Motorcycle Explorer February 2015 Issue 4 | Page 59

S
oon we were climbing the massive Soboth Pass between Lavamund and Eibiswald. With
steep, twisty inclines of perfectly surfaced tarmac stretching for miles, Dean’s over-laden 186cc
engine had to work hard, often flat out in first and second gear. Standard practice on such climbs
was for Dean to wave me and Tracy ahead. I tried not to ride too fast because I didn’t want to
leave him far behind or corner faster than Tracy was comfortable on the hulking Maico.
Half way up the mountain my water-cooled Honda engine started to overheat. It normally runs
at 65C but suddenly it had moved beyond 100C because I’d been riding gently using low revs. At
such reduced speeds insufficient air is forced through the radiator near my toes. Instead I
discovered that the best way to cool it was to ride faster up the mountain and rev the engine
more, forcing the water pump to do its job of circulating the coolant. This was the first time ever
that thrashing my scooter was the solution to a mechanical issue.
Once over the 1,300-metre crest of the Soboth Pass, and following Dean at our regulation
57mph, we were passed by a trio of Austrian bikers on BMWs. I decided to tag onto the back of
them for a little fun, dropping a couple of gears to quickly get up to their speed. These were not
crazy superbike riders but owners of middleweight touring bikes that were being ridden
competently, but far below their limits. If riding solo I’d have delighted in overtaking them mid-
corner, but with a passenger and luggage this was not the time or place. Instead I settled for
blasting past on the straight, down a large hill. Sam made a point of resting his elbow on the
bags strapped to the rear of the scooter and looking nonchalantly towards them when we
overtook, as if all this was perfectly normal. For him, it is.
The bikers took being burned-off by an old Lambretta in good spirits, or at least the third one
did as he gave us a thumbs-up when we pulled over to wait for the others. Racing bikes may be
immature, but it keeps you young at heart.
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