I have been in contact with Andy for a while before we came here and he was helping me to sort out a spare part that was getting urgent. The brake pads on the front breaks (the Transalp has two disks on the front wheel) where getting precariously close to the wear indicator. Luckily, there is one bike sold in Indonesia that uses the same pads (for the most part), the “enormous” CBR 250 ABS. Although the parts list say that only the right side is compatible, I found that the same model could be used for the left side if a spacer from the old set is reused.

Andy found a shop that at least has one pair and was going to drop me off there to get things worked out from here (and check on the state of one of his bikes in the shop). When we turned up they did not only produce one but two sets of pads for me, so all I had to do was get Rocinante and fit them to be 100% sure. Andy rode us to where Rocinante was safely stored away and showed me the way back to the shop. I was back there in no time.

The engineer who rode my bike into the shop got jealous stares from everyone else. I was more worried about my bike. Sure, the Indonesians can ride, but they are used to half the weight and power. At least they picked the tallest guy in the shop and he could almost reach the ground with his feet …

The work was done in 10 minutes and once we found the ABS reset plug everything was good to go. Both sides fitted. It was just in time as well as the old ones both were down to 0.7mm and the wear indicator.

Later that day, I got to use Andy’s tools (well, a rubber mallet) to have a go at my dented pannier. It worked pretty well. I hope the fancy mounting brackets of the ZEGA II pro will last the rest of the trip though. They are starting to bend and warp all over.

The rest of the day was a continuation of yesterday. Chilling, good conversations and a great dinner from Andy. This time we got his take on Indonesian food. I tell you, the eggplants in chilli were to die for! Later I found out that Andy is not only a good cook but also magically efficient in getting the kitchen back into shape. Colour me impressed!