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The last couple of months has been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. I remember getting my frame back from powder coating and being in absolute awe. I also remember being stood up twice and thinking I wasn't going to get my bike coated at all. My emotional state over the last couple of weeks have so diametrically opposed that I don't remember what it feels like to be just "OK". I can now understand how junkies can get hooked on drugs. Going from a completely seized engine to riding through the mountains at 140km/h is way too much to have happen in 3 days. It's like going from freezing cold to scorching hot. I think I've broken something.
So let's take some time to talk about my test run and engine break in. The manual says to drive your bike for 500 miles with as little load as possible. So I figure a ride with a 225lb man through a mountain pass would be ideal. The easy part was the ride from Tsawwassen to Hope. I was so nervous. The first thing to break was the speedometer. Great! How was I supposed to know how far I have gone? I had to switch my tank over to reserve quite early so I gassed up in Aldergrove. Almost 16 liters to fill up!
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I lost my tail light at Hope before getting n the Crowsnest Highway. That will cost me. Not to mention driving at night just got a little bit tougher. From Hope I drove up to the Tulameen River and turned around and retraced my route. Here are a few pictures:
712kms later and she's running strong. The mixture is extremely lean and because I wasn't working the engine I was getting close to 60 miles per gallon. Boy was my engine hot. I'm going to take here into the shop and have the carburetors balanced.
I'm sore physically but I'm in good spirits. I was surrounded by some gorgeous scenery but all I could see were the streets of Europe. I am so close to that first beer in Plzen Czech Republic I can almost taste it. I have sworn off all beer until I get there (does whiskey count as beer?). It's like a fighter before fight night not having sex... no it's not, it's nothing like that.... It's like a porn star swearing off sex for a week.
To end this blog I will put out my hat and say if you want to buy me a beer click the PayPal Donate button up above and buy me a beer. I promise I I'll drink to your good health when I spend your money on a nice cold half liter of Czech Pilsner.
Buy me a Beer!
