Viva victoria

After buying a new bike on Saturday I’ve had to wait until today to collect it and give it a proper ride.  More than an hour talking to at insurance companies broke my will to fight on.  There was also the issue of the bike not being taxed and I would need to get insurance before I could sort that out.

My Monday work time coffee break was spent on the phone to an insurance company, we more so, I was on the phone for  half an hour.  Lunch time was spent in the Post Office.  My project manager was really nice and was ok with me leaving early.

A tube and train journey later and I was finally in West Croydon to pick up my bike.  Was it really as good as I remember?  The short answer was, yes.  I think it is a great bike for the money, a 1992 Yamaha TDM850, but really well looked after.  Everybody had been saying take it really easy and I was.  A few times I did open her up and it is so nice to be on a big bike again.

In celebration of my new bike, passing my test and my new job, I christen this bike Victoria.

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Dixie the little slugger

When I was riding before passing my test, Dixie was there for me.  When I was unemployed and the only job I could get was a motorcycle courier, Dixie was there for me.  Now Dixie is my mode of transport to work in WC1 London and she is still there for me.  Love, sex, sweet Alabama and Dixie what more could a man want!

Imagine how I felt when I came out of the house about a weed and half ago to find her on her side all bust up.   I’m not sure if someone clipped her in their car or pushed her over for a joke,  very funny.  But, a broken clutch leaver and rear light meant that she was un-ridable.

Part ordered from Wemoto and I had a wait for their arrival and the weekend so I could patch her up.

The rear light lens is, well was held on by two bolts, one of the  posts for the bolt was broken off so she now has some gaffa tape holding it on.  She also has some more gaffa take holding the rear plastic together.  Got the work done now so she is ready for duty on Monday morning.

London’s transport system is good, don’t get me wrong, but that is when it works and when you are not travelling in rush hour.  To use it everyday is a nightmare.  My usual journey on Dixie is about 30-35 minutes, by train and tube it is 1hr 10-15 minutes at the best.  Public transport is also more expensive and more stressful.

Dixie good to have you back old girl 🙂

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Motorbike theory test

I’d passed my CBT back in July 2010 and have been riding in London and recently in South America.  After riding the bikes in South America going back to a 125 was a bit strange.  I can stand with both feet flat on the ground and the power is, well I should be talking about the lack of power.  The power you get from a 125, is sufficient for riding in London but that’s not the point.

A mate said to me once you get onto a bigger bike something clicks and you start to get it.  Oh I get it all right, and going back to a 125 is just not the same.  I need to get my test passed!

The next step was to do the theory test.  There is a specific theory test for bikers so make sure you choose the right one.  The cost of £45 is not that bad but it is enough for you to want to get it right first time.  I knew there were two sections a multiple choice section and a hazard perception part.

For practice at the multiple choice section I was doing an online test, that proved to be very useful.  I was doing the online test referring back to the highway code and was scoring about 47-48 out of the 50 questions.  In the test the pass mark is 43 out of the 50, so I felt ready for that.   That part of the test went smoothly and I finished in half an hour (you are permitted 1 hour).

I didn’t practice for the hazard perception test other than doing riding.  The explanation on when to click could have been clearer I felt.  It all feels very different doing this on screen than working through it in your head and I found myself double clicking on the mouse, shit what was I doing!  I wasn’t that confident about this test but the pass range is 44 out of 75 points.

I left the room and the lady at the reception gave me a sheet of paper.  I was there staring at her, “What did I get?”.  “You passed!”

Multiple choice I got 47, so the online test was a very good indicator.

Hazard perception I got 59, go good pass there.  Could possibly be improved by playing more computer games than riding motorbikes.

I arrived back home and booked myself onto the module 1 and module 2 of my bike test at the earliest dates.  Roll on the 9th of August.

 

 

She’s alive, she’s alive…..

Dixie had been put in storage at a mates house while I was away and I arranged to pick her up on Wednesday.  The question in my head was would she start!

Before leaving I had researched on-line what you should do for storing a bike and although some lists were different there were some common and therefore more important points.

