside.  Had set the GPS to avoid all major highways, so at the expense of 3 extra hours, I was treated to a whole day of French countryside, albeit with the more than occasional tractor & trailer to manoeuvre around.

More to come when I get better wifi - I mean. one hour to upload 12 pics.... I should have used a carrier pigeon!

The tunnel boring machine ... and to think when it was conceived, the major worry was rats coming through !

No good if you  got hay fever here,

Second caffeine fix

Bends, give me bends.

The bain of my life today.

One good thing about France - fresh baguettes for breakfast.

Arrras.

Lunch was a practical affair today.

Got checked in and decided to take a walk by the river .... turns out there was a "River Fete" going on.

This should help me sleep.

No turning back.

Here goes .... the first on the road blog.

Ready for the off.

I suppose the trip technically started on Friday, when I left Cadnam.  I mean, that was the actual departure date from my house.  First stop was to say goodbye to my Dad in Cheltenham, which I did over a lunch stop.  The Old Fellah is 94 now, has all his faculties, and apart from walking a bit slow, is in good health ..... whatever genes he has, I hope they passed onto me.

Next visit was to a charity dance, combined with a car show in Wales.  It was being held at the Hogshead Pub, which is actually an old farm that has been converted by Dale and his Dad into a pub, cum wedding venue.  The weather was kind (just about) and for Julian Tod's first cars show, I think it went very well.  No doubt it will now become an annual event.

Fonts of knowledge.

The evenings entertainment was an Elvis & Roy Orbison impersonator,of which I  managed to see some of the show in between bar visits.

The Butty-bach has taken effect !

The night was also to be a test of my tent for the inevitable camping which is necessary later on in the tour .... fail.  

Took me an hour to re-pack, and the air mattress went down overnight.  This requires some retraining on my part, and a stop in a camping store en-route.

Having a house-warming party later.

I was very pleased to see all my mates from Cadnam came along for the send-off along, with my Sister and Julian Earl.  Guess they just wanted to make sure I didn't change my mind.

Got on the road an hour behind schedule, panicking all the way as the GPS kept telling me I was an hour late for the ferry .... duh, finally realised as I crossed the Severn Bridge, I had it programmed all the way to the hotel in Calais.  Got to Dover 2 hours early, and took an earlier ferry.

No turning back now.

Booked myself into a Formule 1 hotel, which is supposed to be budget ... at €39, that doesn't really fit my definition, but its clean bed which was all that mattered.  The hotel has better security than a prison, but with the Sangatte refugee camp just minutes away, I suppose its necessary.  Slept with one eye open watching the bike all night.

Almost ready

Socks, check.  Pants, check.
Atlas, check....

In the last month, I have managed to get the Chinese Visa without too much of a problem. It seems daunting at first as you have to provide made up itinerary's and bogus flight details.  Of course the "agent" we are using to cross China provided the former, while the latter was given to me by a good friend in the travel business.

I have been shopping for the various bits and pieces I think I will need, and no matter how long you sit making a list, as soon as you get home, you think of something else.




Bike preparation got underway in earnest a few weeks ago, and the first job was to replace the plastic Honda panniers (which were cracking already) with some stronger Aluminum Givi boxes. Naturally every manufacturer uses their own mounting system, so that needed changing too.

Where does this bit go ?

Once fitted, I have to say the Givi's are a well thought out design, and look sturdy enough to protect me in a fall.   The downside is that the bike looks a bit like a 747 aircraft now, and noting that they are wider than the handlebars; well, I'm going to have to break some of my bad Thai habits of splitting two lane traffic with gaps just a few cm wider than the bars.

The Puig engine bars fitted well; the Touratech Sump guard plate fitted well .... trouble was, the two manufacturers talk to Mr Honda but they don't talk to each other. Consequently the plate fouled the engine bars which meant a load more improvisation .... learn from my mistakes and buy matching accessories.

With it all finished, I took a test run up to Newbury .... The dash cam came flying off within 10 miles to land in my lap, and one spot light fell off somewhere on the Basingstoke bypass, luckily to be saved by hanging on its wire. So, back over every thing I fitted, this time with copious amounts of Locktite.

And now with two weeks to go, with the exception of fitting a new back tyre, I think the bike (but not me) is ready to roll.

Please note that due to my Welsh roots, I wish to clarify that the sheepskin on the seat has been fitted for comfort, rather than sexual reasons !