Day 19 Oil, plug, spanner…
Trip Start
Mar 19, 2012
1
25
30
Trip End
Apr 10, 2012
Where I stayed
Rincón de la Victoria, Andalusia, Spain
Friday, April 6, 2012
Rincon de la Victoria 5 miles by foot
Woke still undecided about what to do today, torn between wobbling and spluttering to Alicante to buy some repair bits, or roll up my sleeves and do the service I know has to be done just over halfway through the trip. Thankfully the hotel had a single cancellation so I can stay put until tomorrow. It is nice to wake up in Spain rather than Morocco. I do wish I had gone a bit further and longer in Africa, but I have seen some amazing landscapes and feel good that I rode a ridiculously cumbersome and labour intensive Russian sidecar there instead of the standard adventure bike. Part of me never thought I'd get to do a long ride again, and this has definitely been the longest with little change out of 5000 miles by the time I get home. Just need time to put it into some sort of perspective.
Sensible head says service time, so I found the local supermarket and bought a cheap washing up bowl and some rubbish sacks to save the floor. Then back to the hotel garage for a few hours of tinkering. First I put the spare wheel onto the sidecar, and then the potentially more puncture resilient sidecar wheel on the rear of the bike. Both the front and sidecar tyres are hardly wearing unlike the poor rear.
Then I drained and replaced the rear drive, transmission and engine oils & filter. The engine wasn't too bad after 3300 miles (should be changed every 1500 but I am using hi tech fully synthetic Rock racing oil to stretch the interval to 3K), but the transmission had a fair glitter to it reflecting all my crunching gear changing. Plugs seem to have leaned up a bit, so I simply replaced them and left the valves as Babs has been managing a heady 60mph recently on the level, which is just about right for the large fairing and bluff sidecar profile.
I managed to transfer the old oil into the now empty oil container and stored it back on the bike as I feel bad about dumping it in such a nice place and there are no oil dumps nearby..
Just time for a brief explore around this little dormitory town and its coastal walks – most folk work in Malaga and have a second weekend escape here, and the place has no tourists yet, just the usual Easter / Semana Santa services and ceremonies with quite a few priests around. There is a huge procession outside the hotel with precocious KKK hats. Catholics can be scary sometimes ! I watched for a while then dived into the chinese restaurant for a quick meal just in case the crowds decided to hit the restaurants afterwards.
I’m heading straight up through Spain to hit the Western Pyrenees this time, Easter traffic permitting. I think riding the same route back is a bit of a waste, plus the return route should be more direct. Rather cold and rainy over here at the moment but who knows the tent may get an airing yet..
Comments
A day off riding was probably just what was needed. The insight to the scenes and cultures you are seeing is amazing and the pictures are so vivid. It's been a tough jouney for you - and Andie - in so many was, but you should be so proud of your acievement, although the whole thing might take a lot of processing once you are home.
Stay safe xx
I am SOOOO Pleased you are out of Morocco & in Spain.
Enjoy what you can, Dont think about what didn't work, there is no point looking back, look forward and enjoy the moment for what it is :-) xxx
Some beautiful pictures...I promise we won't rib you if the tent doesn't come out! With the mileage you and Babs are doing a tent seems like torture for the sake of it!! x