Last of Cameroon

Taking it all a part.  Manual to the left.

The first morning in Limbe I was up bright and early.  Eager for a gorgeous day on the beach.  Not so lucky.  I had a broken bike to fix. 

My first job was to get my flat battery on a charger, and look for a replacement. Found a charging place easily enough, this time I would leave it on a slow charge for a full day.  Give it the best chance possible to magically come back to life.  The replacement battery was not to be.  There where many available but the reserve capacity was not enough.  I convinced some guys to look around town and I would check in with them later the day.

My second job was research.  My bike manual has very little information about the charging system and even less about testing it.  If I wanted to know more I had to be able to trouble shoot.  A couple of hours with my best friend Google did the trick.  I now had a better idea about the workings off the system and slightly better tests.

My motorbike’s charging system has three main components.

Stunning coast

(If you are more electronically inclined than me don’t bother with the next bit)
The obvious one is the battery.  It holds spare electricity that the bike uses, especially when starting the bike.  My bike only has a electronic start, I need electricity to start it,  This uses a phenomenal amount of charge, so I need a certain amount of reserve capacity to run my starter a few times without deep discharging the batteries.  Such deep discharges are very bad for any battery and severely shortens it’s lifespan.  The battery is very prone to damage and a hard nock can easily kill it, causing it to loose it’s charge either completely or very quickly.  A dead battery is by far the easiest part to change of the system.  A healthy 12v battery has a charge of about 13.2 – 13.5v, my bike can’t start on a charge off less than 12.8v, and can’t run on a charge of less than about 12.2v.  Strange but true.
Second is the alternator.  Basically three electronic coils spinning inside or around a magnet.  This produces an electromagnetically induced current in the three wires.  This current is a garbled mess and the bike cannot use it.  This is where the last part the regulator comes in.  I couldn’t find a proper way to test the alternator, and my bike’s is very hard to reach.  Luckily they have a good reputation and are usually the last of the three to give problems.
Thirdly is the regulator.  It accepts the garbled mess the alternator generates.  Combines the three currents and kicks out a smooth single DC current that charges the battery.  It should kick out a charging current off about 14-15v, and increasing the refs should increase this, to just under 15v.  The regulators used be one of the weaker parts on the older versions of my bikes, but are more reliable on mine.  It sits in a relatively exposed place and can die with a hard knock.  A dying regulator either gives to strong a charging current (>15v) effectively frying the battery, or to little (<14v) and the battery doesn’t charge properly until it runs flat.  The regulator is a pretty specialised part, easy to get in the UK or SA, but not here.  There are a couple big bikes that use the same regulator, but you won’t find many of them in this part of Africa.

I didn’t have a charged battery to run the tests, wouldn’t have one until the following morning.  So I started with basics.  I needed to figure out my bikes wiring diagram,  to the untrained eye it looks impossibly complex.  While doing this I also checked all the wires, switches and connections for any thing that might cause them to function sub optimally.  Naturally my first focus was the charging system.  This took forever.  I found a few places with some corrosion, but not really enough to cause the system to die.  I cleaned every important connection until it looked brand spanking new.  Hard job, and I didn’t finish until nightfall.

So much for a relaxing day on the beach.  Gorgeous grilled seafood for dinner was the perfect consolation prize.  Again.

The next day I had my newly charged battery.  Nobody could find a new replacement, but everyone promised I would find one on Douala.  Not putting my hopes on it, but worth a try.
Testing the battery it seemed ok.  Charge just below normal.  Not behaving like a dead battery, but not like a good healthy one either.

Next test was for a leak in the system, a possible reason for a discharging battery.  Found one.

How the hell am I going to find a leak in the wiring system.  I tried to narrow the possible cause down by unplugging the fuses one by one.  Result.  The bikes electronic circuit.  Aw man,  the most complex system on the bike.  Lady luck wasn't being kind to me.  I spend most off the day trying to find the problem.  It turned out to be somewhere in the dashboard.  I traced it until I reached the electronic circuit board, and couldn't go further. It’s not a huge leak, and not enough to kill the system, but might just be enough to push a dying system over the edge.

Next I tested the regulator, was kicking out less than 14v.  Bad sign.  And when I increase the refs the current decreases.  Even worse.  I tried the same test with Mortens good battery, slightly better results but still below normal.  Looks like a dying regulator.  This could be bad.  Not a disaster, but bad.  I wasn’t ready to give up on the whole system so I decided to give the bike a test run the next day.