Storage routine:

I ran down the petrol in the tank to almost the bottom.  It was about a 20 mile run to my mates house, but I made it ok.  The 125 seems to run off fumes.  I then went to his local petrol station and filled the tank up and I mean “full”.  You don’t want air in the tank to corrode the metal or to react with the petrol.

The next step was to add fuel preserver into the tank.  Over time petrol degrades and the fuel preserver stabilizes the fuel so it lasts longer.

There was obviously fuel in the carburettor, this needed to be emptied.  How do you empty a carburettor?  Cut off to fuel and start the bike and leave it running until it stops.

I then added more air in the tyres.  The tyres would loose air over the 5 months and you don’t want them getting flat spots.

Batteries over time if connected will loose their charge, so I disconnected this and put it in a plastic bag and stored it.

One problem can be the engine seizing and it is recommended to spray oil like WD40 into the cylinder.  I didn’t have a spark plug took so I sprayed oil up the exhaust pipe, with the hope of driving out any moisture.

An obvious recommendation would be to store the bike in a garage.   To try and keep rain from causing any problems I put a plastic bag over the exhaust pipe and put a bike cover over the bike.

Would she start:

Well after putting the battery back in,  switching on the fuel and ignition, there was power.   I wheeled the bike clutch down and bike in gear let the clutch out there was a slight skid with the back wheel and then it freed.   I pressed the start button and there was a errr errr but nothing else.

Not sure why the battery lost its charge!  Where did the electrons go to!

I got my mate to give me a push and with the bike in second I bump started the bike first time.  The first thing I noticed was the steering was heavy.  Turned out that the front tyre had gone down to 8psi.  I got back to my mates and the bike cut out. Not much charge in the battery.

After a good run down a duel carriageway the battery had charge but it was still cutting out, when I stopped.  A bit more of a blast and it was cutting out less.  Finally it would actually idle.

Good old Dixie, it’s good to have you back.

Salar de Uyuni trip – day 3

Getting up at 5am was no problem I was awake.  Three pairs of socks and all the clothes I had, together with the two blankets was not enough for a good night´s sleep.  The driver/guide said during winter outside temperatures can get a low as -30 c.  I can beleive it, not sure how cold it was when we were there but it was cold.

One of the Brazilian guys and his sister, and the two guys from Sao Paulo were going to San Predro de Atacama.  So after the days main attractions we were going to the Chilian border to drop them off.  We exchanged emails in the hostel so there would be no delays at the border.

The first attaction for the day was the the geysers and hot mud pooles.  After that a hot water spring.  I really wasn´t in the mood for getting my kit off in those temperatures, so I stayed out of the water, so did one of the guys from Sao Paulo.

The next stop was the border with Chile.  The guys got their kit together and we said our good byes and they made their way for exit from Bolivia.

We had done all the attactions and we just had the trip back to Uyuni, which would take us to about 6:30pm.  It was just me, the Brazilian couple and the driver and guide.  It was nice to have more space in the 4×4, but at times it was a little too much of an enclosed space with the driver/guide being as he was.

We had a stop by the Lago Colorado and the driver/guide put his machanic hat on and was doing some work on the left-side from wheel.  Natalie, the Brazilian girl, asked what he was doing to the car and he didn´t understand.  I asked and he understood and got stroppy.  Latin passion got the better of Daniel (the Brazilian guy) and said something in Portuguese.  I now know a few words of Portuguese but not sufficient to understand what he said.  But with the context of the trip, I did understand what he said.

We got back to the agency office and when asked if everything went ok.  Daniel explained the situation, excellent food etc no complaints regarding that but the mood of the driver.  I added that it is a dream job for someone to do that sort of a trip all the time and meet different people from all over the world.  I know that sometimes it would just be a job and I am being a bit romantic about that but I will stand by that statement.

