Almost a week ago I finally bit the bullet and booked a ferry ride from Ireland to France. The Irish Ferries vessel, the Oscar Wilde, will be delivering me and my VFR 750 from Rosslare in the south-east of the country over to Cherbourg in the north of France. From here I have three to four journey ahead of me until I reach La Ferte Bernard where my girlfriend is currently working. Le Mans, a yes the fabled Le Mans, is only a short hop from here. Once paid for it sounds really easy but with this blog I am going to try and ensure that what seems easy is far from ever being so in reality. There is a saying in the university I study at, "whatever is simple, we will do our best to complicate". It's a joke but there is some truth to it. Simple things aren't always that much fun, even if keeping things simple is sometimes very clever. This series of blog posts should give you an insight into my own thoughts on the planning of the trip, showing that I rarely am successful in keeping things in any way simple. If I hear any noise that seems out of place on the VFR it simply has to be investigated. I spent days agonising over how best to record the service history (I use a Notepad file, Excel is overly complicated ironically enough in this instance!). No doubt as the preparation for this trip continues, and the trip actually happens, I will agonise over silly little things that, in the big scheme, matter very little. Still, it'll be fun and I hope you enjoy hanging on to hear them.
It's just after midnight at this point and I am wondering about what to do in the morning. The bike is due to be on the ferry in just over a week and my rear brake caliper is binding. For those of you who do not know that means that the rear brake is constantly on, not fully, but enough to stop you from spinning the wheel when the bike is on the centrestand. The brakes simply are not releasing fully. This could be because of any number of reasons...
1 - Master cylinder is dirty and needs a rebuild.
2 - Caliper pistons are corroded and are sticking to the caliper seals as they are pushed out (so they can't sink back in)
3 - Caliper seal bores are corroded so the seals are being forced out microscopically which is preventing the pistons from moving freely.
4 - Too much grease on the sliding pins that allow the caliper to move.
5 - Many other reasons but you might be bored now.
This all makes me extremely annoyed. It's not because there is a problem with the bike, that is all understandable as a high-performance machine is always going to demand more maintenance than an average runabout car (in the same way a jet fighter requires more maintenance and more fuel than a Boeing 737...both are good machines, both fly but both do different specific jobs). My annoyance stems from the fact that I have already cleaned out the master cylinder, I have already cleaned the caliper and replaced the seals and I have installed new brake pads and all. I've spent hours on the bloody thing.
The thing is, your back brake is very important. It allows for stable stopping conditions in slow traffic or in wet weather and allows for much greater control over u-turns and slow speed maneuvering. Not to mention that the VFR is a heavy bike and the twin two-piston calipers on the front wheel, while they do a fine job, can use some assistance from the two-piston caliper at the rear for quicker stops. I've become used to operating without a back brake but it is less than ideal and I will want everything working perfectly while in France. My task for tomorrow then is to spend some time on the rear brake again. I could do it blindfolded at this point in time. I'll take the caliper off, pop the pistons out and check for corrosion and rebuild it. Again. If there is no improvement then I am chucking it in the bin and buying a decent used one. It's just not worth the stress anymore. And besides, there is more preparation to be done apart from brakes...
The other night I watched a small video on MotoGP.com about how Dorna, the company that run the whole series and organise it, manage to move all of the equipment from race to race. Essentially they construct, deconstruct, and move, a small town every two weeks. Each team's flight cases are handled perfectly, nothing is delayed, everything moves in sync, lists are checked and rechecked, but it's all second nature to those who have been doing it for some time. So it was that I took my cue from this. I'm not moving a small town every two weeks and by no means am I racing in the MotoGP (sigh) but I can be just as organised as this lot. I'm going to go and pack everything right now, I'll be the most efficient packer ever. I'll put everything on to a timetable and I'll pay someone to recheck lists that I made and checked already.
In case you didn't realise, I'm just being sarcastic! What Dorna do, as regards logistics, is the complete opposite of what I am likely to do. I know I need to pack clothes and make sure I have some overnight stuff for the ferry. That stuff will go in my tankbag as that will be easy to carry to my ferry cabin. I will need to work on my PhD over in France so I will need to take some folders and books. I wonder where they will go for the trip? And how many to bring? Do I need my panniers? They're fabric but were given to me for free by a guy on a BMW whom I have since not seen. If you're reading this nice-BMW-guy, then thank you, rest assured your stuff is being put to good use. I even waterproofed them a year or so back but it didn't really work all that well (plastic bags inside are the best bet I think). I still do not know if I need panniers. I have no sat-nav (although I do have GPS on my phone but don't want to pay data charges abroad so that might scupper that plan) so tankbag will be needed for holding a map at least. Decisions, decisions.
While I agonise over these questions I also have a few other things to think about. I could do with a new rear tyre. I have been using Metzeler Z8s for about a year now and have covered about 6000-7000 miles on a pair of them. The front is still fine but the rear is beginning to hiit the wear mark, although the edge thread looks decent. While I could probably get by with the tyre I think I would rather a new one. My front brake pads are also fairly worn but they will be fine for the duration of the trip. They'll need changing once summer comes. I'll have to think about spare light bulbs, a first aid kit and all of that stuff too. Apparently all of this stuff is the law in France. Oh, and a pair of glasses or spare contact lenses. And photocopies of licence, registration etc.
It looks to me like I have a bit of a shopping list right here! I told you I would manage to complicate things somehow. You can forgive me though - yes this is not a round-the-world trip by any means but it is my first time abroad with my bike and that is a big step. It's also my first time on a proper ferry too. This a proper adventure for me, and my adventures can never be too simple! Stay tuned for updates.
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I have never done a big trip on a bike, as you put it but we do go to the Northwest 200 every year which for us involves a ferry (obviously, living here on the Isle of man)
ReplyDeleteSo I have a few suggestions that may help.
Don't pack the heavy stuff in your rucksack, leave that for bulky light stuff like waterproofs and stuff that you might need to access quickly en-route. That will save your back a shed load of abuse. The heavy stuff should be loaded evenly and as close to the bike's centre of gravity as you can, which is tricky because that is on a line between the wheel spindles about where your gearbox is! So as low on the bike as you can will do, panniers might have to be used, even if you don't fill them, if your like us you buy bits whilst you are away and if your crammed full going you're kind of bolloxed. Bin bags are a must to keep everything dry.
First time on a ferry? so you don't know if you are going to be sea sick?
A hellish complaint which can ruin your enjoyment because if you get it going you will spend the entire holiday worrying about the return trip.
As an experiences sailor of 6000 odd sea miles there is some tips.
Try and get as low on the ship as you can and as much to the centre, this will reduce the amount of movement you experience. Try and sit next to a window so the horizon is in your field of view, this gives your brain something to reference so it can compute the movement going on around you.
Try to relax and think positively about the trip and how much you are going to enjoy the sailing as it is a new experience.
Eat something before you get out to sea.
If you do feel queasy the best thing to do is lay down flat and try to go to sleep, unless you have booked a cabin, the floor will have to do, find a corner or somewhere out the way from an exit and no-one will bother you.
Sturgeron is a popular sea sickness prevention available from chemists, follow the instructions as they have changed recently, the side affect of them is drowsiness but that is not a bad thing as a passenger, its functioning crew that it is a problem for.
I hope this helps and I am sure some hardened European tourer's will advice you on riding on the continent, I have no experience except driving, and all I recall is constantly paying tolls, I will never complain about road tax again!