shite taking you far away

[lesapandre]

When I was still living in Munich, so I wasn't even 20 yet, three friends and I decided on 1st April in a pub to give my WBoD, a terminally rotten

BMW 528-non-i its last blast before scrapping it and drive it all the way to Lake Starnberg, usually a half hour drive, only that we naturally agreed

on the city of Kano in Nigeria for our halfway break.

We actually reached Kano after an adventurous three weeks, but decided there to cancel the final leg of the trip this time around and take

one of those aeroplanes home. I know what PShome will say to this, 504, etc, etc.

 

In the late Eighties I drove my freshly OMGBRNFND 1951 Citroen 15 six from Welkenraedt in Belgium (where I lived at the time) to the North Cape,

from there to Portopalo and then back home. The only defect on the entire trip was a blown headlight bulb near Fulda.

 

In the early Nineties I assembled a 1926 ex-WoD Indian 101 I had bought in eighteen boxes and rode it around the Mediterranean (sp?),

i.e. from Belgium via Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Italy, Switzerland, France

and Luxembourg back home to Belgium.

The bike was one of Katharina 'Steilwand Kitty' Mathieu's wall, a regular attraction on the Munich Oktoberfest since the 1930s.

After the trip I donated it to the Munich City Museum, where it is on display with an original section of Kitty's wall.

 

In the mid Nineties, after returning from the Power Big Meet in Västeras, I decided to give my '61 Imperial an Italian tune up, so I drove it

from my home in Belgium to Luxembourg City in Luxembourg, from there to Luxemburg in Kyrgyzstan and then back home.

 

Throughout the Nineties, I used a '78 Caprice for my business, which required driving all over Europe, about 50k miles a year.

It had 180,000 miles on it when I bought it and I drove it another 380,000 miles. The cylinder heads were never off the engine,

but it required a gearbox rebuild in Dublin and a rear axle swap in Aschaffenburg, plus the annual ritual of a front suspension rebuild,

ball joints, bushes, track rods, etc. The latter probably wouldn't have been necessary had I maintained the lubrication intervals,

but since this wasn't feasible when on the road, I just drove it for a year and had it rebuilt.

 

Nowadays I drive fewer than 3,000 miles a year - with all cars combined.

I have absolutely no inclination to drive a single mile further. I have seen the World and can't stand most of it.

Wow...I bow down to your daring-do. Epic.  

[mr_fish]

Took an old Lexus and a Merc to Switzerland

 

Hills were a bit steady with the 6 cylinder NA Merc

 

 

[Junkman]

Wow...I bow down to your daring-do. Epic.  

 

Don't.

 

First of all, I don't think I did anything comparable with PShome's life antics, secondly I did all kinds of stupid shit while still young and stupid.

Well, tbh I'm doing even dafter shit since I'm older and even stupider, but since when am I responsible for my actions?

Like we say in .at - born stupid, learned nothing, forgot the rest.

[cros]

This Dneipr 650 took me to Morocco and back. The only problem I had was leaking seals on the rear shocks which rendered my arse rather sore after 3000 miles. Apparently its a common complaint when travelling to that part of the world.
The other bike was an oil-in-frame 750 Tiger which gave no trouble.



Note bespoke luggage needed for such a trip.

[Junkman]

This Dneipr 650 took me to Marocco and back. The only problem I had was leaking seals on the rear shocks which rendered my arse rather sore after 3000 miles. Apparently its a common complaint when travelling to this part of that part of the world.

 

The Indian 101 has no rear suspension, thus no shocks and hence no leaking seals.

Arse hurtage guaranteed after 30 miles, though.

[cros]

^^^ An Indian would be worth the pain, but only an old one. Russian bikes are another kind of masochism which, happily, I grew out of.

[cros]

A jaunt to the south of France is nothing- unless you're are on Russian tyres that have turned to snot because they're made for 33 minus, not plus. Easy to change

though.

As an aside, I had fitted a CX500 saddle as the single rubber things these bikes came with are appallingly uncomfortable. However I once met a bloke who stuck with tradition and required his extremely attractive and slim girlfriend to sit on the standard issue steel rack as he felt that a dual seat 'spoiled the lines of the bike'. I have a feeling their relationship may not have endured.

