I had to do some mechanical work today. There were some accessories to install. PIAA halogen lights, a speedometer correction gadget, a skid plate, handles, handguards, and a carrier rack... But most important was a gas leak I duscovered the other day. I lifted the tank to see below, found nothing there, followed the gas feed pipe down to the fuel injection system, removed the air filter to expose the throttle bodies and finally got to the injectors. I didn't like what I saw. Here are some pictures:
[gallery type="slideshow" link="file" ids="139,138,137"]
It looks like I need to order a new injector.
Overall, I spent 12 hours on the bike. When I took everything apart, it looked a bit scary. I wasn't even sure if I could put it back together. But I did. It's a nice feeling to achieve something beyond my abilities.
But still, I need an injector so I have to ...Read More
It's hard to explain myself why I'm doing this. I keep trying because I am used to having reasons for my actions. I've come so far without leaving a gap in this chain of reasoning only to realize that it doesn't really matter. At least not as much as I thought it would. It's okay to do things and then see how they unfold. In any case, I must have been doing this without knowing. It couldn't be possible otherwise. At least once, I must have wrongly convinced myself that the course of my life is purely the result of my actions.
Where I am now, at this current state, my senses are deteriorating. That's what happens when you focus on one thing too long. Your peripheral vision weakens. You start ignoring things that are not directly in front of you. That's what purpose and reason does. You think you know ...Read More
Baku to Turkmenbashi Ferry
I thought I'd through in my $.02 about the Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry as I've received many PM's, emails, etc. about this.
The B-T ferry is a rail car ferry primarily and takes on passengers and vehicles(including trucks), space allowing. It leaves on a scheduled based on when the rail cars are loaded onto the ferry and on some occasions, can leave sometimes 2-3 times a day. Once a day is the norm though and ask the Customs guys there info about the departure times and rail car loading to best gauge things. There is a similar ferry to Aqtau(Kazakhstan) but only a couple times a week.
The Azeri ferry company that runs it owns a fleet of about 5 ferries. It takes one day to cross the Caspian and docks in the harbor awaiting another one of the previously arriving ferries to unload. Once unloaded, that ferry awaits rail cargo ...Read More
Hi Salva
2 options exist for Turkmenistan;
FIRST : 'official tour' which requires 'loi' and requires participation of the tour. This is the option we chose, tour & loi came via David at StanTours (who is excellent). Using this option meant we had an emailed copy of our loi and then when we arrived at Turkmenistan port of entry we were there issued with our standard tourist visa (the visa matched in length the number of days the tour lasts, which in our case was 5 days).
SECOND OPTION : 'Transit Visa' Using this option avoids the 'loi' and the 'official tour' thus saving some money. But you have to specify date of entry and date of departure. I would guess you could get away with requesting 7 days for transit (doubt you'd get longer). Transit visa can be obtained in Istanbul or Ankara (Turkey).
Even though you have a specified date of entry, ...Read More
In theory you need a paper & stamp for every night you're there .. usually you can get the next hotel to include the camping days in their registration.
We took all the slips out of our passports before we got to the border. NO ONE askesd for anything about registration, so we're thinking it's just another way for tourists to spend their money there. Read More
As time passes, and the route becomes somewhat clear, the countries and visa requirements are determined. I'll need to have a flexible entry-exit date for each country I'm going to apply for a visa. So far, the list is as follows:
United States (Greencard)
United Kingdom (Visa)
France (Schengen)
Switzerland (Schengen)
Liechtenstein (Visa)
Austria (Schengen)
Slovenia (Schengen)
Croatia (Passport)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Passport)
Montenegro (Visa)
Albania (Passport)
Macedonia (Passport)
Greece (Schengen)
Turkey (Passport)
Georgia (Passport)
Azerbaijan (Visa)
Turkmenistan (Visa)
Uzbekistan (Visa)
Tajikistan (Visa) (Can be bypassed)
Kyrgyzstan (Passport)
Kazakhstan (Passport)
Russia (Visa)
Mongolia (Visa)
Russia (Visa)
South Korea (Passport)
Read More
There is a separation. There are two separate reasons/effects of my behavior. One is being out there. The other is not being here. Being out there is OK; at least understandable. Exciting, new etc... It's also normal. The other one is not as easy.
I had a bad day today. I've been through these thoughts many times. It always comes down to this; I don't have a story. I did not write my story. I've purposely, always stayed away from my own story. When I had to write something, I kept myself out of it. I never allowed myself to become the subject. Collecting is story-making. I refrained from that too. I threw everything away. Books, photographs, paintings, texts, even people. I felt like; when I threw it all away, what remained was me, myself...
When I look behind, all the decisions I've made in the past seem very economical. They are ...Read More
