Anyone up for an adventure

[poldark]

Glad to hear it worked out (fingers crossed), looking forward to some pictures of his triumphant arrival.

[pikey]

We are off 2 weeks today. Lyn on 750 integra Jaz on his £300 xevo 400 me on Vespa gt 200 as pacemaker . I'll slow the buggers up

[pikey]

Had a voucher for £70 off Brittany Ferries off next booking as they cancelled our outward ferry so covers £50 lost on prepaid Tlodge room also gives us extra night in Spain .Going on the posh ferry now as well .

[fatcatlawyer]

Just to bring every on up to date I collected the bike and got it noted caught the ferry. I duly arrived in France. I had with me five euros, my credit and bank cards, a mobile phone with no SIM card as I was going to get a pay as you go one in France. I travelled........20 metres and then the engine stopped.
I pushed the scooter with my camping gear loaded on to the terminal building. No mean feat and set to to await the dawn. Daylight came and I started to investigate why this was. By 3 pm leave up and called upon carole nash for help. I did this by using the kindle and the WiFi at the terminal. However the terminal had no public phone and the phone that they did have did not have the facility to deal with automated calls were younger press the button to select the choice.
It does not have a cash machine. I was stuck! Such are the joys and experience. I could not leave the bike and the gear. I got a response from carole nash. Telephone these numbers if you need assistance. Great I tried and got an automated switchboard using the nice people at the terminals telephone. No joy. Would not get through. Another message sent explaining the predicament - by this time my kindle was almost out of power. I got a response to the effect that they would answer my query within two days.
The day was turning to night. I was given permission to sleep in the terminal building till 6am on my arrived though. Morning came and still no response from Carol nash. Then the awaited message came. It was a duplicated one of the day before. Great - Thank you cArolenash!!
My kindle was now dead.
I have worked out that the problem with the bike is a lack of spark. After asking I got the nice personnel at the terminal to charge my kindle. My French money had now all but gone buying drinks. I was becoming dehydrated. A brain wave - I realised that I have recovery insurance with my Nationwide bank account. It was by now 4 pm. Enough was enough. Time to call it a day. Message sent via Facebook got my daughter to arrange recovery from Newhaven at 9 pm to home. I booked the ticket back and got recovered and taken home and arrived back at 3 am.
27 hours later I have just about recovered. The bike will be looked over by "RAF trained avionics technition" and I anticipate the delivery will be made some time in the next three weeks - Easter has made the flights back and ferry costs too much and I have a couple of medical appointments to keep.
What have I learned. Quite a lot' I will pass on for the benefit of all. Buying ferry tickets on line is not always cheaper. DFDS offered 20 per cent discount cos I was over 60. This is not mentioned on their webpage. Also it may pay to get the webpage to see about paying in euros as the cost going out was 42pounds (less the discount) whereas the cost of return was .... 44 ,euros (less the discount). Do not rely on insurance company to always be available (Though carolenash will be getting a bit of grief come tomorrow morning.
Life is for living. Better to die with memories than dreams. If you don't give it a try you will never know. SORRY PETER your scooter will be delivered but just not this week.
The 400 buggy is not as comfortable as the 650 (but I knew that already)
I am now going to get the adrenaline rush of the anticipated long distance ride all over again. Super.
Yours Ian Giggal.
H

[fatcatlawyer]

Sorry bout the predictive text issues with the last message it is still just about comprehensible.

[kayz1]

Glad you got home safe Ian, i think that is the main thing. Lives to fight another day..
Lyn.
PS: good to no CN's cover is not worth the extra, i will be having words re: the breakdown issue
in a month or so.

[fatcatlawyer]

Last time I broke down in France CN were brilliant. Put me up in hotel for three days while I waited for the repair. It could be that their computer system was not geared up for a breakdown claim so soon after the policy was taken out.
We will see. Still as you say live to see another day.
Ian giggal.

[michaelphillips]

wow glad you ok lad, you never think of spare plug etc and we always learn by our misfortune, just ordered and received a quick puncture bung affair which i used on the car last year and worked well, only £2.90 delivered, no reflating gas with this but a small foot pump is cheap http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231447778779? ... EBIDX%3AIT

[Peterp1per]

I am that bloke!

Firstly Ian, while an amusing account I am so sorry to have been the instrument of your suffering. That you got to Newhaven should have been a good omen and there was no way I could have predicted this outcome.

To answer the above, I don't need the bike here and would probably just sell it as I have it's twin. I needed to clear the storage it was sat in in the uk and there is no way I want to ride it 1500 miles even without misshap. I had hoped someone would have a bit of fun doing it. I traced your brother in Lagos and was on the verge of calling him to enquire about your health when I read your post.

As I undertook to reimburse your costs it seems I already owe you about a hundred quid in ferry costs, which if you deliver the bike later will be the same again plus fuel plus cost of repair plus insurance additions. This I will pay you. (oh and plus mot cost)
If you want to go ahead on that basis I am willing to foot the bill, as long as I can have the book rights, or sell it to Channel 4.

If you prefer, I can post you the V5 as you already own the bike for insurance purposes, you can then keep it scrap it or sell it, even complete the journey on it and fly down at some later time and ride it back.

Whatever you decide I will make good any financial loss or shortfall. If you make a profit on the sale please accept it for pain and suffering.

It is galling (no pun intended) that it waited till it got to French soil before breaking down, but conversely you might have reached the 'point of no return' near the Spanish border.

Oddly enough in the same storage as Ian will confirm there is a souped up Monkey Bike, perhaps I should see if anyone on the Monkey forum would like to deliver that !!! I'd love to do that myself, but it would take weeks.


If you would prefer to make other arrangements, or the repair cost is too high

[Peterp1per]

For some reason the text there jumbled itself up a bit