And another gorgeous beach day past without setting a foot on the beach.  Again the freshly grilled seafood made up for it.

The next morning the charge on my battery was significantly less.  Either the leak, or the battery is also dying.  Not enough to kill the system, but again maybe just enough to push a dying system over the edge.  Why does everything have to be so complicated?

Testing voltages the African way

Initially the test run didn’t go much better either, my running voltages where well below 14v. But at least they where steady, and not decreasing.  The battery was slowly charging.  Whoop, whoop.  After about 80 kilometres things where slowly increasing.  Result. And after 150 kilometres I was just touching 14v. WOW.

I had no idea why but the charging system started looking better.  Not perfect, and most of the time just below normal, but good enough to run the bike.  The important thing was that at least the system wasn’t dying anymore.  But for how long?

Strangely my neutral light now goes on every time I use the clutch.  Doesn’t matter what gear I’m in, if I use the clutch the light goes on.  All the testing was leaving me with more questions than answers.  One of the symptoms of a dying battery is electronics going haywire (not a clue why), I needed a new battery to see if it would make any difference.

That afternoon I finally had my first swim in the sea.  Was fantastic, and the first time since Gambia.  Feels like years ago, but it’s only been about two months. 

Guess what I had for dinner?  Grilled seafood.  Just couldn’t get enough!

That Sunday afternoon we set off for Douala.  My best bet for a new battery.  We had four days in Limbe and I barely saw the beach.  Definitely didn’t get the R&R I so much needed, but at least my bike was running ok, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh seafood on offer.

The boys from Prague, engine on the floor.

Douala was good for two things.  A new battery, not exactly the capacity I needed, but good enough.  And a ragging hangover.  Both just what the doctor ordered.  Late the afternoon we set off for Yaoundé.  The capital and our next visa stop. 

The road there was beautiful new tarmac and went through gorgeous thick forests.  The sunset through the forest was just amazing.  But most importantly it was a nice long stretch for my newly settled charging system.  And it behaved well.   Still running just below normal, but it’s ok.  Between Limbe and Yaoundé I did more than 500 kilometres on the recharged battery.  Before Limbe it was dead after 150 kilometres.  But I still didn’t know why things looked better.

The Skoda.

Our first job in Yaoundé was the dreaded DRC visa.  Normally easy, but just DRC had their elections and the results where not yet out.  A lot of people around here think the things are going to be very bad in DRC once the results are released.  This effectively froze visas until who knows when.  Over the last couple months visas have become harder and harder to get, and by now there where lots of rumours that we wouldn’t be able to get them.
But trying never hurt anyone.  The first time me and Morten went and we where told to come back the next day.  Sometimes in Africa this was a polite refusal, but we would be there first thing the next morning.  Morten and Dominique then went to apply for their Gabon visas.  Surprisingly I didn’t need one, so I used the time to get my new battery charged and to give my bike some TLC. 

Starting the Skoda, old school with a crank.

Since I found a little corrosion on some switches and connections I bought some electrical contact cleaner. The idea was to get it all in ship shape condition.  I also wanted to solve the mystery of the neutral light going on when I use my clutch.  Needless to say the fiddly electronics kept me busy for the rest of the day.  When I finally had everything back together I turned on the bike and my neutral light was behaving normally.  Don’t know why, but result.  When I started the bike…

NOTHING HAPPENED.

Lights go on, fuel pump works… Everything looks ok.  But when I press the starter…

NOTHING.

 

Not even an attempt at starting.

WTF?

I desperately ran through all the obvious things…

Still nothing.

Tried again…

Nothing

And again…

Nothing…

AAAGGGHHHH!!!!

I couldn’t believe this.  A whole day of TLC on the bike and then this.

I was gutted.  Worse, it felt like it ripped my heart and guts out. 
If just been bitch slapped so hard my balls hurt… by a motorbike.

So much time and so much effort and for the second time in a week my bike is dead.
I knew the most likely cause would be a slightly loose or poorly fitting connection, that I could solve, but it was also the first time I heard a slight panic in Morten’s voice.  I should have panicked, but what’s the use.  I was way to fed up to bother. 

A good meal, an ice cold bear and a good night’s sleep make a lot of things better, and by the next morning I was ready to start again.  But first was our DRC visa application.

