Oregon to Ushuaia on an XR650L

Hey Ulyses, I'm one of Justin's buddies from Oregon. Thanks for taking care of him, and for a great thread so far. It makes me very happy to see those stickers I made being passed around. Never imagined they'd get this much use, especially on a different continent! Great work man. Looking forward to meeting you when you're back in the states! Cheers.

Good mileage you got out of those Avon's. Mine still have quite a bit of life left, but I have no idea when they were put on.

How do you think those Pirelli's will hold up?

Brown Falcon

I ride Scorpions. I am maybe 3,000 miles into them, still going. Warning: You will slip on wet grass, mud, gravel. They are really only for asphalt. When they finally wear out I will go to semi-knobbies.

Yeah, the Avon Distenzias are nice for the street and do okay on gravel, but anything else and they leave you wanting...

I'm stepping up to more of a 50/50 tire next time. Not full on knobby, but more in that direction.

OK, Medellin looks awesome! I am on my way If you are still there...see you in two days!

full blown knobbies on the big pig are a lot of fun.

"Farkles" are gay. Mods are OK.

But seriously, over 2 years and 50,000 miles, the only real issues I had with my 990 were aftermarket mods as well. There may be a lesson in there somewhere, dont mod too much I guess. For me the Rekluse clutch was the exception. A "big bike" untested and well used mod that performed flawlessly for me. I was lucky that it was such a well made and reliable product.

Glad Al pointed you to Frederico's shop, good guys there. Dont forget to go on a Sunday ride with with those crazy guys.

I also could live in Medellin quite easily, and I'm not a city boy. Still might make that happen someday. There is just something about the place. Until then I will continue to ride snow machines and freeze my ass off here in Alaska.

In regard to the knobby comment, in my humble and not so experienced opinion, you will want them for Peru and Bolivia. Not essential, but you will be happy if you have them. Dont take the Pan Am through those countries, there is so much awesome stuff to experience there far away from the well worn gringo trail. If you have a hair on your ass, you will ride the Lagunas route in the Bolivian altiplano. Dont miss that, under any circumstances.

For Peru, there is a guy named Cristian that owns a hotel in Baños, Ecuador. Klaus from Casa Helbling in Quito, Ecuador pointed me to him. Nobody in town likes him, and everyone knows him. Cristian recommended some really good stuff in Peru.

Enjoy Colombia, ride around and go see as much stuff as you can there. Its a country well worth the time.

OK. I'll shut the fuck up now and quit giving you unsolicited advice. It's youre ride, enjoy.

Buen viaje, Vin

Spud, I went back to Frederico's shop today and checked it out. We had used .12mm for the intake and .15mm for the Exhaust! I whipped everything off and we tightened it up to the specs, thanks a ton for the post!

I'll admit, the bike was a tad bit warm when we did it though. The mechanic said it would be okay. I rode it for maybe 2 min to get to the shop. Think that will cause a problem?

Also, thanks again for the no toil recap. I just finished oiling it. I used a hand dryer at the local KFC to dry it out.

I don't doubt that, but I commute on mine 5 days a week for school, so I would hate to wear down a set of knobs on the street.

Hola Bryce!

Awesome report... And great hooking up with you in Cartagena the other day. Like the "can't say enough nice things about these people" line hah haha!

Jeff: thanks for the beard love.. I got Isabel to shave her tache as it was starting to get a bit out of control.

Are you still in Medellin? Let us know if you are still about. Got in this afternoon. What a road that is coming over the mountains..

Byron

No worries man, I know he would have done the same from me.

I'm trying to keep your stickers on the circut! I'm trying to keep up Justin's tradition of giving mustaches to everyone on a bike!

Vin,

Keep the advice coming! I've been flying blind. Absolutely no planning whatsover. I totally rely on other people to tell me about the good spots.

About the tires; I was thinking about getting some knobbies and swapping them out when I hit peru, but I'm already overloaded as it is. Do you think it's worth it to carry the extra weight? I'm not going to ditch these Scorpions just after I got them...

Bro, I'm still here! I'm staying at the Shamrock Irish Pub in the El Poblado neighborhood. I may or may not leave tomorrow, depending on some things with a feeler gauge I'm trying to locate. Hit me up on email!

No need to ditch the scorps, but when you hit Peru I would get a front MT-21 and spoon it on. If the front scorp is still good, you could carry it around for 6 or 7000 miles until the MT-21 wears out. That front scorp has a soft sidewall and you might get sick of the pinch flats.

I've always been a fan of running a mullet for distance travel, front knobby, rear DS tire. I did run full knobbies in Bolivia, but that was the only time. Not absolutely necessary, but I could really get on the gas with confidence so it was worth it.

For Colombia, there is a ride that I thought was really awesome. From Manizales there is a dirt road that goes to Parque de los Nevados. Dont take the highway, thats for wimps.

This is the road and its worth doing.



Could be just a little muddy, but not a big deal, its mostly a very fun two track.





When you get up to the park, take the road to Murillo, the town that time completely forgot about. Another kick ass ride.





You could run into Colombianas with big hooters.



If you want some route ideas for Peru and Bolivia, just shoot me a PM and I'll give you what I have. It was fun, thats for sure.

Day 68
Medellin, Colombia
Day's Ride: 34 Miles



Another day in Medellin. I'm beginning to understand why crashmaster got stuck here.

