Quick Fixes

A measly cereal selection and the scent of waffle batter makes up a generic continental breakfast in our beloved country. I consume one of everything they have to offer, and when fruits are available I snag some for the road. At 730am the table in the lobby where I have my breakfast is lined with empty seats. Not because I don’t like my fellow travel companions but because I need to get to work on the R90 before they even wake.

Check out is in a few hours and I need to produce some results so we can hit the Salt Flats for some fun and footage. Clem from back in Denver must regret exchanging phone numbers with me since I’m messaging him for some help on how to troubleshoot the issues I’m having. The battery was too weak to keep the bike running last night but it was charged over night so it should get the bike going this morning; the problem is I haven’t determined why this happened in the first place.

Clem breaks down some troubleshooting procedures for these BMWs from checking the resistance on the slip rings to checking continuity on the diode board and so on. He also mentioned that wiring on these old bikes is almost always corroded and the wires that are hooked up to the battery could be culprits of some funky electrical demons. I get the cable on the negative terminal and what should be a crisp copper is as green as the Statue of Liberty. 

Couldn’t hurt to give that a fix so I ask Bruno for his keys and ride down to a mechanic shop that proceeds to tell me they don’t have any wire like mine lying around but the auto parts place down the street might. I shoot over there to discover that they don’t have it in tact but they carry the necessary components for me to make it. Sold. Back to the mechanics I go with my accessories and a smile to convince them to let me use their tools. They fall for the charm and within minutes a new negative lead cable is ready.

I’m not entirely convinced this is my solution but it sure feels like I did something for the bike this morning, plus with the battery on full charge we can technically hit the road, so we do just that.