Day 2 Not so Good Saturday

I promised insight into Italian motorcycle mechanics, I didn’t pledge any drama.

30 odd years ago the gear shift return spring broke on the gearbox leaving the lever flopping about like the proverbial and a chunk of spring steel floating around the gearbox. It happened again today. This time instead of resting, quietly, away from the spinning gears the detached section engaged in noisy conversation with one or more of them.

I stopped on the outskirts of East Petersburg to assess the situation and was presented with the first consequence. To get the bike onto the center stand it needs to be rolled backwards about a foot, it declined. This is a problem because without the center stand I have to support the bike and luggage or lay it down. It appeared that the errant metal was wedged in such a way as to act like a ratchet pawl on one of the final drive gears, connected directly to the back wheel. I could roll forwards but not back.

Straddling the stricken beast I checked the maps for a motorcycle shop and came up with SRK Cycles about 3 miles away and closing for Easter in an hour. Google maps took a dim view of my rate of progress and helpfully suggested that it might well be closed before I got there. At this point it might be helpful to explain that the final drive gears are going to spin any time the bike is moving and the faster it goes the faster they spin and the more kinetic energy the bike has to wreak terrible destruction should the piece shift and get dragged between the gears. The options were; stay by the side of the road and try to summon assistance (not likely give the time and day), ride slowly at a pace not likely to throw me down the road should the back wheel lock (not good as the shop would be closed) or, as I did, take my chances with Lady Luck (whom I figured owed me at this point) and make as much progress as I could with the limp shifter and rattling gears.

SRK Cycles were closing up when I arrived in a state of desperate anxiety or anxious desperation. Remarkably the spring piece, had moved on the Journey and I was able to get the bike onto the stand, a big relief.

Caleb, a very nice man, was understanding and explained that they didn’t fix bikes there but offered me the option of leaving the bike there until they opened again on Monday and the option to work on it myself. He also suggested that Joe Paparo in nearby Rohrerstown had a great reputation and might be able to help when he opened on Monday.

I wasn’t ready to leave the bike for two days and elected to follow him to a “sports” hotel of his recommendation. It was a fair way from Paparo Cycles and anywhere else and, as sports aren’t my thing, I threw the dice one more time and checked into a Travelodge a mile up the road from the shop instead. I got online and ordered a replacement spring, marked reassuringly as “Updated”, and gasket set for delivery to the Shop, I hope that works out.

In other news, I walked the streets of West Lancaster in the search of cold beer and comfort and eventually came upon the Tobias S Frogg, billed as a restaurant but with a great outside bar out back. There I met Chad and Stephanie who gave me the lowdown on the area and made me feel less desperate. Both Caleb, from SRK Cycles and Chad gave me their numbers and offered to help. People are good.