The damage to the bike engine was substantial so I knew that it would take more than a few days to fix it. As I have owned and ridden bikes continually since I was a teenager my acquired mechanical knowledge and abilities allow me to do all of my own bike maintenance. Fortunately these skills and knowledge also allow me to undertake major mechanical tasks such as the engine repair. The engine removal was straightforward enough and once out the rest of the bike was very accessible.
I decided to take the opportunity to do some other inspection and maintenance which would be much easier to do with the engine out of the frame. The strip down of the engine was fairly straightforward. Most of the bikes that I have owned and worked on were Japanese multi cylinder models where the crankcases are split horizontally however, on this bike the cases are split vertically. I wondered why until I saw that all of the engine and gearbox shafts run on roller bearings that are set in to the casings meaning it is a much stronger engine compared to typical shell bearing that are commonly used in most other bike engines.
It took me until late November 2021 to order and receive all the new parts that would allow me to rebuild the damaged engine so I used the time to strip down and rebuild the front and rear suspension, to replace the steering bearings, to replace the wheel bearings and replace the both tyres.
So just a few days before Christmas I was ready to start the bike.
As anyone who has done any major mechanical work on a bike will tell you, there is always some trepidation before switching it on and pushing the starter button.
The usual thoughts go through ones mind prior to starting it.
Will it work? Did I remember to reassemble it correctly? Did I miss something?
A good omen was that I had no parts left over from the rebuild! I pushed the starter button, the engine turned over but did not start. Well at least the engine is turning over I thought to myself. I tried again, the engine fired for a second and then died. On the third attempt it burst in to life. Success and a heavy sigh of relief.
As the engine had been rebuilt I had to “run it in” over the next five hundred miles after which, if there were no problems, I could use all of the available power. So over Christmas of 2021 and the New Year of 2022 I rode about Galicia, including a trip to the coastal city of A Coruna, racking up the five hundred miles all too quickly.
Around Christmas I got a call asking me to return and coach in Krakow again over the spring and early summer, I was hoping to put off my return till the late spring when the better weather would return, however circumstances dictated that I needed to be back there by the middle of the following January. I reluctantly agreed and started to plan my journey which I knew would be cold at that time of year.