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Marching on!

Apologies for not writing more often. Some how I got too bogged down and blue to write. I had nothing exiting or positive to mention regarding my Long Way Home so I decided to watch TV and from time to time throw out old junk I really didn’t use.

March is here and we are now Mr & Ms 6 Jackson Road! Sandy Lane in Woking (the suburban wasteland) has progressed to the final stage of being sold. We are finally packing up to move out!

Not only is the major paperwork getting sorted, but Spring is almost around the corner and we have noticeably more daylight hours.

As far as the motorbikes go… After weeks of sorting out the waterlogged engine and then doing all the servicing to the bike, it almost got back on the road.

Fortunately I’ve learnt a few more things in Ripley, 5 miles from our house. It’s annoying but I imagine that phoning BMW Guildford from the roadside in Ripley is a lot less frustrating than wishing you could call BMW Guildford from the roadside in the middle of the Sahara.

Tips:

On the F650GS the battery only lasts about 3 years. The normal battery is fine unless you are running a lot of additional electrical bits off it. GPS and small battery charger should be fine. Change your battery before you travel because if you don’t and the engine is iffy for whatever reason, you only have a few attempts and stalls before the battery gives in. Jumpstarting a single cylinder is a bitch of a job – something I’ve not been able to achieve yet. You can buy a special (expensive) high-powered battery but it’s not necessary. Just start the trip with a fresh one.

The fuel filter must also be changed at about 3 years because it just gets clogged up. It easy to change. Do it.

Scott Oiler. Humph. We have fitted these self-oilers to the bikes. The instructions are probably the worst I have ever read. It reads something along the lines of: Use part 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 to fit the RVC to any part of the bike at any angle from horizontal to vertical making sure that 2 is on the top. I ask you. I remain somewhat sceptical of the real benefit of a self-oiler when it’s not actually that hard to just bend over and check the chain. Paul got one, so I wanted one too. I believe it extends the life of your chain significantly.

We have extra chain links in our spare kit and can take a small piece of my old chain. It should be enough to get us back on the road if we have chain problems.

I’ve found The Chain Gang (www.f650.com) a very helpful resource. There is a FAQ with a lot of practical how to tips.

Well. That’s all for now and I will try to get back to blogging weekly. We move into a small rented room soon so access to internet will be limited. But there will be not much to do at night either so I could write more, go to the gym or go back to TV watching.