My trip from Vallegrande to Pucara was eventful.  The driver did a great job in getting us up that almost impassable road, his mud chains were the talk of all the other drivers and he seemed so pleased to have got the car up the road, we were cheering and shaking his hand.  He was loving it.  Not just that, but his knowledge of the last months of Che´s life left us with no questions.

When you do a trip like the Salar de Uyuni there are some big factors regarding whether you have a good time or not.  It is no surprise that the Landcruiser is the vehicle of choice the only 4x4s that were not Landcruisers were the Lexus versions.  We didn´t have any emergency braking situations but if we did I not sure what would happen with those back tyres!

The other big factor is who you are travelling with.  I loved travelling with the Brazilians, fun loving, open, friendly people, no complaints on that front.  I was toying with learning another Latin based language and I now have made my mind up that it is going to be Portuguese.

Even if you do go with an recommended expensive company, you could still have the same problem as we had.  Quechua connection could well be a good company, but you spend 1 hour max in the agency office and 8 days with their driver.

The driver is the, driver, guide, cook, machanic, it is asking a lot, but polietness I don´t think that that is asking a lot.

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Salar de Uyuni trip – day 2

We had an early rise for the second day of the trip 7am for leaving at 8am.  We were all up and ready for the off at 8am but Abel the driver/guide was not around.  We were finally off at around 8:30am, on our way to the valley of the rocks.

The valley of rocks is, well a valley full of rocks.  The rocks have been erroded over the years in to strange shapes.  We set off and one of the Brazilian guys asked Abel where was next on the agenda.  Abel snapped, about why all the questions and why was he not listening.  Well the guys was Brazilian and did not speak much Spanish but was trying to, maybe because of that!  The would prove to be a common theam.

The quad bike I was on the day before, looked like new, rode like new and was in great condition.  The 4×4 was a different story!  20 year old Toyota Landcruiser that looked like it had a hard life on the altiplano.  Both rear tyres were bald, no worries we had two spares.  They were both bald as well!

We stopped at lakes of different colours and more strange rock formations, and finally for the day Lago colorado.  The lake is a red colour due to the algea that grows there.  There is a view point to view the flamengos and we set off on the walk to see them.  The sun was falling and the wind was picking up it was clear it would be a cold night.  The hostel we had was basic and there was not many blankets.  Looked like it would be a cold night.

The food was great and the conversation was very Portuguese. I had my note book and was writing down words in Portuguese and chatting to the Brazilians who spoke Spanish.

The fire had died down and it was time to go to bed.  By this time I was wearing everything I had and was intending to sleep in them.  We had a 5am rise for a 6am start.  Abel asked for a alarm clock he didn´t have one.

With the cold biting I knew I would be up at 5am no problem.

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Salar de Uyuni trip – day 1

Choosing an agency for this trip was really a one horse race for me as Quechua Connection 4wd was the only one offering something different.  They have a quad bike for rent or as part of the Salar 3 day tour you can do the salt flat section on a quad.  I did the deal and paid my money.

I turned up the day after only to find out that there was a 4 day tour going and I had a choice of doing the salt flat by myself.  Having been in this part of the world before and seen the size of the salt flat I wasn´t too keen on this plan.  The Brazilian guy in the agency gave me the choice of doing by myself for day 1 and doing a full 3 day trip, waiting a day and doing the 3 day trip with day 1 supported with a 4×4 or money back.  I decided to wait the day.

The day after I turned up again at the agency to find all the others on the trip were Brazilian.   A few did speak Spanish and a little English so we were going to be ok and I could always pick up a few words of Portuguese.

The quad bike was waiting outside of the office and the guy said I could have a quick spin on it before we set off.  I´d never been on a quad bike before and really didn´t know what to expect.  Certainly on the road it seemed easy enought to ride.  We set off for the train graveyard and we were soon on dirt roads.  The quad did seem strange to ride being used to a bike.

