TLC for the Big Fella…

It's 5.45 am for Pete's sake...!! The last time the Big Fella had been on the road this early, was when we left Egypt to ride to the Libyan border...

Piotr begins stripping the Big Fella down...

I was up at 5.00am, stumbling around the room, gathering up the things I would need at BMW… Service manual, registration certificate, set of brake pads that I had carried all the way from South Africa… I drew the curtains open and saw that the rain that had fallen throughout the night had not gone away, and if anything, it was raining even harder than yesterday…

The streets were slick with water as I rode to Auto Fus, yawning inside my helmet, and wondering why the heck these guys started work so early…!!

At 6.00am I was sitting opposite Lukas Marszalek, explaining all the things I wanted checked on the bike, besides those that needed to be taken care of during the 80 000 km service… It was hard to believe that I had ridden this bike for so many kilometres, half of them on this journey alone…

Harder still to believe, was that it would be another 80 000 km before we got back home…!!

Lukas rode the bike down into the underground service centre and I joined him there, meeting Piotr Federczyk, the technician who would be responsible for servicing the bike…

For the next seven hours I watched as the Big Fella was stripped down and then re-assembled… I could not help but marvel at the intricacy of the wiring; fuel, oil and brake lines; and all the other electronic gizmos that it took to make this the wonderful machine that it is…

...until all all his innards were exposed for inspection...

Setting the valve clearences... The left hand cylinder was seriously out of whack...

Filling the rear drive oil reservoir while Lukas tapes up some wiring that looked a bit suspect...

It was like watching a close friend or family member being operated on…!!

With each piece that was removed, I studied Piotr’s face, looking for signs that he might have found something that was of concern to him…

He spoke very little English, but took the time to show me what he was doing and explaining things in a mixture of Polish, English and sign language… We got by, somehow…!!

Lukas came down to assist from time to time, and I stood by, watching the care they took to ensure that every part was properly cleaned before replacing it on the bike…

Company rules forbade customers from being in the workshop while services were being carried out, but the rules had been bent to accommodate me… I made sure that I did not get in the way, but was close enough to see what was being done every step of the way…

Lukas and Piotr agreed that my back brake pads had finally run their race (after nearly 58 000 kms, I should think so…!!) but suggested I wait until I got to Turkey to change the front ones…

“I am not sure how you are stopping this bike, but you still have a few thousand kilometres to go before the front pads need to be changed,” said Lukas, showing me the linings… I could hardly believe my eyes, as I peered at the pads… The wear on them since Chris in Nairobi had shown them to me had been negligible… How was this bike stopping…??

Remnants of the Sahara and Sudan's Haboubs still linger...

Piotr checks the engine readings on his computer...

There had been a recent recall on the ABS braking system, and a few brake lines were replaced under guarantee. Then the engine, gearbox and rear drive oil was changed, the alternator belt replaced, the cylinder heads came off and the valve clearances were adjusted… When the old spark plugs were removed, we discovered why the engine had not been running as smoothly as it usually did… The spark plugs from the left cylinder were blackened and burnt, while those on the right were relatively clean…

“The system is out of balance…!!” Piotr explained, showing me the diagnostic reading on the computer…

After a few minutes of adjusting, the bike sounded a lot better than it had in recent times… While Lukas opened and shut the throttle, taking the revs up slowly, Piotr checked the readings on the little screen of his diagnostic tool which was plugged into the Big Fella’s electronics…

The roar of the engine reverberated around the workshop… The vibrations running through the concrete floor and up through the soles of my shoes into my chest… My heart beat faster, knots tied and untied themselves in my stomach, and a huge smile spread across my face… My companion was happy again, his faltering power restored… If it hadn’t been for the other guys in the workshop, I think I would’ve thrown my arms around his tank and hugged him…!!

Re-assembled and almost ready to roll again... Just a few electonic adjustments left to sort out...

After a trip to the wash bay, the bike seemed to stand taller, looking stronger and tougher, ready for the next long run… All he needed was a new pair of shoes, and they had not arrived by the time the workshop closed.

GS celebrates 30 years of motorcycling...

Dariusz Oskroba, who I had met in Wadi Halfa in Sudan, lived here in Warsaw, and had very kindly arranged for a set of Michelin’s “Anarkee 2” to be ordered and delivered from Germany for me, but they had arrived in Warsaw a day later than planned, and could not be at Auto Fus in time for the service… While I waited for news on when they would arrive, I went to take a look at the new Limited Edition 1200 GS that was standing in the showroom… It looked awesome…!!

BMW, in celebration of 30 years of GS production, have released a small number of them with a red seat and white tank, and the “30 Years GS” logo… All three models on the Auto Fus showroom floor (800 GS, the 1200 GS and the 1200 GS Adv, which I had watched being assembled) would not be there for very long… I am sure they’ll be sold by the end of the week..!!

The R1200 GS "Limited Edition" model... I was glad that the Big Fella could not see me drooling over his 2010 counterpart in it's special livery... He gets a bit jealous when I ogle other bikes...!!

This beautiful Cruiser was being collected by its owner...

I waited for Dariusz’s son to deliver the tyres, and then had them taken down to the workshop so that they could be fitted first thing the next morning… We rode back to the hotel, the rain that had fallen all day not letting up for a minute…

Caesar salad as a starter...

Schnitzel and fries, with a healthy dollop of fried cabbage on the side... The cabbage would aid propulsion for the next few days...!!

I had not eaten all day, and decided to spoil myself with a decent meal from the room service menu…

The waitress had to come up to the room to get the order, because she could not understand what it was I was reading from the menu…!! Polish pronunciation was clearly not one of my strong points…!!

Dariusz had booked me into a hotel about 40 km south of Warsaw, close to where he lived in Celestynow, and I plotted the address into my GPS before packing my laptop away in preparation for another early start tomorrow, first to collect the Big Fella, then back to the hotel to reload the bike from scratch…

I fell asleep, content that the Big Fella was in good nick again, ready to take me another 10 000 kms through Eastern Europe and into Asia…

GBWT 2010