Sunday morning dawned and it looked alot nicer without the rain :
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So packed up and hit the road, though it wasn't too long before I felt some vibration through the footpegs not alot but thought there was something there/different, so I made a mental note to check things out at the next stop. A little later I had to make a detour as my intended route was blocked off due to a cycle race in progress. It was an ideal time to stop to check the bike but the engine oil/water looked good, tyres not chunked or balance weights gone, but did adjust the slack chain and hoped it was that. Another map check showed slow progress and as the RB2 was the goal for Monday morning I reluctantly decided to hit the major/toll roads to get there quicker. So I turned west at Les Alouttes to Moulins, then south past Clermont Ferrand and stopped late morning at the Aire de Service de Veyre. I found the vibration problem was due to rear wheel bearings - you could rock the wheel, feel some play and hear a slight knocking noise - bugger ! With no phone service as well it was probably my lowest point, missing family, no one to talk issues through with and also the trip maybe over due to bike problems. Unsure whether to go back to Clermont Ferrand but I hate going backwards on a trip, so I decided to still head for Millau as I wanted to see the bridge and there are worse places to get recovered, if the bike could not be fixed. Had to put on the waterproofs then as you could see the clouds were coming in fast on the strong winds :
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Sure enough just down the A75 the heavens open and I'm glad I've got my army goretex kit on as it keeps the worst of it at bay. Then just as I pass a fuel station the bike goes onto reserve - why does that happen at the worst time :pinch:. I initially think it'll be alright as I've done over 20 miles on reserve before no problem, but as the mileage creeps up over 10, then 15, then 20, then 25 I start to worry. I try to save fuel by keeping the throttle held at a steady setting which was hard as we were going up and down through the lovely hills, and ended up in the crawler lane as slow as 40mph uphill and free wheeling down at about 80mph. The rain was easing off but the rear wheel bearings were playing on my mind and the bike clocks over 30 miles on reserve with me getting very anxious now, I then see an Aire/Fuel Station sign up ahead and hope I can get there without pushing the bike in! Thankfully I get to Aire De L'Aveyron and see these unusual figures :
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Bearing in mind the Transalp 600 tank holds 16 litres I don't think I would have got much further down the road on .6L that was left in the tank :silly: Trip showed almost 33 miles on reserve :whistle: :
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After a warm up inside I checked the rear wheel bearings and although maybe a little worse decide to carry on as Millau is not too far. Taking it easy I trundle down the A75 some more and finally make it to Millau, going downhill into the centre I search for the Tourist Info signs, but spot this bike shop, result I think :
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But it looks like they are closed till Wednesday bugger !
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Maybe all is not lost as another shop follows shortly afterwards :
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As it's Sunday evening I decide to find a campsite and pop back tomorrow, turns out the Tourist Info building is closed as it's not the height of summer. All is not lost as they have a handy map in their window which shows campsites over on the east of the town across a bridge :
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I then make my way to the Camping Des Deux Rivieres site and setup tent under the shelter of a tree as the rain is on and off, but relieved to have got here :
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My phone is still not accepting/making calls but at least I can use the campsite wifi to do some basic google searching like the French word for wheel bearing 'roulement de roue' ready for tomorrow. The phone/wifi combo is not up to any decent forum site access like xrv/adv/abr so I email a mate to try finding out part numbers for Transalp 600 rear wheel bearings - turns out there are a few different combinations depending on years. I decide to remove the wheel tomorrow and roll it into town to try the bike shop seen earlier. Google searching also gets my mobile phone working - manually/forcing it to a random network provider (instead of default auto select) cures it. Relieved a plan is almost in place I celebrate with some food and wine :
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Distance so far 804 miles