*
*
After the FIM Motorcycle Rally and the rest of Czechoslovakia we reached
what used to be
East Germany. As soon as we crossed the boarder we saw an
old windmill with a restaurant. They were surprised to see
Americans in their region they said.
We don't read nor speak German
and so didn't know what to order. So every time the chef
cooked a meal he brought it to us first and told us what it
was in German. After eating, we came upon a glider field
ð
and they asked us to return the next day for a flight.
It was farther north where troubles awaited us.
At the first large German city we found a BMW dealership.
We had just noticed that our pannier frame was rubbing on the
rear tire. While we and the two German mechanics were sitting and looking at the rear wheel we glanced over and notice that the main frame
was almost cracked into. It was not possible to see it when
standing as it was hidden by the right side battery cover.
They said that they could not fix it and for us to go on to the next
city where
there was another dealer. It was located in what used to be West
Germany.
So, back on the road going west during the 1994 summer heat wave
in full motorcycle gear.
Anything over 80 decrees is too hot for us. After a hot 60
miles on the autobahn we found the BMW dealer. They
looked at the GS and said that they had been in business 108
years and never saw a cracked frame before unless the
motorcycle had been involved in a serious accident. We had
never been in such an accident. The crack must have taken
place sometime ago as there was rust on one fourth of the
inside part and the rest was quit new and clean. They
said that it could not be repaired. They had the new 650
BMW and we considered, briefly, making a trade, but of course
theyðdid not want to give us much for the GS. We didn't make a
trade. Big mistake. We did ask if they would
weld the frame. They agreed to do so if we left and never
told anyone what they had done. They didn't charge us
either but gave us a word of advice, "get to where you are
going as fast as you can."
Off we went towards Denmark where along the way we had several
adventures. But we also had developed so many other
mechanical problems that we felt we were pushing our
luck and we needed to return to Finland, which we did by
ferry.
After service by our Finnish mechanic he thought we
could still reach the North Cape. Since it doesn't takeð
much to encourage us to ride our motorcycle we took off and
meandered through Finland. North of where the train line
dead ends past the arctic circle, our motorcycle stopped.
Without warning it appeared that our electrical system had
failed. Gail hitchhiked to a garage where we had filled
up with
gas and saw that they had a mechanic (other people were
stranded there in broken down vehicles). The mechanic
loaded the GS explaining that while he was not a BMW
mechanic he could possibly fix it as he worked on
snowmobiles.
He told us that if you are riding your snowmobile in Finland
and breakdown, you either fix it or freeze to death. Weð
conjured up visions of finding dead bodies on snowmobiles of
those who had no more mechanical abilities than we.
We decided that if we every got our GS fixed that we would
not ride off-road as we did not want anyone coming
across two dead Americans frozen to their GS somewhere in
Finland. The mechanic took us home to meet his family
and to feed us.
He repaired the starter, which he said was defective,
charged the battery and did everything else he could think
of. The GS will not start. A few days delay and finally
the arrival by bus of a diloed board which the repairman
had been told by phone by our mechanic, Jukka, was quite likely
the cause of the problem, our GS was road worthy again. Well,
sort of. It would start, but it just wouldn't charge.
So now we had an electric GS. We decided that we would
still try to reach the North Cape, only a couple of hundred
miles to the north. We would just have to stop and
charge the battery every hundred miles or so. We soon
crossed into Norway. What a difference. In Finland,
the semi-domesticated reindeer lie on the road and refuse
to move. But they only take one-half of the road so
it is possible to
just pass around them. But in Norway, the sheep sleep on
both sides of the road and one never knows when they will
cross. A few miles after the border we found a service
station. We stopped, asking the woman on duty if we could,
even though it is 10:00 pm., charge our battery. She
looks at what appears to be the stock boy, stocking
shelves, and he says yes.
It turns out that the stock boy is the owner and also the
ex-owner of a Harley-Davidson. But he had to sell it as he
made so much money selling gas that he had to raise funds
to pay his taxes. Fortunately, he was able to keep his other
toys as he still had his Corvette. He charged the battery
but didn't charge us. Now, it is near midnight. Off we went
to the North Cape. We were getting so close, it was just
beyond the ðnext hill or next bend in the road. We could
feel its magnetic pull. And then "WHAM" metal against metal, inside
our engine. Gail starts to hitchhike when along comes an auto but they tell
us that they live close, not going to town., but they do
know
the fellow at the gas station and will call him for
us. They drive off. Later, they come back and
say that he will be here to get us. This he does,
loads up the motorcycle on his trailer, and we go back to his
station. He looks at our motorcycle, and reaches the same
conclusion. It is a very serious problem.
Our time has ran out. In four days we must be back in the
US to go to work. By now it is 3:00 am, the sun, having just
sunk below
the horizon, is now making a new appearance. The gas station
owner loans us his vehicle so we can drive around and see the
sights after missing the
only bus for the day. We plan on catching it
the next morning to reach
Finland and the nearest airport. He must know how it feels to be
a motorcyclist without a motorcycle. We also make arrangements
for the snowmobile mechanic to come to Norway to pick up the GS,
take it to his garage and later take it south to the rail head to be
transported to our BMW mechanic.
A year later our mechanic, Jukka, sends us a fax and the language
that follows is his:
*****
I have also opened cylinders of your bike and it doesn't look good.
Probably conrods bolts has broken first and pieces has rolling all around
in crankcase and broken both cylinders, pistons and many other parts. In
one word the hole engine is "Kaput". I will open the hole engine later and
make estimation of repaircosts. It may take a little time, because BMW has
started their own company in Finland and in this moment anybody doesn't know
anything about sparepart prices. Anyway I will inform you as soon as possible.
I will also send you a letter and some pictures from your engine.
A year late we received some heart breaking photos and this
estimate:
*
CYLINDERWITHPISTON 2X2920,- =5840,-FIM
*
CONNECTION ROD 2 X 850, =1700,- FIM
*
CRANKSHAFT =2990,- FIM
*
STARTER = 2700 FI
*
WORKS = 2460 FIM
-----------------Ð
*
TOTAL = 15690.
*
In other words the bill in US Dollars was somewhere between $2000
to $3000 dollars.
This is the second time broken conrod bolts have done us in and it
won't be the last time.
Now we have a GS with a cracked, welded main frame without
an engine. For scrape we can't sell this piece of junk for
enough to even pay Jukka's bill for what he has done to date. What
should we do?
*
PART FOUR OF FOUR PARTS
*
By: Gail and Eric Haws FOR INTERNATIONAL
MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURERS
*
RETURN TO HOMEPAGE FOR SCANDINAVIA
10 Dec 96