Re: Italia 2007 - Departure Day - Long"Aitch" <rmaitch.vbg@ukonline.co.uk> wrote in message
news:680r70F2qegheU1@mid.individual . net ...
> Drinks all round barkeep and keep 'em coming, this goes on for a bit, come
> to think of it better rustle up some food too...
>
> So this is departure day. Netscum from across the pond would soon be
> in Italy. Mrs Ford would be catching a flight to Florence in the
> afternoon, as we weren't sure that her back would hold up to a two day
> blast to that fair Italian city. And..., Mr Bike is still up on the
> lift without an exhaust system expecting to get a 'service' of some
> description, the primary cover is still on the garage floor, and
> there is the small matter of an annual inspection to pass. Oh, and I
> have to pack.
>
> At around 07:30 I was cycling the 7 miles to my local HD store.
> Fortunately it wasn't raining. I picked up a number of tower gaskets
> for theprimary cover and four exhaust gaskets. Then I rode home and
> had some breakfast. Then I took Mrs Ford off to the Tube to catch
> various trains to the airport.
>
> There is a 'small world' story to mention here. We booked Mary's
> ticket to Florence with Air Meridiana sometime in mid-May. Some weeks
> later we met up with a friend of hers who lives about a mile away from
> us. Turns out that she was going to Florence on the same day, Friday
> the 13th July. It just so happens that Mary's friend lived and
> studied art in Florence, just the perfect friend to have when visiting
> Florence. Not only this but she was travelling on the very same
> flight!!!!!! Wow, how weird is that?
>
> Anyways back to the job in hand, I still had a bike to fix.
>
> Once home it was down to the basement garage for me. I checked the
> tension in the primary chain scraped the old gasket off the primary
> cover and inner primary, fitted the primary cover and filled up with
> oil. Next job, replace the brake pads front and rear, then install
> the rear wheel with it's brandy new tyre fitted. Then came the
> exhaust which had been a pig of a thing to do late the night before.
> Eventually after much struggling I managed to get the damn thing
> installed but I didn't bother with the heat 'shields'. I'd fit them
> if I had any time to spare (yeah right), it's not as if they serve a
> very useful purpose after all. The mufflers still weren't sitting
> square but now I could at least fit my Boss Bags leather bags with
> just a tiny amount of clearance... phew. Lube the cables, adjust as
> necessary. Fill up with engine oil, transmission oil. Change the
> plugs. Clean the air filter. Make sure all lights are working. By now
> it's afternoon and there is no way I'm going to catch the boat at 15:10
> from Dover. Still at least I've finished all the maintenance on Mr Bike.
>
> Back upstairs to the apartment. Get an appointment at the workshop
> that will carry out the MOT (annual inspection). They say that so
> long as I get there before 16:30 they'll be able to fit me in. I get
> packed in double quick time, get all the paperwork together: Licence,
> vehicle documents, travel insurance, vehicle breakdown cover and then
> go load up Mr Bike.
>
> I make it to the workshop in time, Dalston Motorcycles a small family
> run business. They don't mind about the luggage being fitted and they
> don't hang about in getting the inspection completed. I guess it
> helps coming in late in the day on a Friday. I then phone up the ferry
> company and have to tell a bit of a porkie, I claimed that I had got a
> flat tyre and could they find a space for me on a later sailing. Not
> a problem. I was told to get down to Dover and I could get on the
> next available boat. They are normally pretty good about things like
> this.
>
> I rode from Dalston down to the Blackwall Tunnel, under the River
> Thames and out of London on the A2. This was a good route to take as
> the speed limit is 50mph! Good because it meant I wasn't going too
> fast, just in case the exhaust decided it was going to fall off. The
> A2 turned into the M2 a six lane road before turning back into the A2
> again. I periodically pulled over to check the state of the pipes and
> would tighten the nuts on the exhaust studs if needed. Gradually I
> was getting comfortable with the idea that I had done all the
> wrenching to the required standard and I was able to relax a little
> and enjoy the ride. At one stop I made I checked my cell phone. There
> was
> one text from Mary, she was in Florence but I hadn't told her the name of
> the hotel we were booked in to. Ooops, I sent the necessary information
> and
> it all worked out Ok. We'd decided on texting each other as voice calls
> cost an arm and a leg when overseas.
>
> It really is a wonderful feeling riding down the A2 to Dover knowing
> that I'm going to be catching a boat over to the Continent. Even more
> so when I know that my wonderful wife is waiting for me.
> Approaching Dover the A2 turns gently down a fairly steep hill,
> overlooked by Dover Castle, and there before me was the English
> Channel. I'd made it. Unfortunately I'd just missed a boat and the
> next one wasn't for another couple of hours (20:55). The wait gave me
> a chance to chat to a boy and girl racer on their respective
> Kawasaki's and a Dutch guy. The crossing lasts just over an hour and a
> half. I manage to tuck into pie, chips and peas for dinner, the posh
> restaurant had already closed unfortunately. Then I curled up in a big
> chair and tried to get some rest.
>
> Due to the fact that the Europeans are an hour ahead of us Brits it
> was 23:20 when the boat docked. I didn't have any accommodation booked,
> but I had taken a look at etaphotel . com before I left and saw that they
> had
> a hotel in Saint Omer about 30 miles from Calais. It only took a few
> minutes to clear the usual formalities of customs, I think that I cleared
> French passport control in the UK. The ride to St. Omer took about 40
> minutes which allowed me the luxury of a wrong turn leaving the docks,
> Doh!
> The map I had covered the whole country and was useless as far as street
> level was concerned, so I just rode around and got lucky. I found the
> hotel
> without having to run some kind of search and rescue pattern all over
> town.
> I locked up Mr Bike, carted pretty much everything into the hotel and got
> myself a room.
>
> More drinks please, Schmoes buying <sf>.
Damn right! This is a fine read so far. Don't mess up the story by including
any triple digit Assholes who's last number rhymes with pour. Pour you say?
Sure, howzabout a shot 'o Patron' for a happy Friday.
Missed this yesterday so... 1st of May, 1st of May, outdoor fucking starts
today!