Roadworkx, J. F. Kennedystraat 32, Heinenoord (2024)

08/11/2024

One of the most persistent urban myths is that you need to soak your new clutch plates in oil for at least 24 hours...

Are there people out there that actually belive that steel and the friction material is actually going to absorb any of the oil?

I take the old ones out and lightly smear the new plates with a dab of oil before assembly... 15 minite job instead of a messy 24 hours and 15 minutes job....

Notice how much longer the new clutch spring is compared to the old one.

This time I flushed the engine after 500 kilometers after discovering some small bronze particles during my last change. It looked good, none in the oil and nothing in my new paper filter.

Needless to say that I opted for Carrefour budget all mineral oil again 15W-40.

26000 km so far this year and possibly heading for Portugal and after the ferry to the Canary Islands from the port of Huelva or Cádiz....

23/10/2024

After running the ACTION €5.49 a liter budget oil for about 8000 kilometers it was time for an oil change.

The bike is still not using any oil at all, the old oil still looks good, clear with only some fairly small particles of metal in it.

I replaced the reusable stainless steel filter for a spare paper one. After letting it sit for a while I drained and examined the old oil more careful. I discovered one microscopic piece of bronze.

Could this be a warning that the big end bearing is about to give up? It cannot be, the bike has only done 200.000 so far.

I filled up with 2.3 liters of Carrefour's finest all mineral oil for €6.79 a liter. It was a bit more expensive than the ACTION Valvoline branded oil.

I change oil sooner next time in the Canary Islands and keep my fingers crossed not to see more gold in the pan...

05/09/2024

What a lot of Swedes don't actually know is that their highly esteemed ketchup actually originated here in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Spain..

Unboxing coming soon... 👌🙏

02/09/2024

Still on the first trip this year, a lot has happened and I am back in stifling hot Spain. I follow smaller inland roads like today on the N-422. More than 500 kilometers of rolling hills, narrow gorges, waterways an loads of twisties.

So 20.000 kilometers popped up on the €14 Aliexpress aftermarket odometer that surprisingly keeps the almost exact reading as my Garmin GPS. Many would joyfully dance around their machine and justify this milestone event to buy even more unneeded accessories.

My nearly 25 year old machine has absolutely flawlessly done around 190.000 kilometers. And it has done so without even having a name or blanking it's license plate in public posts.

I would say that the engine is about properly run in at the moment...

23/08/2024

In France they will tell you that the Col de la Bonette with 2,715 metres is the highest mountain road in Europe, while everybody knows that the road over Mulhacén, with an elevation of 3,482 metres is definitely much higher.

Today I was told that the Tunnel de Parpaillon is closed because of a massive cave in.

After lifting the barriers I could drive straight trough the tunnel, without even stopping the "massive" cave in was merely a moles heap.

Welcome to France, the country where Fake news was invented and thriving like never before....

22/08/2024

One of the highlights of a trip into the French Alps is the rocky gravelroad up to one of the highest tunnels in Europe. At least up until now.

According to this news article the tunnel could be closed forever..

But there is light at the end of the tunnel, I have been through it at least 4 times.. 😁👍

14/08/2024

Help, my balls are cracking up..

I mean the Ram Mount ball joints of my Double Take Mirrors. The rubber became so badly cracked that I was about to order two new ones.

Before I discovered a neat little trick to make them even more vibration free with the help off a piece of bicycle inner tube (22-25 mm). It sits tightly over the joint and will give the mirror more friction.

When I was looking for the right size I noted that at the end of the product description it said LIFE LONG WARRANTY...

I send an email to motormounts.nl and without any fuzz received a pair of new ones in the mail, from Rammounts.nl.

Needless to say that I am very happy with my new balls. I put a fresh bit of inner tube over them and also put a small dab of Locktite blue on the threads to prevent them from shaking loose..

What do you think about the Double Take mirrors and their mounting system?

10/08/2024

Last bit of maintenance before the third leg of this years trip that started on January the twenty second 2024

Now I am on a total of 18.000+ kilometers, after putting in a new piston & rings last winter the engine still miraculously does not use any oil at all.

This time after clocking 9000 km in the north the valves were all still within the specifications found in the owners manual. They should be checked every 1000 kilometers according to the same manual.

Based on experience and the many kilometers I have done so far, possibly around 175.000 km. I know it is not necessary to check the clearance as often as recomended by Honda.

