18 September 2011
There was no point feeling sorry for myself although I wanted to. All my concentration was needed to navigate the single track road to make it back to the main highway towards Mostar.
Just before the highway I stopped at a restaurant in the small town of Ravno.
I asked about petrol and learned I had about 20km to the next petrol station and then another 20km after that to a town that had a hotel. I can do that. No choice. Just have to. I hated myself for being such a wimp, so soft at the first sign of adversity.
I’d not ridden the Family Truckster at night much. I don’t mind the cold but I generally ride in daylight.
But the Family Truckster has a trick headlight. You can press a button and change it from left hand side of the road riding to right. It points the headlight the other way I guess so as not to blind the motorists going in the opposite direction.
But because my bike is a UK spec it is geared to riding on the left hand side of the road. Some of the functionality of the trick headlight is lost when you change it right hand side riding.
I don’t really understand this but apparently there is some type of gyroscopic gismo built into the headlight that keeps it pointed on the road ahead, regardless of the lean angle of the bike. Sounds good to me. But the gyroscopic functionality does not work when the right hand riding option is selected. No problems, I’ll switch it back to left. I want all the light I can get and really couldn’t be bothered about the cars in the other direction.
Because I have little night riding experience I don’t really have a sound basis for comparison of the trick headlight on the Family Truckster. Once in Australia I was riding back from Sydney to Brisbane and an electrical fault shut my light, and everything else, down completely when riding in the dark on the New England Highway at 100 km/h. Not ideal.
I can assure you the light on the Family Truckster is great. I even enjoyed riding at night. It’s like a computer game with red and white reflectors on either side of the road giving plenty of warning of the corners ahead.
The hardest part is remembering to turn the high beam off as another car approaches in the opposite direction. It’s not much good with the high beam off but when it is, no worries. And you even get warning of the cars coming the other direction. Their headlights give them away well in advance of the visual notice you get during daylight hours.
The Truckster rescued me again in my moment of despair. If only I was as capable as it is.
I ended up making it easily to the next gas station and took the opportunity to grab a chocolate bar to sustain me for the next bit to a hotel.
I consulted the map while I was stopped. Might as well aim for Mostar. There will be more hotels there as it is a bigger city. And a better chance of them being open when I arrive.
Not much further to go. Just ride for the conditions as you always do and especially when on a Turkey motorcycle tour.
Good plan. Let’s go.
