Today started much like any other day that I ride…
Up early, quick breakfast, load bike, press starter, and take off…
Except this time when I pressed the starter, nothing happened…!!
My hosts Panni and Tibor Molnar...
Tibor and Panni had come down to the garage to see me off and ensure that I had everything that I had taken off the bike in the last few days…
We took a few “final” photos of each other and I got a picture of Tibor’s Suzuki 650 DS Savage, which he had toured the Adriatic Coast with a few years back…
Tibor's low slung Suzuki Savage...
Just before I put my helmet on, I pressed the starter to let the bike warm up, and heard the loud clicking that spelt trouble with a capital “T”… I checked the fuse under the seat and tried the starter again… Same result…!!
Tibor and I say our goodbyes... He had done so much for me over the past few days...
We tried pushing the bike down the road but the engine refused to turn over… Very embarrassing…!!
Getting it back up the hill was no easy matter… Tibor had to fetch his car so that we could load all the gear into it, and then he and I pushed the bike the 100 odd metres back to his garage…
He called a friend of his to see if we could borrow a charger, and went off to collect it, while I paced around the garage wondering what could have run the battery down…
After getting the charger plugged in and the battery hooked up to it, we went upstairs for a breather, and tried to locate a spare battery…
BMW Budapest did not return our calls, and it took us another hour of searching the net before Tibor managed to find a battery dealer with the correct battery in stock…!!
He then drove me to the dealer, where we confirmed that the battery they had was indeed the right specification and then headed home to fit it… The guy testing my old battery confirmed that it was a sick puppy, and would have to be replaced…
It had rained during the night and this morning the weather was no different…!! The streets were inches deep in water in some places, and as we rode back to his house, Tibor commented that maybe it was a good thing that the battery had given up the ghost when it did…
Not only would I have been riding through pouring rain, but it could have expired when I stopped for fuel or worse still, at some later point in a far lesser populated area than Budapest…!!
The clouds were down and rain was falling steadily over Budapest... This was the view from Tibor's terrace...
The Big Fella waits patiently for a new battery...
After helping me fit the new battery, and witnessing the Big Fella roar back to life at the first press of the starter, Tibor went off to prepare for work, a mere three hours later than the time he normally would, while I stayed with the bike to make sure there were no other glitches to sort out…
The Terminator sleeps in a cardboard box... No frills for this cat...!!
My start for Romania had not got off the ground, and we decided it would be better to call it a day and for me to make an early start in the morning…
The previous evening we had meticulously planned the route I would be riding over the next few weeks, and had now lost a day before I had even got going…!!
But that’s what cross continent and long distance riding is all about…!! You may think you have everything planned and under control, but something as ordinary as a dead battery can cost you a day…!!
There were many positives to be taken out of my experience this morning though…
Not only did I have a new battery that would hopefully get me all the way back home again in a few years time, but I also get to spend another evening with the Molnar’s, and have used the opportunity to bring my website right up to date…!!
Tomorrow I will make a second attempt at leaving Budapest and hopefully be able to stick to the following schedule:
Sep 18th: Budapest to Sebes in Romania – 590 km
Sep 19th: Sebes back to Sebes, riding the “7C” – 465 km
Sep 20th: Sebes to Belgrade in Serbia – 385 km
Sep 22nd: Belgrade to Zagreb in Croatia – 395 km
Sep 23rd: Zagreb to Grignano in Italy – 410 km
Sep 25th: Grignano to Starigrad, Southern Croatia, all along the Adriatic Sea – 365 km
Sep 26th: Starigrad to Mostar or Sarajevo in Bosnia – 375 / 475 km
Sep 28th: Mostar / Sarajevo to Podgorica in Montenegro – 300 km
Sep 29th: Podgorica to Kukes in Albania – 205 km (5 hours of twisty’s…!!)
Sep 30th: Kukes to Durres in Albania – 280 km (Plenty on/off road…!!)
Oct 1st: Durres to Sarande in Southern Albania – 260 km
Oct 3rd: Sarande to Struga in Macedonia – 325 km (Little known roads through even lesser known towns…!!)
Oct 4th: Struga to Melnik in Bulgaria – 380 km
Oct 5th: Melnik to Drama in Greece – 150 km
Oct 7th: Drama to Istanbul in Turkey – 480 km
Europe will be “in the bag”, and then Asia begins…!!
But first, I will need to sort out a few visa issues, change my front brake pads and engine oil, and decide where I will “take a break”…
©GBWT 2010
Once again, a Blessing in disguise. You have a new battery and have spent time with good friends. Go well and stay safe.
OK!!! So if all went according to plan, you did the “7C” yesterday – what was it like? Was it awesome? Are you still in shock?? Have you got amazing fotos? I saw it on a Top Gear episode and then I was in shock, now you doing it!!!! So Big fella has a new heart, not such a bad thing, at least he’s good for another couple of kilos.
Tibor and Panni, this is an official invitation to visit us in South Africa, you are the best!!!!
Enjoy your last days in Europe
BIG kisses
K
It was a special pleasure to have you here Ronnie. Wish you could have stayed with us more time or I could have biked with you around the World – at least to Istanbul. Your consistency and discipline really impressed us.
This is the way an RTW trip can be managed.
We strongly hope we will meet in the future more soon than later.
(Do not forget to visit the famous “Hotel Velcro” in Sarande)
Panni, Tibi