In the manual it says that minaral oil should be used and a grade number is given. At first I wanted the best for my engine and started putting the most expensive full synthetic Motul oils in my trusty traval companion. Not anymore!

I have gone back to the minaral oils as recommended by Honda nearly 25 years ago, I dare say that the engine is happier with this oil, the clutch stopped slipping and over the last 3 oil changes I did not find any more metal particles in the filter and in-frame sieve then before.

Although there apparently is a lot of fake news in the original owners manual, I trust the Japanese engineers on some points, it never states that you need to give your motorcycle a name or that you need to clean or ever wash it.

My favorite choice of oil these days is Valvoline 10-W40 bough in my local supermarket (ACTION, LIDL, BILTEMA or ALDI).

Buying a brand new motorcycle is easy, keeping an old one on the road and learn how to do the maintenance yourself can become a rewarding art form and way of life.

Would you use Budget oil?

$Seita of TaatsiLake Taatsijärvi has emerged in a deep fracture zone in the bedrock. The solid bedrock of the area consis...$

24/07/2024

Seita of Taatsi

Lake Taatsijärvi has emerged in a deep fracture zone in the bedrock. The solid bedrock of the area consists of approx. 1.9 million-years-old granite of the so-called Hetta type.

The actual "seita" is marked by the tall stone slab at the lake shore. Seita refers to a place of worship and sacrifice. A deer hunter or a fisherman would pledge to give some of his prey or catch to the seita. People also sacrificed artefacts or money in hope of good luck.

Northeast of the seita, on the shore of lake Taatsijärvi, rises a high rock cliff called Kirkkopahta. It is not unlikely that the ancient Sámi used this cliff as an efficient means of hunting thousands of years ago, chasing deer and the like over the edge.

The old-growth forest of Taatsi is another interesting sight of cultural-historic im- portance.

20/07/2024

Tonight I placed a piece of vulcanic rock from the most southern point of the European Union on top of the rock that marks the most northern point of the European Union...

From La Restinga on the Canary Island of el Hierro all the way to Nuorgam in Finland.

The rock has traveled with me in my bags for more than 9000 kilometers

20/07/2024

Another challenge accomplished :

The Trident route, connect the three main Norwegian capes.

Nordkapp - Slettness Fyr - Grensejakobsvel

Distance a bit more than 850 kilometers...

20/07/2024

Yesterday was mainly an internet free day riding through the remote northern parts of Norway.

Managed to complete one challenge, connecting the most southern European lighthouse, el pharo de Orchilla in the Canary Islands with the most northern one. Slettness Fyr just north of Gamvik in Norway.

Road distance about 9500 kilometers.

Could it be a coincidence that both lighthouses were build in 1927?

09/07/2024

NOK Off Part II

But in 2024 the story gets a nasty twist as now the community themselves are dipping their hands into the parking fees! And you would now typically have to pay for not only the entrance to the North Cape hall with its restaurant and exorbitantly overpriced souvenir shop but also for the parking again. What happened with the all important allemannsretten and utmark? It goes to show you that most Norwegians have no principles or higher values when it comes to money.

On 23 May 2024, Nordkapp Municipality made a decision in the Municipal Council that it can collect a fee in accordance with article Friluftsloven $14. This fee includes both visitors and parking.

This fee goes to the maintenance, safety and organization of both outdoor areas and parking. Visiting guests have access to toilets and rubbish collection all year round.

The Operator of the parking area is not allowed to make a profit from this, all income must be used to facilitate visitors. A question forms in my head, does Santa Claus also exist?

Per Person NOK 17
Motorcycle NOK 50
Car NOK 125
Motorhome NOK 175
Bus NOK 200

This fee does not include an entrance ticket to Nordkapphallen, which can be purchased separately.

Welcome to the Diabolical country that is called Norway and their greedy clutches…

I could challenge them with my lifelong free admission on my North Cape Club membership card this year. If they won't let me in for free, I will tell them to just

NOK Off...

09/07/2024

NOK Off Part I.

According to an article I found online from 2022.

The views can be spectacular if it is not snowing in July, but under the sporadically aurora sky, a battle took place that affects allemannsretten.

Allemannsretten is one of the most important rights Norwegians have to move freely in nature, in what is called utmark. The small Nordkapp municipality won an appeal in Hålogaland Court of Appeal against the billion-dollar hotel group Scandic Hotels AS, which for several years has collected parking fees from visitors to the Nordkapp plateau.

