About meeting friends and roadside repairs

[asphaltmueller]

so we where at 'home' - the house my parents built when Mom had at least forced Dad to give up his nomad ways, changing work and moving about every 3 years - which in the 70s, with the economy booming, was much easier than now a days.

The camper is my brothers, who had moved back to the parents due to his divorce going on and now was thrown out, as it was 'my' room in the basement he was occupying, 'his' room being used as Mom's store now.





Dad in the old days; maybe genetics do come through somehow; that's a Horex Regina 400, BTW, one of the hotter bikes in the 50s round here.



Birol's chain cover had broken, which meant the speddo wouldn't work anymore, as the gear was no longer held together, and, worse, grease was leaking on the tyre.
Those former east block bikes usually have closed chains, running in grease, which gives them a life expectancy of easily 50.000 kms. And the wheels are mounted in a way you can dismount them without touching chain and sprocket - those engineers had to ride the bikes themselves and knew what they were doing within their means.





We then had a look at my brothers garage; 4 bikes, none running



In the background the Honda Dominator I gave him when I moved to Turkey 3 years ago - hardly run in with a good 20.000 kms .



the XT 600 that he had used on our Balkan tour and the Kawa he had used on our Baltic trip (you could find the links in my profile)



sad

that' Dad's 'Ranch', a barn he rented from the Forest Service and where he keeps some of the firewood and the tractors and farm vehicles he collects now







Well; Birol had seen that the smoke coming out of my left exhaust had diminished. We checked the spark plugs and the left one was burned out.
The Jawa is extremely sensitive to correct spark plugs, and it was already impossible to get 'cold' ones (= hot weather types) in Ankara.



some absolutely respectable old time bike dealer had sold Birol those nice red chinese plugs, saying they were right for the Jawa - I think you realize where we are heading now.

But before I head to a school function and then a birthday party (of the guy with the Volvo some posts before) - and so it will be tomorrow until we come to this -



we follow Birol to a little excursion to a private BMW museum about 30 kms from my village. Dad had told him about and Birol wanted to scout out the area anyway, while I was lazy and wanted to spend some time with the family










this is the guy owning all those bikes;some of them the BMW - Museum in Munich doesn' t have. he made his fortune with poultry feed
He was very nice to Birol and showed him some things usually not presented to the public



like this Airhead-Harley already shown





what is Birol doing here ? More tomorrow

[dukedinner]

We then had a look at my brothers garage; 4 bikes, none running

You guys are hardcore! Just wrench on your bikes and keep going...no BS. Great attitude!

Thanks for sharing

[egret]

Captivating ride report , as usual . Thank you Asphaltmueller
-zie egret .

[Hevy Kevy]

Really enjoying your ride. I do love the pics of the old Euro bikes.

from Great Lakes Region Canada

[VFR]

What a fantastic report!!! You guys know how to have an adventure. That, and you tell a great story too....

Thanks for taking us along.

[asphaltmueller]

the next morning we set out early enough; there was some intermittent drizzle and I put the rain cap over the tank-bag, but we didn't put on rain gear. The meteo was promising rather better weather, but getting worse for the weekend/meeting



getting some petrol, checking tyre pressure and having a coffee quite near the german border




after having crossed into Germany, it's getting a bit hilly. I had ridden the Jawa hard to follow Birol sometimes, especially some longer uphill stretches were a battling it out with the faster lorries.

Then, at a real long uphill stretch just after exit Passau-Mitte power fell away . I somehow coaxed here to the summit - the cardinal mistake.
I had - partially correct - assumed a plug problem.
The engine stopped just at or after the summit, and I was able to coast down to a small parking.



With the fairing it's better to take of the reservoir to get at the plugs, especially if you don't want to burn your hands on the cylinders.



I was not to happy when I had to see this. Molten Cathode and a nice hole in the piston.
Had I cut her immidiately when the power fell away, I might have prevented this. A Jawa hardly ever dies on you without a warning, I learned

Birol then called on the phone about my where abouts and came back on the highway, leaving on the next exit and doubling back.

We then tried to call several AiA people whose number I had with me, but this was a tuesday morning; work hours.

İ then reached Uwe (see several posts before) and he contacted several people per Mail / PM on the forum.
Soon afterwards he called back and brought the good news that Nanno in Linz, just a good 100 kms away, would have the parts needed.
I got the phone number and yes, Nanno could easily get away from University at noon and his rented garage was just a km from the first highway exit of Linz.



In the meantime Karl, also called 'Jawa-Carl' had seen the missed calls on his phone and contacted me. He messaged the adresses of 2 dealers in the Czech town of Budweis (where the real beer, not the american coloured water comes from). Nevertheless, quite a ride away.
The foto is from the 'Winter ride', changing the clutch and adjusting the front brake on Mehmeds Jawa in Karls house in Vienna.



So Birol set out. He met Nanno in Linz, but there were no more parts. I didn't really wonder, as I knew he had sold of his Jawa-hack.

So Birol continued to Budweis. As a precaution he had taken along most of our cash.

In the meantime I had started disassembling the bike.







Birol had called that Nanno didn't have the parts and I knew I was in for a long wait. So some coffee in between



the parking area was a bit typical for the german highway - no installations at all, no lights, toilets, water - in most other countries a parking space will at least have some of those.



