Dushanbe

Up very early. Dave’s bike still not running right. Tried cleaning up the carb enricher which was a bit dirty inside. No real difference. Swapped in my carb, bike runs fine. Compared carbs side by side. Checked everything. Found a tiny beetle in the float chamber. Maybe that was the culprit. Also adjusted a screw that does god knows what to make it the same as mine. Carb back in, bike seems to be running. Fit temporary air filter made from mesh pocket of tent. Still running ok. Could we really be ok now? Was it that tiny beetle blocking the fuel jet? Off we go, up to the Anzob tunnel, and Dave’s bike runs perfectly. The tunnel is frightening. 5km of pitch black half-built road, thick with exhaust fumes and nothing but deep, water filled potholes. It’s a nerve wracking ride but we make it through, and most of the rest of the way to Dushanbe is good new tarmac. Dave runs out of juice and has to switch to reserve. In the city, i make an illegal left turn right in front of some cops. They pull up over, we act dumb until they get bored and let us go. We find the guest house and allow the relief of having a working bike to sink in.