Almost, yes! I left Coldstream yesterday with the sun rising over my left shoulder; the clear blue sky bisected by a pencil-thin jet stream; the milky-blue (can’t think of how else to describe the colour, but it was more blue than white) lake waters glittering in the morning sun; and all contrasting with the dark green of the pines covering the hillsides. It was a perfect day for riding, and made all the better as the bike was purring along like a well-oiled sewing machine. It was not to last!
I had spent the last 10 days being hosted – housed, fed, watered and generally pampered – by my uncle and aunt, David and Karen. I spent a large part of the time working on my bike as I tried to resolve the few issues that had been annoying me over the previous weeks.
Coldstream is a beautiful spot and Dave and Karen’s house is the same; it is perfectly placed on a hillside to take advantage of the stunning views over the lake and mountains. The sun rises over the hills opposite, and throughout the day the lake changes colour.
Dave and Karen are consummate hosts – Karen being an excellent cook to boot – so I wanted for nothing. I was also able to hook up with my cousin Katherine, whom I hadn’t seen since she visited me in England as a teenager in 199…. something. We didn’t do much sightseeing, but Karen and I did a short wine tour, where I was shocked at the price being charged for wine – one bottle was $125 and the cheapest was $27! ON one other outing we saw a rainbow, seemingly covering the hillside like a blanket.
The work on the bike involved a routine service, cleaning and readjusting the carburettors, replacing the leaking fuel tap; and trying to stop the oil leak from behind the points cover. The last involved replacing a small o-ring, not a difficult job in itself; however, the o-ring is not a common size and all efforts to find one locally were in vain. The matter was not helped by Canada’s amazingly slow postal system. The day was saved by Karen’s friend James, who searched through his o-ring collection and lent me a kit to make o-rings. I used the latter to fabricate an o-ring, and to date my left leg stays dry. Thank-you James. James also has a collection of bikes, the most interesting of which is his rat-bike.
Having got the bike sorted, I decided I should get some exercise, so I borrowed Katherine’s mountain bike to ride along the lake shore, where an old railway track has been rehabilitated as a recreational path. This entailed an 18 km round trip, with a serious climb back up to the house. 18 km may not sound far, but as I had not been on a bike since sometime last year, and had spent the last 5 months sitting on a motorcycle, it was a daunting enough challenge. I made it up the hill, although it was a bit of a struggle, and was rewarded by some spectacular views. I also discovered that the impact of colonial expansion was a not confined to the US.
So, it was with mixed feelings that I set off on that sunny Monday morning.I was sad to be leaving such a beautiful spot, not to mention my wonderful hosts, but at the same time I was happy to be on the last leg of my journey. There were only 2 more Belfasts left to visit, one in Washington and the other in California, and that would be Belfast-2-Belfast-By-Bike, Part 2 finished.
My perfect day spluttered to a halt only 2 km after I recorded the turnover of my speedometer, from 99 999,9 to 00 000,0. I had a new bike! 🤣🤣
I had only done 35 km and the problem started with the engine bogging as I pulled away from a traffic light. This was repeated a little later and then I had no power at all and the bike was backfiring badly. I pulled into a carpark and set about changing the spark plugs – my best guess. Three hours later with the seat and tank removed I finally succeeded in retrieving the last plug that had somehow got wedged in, defying all attempts at removal. My success was sheer luck. Since the plugs suggested a lean mixture, I adjusted this also.
With the engine running well again, I set off only to have a similar problem re-occur 13 km later, only this time the engine was racing away. Plug check again revealed nothing much so I put the carb settings back to where they had been.
I now decided that it was a better idea to return to Coldstream rather than continue. If all was well, I could leave again in the morning, if not, I was in a good place to do whatever was necessary. This was a better option than carrying on and getting stranded 100 km from shelter.
The bike ran beautifully all through the city and out onto the highway, but at 25 km, it suddenly lost power and started backfiring again. An hour later, with the engine now cooler, it was still not behaving so I decided to find a safe spot to park for the night. The final 45 km to Coldstream was on a highway, and up and over some steep hills and I didn’t fancy getting stuck at the side of the road in the dark.
I found a spot in the yard of a waste management company – no obvious “funny” comments, thank-you – and settled down in a chain to await a second rescue by Katherine.
I am now about to head back to recover the bike and see what the future holds.
Belfast-2-Belfast-By-Bike 