After the train graveyard we were on our way to the Salar.  We had a slow ride through the town again and then we were on the road to the salar.  The road was bad and had not been graded for some time and so had big corregations.  For me on the quad I had the tracks at the side.  The tracks were curving with the land and the conditions were constantly changing: stones, dirt and sand.  I had a few moments on the quad where I thing I was countersteering.  Obviously on 4 wheels countersteering is not going to work.  One other things was if you stand up on a mountain bike or motorbike on rough ground they seem to find the path of least resistance through the rough stuff, not the case on a quad.

That bit of fun over with we had a rest in the community at the edge of the Salar.  Next was the Salar, the last time I was here it was bone dry.  Not now, the late rainy season ment that there was plenty of water and we were riding over waves of salt with the dips filled with water, which was coming up to the footrests.  The next section was a full on blast for the Salt Hotel.  There were times where the quad was getting a bit sideways and there were some dips in the salt throwing the quad of line and throwing salty water over me.

We were at the Salt Hotel for a about 2 hours to have lunch and to take pictures.  The driver did a great job with the meal and there was plenty for everyone.  This is where I started to get to know the Brazilian guys.

Food and fotos finished and we were ready for the blast back.  The dirver said to me it would be best to take the nomal road rather than the tracks at the side as it would be quicker.  The first few minutes on the main road were painful the quad was vibrating violently and my hands were feeling like they were loosing skin.  After that everything was hurting!  Easing off the throttle seemed only to make the quad vibrate more violently and throw me off line even more.  The best technique seemed to be full on and then brake to stop before ending up in a ditch.

Enough was enough I could take no more and the first line for the side track I found I took it.  Slower more difficult riding but less a lot less bumps.  I arrived at the outskirts of Uyuni to find the 4×4 waiting the door opened and Daniel one of the Brazilians said what happened.  I was laying on the quad knackered.

We got back to the Quechua Connections office and I got into the 4×4.  As soon as we left the town and hit similar roads to the one to the Salar did I realise just how much smoother things were in the 4×4.   It was a few hours of dirt roads until we got to the hostel for the night.

So what about my first experience of a quad bike?  A mate got into riding motorbikes and I have been loving it.  There is a beauty about motorbikes and a passion riders seem to have you don´t get with other forms of transport.  Some riders love the low and mid-range torque of V-twins, others the turbine like power of inline 4s, then there are the two stroke nutters that believe that the light weight simplicity and super high revving off and on power of the two stroke is the future of motorbiking.   They style of the bike also says something about the rider, ratbike, sports bike, tourer, cruisers, you can look at the bike and know something about the rider.

Where ever you stand on this topic I think it will be difficult for you to get passionate about a quad.  Yes I do admit that if you want to ride into a field with a few hay bails and stop the machine and unload the bails they are ideal.  No kick stand to sink in to the mud plenty of room at the back etc.  There is my point they are a utility vehicle and there they should stay.

Two wheels good, four wheels bad.

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Salar de Uyuni – Plan C

The dream was to ride across the Salar de Uyuni on a motorbike but now it has become clear to me this is not going to happen.  It is possible to rent a bike in La Paz but without a rack to carry kit this would also mean  travelling down to Uyuni on the bike at least a 12 hour trip with about 7 of those hours on dirt roads, with little kit.  Sure easier if you take your time but with the bike costing 100 pounds a day it could start getting costly.

Since being here I have found an agency with a guy who loves bikes and they are getting bikes for rent and tours in June (When I fly back to the UK), fantastic!

So plan B, well probably plan C !  The same agency has quads (4 tracks), only one working at the moment – a 250cc automatic, the 500cc has a problem and they are waiting for a new part.  The plan he suggested is one day on a quad to do the salar and the other two days in the 4×4 (Landcruiser).  He did say he knows that it is not the same as two wheels but it is still fun.    There are two roads to the Salar on is a dusty track the other had bumps dips and is a lot more challenging.

Well it is good to have a open mind and to try new things and this seems like the next best thing to riding on two wheels.

Hot metal and adrenaline

So many times when travelling in Latin America things are not as advertised. So when Craig and I booked ourselves on a Xtreme tour I was a bit suspicious it would not be as advertised. I shouldn´t have worried!

