Out of Africa...

Well the way I look at it, you gave your money to charity and hoping it will go towards vaccinating the country.
That is a hefty price to pay and it's sad you didn't see it coming.
Hearing stories like this automatically pulls those countries off my bucket list
Morocco is still on the bucket list thou. :think1:
 
What a (financial) nightmare Michael! I really hope things begin to settle out for you and you can get on the 'ole ST and make some more good memories. Stories like this are what really keep me from travelling to broke third world countries.
We'll keep you in our prayers for a safe journey home.

Skip
 
rwthomas1 said:
My wife has travelled extensively in the middle east, and the bribery and corruption is endemic. It's bribery and corruption no matter how "official" it is. Honestly I would have been tempted to push the bike off the dock, smiled and got on the ferry. Paying more than the value of the bike, might as well just buy another when you get back. One of the reasons I have no desire to visit parts of the world is it has people like that in it. Glad you got out. RT
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According to my international businessman brother, the native africans/arabic learned the corruption game from the white colonial masters (english,french,german,dutch,italian,belgian etc….).
But I do agree there are parts of the world I don’t desire to visit.
Being quite fond of wine and beer, that would be countries with more serving restrictions than my own….:cool:
Someday I might ride to Ireland…
Stu
 
Hopefully the bike starting was worth $500 in entertainment.
I laughed thinking about how all the thought and keystrokes about the issues of sitting were wiped out in ten seconds. I know that’s not quite right, all that concern by the good people here will apply at another time.
I hope for you the unexpected financial sting wears off soon and the satisfaction of seeing and riding your bike lasts a long time.
Happy traveling.
 
Hi Everyone:

Well, finally some good news to report: The ferry did not sink on the way to Italy.

I arrived in Genoa today about noon hour, and rode north through the Simplon Pass to Brig, in Switzerland. It's nice to be back in Europe.

There is one heck of a lot of variance from country to country with COVID practices.... not to mention a lot of inconsistencies between what is published and what actually happens. The Italian government website said I could only stay in Italy for a maximum of 36 hours to transit, and I could only enter Italy if I filled in a bunch of online forms and signed a declaration promising to leave in 36 hours. So, I did all that, and got off the boat with about 10 pages of documents in hand.

The Italian customs guy took one look at me, stamped my passport, and waved me on. No questions, no request for documents, nada.

The Swiss have an interesting strategy (I'm presently in a hotel in Brig, in canton Valais). The hotel asks to see your vaccination proof, and if you have been vaccinated, then it is "life as normal" - no masks, no social distancing. If you are not vaccinated, the front desk staff then recommend several nearby bridges that you can go sleep under.

Apparently fellow forum member Charlie (@Moto-Charlie ) from the Boston area is here in the same area of Switzerland as I am - I have been trying to connect with him so we can go riding the passes tomorrow. It's kind of funny to be meeting another fellow North American here in CH on the spur of the moment.

I finally had a chance to take a close look at the motorcycle. There is quite a bit of corrosion on the disc carrier on the front wheel, this due to the moto being parked less than 100 yards from the Mediterranean Sea for the last year and a half. Has anyone else ever encountered similar corrosion? Is this cosmetic only, or should I think about replacing the disc? If it is just cosmetic, does anyone have suggestions about how to clean it up?

I ran the fuel tank down to almost totally empty (orange light steadily illuminated) before filling it up, and I noticed a significant improvement in performance and smoothness of the engine as soon as I left the gas station. I guess that gasoline does degrade in some way if it is left alone for 18 months - maybe the different components in it separate out. I can't imagine anything would have evaporated out of the fuel tank, given that it is a closed system. But the new tankful of fresh gas did make a noticeable difference, which was a pleasant surprise.

Michael

Corrosion on Front Disc
Corrosion.jpg
 
Good news, indeed, Michael.
I would think the disk carrier could be cleaned with a scotchbrite pad, steel wool, or fine emery cloth. I doubt it's catastrophic.
From your photo, looks to be mostly superficial.
 
Hi Michael, living in a maritime environment and using my ST1100 most days, I too get the dreaded corrosion on the discs, which are painted in the centre., My answer was to use wire wool, then 400 fine wet and dry, followed by a coat of brushed on Hammerite smooth silver metal paint. I hope your trip continues to go well and remains problem free in Europe.
 
If you simply polish the rust off the disk, you will be leaving bare metal that has been rusted before exposed to the elements. Should you let that disk get wet again, or park it in a damp environment, the rust will come back.

Were this mine, I would pull the wheel and remove the disk, then paint the rusted areas with a phosphoric acid type treatment - Naval Jelly or Phospho. After the rust is gone, I'd paint the center section with a heat proof paint, either Hammerite (is that simply a brand?) as @Bikeric suggested or another.
 
Michael, I am very glad to hear you finally got your bike out of Africa.
You did it, man !
:cool:

Yeah... at the end, money is just money. Sometimes we earn some, other time we loose some.

I also had some surface rust on my front disk, same place. I used those soft SOS pads, that we use in the kitchen, with a kind of blue soap or paste in them.
I soaked one in water, and then very very gently rubbed my disk. I didn't wanted to scratch anything. All the rust disapeared easily with that. In just a matter of a few minutes.

Well done Michael !
I can't believe all the trouble that you went through, for your bike. And I trully admire that.
What's the saying again ? Who saves a motorcycle, saves the entire world ?
 
I rode from Switzerland into Italy, and enjoyed a number of mountain passes along the way. Pictured below is the Furka pass in Switzerland.

Northern Italy is a very unique region of the country. Until the end of the First World War, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and today German is still the primary language in this region. It's culturally very different from the rest of Italy - things work, the roads are in good condition, and they have proper toilets, rather than a hole in the floor with footprints on either side.

The most immediate difference one notices between Switzerland and Italy is motorcycle noise. The Swiss, like the Germans, are very strict about noise, and do not permit any modifications of exhaust systems unless the modification has been approved by testing authorities and proven to not increase noise.

The Swiss are big into Harleys, and all the cosplay that goes along with them (leather vests, beards, bellies, tattoos, etc.), but all the Harley-Davidson motos in Switzerland are as quiet as STs. Not so in Italy - I think it is obligatory to fit loud pipes here, and everything makes noise. The little Vespas are the most efficient fuel-to-noise converters on the surface of the earth.

I stopped at a coffee shop at the top of a pass here in Italy, and saw the funniest sticker on the window - I think it means "no gambling". First time I have every seen one of these - photo is below.

Tomorrow, off to Austria.

Michael

Furka Pass
Moto in Mountains.jpg

'No Gambling' sticker
No Gambling.jpg
 
CYYJ said:
The Swiss are big into Harleys, and all the cosplay that goes along with them (leather vests, beards, bellies, tattoos, etc.
Click to expand...
Heh heh... “cosplay”... that’s a good one, Michael! “Arrrgh... I be a pirate!”

Wishing you continuing safe, and interesting, travels.

Regards, John
 
CYYJ said:
I can't imagine anything would have evaporated out of the fuel tank, given that it is a closed system
Click to expand...

I haven't pulled the st1300 tank yet, but most modern tanks are vented. Some to the airbox or other vacuum source and some straight to ground. So not really a closed system. And the gas does evaporate and separate. And after enough time leads to rusting out the tank.

18 months is a long time to go with that old of gas, but I'm glad the bike was able to handle it ok.
 
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