THE lAST WoRD

JUNE 2021 Book review - 2UP AND OVERLOADED

Cindy Bennett, Member #4170

If you are looking for an enjoyable motorbike adventure read – written in a witty and engaging style then look no further than “2Up and Overloaded” by Tim Notier. Tim and Marissa Notier quit their jobs in Chicago, brought a KTM 1190 bike and set off on an adventure. This book takes them from Chicago to Panama and there are plenty of interesting, harrowing and downright hilarious exploits which make this an easy and entertaining read. From having his bike nearly stolen before the trip to encounters with angry bears in the USA and smog-spewing trucks in Mexico they are an intrepid pair of adventurers who roll with the punches and pack a lot of cultural experiences into their travel – and isn’t that what it’s all about! Here is an except from a chapter titled “Naked and Afraid” and chronicles an issue of contention with the KTM dealer that did a service on the 1190 before heading off on the trip: “We were in Meade, Kansas on a Sunday afternoon. We’d stopped for lunch at a Subway and I was doing my standard walk around of the bike to be sure nothing was blatantly wrong. But something was blatantly wrong. “Houston we have a problem” I told Marissa. She got off the phone to her mother and came running over. I pointed to where the chain had been eating into the rear tire on the bike, leaving long, sweeping gouges in the sidewall. I stared at it for half an hour at different angles as people walked up wondering what I was doing. The chain did not align with the guide from the sprocket and kept wanting to pull right, directly into the tire. One of the onlookers introduced himself as Tracy and said he thought the sprocket was installed on the wrong side of the assembly. “It just doesn’t look like it’s on the correct side. That’s the only variable that would affect the chain’s misalignment by the same spacing as the plate”, Tracy stated; he seemed like he knew what he was talking about. But that couldn’t be it I thought. It had just been installed by a KTM dealership the week before. Maybe it was the lack of a spacer, or worn bearings, or the axle wasn’t tightened all the way. I wasn’t sure.

“I downloaded the repair manual that has all the schematic PDF’s on my laptop”, I said. I broke out my laptop right there in the parking lot and looked at the breakdown of the sprocket assembly, and sure enough, the bastards installed it on the wrong side of the hub. A KTM Dealer! A place of business that specializes in the functionality of the very bike I owned....” What follows is the kindness of the stranger welcoming Tim and Marissa to his workshop to fix the issue and then a passionate exchange between Tim and the KTM Dealer – I won’t spoil the tale. You will just have to read the book to find out more. Duncan and I have both enjoyed reading this book which is being donated to the Club Library and will be at the June meeting for passing onto Jane the Librarian in case you want to take the opportunity for a funny, inspiring read.