My mate has 15 years plus experience on motorbikes and currently rides a heavy powerful bike (Suzuki Bandit 1200). Whereas I passed my CBT in August 2010 and was riding a Suzuki GS 125, light and not that powerful. My recent experience in Sucre of a powerful bike, involved my having painful ribs for the last few weeks due to a fall. The bike was light but very powerful, the Honda XR 650s we were going to be riding are powerful and heavy. I only had the guides comments on my riding to suggest that I was riding well and fast, but I didn´t know how well I would cope with a heavier bike.

The sleepy Sunday afternoon arrived and it was time to make some noise. We arrived at the agency to find the place closed. I guy arrived shortly after on a bike and opened the doors we got the paper work out of the way and paid the 8 USD extra for the boots, and I´m so glad we paid the extra for these.

Kitted up and the photos out of the way and we were on our way through the Cusco traffic trying to keep up with the guide. I kept dropping back or rather I wasn´t going through the traffic as quick as they were. I found them waiting at a turning for the hills and this is where the dirt road started. I was riding the switchbacks like I was in Sucre and was loving it. If I did find myself in the wrong gear or stopped on the hill it was very different with this heavier bike. Craig´s experience with bikes was showing, clutch and throttle control, and how to handle a heavier bike. I made a mistake with the bike while stationary and it went past it´s balancing point. I couldn´t hold it it was too heavy and it was on the ground. Lucky enough the guide had ridden off so saw nothing.

We finally arrived at a point over looking a lake and the guide said the altitude was 4200m, on the last streach of track it was gradually getting colder and colder. We had a short break and it was time to get going again this time there was no track only the ones we made. The ground was rutted and waterlogged. Any flat sections were like riding over wet glass.

Waterlogged section over we arrived at 4900m. Here breathing was hard, not being used to balancing a heavier bike when the air is thin is hard work. This is extreme biking!

Wrong we were just arriving at the extreme bit on the way down. Large amounts of rain in this part of the world changes the landscape and removes tracks. There were several sections that I didn´t feel confient doing. Maybe due to dropping the bike at a standstill!

On one of these sections the guide was riding my bike and the bike sunk up to the axle in mud and fell on him. I managed to lift the bike off his leg and with me pulling the front wheel and him pushing we got the bike free. The left side mirror was broken off so I put it in my rucksack.

These sections were too much for me with my limited experience but we were soon on to fast dirt track. This was my chance to rip it up and show them I wasn´t that bad a rider. That was probably my favorite section, with my lest favorite section to follow.

We got to the tarmac section that would take us back to Cusco. The guide told me that there is a Police check point on the road back and if we are waved to the side, we should keep going. If the police are more insistant with their waving, we should gun it. The guide was riding fast and was overtaking on the corners. There was no way I was going to keep up, I was just trying not to get too far behind.

We arrived back at the agency the guy noticed the mirror was missing but the guide told the story and everything was cool.

I know for sure I have come a long way since passing my CBT and I know I can ride a bike quit well, but I have a long way to go. Like with other things I have done I know I am going to get there soon.

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http://www.perumototours.com/cuscoperu-en/033-xtrem_tour.php/

Moto snatch

I was walking down a street not far from my hostel and saw this girl talking on the phone and this guy on a motorbike just behind her as soon as she had finished her conversation and had the phone loose in her hand, the biker had his bike rolling grabed the phone and was off swerving throught the traffic.  The girl was shouting “puta madre”.  The guy made it seem so easy to gain the phone – money, as there will be that trade here.

Earlier today I was in the hostel talking to one of the guys in the hostel.  He said he was 57 and had split up from his wife, and they have a son who is 21.  He seem upset telling me about this.  He´s a taxi driver and works 12 hours a day.  In the hostel he has a large wood box with all his things in.  Most taxi drivers here use gas for their cars 10 pasos to fill the gas tank or 6 pasos for 1 litre of petrol a no brainer I guess.

All cities have these problems I know and I am …….. may be running away from part of my life in London that has been stressing me but may be things could be a whole lot worse.