Nimbus sidecar in Japan

Last minute preparations April 17, 2023 Crate didn't fly as expected, and won't fly until a few days from now. God news is that shipping agent says it'll be in Tokyo on Sunday, and apparently it flies with Thai Airways. Shipper also wanted an extra $1K to make sure nothing gets stacked on top of it. Instead I go to the warehouse and mount square iron tubes under the wooden boards. Then shipping agent shows up and tells that there's no more than 40 cm room above my crate, and they'll likely throw a net over it, and upon that a few small boxes. (It's okay, I had absolutely nothing else to do that afternoon...) At the workshop I modify the exhaust heat shield a bit, so it'll be an inch or so further out, hopefully so my leathers won't get ruined yet again.   Doubt anyone will fall for the Yoshimura bit, though.

Crated and out of my hands  April 13 2023 Bike got crated and delivered to the shipping company, after both the people doing the 'dangerous goods' declaration and the forklift guy at the shipping company realized the time pressure I was under, and stayed late enough for me to deliver the thing. Now I'm crossing my fingers that Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways will get it to Tokyo in time. The three previous times I shipped my motorcycles to other continents, they were always one or two weeks delayed, the first time with an unexpected side benefit: I got to meet a woman i eventually married.   PS  Why I prefer flying with SAS: https://ampervadasz.tumblr.com/post/714467085318782976/unmute

Nimbus or Suzuki? April 9, 2023 Common sense suggests I fly over and just rent a bike, like travel companion Axel does. Or buy something interesting, which Danish resident Andreas in Tokyo has offered to help with. I'm seriously considering a Suzuki SW-1, the motorcycle equivalent of 'My Neighbor Totoro'.    It's all of 250 cc, a mere 200 were built in 1992 only so ultra rare, and it's as enclosed & practical as my Ariel Leader. It's only $5K, and who knows, maybe I'll like it enough to keep it. Then again, to help pay for this trip by selling articles about it, the Nimbus is a better choice, and likely opens more doors over there, as Nimbuses are apt to do abroad. Plus I just like that old thing more than any other bike. A week of frustration getting the bike to run right is finally rewarded, and I decide to send it over by air, even if Gretha will hate me for it.    Building a crate of heat treated (necessary for Japan) scrap wood takes me 3 days.