This time Dominik came with, we needed his best persuasive French.  He was good, a sweet talker, but this would test him.  We arrived at the embassy bright and early. Too early.  Only the gate guard was there, but he let us in and we waited patiently.  Dominik speaking French seemed to to the trick, as the staff arrived they where much friendlier than the previous day.  We even managed to hand in our applications.  One step closer…

I had no choice but to tackle the bike again.  I was determined not to let this beat me.  This time I was even more thorough than before.  Every electronic component I touched was cleaned, reconnected and tested.  Everything remotely connected to the starter had the same treatment.

It wasn't until late the afternoon that I had everything back together.
And I tried again…

It started… First time… WHOOP WHOOP!!

A week after it all started I finally had a running bike and a new fully charged battery.
Was a phenomenal hard slog, but I did it!!

While I was fighting with the bike, Morten and Dominik went to see the DRC ambassador.  They where armed with maps of our route and ready to charm the pants off the guy.  I don’t know how, but it worked.  They returned with 30 day visas for DRC.  Initially the ambassador was very reluctant, but somehow they convinced him.  Because off the new visa restrictions they are not actually allowed to give one so we had some conditions to the visa.  The first one being that weren’t allowed to tell anyone we got it in Yaoundé (Shhh, don’t tell), and secondly we had to stay out of the Kinshasa, the capital.  We didn’t mind, we where ecstatic to have it.

Now we only need one more visa.  Angola.  Still a mountain to climb. Morton and I both thought we could apply in Yaoundé, but we couldn’t. There is no Angolan embassy in Yaoundé.  Idiots.  The mountain would have to wait for Libreville.

Just 48 hours after entering Yaoundé we had all our visas.  Morten and Dominik managed to get both the DRC and Gabon visas in that short time.  They where on good form. We where ready to leave, but here our plans split a little.

They where ready for Gabon, but I wasn’t.  Firstly I still wanted to test my new battery and the newly settled charging system some more before I hit Central Africa.  I was especially keen to see how everything would handle on rough gravel, until now I only tested on good tarmac.  Secondly I still desperately needed some R&R, after the past week’s rollercoaster I needed a short break. We decided to split up for a few days.  Morten and Dominik heading for Gabon, and I would go to Kribi.  Cameroon’s other well known beach resort.

Kribi

I've been in Kribi for a few days now.  What a great place.  The small hotel I’m staying in is right on the beach.  The waves breaking 20 meters from the bar terrace.  Gorgeous view and stunning sunsets. The seafood is great and the beer ice cold. Perfect place for R&R.

I’ve done test runs with both batteries, on both  tarmac and gravel.  Everything seems settled.  I still have a small current leak, but it’s ok.  I still don’t know why everything crashed, but probably never will.  Moon Head Hill was probably the killer.  The whole system runs just below normal, but it’s good enough.  I think the regulator is a little shot, fingers crossed it lasts until Southern Africa.  But it’s not a problem until it breaks.  I will carry both the old and new battery until I am more certain things will last.

So much luxury

I've also met some fantastic people here.

An Ausie/SA couple who are a few months into a 2 year journey criss-crossing Africa. Lucky people.   Great people and a wealth of information for about Gabon, Congo and Angola.

And two guys form Prague also doing the Western route to SA.  In a 1968 Skoda.  Unbelievable.  The amount of problems they have had is phenomenal, when I arrived here they had the whole engine out on the grass and where covered in grease.  They’ve lost wheels, nearly every component broke at least once, the starter is broken so they have to use a crank when they can’t run start.  But they are so light hearted about everything.  Nothing gets them down and they just laugh about all their follies.  Brilliant.   I actually briefly met them in Yaoundé but was so caught up in my issues I missed them.  Their attitude to trouble is  fantastic and I can  learn a lot from them.

Alone in the forest

I am really looking forward to Central Africa.  It seems like the only bit that might still be deepest darkest Africa.  But I doubt it.  Will have to wait and see.  The forests of Cameroon have been an amazing sight and I’m really keen for proper equatorial forest.  Never seen it in my life.  I also get to cross the equator somewhere in Gabon.  A lot to look forward to.

Update : I’m safely in Gabon.  Another easy border crossing, on both sides.  Not even a hint at a bribe.  Again.  My luck seems to be holding.