[pshome]

I know what PShome will say to this, 504, etc, etc.

 

There was of course live beyond the (many) 504's.

 

505 made in Nigeria, note the missing spare wheel and hanging cage..

 

It's me in the red and white shirt, my parents visting and following in a 305. Must have been in 87.

 

People told us the road impassable 20 miles down, they were right.

 

Mrs. PShome had a Daewoo Tico, bought new.

 

Three of my cars, 404 bache, Nigerian 504 and Daewoo Prince, which was a badged Omega.

 

The new Daewoos were sold by a guy from Nigeria at ridiculously low prices.

I remember "having a look" and came home with two new cars and still had some change in my pockets.

Turned out it was a drug money laundering business and from what i hear, the owner is still in jail in the US, stupid enough he was to travel there.

I didn't expexct them to last very long, but they were surprisingly solid and were sold on after many trouble free years.

 

 

Still can't find a picture of the car that i drove from Munich to Cotonou. It was not a Peugeot, you will be surprised.

[pshome]

This

 

is the first car i actually owned, a 72 Vista Cruiser bought 1982 at 300USD in San Francisco and sold 6 months in New York later at the very same price.

It took me across most of the contiguous United States without trouble. It did eat a lot of gas and almost as much oil. They sold cheap "recycled" (used filtered) engine oil at supermarkets back then for very cheap and we happily blew it into the national parks.

 

That hat is a genuine Mao hat i bought somewhere in China a few weeks earlier, i found it stylish, it was certainly unique in the US.

Lacking funds for proper accomodation, we slept in the car. Plenty room for two, but it was cold at Yellowstone in October and we were almost freezing to death in New York in December.

 

[Guest Hooli]

 

 

Three of my cars, 404 bache, Nigerian 504 and Daewoo Prince, which was a badged Omega.

ps_benin_4.jpg

 

When I first read that I thought 'I've never heard of the Daewoo tribe, nice white robes'. I really am overtired today!

[dollywobbler]

Talking of Vasteras, as Junkman was earlier, perhaps the stupidest thing I've ever done was drive a Citroen H van to Sweden. Not a pleasant experience, but we did enjoy the big power meet that we chanced upon. 

 

[John F]

Nothing compared to some contenders in this thread, but my utterly hanging 1997 Disco 300 TDi has taken me to Innsbruck & back each January for the last 5 years. A round trip of 2000 miles each time.

[barefoot]

I can only offer a pitiful trip down to the Cap d' Agde in the barefoot bay.

Much too far to drive for a holiday in such a desperately slow and noisy old bus.

Turned out to be a fucking naturist resort when we got there, the fair wife was less than impressed with me.

(Although she does have lovely tits and I am hung like a baboon).

[cros]

After the wheel was refitted to the outfit we rode along the Carmargue for 22km on the sand. Wouldn't you know it, passing through the middle of a vast nudist colony nearly spoilt it but luckily we were out of there within an hour.

[Junkman]

Talking of Vasteras, as Junkman was earlier, perhaps the stupidest thing I've ever done was drive a Citroen H van to Sweden.

 

That makes travelling even the entire length of Africa in a 504 sound like a wellness excursion.

[ChinaTom]

1900 km Nanning to RuiLi in China in a Great Wall Deer, 5 up, 3 sharing driving and the highlight being stuck in a mountain road traffic jam for 13 hours. Whole journey took 35 hours.

 

Did 4,600 km slog from KunMing to YiLi (also China) twice. Once in a Landcruiser, the second in a Kia Carnival (Sedona with the 3.5V6).

 

Miss those adventurous days...

 

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

[JeeExEll]

This

ps_us1.jpg

 

is the first car i actually owned, a 72 Vista Cruiser bought 1982 at 300USD in San Francisco and sold 6 months in New York later at the very same price.

It took me across most of the contiguous United States without trouble. It did eat a lot of gas and almost as much oil. They sold cheap "recycled" (used filtered) engine oil at supermarkets back then for very cheap and we happily blew it into the national parks.

