Day 52: Getting the NEW news in Adelaide

Greetings all.
Well I arrived in Adelaide yesterday at 11.15 all set to pick up the bikes and get organised to complete our trip. Dick has had some business issues with Hubbards Foods so isnot due to arrive until today. More on that later.

I had a great flight with Qantas. Had a row of three seats all to myself so stretched out and had a snooze. As the morning had started at 4am that was most welcome. Arrived in Sydney to find that due to some peculiarity in Orstrlian systems I was not yet in Orstralia. I had to remain in transit and board an internation flight that was going to Singapore via Adelaide and then check through customs there. All very confusing. But good flights nonetheless.

Went to our Adelaide hotel in Gouger St (apparently NOT pronounced as you might when cutting a groove in a piece of wood but in a much more Orstralian refined way!) to drop off my little bag and then round to BMW Adelaide to checkout the girls. Found there was some confusion! To say the least. The bikes have been serviced but they were not sure whther the parts ordered from Germany 17 days ago had arrived. The computer said one had, one had not. If they had, certainly no work had been started on fitting the new starter motor, the new sensor or the new brake lines which apparently are part of a BMW recall. Why these parts were not available in Orstalia or why they took so long to be delivered I do not know. My brother has a theory but I won't mention it here.

Anyway the parts were eventually located - in Adelaide - and a start was made to finish the bikes ... if you know what I mean. Just as well because the BMW staff were beginning to tread very warily around this strange Kiwi bloke with steam coming from his ears.

This morning we had some good news and some bad news. The good news was that the parts had been fitted to Helga. The bad news was that it has made no difference whatsoever to the clatter. When you start the motor there is still this brief clatter which appears to be coming from the region of the starter motor. The only thing for it - apparently - is to pull the motor completely apart (in half were their words) and see what is making the noise. So I have decided to risk it and will carry on. If the starter system packs up then I will cope with that when - and if - it happens.

The next bit of bad news is that Olga (Dick's bike remember? Keep up with the play now!) is leaking oil from the oil-level sightglass. This is the little round glass that BMW have kindly fitted so you can see how much oil is in the motor. Which, if the sightglass is leaking, is not very much. There is a spare avaialable in Melbourne which will be (we hope) in Adelaide by 10am tomorrow. It will be fitted by 10.30am and, hopefully we will then be able to get on our way. If not, we will be speaking sternly to some BMW PR people.

Meantime Dick is winging his way to Adelaide. As we know there is a direct AirNZ flight from Auckland to Adelaide. Dick however decided to save some dollars (as you do) by flying Qantas to Sydney and then getting the connecting flight to Adelaide. Unfortunately there were problems at Sydeney and Dick missed the connection so will arrive here late this afternoon. So the boys will have a night on the town and get on our way South tomorrow late morning. I hope! It all seems a long time ago now since we were last on the road and I can't wait.
Cheers,
Ken