Things happen in threes - I forgot the lock remained on the wheel and came to a halt on it, having to roll the bike back to get it off, but luckily not doing any damage. Then when I stopped, the GPS unit fell off where I had attached it (as I had been told it would). I literally thought then about what the third thing could possibly be. The first bank I came to didn't accept my card, so I jumped on the bike to head to the next, but it failed to start. It sounded like the battery had faded.
I had been talking to a couple of taxi drivers who were interested in my trip and we had been laughing about various things when they saw the difficulty starting the bike. Immediately, they offered to push me to clutch start it, but the road surface (and their increasing age) meant there just wasn't enough speed to get it to start. It almost got there, but refused to catch. I pushed it to a location that looked relatively safe, locked it, and went back to the hotel after removing the cable for the GPS, which is not wired to the ignition and had been constantly draining the battery - something to learn. Even with the lights turned off, it failed to start.
Some major arseholes two doors down from me started laughing hysterically at about 0430, but I pulled myself out of bed and walked down to push the bike back to the hotel. I found I had pushed it into a paid parking zone and they had locked the place up with my bike still inside. Initially, I freaked out that I would have to pay an exorbitant fee to get it out, but I found a gap in the fence large enough (or small enough) for me to push the bike through without any fine. A chap on a scooter appeared next to me and offered me help, but he couldn't do anymore than I could, so I thanked him and he continued on his way.
Then went back to sleep (from about 0600 to 0730 - another REM cycle) before I was up and out trying to figure things. No one here could tell me if they stock BMW motorcycle batteries - so far all negative - and I was having some language issues. My language was fine, but no one seemed to speak it. I found a gnarled old dude in a greasy, dirty motorcycle repair shop that couldn't speak English well - he gave me two phone numbers to call, both of whom refused to help. Singapore has been a lot more helpful overall.
After searching out all the motorcycle and automotive repair shops in a 5 km radius (thanks to my GPS and some local knowledge) I decided to walk the two hours to the BMW dealer to get a specific key to unlock the chassis and allow me to get the battery out of it. I have the ignition key, but need a specific key (not an Allen/hex key) to get into the battery compartment. About an hour into the walk, I found a much larger Yamaha dealership and a large, oily repair shop behind it, but they also did not have the required keys. They told me they would be difficult to find, but to try a guy hidden in the back streets another hour away.
I used my GPS handheld to find the location. Be wary of doing this because the GPS recognises one-way streets, but when walking this is not a serious constraint. I found myself walking the long way until I realised and then was able to cut through a shorter route to find the place. No one spoke any English, so I showed him the photos of the section I needed to unlock and he rummaged through a bunch of stuff, clambering up on a ladder and climbing into an attic full of greasy tools and gear, emerging with a smeared packet with exactly what I needed! I paid him double what he asked as a thank you and rushed back to pull the battery out of the bike.
By the time I pulled the battery out to start recharging using solar panels, the clouds had crept across and the afternoon thunderstorms had begun, dashing any hopes of getting it fully recharged b the evening. I had picked up a nice sunburn from the morning, but this did not get transferred into the battery.
I sat myself down with a Tiger beer from the Mari Mari Guest House with my tactical solar panels out on the sidewalk catching as much sun as I could. Although I had intended to meet up with someone, I had to cancel that and will likely not see them again unless I come back this way, which I found very disappointing, but not much I could do about it. After sucking up as much sunlight as I could, evening came and since the bet recharge is often a long ride, I tried to get the motor to turn, but it failed. At least the power levels were higher than they had been, which indicates I am on the correct path.
My hopes for more sun and less rain and clouds were dashed in the morning as I woke up on Sunday at first light to deploy the solar panels again. It's the sort of place you can't just leave stuff like this lying there by itself, so I camped beside it all day. As the light faded, again, I tried to get it to start, and again, it was much better than the previous day, but still not doing it. I went hunting for a place down the road that had been recommended to me by one of the gnarled old guys in a filthy repair shop and it looked like it would have a wall-mounted recharge unit, so I can recharge overnight at a better rate than solar panels.
The following morning, I started out on foot with my motorcycle batter in my backpack. It was a beautiful sunny day and I layered on the sunscreen, realising I have lost my hat somewhere along the way. The shop I was looking at the previous day did not have a recharge unit, nor did they have any batteries, but they did suggest I head to Ban Zen Motors Sdn Bhd, at Number 6 Jalan Durian Daun, which was a pleasant walk around the Western side of Bukit China cemetery.
