Is it smart to keep some spares back home boxed and ready to ship in case of failure? I am thinking rear shocks, clutches, ecms, fuel pump, magneto, wheels. A lot of that stuff an be bought cheaply on fleabay when not in a hurry but can be a huge expĂȘnse/pita if you need one in a pinch? How is shipping from the US to SA?
I ride a Hyosung, strictly in the Great Lakes states, and the two parts dealers I am familiar with are in AZ and Maine. I am debating the same question, do I buy spare cables, etc and carry them around? Looking forward to ADV wisdom on this topic.
We rode two Suzuki DR650's from Los Angeles to Tierra Del Fuego, all I really had to do was gap 2 spark plugs. Take a well maintained reliable bike and don't crash it.
The problem with getting parts when you need them is as much with the time it takes to get them through customs. Also keep in mind that at least in Peru your not allowed to ship in used parts. I had to classify them as tools and machinery parts then provide an invoice to get my parts.
not the worst idea but one that may leave you with a bunch of parts at the end of the day. i guess you could always sell them on flea bay as well. as for shipping, using commercial couriers may be the most convenient and DHL will almost always be the cheapest. however, using a country specific courier will most likely be better. i recently shipped a bunch of parts to a friend in peru using www.perucourier.com. 50% cheaper than using DHL and they handled all of the customs BS AND delivered the parts to cusco. the whole deal took about one week. another benefit to using a courier like peru courier is that you can buy online and ship directly to their offices. they will forward it on to the destination labeled appropriately. and yes, steam turbine is right about the no used parts deal to certain countries.
I'm not sure why I'd be any better off having boxed parts sitting at home than I'd be having boxed parts sitting at a reliable parts store, accessible by Skype from anywhere in the world. In the first case I spend over a thousand dollars ordering up stuff I hope not to use, then box it up separately, label it, find a way to store it, enlist a friend to promise they'll run down to DHL on a moment's notice and front me the shipping fees . In the preferred version, I call my favorite aftermarket parts dealer (Arrowhead Motor Sports in Moab, as it happens) and HE drops everything to ship only the parts I actually need, because that's his business and he does it every day of the week, all year long. In reality, I carry a bunch of easy, obvious parts (brake shoes, cables, a few bearings and seals) and locally source the rest. When something major goes wrong I'm basically screwed no matter where or what, since as pointed out above the main impediment to getting parts shipped to Latin America is usually the local aduana, not the shipper or shipping company in the States. Hope that's helpful. Mark
By the way, I bought a round trip airline ticket from Lima to LAX, bought a complete used transmission from eBay, paid to ship the transmission from Kentucky to California, then returned to Lima and paid $38 taxes on my "tool" for 2/3 the cost quoted just for parts at the Lima BMW dealership, and got them faster.
Make sure the bike is up to date on its maintenance and you've gone through everything from the brakes pads, cables etc. Replace anything that looks problematic . If your bike has a particular history of Hall Sensor or Fuel controllers, fuel filters and maybe a few more smaller items, then I would just carry the spare part that is known to be an issue. No I wouldn't carry a spare BMW rear end, if I was worried about that I would likely have a spare one at home boxed up that could be shipped. From reading a lot of ride reports, the things that do a rider in were either known at the outset or should have been known as problem area's. Bottom line is know your bike and have it in tip top shape before you head out.
I did this with a clutch, flywheel, new set of Jesse side cases, and a set of TKC's. I ordered them from Beemer Boneyard, then I flew home to Wisconsin from Panama, packed everything in a couple of boxes, and flew back to Panama with them. The BMW dealership in Panama let me use their shop to rebuild my bike, and then I rode on to Ushuaia.
If you have someone to help you in the US ship to you via DHL i'd say don't bother. Versys correct? Ask to see if there are parts that are known to fail and bring with you, otherwise put all new bearings, iridium spark plugs, fork seals & oil, brake pads, chain (used the best DID) & sprockets, cables (clutch & throttle), tires on the bike. Use the highest quality syn oil (so so you go longer w/o a change). Flush the brake fluid. Adjust the valves. Lube the suspension and head bearings. Check and locktite all the bolts. Put a 150-17" K60 rear tire on the bike and figure out where to get the next one. Bring spare bearings, fork seals, oil filters, brake pads, light bulbs, & the old cables all with you. Ride slower than you need to, to conserve the bike. Don't overload. Don't ride at night nor drink and ride. Find secure parking/hotel each night then walk to go out. Bring a small bike cover, long cable lock and motion alarm/disc lock. Every morning take a few minutes to inspect your bike for issues! Catch them early. If you have a mechanical then deal with the parts then from the US. Reach out to your Versys forum guys for sourcing things quickly. Post your RR on those Versys forum boards so you have a built in following of guys who will quickly come to your help if need be. You may be stuck in a spot for a week but roll with and know it's a vacation and adventure. Like anything, if you prep properly then things tend to go smoothly. Have a good funded credit card that can be used in a pinch for a flight back. After you've prepped the best you can, have a great trip and don't think about what could go wrong.
Sounds like perfect advice to me especially since you ride a Versys. That bike should go 10K to 15K miles without anything but gas and oil. Never rode with any spare parts on the Wee-strom or the Goldwing. Always carried a spare final drive on the R1200GS Adv anywhere over 100 miles from my garage! With the WR-X I just carry a spare fuel-pump, brake pads, tire plugs and a 17" tube. Hardest part is carrying the correct tools since you'll probably be nowhere near a shop of any kind when a breakdown occurs. I used a lawnmower shop recently here in Mexico for tools and they didn't have any quality tools like we're used to in US shops. I also carry a modified version of the JCR toolkit http://store.jcrhonda.com/products/johnny-campbell-replica-tool-kit-deluxe-version I highly doubt you'll have any problems on the Versys if you follow eakin's advice.
