No6
Guest
First gremlin outside M25, zeroed the mileage meter, which affected the speedometer – no workie anymore. Then had a brainwave - phone the RAC and get someone to meet me at Calais with a cable. That was agreed.
At Calais, no cable but here is an old fellow, who wants (insists) to pull the bike up on makeshift trailer. I go through the motions with him and after a few attempts he agrees that it is useless to try anymore ,both of us waving our arms around and shaking our heads. I pick up a whiff of booze of his breath He then takes me to place of work (me following) where I explain that all I need is an address to get a cable from. They decide to take me a BMW garage near Lille. On arriving I meet the garage owner – very friendly. Relief from the old bugger, who by then was on his second (maybe more) beer and cognac, this was only 11.30 am. The BMW garage owner explains that he does not have a cable. They did not phone to check!
Screw this, I head of the other way from where I came from and head towards Belgium. I decide that it is a good idea to eat something and pull in to a Texaco garage just before a magpie shoots across my path. Saunter up to a parking slot and the clutch starts to slip. The bike had only done 7k. How come?
I have a wild guess as you do in times of trouble and wonder if the high oil level was to blame. I drained some oil out. Whilst doing so I screwed up the oil washer. A Belgian garage owner and biker came over and offered help, which was more than the posse of young Brit motorcyclists did. Not that I expected it but I always stop when I see a motorcylist in trouble just out of courtesy and perhaps offer moral support. The Belgian biker drew a map out to a motorcycle garage near Ostend so I try the clutch and it seems to be behaving itself. The bike garage is full of superbikes, old and new. I get chatting to the owner who tells me of a problem with an oil seal on BMW’s and he suggests that this is the problem. It is now Friday afternoon.
It tell him that I am on my way to Croatia. The look on his face said it all and he cannot offer a quick solution. I turn back to for the ferry.
I park the bike up on the ferry and on comes a Brit EEC employee with a BMW bike. We get chatting and he tells of an oil seal problem from the gear chamber that can cause the clutch to slip. I feal dissapointment turning into anger. The ferry crossing on the Seacat is rough so I stagger into the gents and get a close up to the sink ready for a puke.
If by any chance, a senior person in the employ of BMW reads this: get your fekin act together or get blind drunk and have a tattoo on your butt with Honda emblazoned it.
At Calais, no cable but here is an old fellow, who wants (insists) to pull the bike up on makeshift trailer. I go through the motions with him and after a few attempts he agrees that it is useless to try anymore ,both of us waving our arms around and shaking our heads. I pick up a whiff of booze of his breath He then takes me to place of work (me following) where I explain that all I need is an address to get a cable from. They decide to take me a BMW garage near Lille. On arriving I meet the garage owner – very friendly. Relief from the old bugger, who by then was on his second (maybe more) beer and cognac, this was only 11.30 am. The BMW garage owner explains that he does not have a cable. They did not phone to check!
Screw this, I head of the other way from where I came from and head towards Belgium. I decide that it is a good idea to eat something and pull in to a Texaco garage just before a magpie shoots across my path. Saunter up to a parking slot and the clutch starts to slip. The bike had only done 7k. How come?
I have a wild guess as you do in times of trouble and wonder if the high oil level was to blame. I drained some oil out. Whilst doing so I screwed up the oil washer. A Belgian garage owner and biker came over and offered help, which was more than the posse of young Brit motorcyclists did. Not that I expected it but I always stop when I see a motorcylist in trouble just out of courtesy and perhaps offer moral support. The Belgian biker drew a map out to a motorcycle garage near Ostend so I try the clutch and it seems to be behaving itself. The bike garage is full of superbikes, old and new. I get chatting to the owner who tells me of a problem with an oil seal on BMW’s and he suggests that this is the problem. It is now Friday afternoon.
It tell him that I am on my way to Croatia. The look on his face said it all and he cannot offer a quick solution. I turn back to for the ferry.
I park the bike up on the ferry and on comes a Brit EEC employee with a BMW bike. We get chatting and he tells of an oil seal problem from the gear chamber that can cause the clutch to slip. I feal dissapointment turning into anger. The ferry crossing on the Seacat is rough so I stagger into the gents and get a close up to the sink ready for a puke.
If by any chance, a senior person in the employ of BMW reads this: get your fekin act together or get blind drunk and have a tattoo on your butt with Honda emblazoned it.
