Preparing the bikes for the winter

Today we intended to go to Horn (Pharaobike), to investigate what parts we need for a full service of our motorbikes. But unfortunately, some roads have already been covered with brine. And we really would like to keep our bikes in the best possible condition before the start of our journey. It’s not too bad though to have nothing to do for a change, as we have been very busy last couple of weeks.

We couldn’t resist doing something on our bikes. The last time we saw them was the day we picked up Marianne’s motorbike. We thought it would be a good idea to remove the battery from the bikes and connect them to a battery charger, as father winter is approaching.
Just let’s start by removing the seat (on the BMW and the Bandit that’s the first thing to do to remove the battery). The dealer of my motorbike (van der Heijden) told Marianne, she had to hit the saddle to get it off. So we put the key in the only lock we could find on the back of the bike, turn it and hit saddle. But, whatever we tried, the seat wouldn’t budge. So we called Ton of Pharaobike. It turned out the saddle is screwed to the frame, behind the side panels. That doesn’t give very much confidence in the knowledge and skills of a dealer, does it?

Unlike the BMW R1150GSA, the removal of the battery on the Transalp is a piece of cake. Just unscrew a few bolts and you’re able to remove it. I really hope the Japanese made the rest of the bike just as accessible.
Both bikes are equipped with regular batteries. DISAPPOINTED! Yet one more thing to check and maintain. We decide to leave them for now but before we are going on our trip, we will have to replace them for some maintenance free ones.

Both batteries are now stored in the attic. One attached to the charger as we only have one of them. We went to Motoport to buy a second one. But apparently all motor bikers of Almere had the same idea. All chargers are sold out. Next stop Hein Gericke… DARN, it’s closed!