I never did get his name, but he was friendly and very helpful, and also very busy, which is why we didn't talk too much. He gave me Chrysanthemum Tea and made sure the battery was the same shape and size. Apparently in Asia, the positive and negative terminals are physically reversed on the battery, including the output for water overflow, so most of the batteries he had would not even fit in the slot properly. Finally, he did some research and phoned some colleagues before miraculously calling forth a Yuasa YB12AL-A2 battery that matched all the important specifications.
I walked back to the hotel and hurried to get it installed. I didn't want to jinx it, so I made sure I had my helmet and was ready to ride when I thumbed the ignition. The motorcycle jumped to life with no trouble whatsoever. I got a cheer from the family across the road who have been watching me tinker with it for days unsuccessfully and talking to me while I tinkered.
Four laps of the block later, I raced up to my hotel to grab some things and I was on my way again to see some of the sights just out of town. I was keeping the revs high to help with the recharging of the new battery. So, problem solved, for now, but indicative of the sorts of problems I might get further down the track.
The key lesson learned for me here is that in Asia, with Chinese New Year and the Muslim holy day being Friday, weekends are not the time to get things done. Additional lessons could include things like Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance (6P) and talk to people who show an interest in what you are doing. I have some great contacts in Kuala Lumpur now for when I arrive in a few days, including a few places I had no idea even existed but I plan to visit (and some suggestion on how to get a motorcycle into the Angkor Wat complex, if you know which road to take).
After searching out all the motorcycle and automotive repair shops in a 5 km radius (thanks to my GPS and some local knowledge) I decided to walk the two hours to the BMW dealer to get a specific key to unlock the chassis and allow me to get the battery out of it. I have the ignition key, but need a specific key (not an Allen/hex key) to get into the battery compartment. About an hour into the walk, I found a much larger Yamaha dealership and a large, oily repair shop behind it, but they also did not have the required keys. They told me they would be difficult to find, but to try a guy hidden in the back streets another hour away.
I used my GPS handheld to find the location. Be wary of doing this because the GPS recognises one-way streets, but when walking this is not a serious constraint. I found myself walking the long way until I realised and then was able to cut through a shorter route to find the place. No one spoke any English, so I showed him the photos of the section I needed to unlock and he rummaged through a bunch of stuff, clambering up on a ladder and climbing into an attic full of greasy tools and gear, emerging with a smeared packet with exactly what I needed! I paid him double what he asked as a thank you and rushed back to pull the battery out of the bike.
By the time I pulled the battery out to start recharging using solar panels, the clouds had crept across and the afternoon thunderstorms had begun, dashing any hopes of getting it fully recharged b the evening. I had picked up a nice sunburn from the morning, but this did not get transferred into the battery.
 |
| Catching the sun outside Mari Mari Guest House |
My hopes for more sun and less rain and clouds were dashed in the morning as I woke up on Sunday at first light to deploy the solar panels again. It's the sort of place you can't just leave stuff like this lying there by itself, so I camped beside it all day. As the light faded, again, I tried to get it to start, and again, it was much better than the previous day, but still not doing it. I went hunting for a place down the road that had been recommended to me by one of the gnarled old guys in a filthy repair shop and it looked like it would have a wall-mounted recharge unit, so I can recharge overnight at a better rate than solar panels.
The following morning, I started out on foot with my motorcycle batter in my backpack. It was a beautiful sunny day and I layered on the sunscreen, realising I have lost my hat somewhere along the way. The shop I was looking at the previous day did not have a recharge unit, nor did they have any batteries, but they did suggest I head to Ban Zen Motors Sdn Bhd, at Number 6 Jalan Durian Daun, which was a pleasant walk around the Western side of Bukit China cemetery.
 |
| My saviour at Ban Zen Motors on Jalan Durian Daun |
I walked back to the hotel and hurried to get it installed. I didn't want to jinx it, so I made sure I had my helmet and was ready to ride when I thumbed the ignition. The motorcycle jumped to life with no trouble whatsoever. I got a cheer from the family across the road who have been watching me tinker with it for days unsuccessfully and talking to me while I tinkered.
Four laps of the block later, I raced up to my hotel to grab some things and I was on my way again to see some of the sights just out of town. I was keeping the revs high to help with the recharging of the new battery. So, problem solved, for now, but indicative of the sorts of problems I might get further down the track.
The key lesson learned for me here is that in Asia, with Chinese New Year and the Muslim holy day being Friday, weekends are not the time to get things done. Additional lessons could include things like Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance (6P) and talk to people who show an interest in what you are doing. I have some great contacts in Kuala Lumpur now for when I arrive in a few days, including a few places I had no idea even existed but I plan to visit (and some suggestion on how to get a motorcycle into the Angkor Wat complex, if you know which road to take).
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