Broken Down Bike

Whiskey Lake - Goderich
Kilometrage - 415 km (tot. 2305 km)
Gas - 11 L (tot. 106 L)
Cost - $15.00 (tot. $155)
Ferry Crossing  - $40 (tot. $40)

I don’t know why - but the bike was dead. 

I woke up at 8:00 am or so with sound of excited children.  The went to bed excited, and woke in the same state for the most part.  Oh well, I had a great breakfast and lazed around as one should in such an atmosphere.  By 9:30 I figured I should make some tracts.  South Baymouth was my first destination, and it would take everything of 3 hours, despite only being 165 km away.

Packed and load at 10:00.  The ferry was to sail at 1:30.  No problem.  However the bike didn’t start. 

I have had this problem off and on.  There seems to be a drain on the battery.  If the bike is running and moving every 3 or 4 days there is no problem.  But after it sits for a week, 9 days, it just doesn’t crank over.  KTM stands for Krank, Throttle, Motor.  Kranking has been its problem ironically.  Well, nothing that a jump start won’t fix....  That is if there was a vehicle, which there wasn’t....  But they had a marine battery pack unit with cables.  So we tried to give the bike life with that, but the connectors on it were too thick to pinch to my smaller connection.  No good.

Fortunately, being at a cottage and all, and Brad having most tools that have ever been made, they did have an alternate set a jumper cables and a suitable vehicle was found to provide the resuscitation I needed.  The episode set me back 20 minutes, but at least the bike started and had fuel running through it.  Off to Espanola. 

It took about and hour and a half to get there.  I got to the Canadian Tire.  I could safely turn off the bike.  If it didn’t restart - I’d have to buy a new battery.  No big deal.  I turned off the bike.  Waited 10 seconds like one would do if they had to make an emergency restart of a computer, and hit the ignition.  Ignition.  Certainly my bike would have enough juice to cover the distance it would be shut off on the Che Cheemon.

And it did start.  Along with the 20 or so other bikes aboard the scow.

I gassed up in Espanola.  It was 110km to the ferry.  I got to Southhampton and Port Elgin and the odometre was turning over 230km or so.  I know I can get 300km to the tank.  I was 280 or so in Kincardine.  I wanted to the push the bike to its limits.  I got to Amberly and the odometre was at 300km and my warning indicator light was not on.  The sign to Goderich said 37km.  I had my running shoes. 

I was worried when the bike wouldn't start in Whiskey Lake, but I was not worried whatsoever about it running out of gas 15 km from home.  My feet would finish the trip.

However, I drove on and got home easily.  I wouldn't have to run it in - sort of unfortunate because it would have made for a good/funny ending...  I started the trip right topped up with gas, and have ended with virtually nothing in the tank.

So I think my tallies are all correct.  Driving 2300 km on 110 L of fuel is basically 21km for every 1 L of gas.  So I am at about 5.5L for every 100km.  Average price of the gas was $1.46.  I paid about $155 for 106 L.