Emile is Passingalong

[Emile]

hello all of you adventurers,

I don't really know how or where to start... ok first introduction than the story.

my name is Emile van Hoogdalem and I am a lurker for quite some time now but from day one here planing my round the world trip.
It all started with the idea to make a big trip when I would finish my studies in Germany as a Jewellery and Product Designer, I wanted to ride round the mediteranian sea on a motorcycle.
At the time I did not have a license nor did I own a bike.
Looking for a bike in my budget I found a XL 600 LM an 1985 Paris Dakar replica wich needed a lot of TLC so I got to work on slowly getting the bike ready for a big trip round the mediteranian sea. while busy with my license I found out that a trip round the mediteranian sea would take up about 3 months, this was not enough to compensate all the time I have been in school :) thats where my plan had some drastic changes. I want to ride round the world!!
being on a limited budget I took about 2 years for getting all my stuff together, this is the first time in my life that I actually planned something sofar ahead, it felt really weird but good.
the '85 bike was almost build from the ground up with al the technical stuff new only the outside looked still crappy and old but I don't really care about that, altough I am a designer :)
ok skipping the build stuff.
departure date was set at 20-11-2011, carne de passage was on the way I was having fun with friends having a bbq on the banks of the river Maas in Holland, but when I wanted to go home my bike was not there anymore :S so I freaked out a little. I could not believe it I was going to start my trip in just 3 weeks time !!! f*ck my bike is stolen !!!
and even my self made panniers where on it. someone stole my dream that was how it felt. My life was taking this trip so this really came hard on me the past years I had constantly worked on the bike and collected stuff and money to set off, and now all was gone. without the bike I felt like crap I had to make a dicision going or not going. It was hard because it would mean that I would have to start all over again. but with the support of friends an family I went for the go with delay option and set the new date on 24-3-2012. Hein and Carla the family with wich I was staying to renovate their house helped me the next couple of days to get a new bike. Hein searched the internet all night and found a XL 600 LM from 1986 with only 24.000km on the oddometer wich would mean saving time in rebuilding and getting the bike ready. I went for the same bike because I still had a lot of spares from the old bike lying around.
Just a few days later the new bike stood on their driveway and I felt a lot better :)
The next day a friend informs me that my bike is not registered stolen anymore on the government website for stolen vehicels. I was confused so I called the police to find out whats going on, they had no clue ofcourse and even said that they had no report of a stolen bike matching my description! I freaked out again, the policewoman on the other side told me that the computer was slow so I will be called back by an other officer that would be able to tell me whats going on. next day I was called back and the officer said well your stolen vehicel is back and now in storage you will be contacted when you can get it bye. what I want it now !! so I found out where it was stored and had a look at it all the locks where gone and the rear end was bend a bit and one pannier was dented. I could not get it running anymore wich was probably the reason why the thiefs dumped it and the police was able to find it. the bike got sent back to my parents place and there I was with two bikes and a huge whole in my budget
The new bike is was in great condition even better than my old rebuild bike so I said the old bike is donor and the new bike is the one to ride !!
Now almost at present, swapped all the selfbuild parts from the old to the new and made some improvements on the new bike.
At the moment I am doing the finishing touches and working towards the new goal and it feels great !! and now finally I want to start my thread I feel ready !!

sorry for the maybe a bit weird way of writing, this is because I am a Dutchman !!

well I'll try to get some images inhere.


this is me also a model '86 I just got my license here !! a moment of joy



thats the old bike just a few days before it got stolen.



and the new bike in top orignial state just after I had bought it.





new decals !!!



I have to work out some more normal way of inserting normal sized images.

that is it for now I have to go to bed in order to make some good new pannier frames !!

sleep well all

Emile

[Tripletreat]

What a way to begin! Okay, let's be optimistic and say that you now have all the bad luck behind you and only good adventures lay ahead!
No need to make apologies for your writing. It's top notch! Get on with it!

[Emile]

thanks tripletreat!

this week I did a lot, I put the oilcooler in place and fixed up a protector for the headlights and cooler. installed a new header that was supposed to fit but didn’t, so I put the grinder to work and made it fit made a new endpiece and mufler for it and meanwhile worked on the pannier frames.

some prep pics

















emile

I also have a blog where there are aditional pics and info check www.passingalong.nl

[Speedo66]

Maybe it was a stroke of luck about the first bike. Possible it might have broke down early. Your new bike is beautiful, have great luck on the trip!!

[Emile]

hey speedo66,

I also believe the stroke of luck theory :) and I feel totally fine about the whole thing now

Hey all,
My parents and brother gave me a very cool gadget!! they gave me a Spot gps locater/messenger wichs sends a signal every 10 minutes to my account on findmespot.com there I also have a shared page so you can see where I’ll be hanging out on the planet for now still in holland but I will take the thing with me on some trips here. via the blog you can also go to the shared page you can find the link under the FIND ME button in the right upper corner

or follow this link: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/f...6LqP11J8lrh3gb






Emile

[SMC]

This should be interesting.

Definitely subscribed.

Good luck sir

[Emile]

yesterday and today I worked on my pannierracks, the old bike had some but they proved to be not strong enough so I build some new ones.

it ain't that much but it's something








basecoat olny

Emile

[vander]

nice begining

A bike like yours has been siting for 2 years in the street near my home. I even tempted myself to contact the owner but now its not there anymore.

[Emile]

vander thats a shame because they are getting collectors items :)

[vecchio Lupo]

Keep it up, and keep us informed.

[japslap]

Good luck buddy will be interested in your progress......

[2eddies]

Got to Luv a guy who paints his moto parts in the living room! Don't want the shop to stink from fumes!

[Emile]

true true :) and its my parents place :) thanks for the reactions I'll keep you all informed. still in prep. mode but more to come

[Emile]

yesterday I did the last coat of white on the pannierracks and today I fitted them which was a bit of a struggle because I did not pre-fitted them before painting so I had to make a small jig to force the boltholes into place and after a few tries the racks fitted like a glove.
I ate a slice of bread trew the boxes on and took Le Mouton for a spin.
The bike rides like a charm and its money and time well spend on the new pannierracks, they don’t vibrate like a mad thing the way the old ones did so all is +++















next thing that needs to happen is that I will be ready
Emile

[Emile]

my birthday and goodbye!
departure date: 24th of march!