The Rica/Scandic group has collected almost NOK 80 million (about 7 million in €uro’s) annually in admission tickets for the area where the E69 road ends. But is it considered innmark or utmark where visitors and locals move around outdoors?

Around 600,000 tourists visit the Nordkapp plateau annually; 254 cruise calls were reported in 2023, but most tourists are captivated by the landscape and completely unaware of the dispute over the plateau.

“This is a victory for allemannsretten and people’s access to Norwegian nature. This is an important verdict for everyone who wants unique nature experiences in Norway,” said Jan Olsen, the mayor at the time, in a press release.

There was no less joy when the appeal was won by the small northern municipality. “The Norwegian state is satisfied,” said government attorney Henrik Vaaler, who assisted Nordkapp municipality in court.

“This is a verdict that may have an impact on the ability to charge parking fees in many recreation areas in Norway, so it has the potential to be of great significance.”

The municipality won the dispute, and the hotel chain was ordered to pay legal fees of NOK 1.6 million to the municipality. Now they must also pay court fees of NOK 970,950 and NOK 262,092 to the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

06/07/2024

Time for a service I thought and started looking for a couple of O-Rings to replace the old ones in my MSR Whisperlite camping stove.

It had started leaking a little at the fuel valve. Strangely the parts could not be ordered individually but you will find the O-Rings only in what is called the MSR yearly Maintenance and repair kit.

When I bought it the stove came with a set of spare O-Rings but I had used them up two years ago when I took everything apart and gave the stove a good cleaning and service.

My stove is about 15 years old and has already made more coffees than a trendy professional barista at a hipster cafe in downtown Barcelona.

For the maintenance kit you would typically pay around €32 plus shipping from various outdoor shops selling MSR products. The repair kit comes in at a little more than €50.

For that kind of money the kits come with some spare O-Rings, a safety pin, the MSR tool and a few more worthless bits and bobs. Most I would never use anyway.

It was time to go online and see if these 4 O-Rings from the fabled maintenance kit are really worth €12.50 a piece plus shipping.

After finding the right sizes and material for the O-Rings I found a website where you could just order them by the piece. Some websites are cheaper but the minimum order would typically be at least 20 pieces or more.

The Small one is a size 3.68 x 178 mm Price = €0.13 (a piece)
The Larger one is size 6.07 x 1.78 mm Price = €0.19 (a piece.)

Important is to get the type that is called "Nitrile", those are the original specs from MSR. Nitrile rings are resistant to chemicals (petrol, diesel, vodka) and high temperatures.

So what should I have done? Get the cheapest yearly maintenance kit for €32.00 or get a set of O-Rings for €0.32 cents? I don't think this really requires a serious answer as this really is a no-brainer...

The MSR Whisperlite camping stove is a quality product that has been a reliable expedition companion over the years, but MSR after sales and customer service are at an all time low when it comes to replacing simple wear parts. The profit margins on these maintenance kits must be mind boggling...

17/05/2024

Back on the road again, today I illigally broke into what is left of the Aliaga Thermal Power Plant, in the province of Teruel, a huge building that was the most important thermal power plant in Spain at the time.

It was built in 1949 and inaugurated in 1952, taking advantage of the Aliaga coal mines, having enormous boilers 76 meters long and 36 meters high. The fate of this plant was linked to that of those coal mines and when these were exhausted, the plant ended up closing in 1982

14/05/2024

Slowly getting ready for departure in a few days.

Quick curbside oil filter, full oil-change and also fitted new shoes.

This time I could not find an ACTION supermarket nearby, so the oil was bought at ALDI today.

**t

04/05/2024

Finally feeling well enough for an unboxing...

I was lucky that the European warehouse was just restocked, so delivery times are swift and today I got from the Arse-Fender-Spec company a delivery of a pair of side-stand CROCKS.

An absolute must have for serious Adventure Riders. Deep sand or mud does not bother these ultra wide size 19 CROCKS. And at only €165 you cannot go wrong. Soon there will even be some smashing grafics available for your CROCKS.

If you buy a size 19+22 so you could layer them for the colder days..

**t

Roadworkx

08/11/2024

23/10/2024

05/09/2024

02/09/2024

23/08/2024

22/08/2024

14/08/2024

10/08/2024

24/07/2024

20/07/2024

20/07/2024

20/07/2024

09/07/2024

09/07/2024

06/07/2024

17/05/2024

14/05/2024

04/05/2024

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