Arriving in Port Klang after dark is not a culturally enriching experience. This city serves principally to provide for Malaysia's largest port operation - Port Klang. A brief night's rest in the Euro Hotel refreshed us for a meeting with the feight forwarding agent the following morning.
It was hilarious to observe the trepidationt that we were met with the following morning by the freight services manager and her assistant as they arrived at the hotel to collect us. The assistant had been instructed to accompnmay her because she was meeting three 'bikes' and it might be dangerous on her own. She did not recognise us at first because she was looking for zz-top beards and oil-stained clothing. It caused much mirth in the car enroute to the freighr depot after she realised that we were not really likely to offer her drugs or terrorise the staff.
Despite an efficient freight operation, the forklift had been less than kind to my motorcycle crate. and the frame has been substantially damaged. Removing the securing bolts became a war of attrition, with the blood flowing freely from cuts inflicted by the sharp steel.
Reassambly of the bikes was scheduled for two hours but stretched to nearly three as we dealt with flat batteries and other minor annoyances. The largest of these was the discovery that Ty's bike had absolutely no brake pad left on the front brakes, so little that it was rubbing on the backing plate. This was disappointing, having paid hundreds of dollars to The Bike Doctor in North Perth to have the bikes comprehensively services prior to shipping. Brakes are a pretty fundamental part of that process, and we wasted precious time sourcing brake pads from a nearby dealership. Interestingly, if you look at the frame of the KLR650 motorcycle it states that the bike is 'Made in Thailand' and parts were readily available.
It was early afternoon before the bikes were finally ready to roll, GPS was tracking, and we headed north on the expressway.
