Monday (part 5)
The morning comes, I roll over and go back to sleep several times, it’s peaceful and quiet, until the point I can no longer stay there, up I get to be met with a bright sunny day, that’s a bonus, no bap of brew this morning, but the trusty flask saves the day, wash and change empty the drying room of my stuff once the door is fixed, nice gentle pace to packing stuff away, then I realise the bike battery is totally flat, only just klicking the solenoid over, bugger….. on investigation I see I’d left the upturned 12v socket uncovered and it’d filled with water, I go in searcher of the campers around the corner, a nice chap comes over with his car and jumps the bike, I leave it running as I take down the tent and stow everything in it’s place.
All packed I ride around the field to the main gate, down the entrance road and say good bye to the site, I’ve been here before several time and no doubt will be again, fond memories are worth their weight in gold.
Punching in the satnav I aim for hartside, a decent 69 miles by the prescribed route, be then I don’t do that, so following my nose and the countdown trip I head off in the general direction, some wonderful riding and roads are my reward for avoiding the main drag.
I’ve some concern as the electrics of the dash are occasionally flickering, but nothing I can do about that now and think a good run will charge things up nicely, by luchtime I’ve made the café and of course a fryup is called for, that out the way I plan the trip back thinking I might head Darligton way and do the moors.
But wait, the bike won’t start, I could hunt around and find someone to help, but to be honest it’s a Monday and there aren’t many about up there, so I phone my recovery and go back inside for another brew.
True to their word the NCI lot send out the bike specific “sos” van in under an hour and a lovely chap called Andy, he looks at it and a simple jump and it’s going, but on checking the battery was taking a lot of juice, he can’t tell whether it’s just deeply discharged or a charging problem, do I want recovery?, now the dilemma; I’ve done 75 miles and would have thought that enough to charge it up a fair amount, but it obviously hadn’t, and should I just ride off it could stall or when I stop for petrol just not start again, now like most cover they won’t come out again for the same fault on the same vehicle within 24 hours, so what to do…….
I take a different tact as the ride in the van back to London from there wasn’t that appealing, I phone Lou in Halifax and get Pete on the phone, does he have a charger ?
Yes he does and optimate ever, and a bike shop around the corner, so my options are now a ride in a van to London, simply chancing I get enough charge in the battery it’ll start again when I fill up, or stop at Lou’s and put the battery through a complete charge/diagnostic cycle, I make my choice and Andy kindly follows me to the petrol station where I fill up and predictably has to jump start the bike, I thank him and set of Halifax way.
I don’t get anymore flickering of the dash as far as I notice but then my attention is on the road for most of the time, so it may have happened, and uneventful journey gets me to Lou’s about 10 minutes after they have gone out, I turn the bike off and then try to restart it, nope not having any of that, I’m thinking I’ve fubar’d the battery good and proper, still it’s the original one so 6 years old, worst case I buy a new one. I unpack the bike and even take the battery out, make myself comfortable, I have fags, music and a full flask I got refilled at the café, it’s warm and sunny, Hendrix loud on the mp3 player I’m in a nice world of my own.
Lou gives me a shout to let me know they are coming back, I put in a request for some more fags, and go back to my music world, the next thing I know is a freelander aiming at my leg, fortunately Pete had decided to not run me over to wake me up, so I shift a bit and they pull in.
Dylan is of the age where everything is done at a million miles an hour and is full of energy, unlike me, anyway all the stuff is stowed inside and I take over a corner of their livingroom, cuppa is promptly in my hand and Pete has sorted out the charger, on goes the battery, Hmmmmm not looking good, but it doesn’t say it’s knckered, so we’ll see…..
Much chatting and tea later I have the delights of Lou’s shepherds pie in a sandwich of course, and I’ll stay the night, I’m not used to being told what to do, but some people can get away with it…..
, several hours later the optimate says the battery is fully charged, but we leave it on until the morning, a pleasant evening in good company is had and night draws sleepy people under it’s spell.