Well the boys made it to Ireland but only just. The day we were due to set off more problems were discovered with Halflifes bargain ebay purchase. First, the exhaust fell off, (probably the seller never had any putty left to hold it together). This brought the best out of the team though with Gollobski and Carpboy springing into action. Gollobski put his extensive group of friends on the case which left him looking for an exhaust on his own. We wasted 3 hours in the morning explaining to Carpboy what an exhaust was leaving Halflife to source the offending item himself from the Chester Honda Chester.
After a lengthy explanation to the lads at the Honda center using words and phases such as 'crisis', 'help', 'its for charity' and 'think of the children, wont someone please think of the children', exactly 0% discount was provided. Thanks Chaps.
The exhaust was fitted only to find (with 3 hours to go) that the bike would not go more than 15 mile per hour. A quick run (well actually a very slow run) up to Lee Hughes' who had previously saved the day with the putty piston and the problem was sorted. It was discovered the previous owner had tightened the tappets right down leaving no compression. We started to suspect that the seller was trying to sabotage the trip but then finalised on the fact that he was just a village idiot with all the mechanical know how of a toddler and his first Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Tool set.
Against all the odds we made it though. Halflife turned up at the castle car part as arranged at 6pm with Carpboy and Gollobski turning up moments later at 7.30pm.
As expected there was a crowd of well wishers there to see us off, we were worried at one point that a police escort may be required but the six strong crowed were well behaved and ‘just there for the crack’.
The ride to Hollyhead was fairly uneventful. A first fuel stop took place just outside Chester. The team got a little concerned though that they may not have brought enough money to get them to the ferry with Halflifes bike taking £0.57 of fuel (Buckley to Chester to Sealand road on £0.57 of fuel!!!). To try and offset the high cost of fuel Halflife ‘accidentally’ stole a £0.60 snickers bar and was later heard to say that it was ‘the voices in my head’ that made him do it.
We set off up the coast road but soon realised that the cars were holding us back and we needed to unleash the speed and power of the C90’s if we stood any chance of making the ferry that was due to leave in only 7 hours time so we joined the A55. Carpboy once again rubbed our faces in it with his mint eBay purchase, easily the fasted bike of the three leaving us to suspect that he had fitted a 125cc pit bike engine. Gollobski commented that his bike ‘was the slowest of the three’, and the other two consoled him by agreeing it was the bike!
Fellow work colleague Matt White met us by the bridge into Anglesey taking us back to his house for a curry and well earned cup of tea and then it was off at 12.38 for the final push to the ferry. After a couple of pints of Murphys we settled down for a few valuable hours kip on the ferry. On awaking at Dublin Carp boy commented that he did not remember removing his trousers to go to sleep but the three burley builders that were sitting next to him convinced him that he had although he was not able to question them any further as they disappeared rather quick.6.00 am on the morning of the 2nd May as we had made it. Only another 1200 miles to go.
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