At last….after 9 months…. we get back to the Guzzi. Here she is, all coddled up – along with lots of gear
We’ve jokingly said, a few times, “hope the bike starts”.
Well today, it didn’t; dead as a dodo. This was the new, all-singing, all-dancing $200 gel battery meant to cope with sub-zero temperatures for months on end. Huh.
We wheeled her out and gave a few pushes – nada.
Worse, the alarm kept going off. That has its own battery – which was alive and kicking: kicking every 60 seconds with its ear-piercing squeal. Y’see, you need the main battery to get the alarm battery out of winter mode. Duh.
The storage units are on a big industrial estate – no gas station nearby or anything. We don’t have a mobile either. So J went for a walk to see what he could see, while I stood with the widget – never further away than about 2 bike lengths.
J returned with a battery charger he’d had to buy CA$96. The man in the office let him plug the charger in. OK, at 10 amps charging, it was going to take 2 hours to charge up. Two hours with a screeching alarm going off every 60 seconds.
We took turns at going for a walk and did find a diner about half a mile away, so at least, one at a time, we could get a drink and have a pee.
This is b-o-r-i-n-g. But you only have to listen for just over 60 seconds; imagine more than 2 hours! Watch your lugs!
Once the battery was fully charged, we put it back and…. voila, she started on the second attempt.
Now J took her off for a ride and to fill up with fuel. I stayed behind to sort the gear and get my riding things on. Here, for your entertainment, after listening to that awful siren…
Well, we are out for a meal with friends tonight and hope to leave early tomorrow. Then we’ll be un-wi-fi-d in Ohio – except when we go to the little library. So if you don’t hear anything for a couple of days – that’s why. But it’ll give me chance to go through some photos. We had a great time with J’s sister. She drove us around locally – to Windsor and Eton – also I GOT TO SEE AND PHOTOGRAPH A WINDMILL.
On The Road Again: Touring The USA On A Moto Guzzi Breva 