Woke up early to get to the shop and do some more work on the bike, but ended up going to breakfast with Al and his awesome German Shepherd, Missy. We discussed the finer points of the Colombian Civil War, American Politics, and Gun Control. Apparently the FARC are in peace talks with the Colombian government right now; I guess they're getting tired of living in the jungle. But seriously, the Colombian Government has been putting the hurt on the leftist guerrillas for the past ten years and they know that their days are numbered, hence their willingness to call for a cease fire and attend peace talks. Ironically, the Colombian Government agreed to the peace talks, but not the cease fire. So they're still out in the jungle hunting guerrillas. This is all according to Al, so don't quote me on that.

After breakfast, Al fired up his Norton 850 Commando and we rode over to Frederico's Shop so I could adjust my chain with weight on the bike and attach my bottle cages to the Pelican cases.

Frederico is awesome! He gave me total run of his shop and let me use his tools. I drilled some holes in the Pelican Cases that Justin sold me, and attached my bottle cages.





Gas goes in the red one, oil in the brown.

Next up I had Frederico's guys wash my bike. Frederico's shop has it's own little detailing station and they do a hell of a job; all for $6!





The old XRL hasn't been this clean since.....well, since me and my brother bought it!

I also needed some more tools, a new ratchet strap, and a feeler gage. I told Frederico and he told me that he would send his runner out to get them for me and I could go take a ride and then pick them up when I got back. It just keeps getting better and better.

I headed back to the Shamrock and asked Al if he wanted to go for a quick ride. Unfortunately, he had just gotten back from rallying his Norton through the hills above Medellin. However, he insisted that I take the Norton out for a spin. So I obliged!





Al's a pretty brave dude to let a total stranger go ride his Norton around the city, especially considering that are probably only about three of these things in all of Colombia. Don't tell him, but I did a couple of wheelies....just kidding Al.

After bringing the Norton back to Al (in once piece of course), I put on my new armor and took the XRL out for a spin.



I feel like a lost storm-trooper wearing that white pressure suit. There's a great road running out of Medellin that climbs a few thousand feet up into the hills on the outskirts of town. Great curves, solid pavement, and an amazing view of the city!



I eventually topped out at an amazing overlook for the city:









After riding back down, I got hopelessly lost in the city. Medellin is a pretty big city. I eventually asked a couple of kids on 125cc Pulsars for directions. They pointed it out for me, then started trying to impress me by pulling some pretty big wheelies in traffic.



I was pretty well impressed.

I finally made it back to the Shamrock where it was time for pictures with the staff. Zach, the manager, is from South Carolina. He's a stand up dude and will definitely take care of you if you stay here.



Last order of business for the day was a little air filter maintenance. Spud Rider pointed me in the right direction with the no-toil filter oil and cleaner. It comes our real fast without having to use a solvent or gas. This is the before picture:



And then I forgot to take an "after" picture.

After I had cleaned it up and rinsed out the soap, I walked over to the local KFC and spent about ten minutes getting to know the hand dryer:



If you are every in a hurry to dry something out and can't find a hair dryer, just go find an American fast food chain and step into the W.C.!

I am kind of disappointed. About the bike being washed that is.

Those Pelicans are some much nicer.

Columbians with big hooters! I knew this report was missing something until now!

When the engine warms up the metal expands, and the valve clearances are tighter than they would be with a cold engine. That's why it's recommended to adjust the valve lash on a stone cold engine. However, since you tightened the valves a little, you should be okay. Also, the engine doesn't get that hot on a two-minute ride.

I'm glad I could help you with your air filter maintenance. Your air filter definitely needed to be cleaned.



A clean air filter will allow your engine to run better, especially at high altitudes. Since cleaning the No-Toil Evolution filter oil from the air filter is so easy, you are wise to keep your air filter clean. Be careful so you don't damage the glue seams in your air filter with too much heat under the hand driers. However, if you don't burn your hands, you probably won't harm the glue seams.

I'm enjoying your ride report. Thanks for taking the time to post so often.

Spud

Bryce, you probably know this, but I just want to make sure. When you clean the Uni air filter, you should remove it from the cage. Pull up on the black, plastic "button" at the center of the filter cage. After you pull the "button" completely off its post, remove the "button" from the air filter. Once the "button" is removed, you can pull the cage out of one side of the air filter. Now the foam element is free from the cage, and you can squeeze the foam in your cleaning solution, completely removing all the dirt.

After the air filter is dry, you can add the new filter oil. Hold the clean air filter with the opening facing upward, and stick a convenient finger through the "button" hole. Plugging the hole with your finger will keep the No-Toil filter oil from running out when you pour it into the air filter. Pour some No-Toil Evolution filter oil into the opening, and massage it completely into the foam. When the foam is pretty well saturated, squeeze the foam into a ball with your hands until some excess filter oil is removed. When the foam is saturated with filter oil, but very little excess oil can be squeezed out, you have correctly oiled the filter with the right amount of oil. Now you can set the air filter aside on some newspaper to dry completely, until the No-Toil filter oil becomes tacky.

After the filter oil becomes tacky, slide the filter cage back into one side of the foam element. Then re-install the "button" in the small hole. Finally, push the "button" back onto the center post, and the air filter is reassembled. Now you can re-install the air filter in your bike.

Spud

I say this with all due respect(that means you can say anything and its okay(Ricky Bobby)) but my brother is slow and needs to be told these kind of things repeatedly. Thank you spud for helping a child in need.