 

ps_us2.jpg

That hat is a genuine Mao hat i bought somewhere in China a few weeks earlier, i found it stylish, it was certainly unique in the US.

Lacking funds for proper accomodation, we slept in the car. Plenty room for two, but it was cold at Yellowstone in October and we were almost freezing to death in New York in December.

 

ps_us3.jpg

I vaguely remember reading something very much like this road trip in an article in a late 80s/early 90s edition of Classic American magazine. The big Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser in the pics stirred up a memory of a magazine article from more than 25 years ago.

 

Possibly a write-up of the same road trip?

[D Spares & Tyres]

Nothing much lately, although we did pop up to Scotland recently and managed 29 mpg out of the Shogun which is quite a feat

 

I did tow a box trailer to France behind a Sierra once. After going up a hill the clutch felt odd. It turned out the plastic cover for the clutch cable started to melt. "I know what" to says my friend in the passenger seat. "I have some fireproof insulation in the trailer, we'' wrap that round it"

 

This worked so we carried on then stopped at ecomarche or somewhere similar. Over the tannoy came a voice. Now I am not good at French nor was I listening properly but I swear she mentioned a Sierra Ghia but I thought nothing of it.

 

Finished shopping to find a fireman's feet poking out of the sunroof...

 

Turns out that insulation was fireproof but not smoulderproof... They hosed the engine down and went on their way.

 

You try buying a rhd clutch cable in France ( or anything for that matter. )

 

Drove home with no clutch, that was interesting. France wasn't too bad really, it was worse in england with the manic traffic. Had to unhitch the trailer on the ferry and manoeuvre it by hand. The dockers loved that.

[Eddie Honda]

Nowadays I drive fewer than 3,000 miles a year - with all cars combined.

I have absolutely no inclination to drive a single mile further. I have seen the World and can't stand most of it.

 

Pffft. Your Climate™ Improvement mission has been exposed as a sham. 

[pshome]

I vaguely remember reading something very much like this road trip in an article in a late 80s/early 90s edition of Classic American magazine. The big Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser in the pics stirred up a memory of a magazine article from more than 25 years ago.

 

Possibly a write-up of the same road trip?

Not that i know of, story of that trip would have been a hard sell in the US because not G-rated.

[RoadworkUK]

This is my Audi in Sweden.

 

 

Our route took us via the South of France

 

 

We covered 3,912 miles in eight days. The story was eventually published online in three parts.

 

24 hrs after getting back from Sweden, the water pump packed up.

 

I still have it nine years later.

[Guest Hooli]

That's a long time to keep a duff water pump.

[MorrisItalSLX]

I WILL tour Australia in the Jag, I swear.

 

Watch this space.

[Junkman]

They sold cheap "recycled" (used filtered) engine oil at supermarkets back then for very cheap and we happily blew it into the national parks.

I remember this practise well, it used to be a staple of my early climate improvement activities in Trumpreich.

After buying a '49 Ford in Kalispell for $100.00 (one-hundred Dollars) I threw a few gallons of that shit in the trunk, anticipating needage,

then drove to Phoenix via Las Vegas. Would you believe it now that that ruddy pile of junk didn't need a drop of oil?

[pshome]

 Would you believe it now that that ruddy pile of junk didn't need a drop of oil?

No

[Junkman]

No

 

None. Whatsoever. Not a drop. Nada. Zilch. Rien. Nichts. Fuck all.

Which cannot be said in regards of water, which wasn't carried in large quantities and weirdly turned out

to be somewhat a pain in the arse to obtain in the middle of a desert.

[CortinaDave]

Cornwall to Fife in my 79 Cortina mk4, then back to taunton for a show in it the following year..back to fife..and down to Peterborough and back a month later.

 

Behaved itself impeccably on all three runs

[lesapandre]

If you fancy a read - try this - Steinbeck on travels across the USA in the early 60's. Very good read - Charley is a dog btw. Plenty of copies on the web.

[lesapandre]

 ..

[lesapandre]

He took a pickup with a camper body coast to coast - part travelogue, part reminiscence. The camper is now in the Steinbeck museum.