This Dutch journalist in his 4wd stopped because he saw my ADV sticker. They were on the way from covering some Enduro -Rally in Romania. And handed me over a 'broken-piston-survival-kit', containing what was left in the car; food , water and some Whiskey. So at least I was set up in this area.





See that the second piston was also seriously affected. The 2 Cylinders in a Jawa hardly ever work completely syncron - the tolerances of the carburetor bridge seem to be the reason for that.




I was then in for a long wait. Luckily I had my MP 3 loaded with 4 GB of audio-books and a USB-loader on the Jawa which connects to the battery.

Birol in the meantime had found a Jawa -shop in Budweis, by hiring a Taxi.



I wonder how much that brand new one would be - I bought mine for 600,-- Euros



the owner first didn't want to sell the pistons and cylinders, as they were the last, and it was his rather well german speaking wife, that convinced him to let riders out of Turkey not being stranded.





no used parts, we had to buy a new resp. renovated running set.

Birol came back to the parking at about 8 pm



and we got to work. Birol had me also call Nanno if he would help, as he was of course dog-tired.



heating up the pistons on the Coleman, so that - enter english term for 'Kolbenbolzen' - enters.



Cylinders back in place



some tea and food in between







Nanno in the background, having driven about 100 kms one way to lend a hand



approaching midnight she's back together



coffee break





test run, tank not yet mounted



and on the road again



we had decided to go the 500 kms to the Henneburg through the night - stopping at Highway stations and having a coffee and half an hours sleep.



I again handled her badly resp. didn't run her in correctly by riding only moderately, whilst a 2 stroke should be revved a bit when running her in.
She nearly stuck, but I had cut her immediately this time and after a while she ran again, without consequences, it seems.

people wondering about the strange bikes from strange lands



some struts on Birols rack had broken



I was so tired in the end, I layed down a bit



broke a mirror, about 10 kms from the castle; crossing still under construction and as such of a real stupid angle, but I had been half asleep.

a bit later, I was sound asleep



next : the meeting

[Tsotsie]

Originally Posted by asphaltmueller

.











I

and we got to work. Birol had me also call Nanno if he would help, as he was of course dog-tired.



heating up the pistons on the Coleman, so that - enter english term for 'Kolbenbolzen' - enters.












next : the meeting

Curious? What is the purpose of heating the pistons and spark plugs?

Enjoying the Ride report!

[Padmei]

Excellent ride report!

Thanks from the other side of the planet

[advNZer?]

i dont think the spark plugs are being heated just somewhere convenient to sit.Per haps the pistons are heated to make the Gudgeon pins fit?

[igormortis]

New pistons at a rest stop - love it!

[asphaltmueller]

thanks for all the comments; they raise morale when writing.
Nevertheless I won't have time for an installment today, got some obligations.

We heated the pistons, so that the gudgeon pins ( I was searching for that word) would enter easier. Especially with a Jawa you have to work a lot with heat to get proper fittings. There is many a marital drama known about Jawa engine cases or gearboxes in the kitchen stove....

The plugs we heated because we 'drowned' her with the first start trials. Again missing the technical english.
Anyway, to much petrol in the cylinder and a wet plug.

Thanks again for the comments. Tomorrow I'll either go to the workshop to work on the MZ for our next winter ride or post again

about arriving here



fotos by bastardo

[asphaltmueller]

so a short installment in the morning





we arrived at the castle and found our preferred tent space unoccupied, set up tent and rested a bit





our tent was behind the low wall on the right

this castle on the River Main is situated about 80 ks south-south-east of Frankfurt, in some very hilly country, the Spessart forest.



There is one distinct feature : you can not drive up with a bus, and so tourists don't come in numbers.
In a more touristy place we would very likely not be able to hold the meeting - riding in to the court yard of a medieval fortress-where can you still do that in Europe ?



I don't mention the name any more on purpose, the place has gotten small as it is.
There is an Inn-keeper, with which we have our arrangement, and the mayor doesn't mind the tourists.
Authorities higher up need not get involved.



time to go to work; next installment will be about people and cooking; likely bikes, too

[therion]

That´s the true spirit !
Greetz
Steve

[H96669]

Yes, I like the spirit. And seeing the Feather 442 in action. I have the same stove, pretty beat up but I carry spare parts for it, should install them so I don't have to use my engine oil to lube the pump almost everyday.For some reason Olive oil doesn't work too good on that pump seal. And the new generator so the stove fully shuts down instead of sputtering.

Yep, my 442 has been used for mechanical purposes before. And will be again if my BMW RD bearing fails on the road.

Roadside mechanics,please vote with me, "rate thread".....that one needs stars. At least 3 for.....inspiration.

[therion]

Originally Posted by H96669

Yes, I like the spirit. And seeing the Feather 442 in action. I have the same stove, pretty beat up but I carry spare parts for it, should install them so I don't have to use my engine oil to lube the pump almost everyday.For some reason Olive oil doesn't work too good on that pump seal. And the new generator so the stove fully shuts down instead of sputtering.

Yep, my 442 has been used for mechanical purposes before. And will be again if my BMW RD bearing fails on the road.

Roadside mechanics,please vote with me, "rate thread".....that one needs stars. At least 3 for.....inspiration.

I had the same problem with my Coleman . Changed the rubber seal in the pump for a leather one.
I made the pump leather from an old boot but there is a repair kit available too.