Stuck in La Paz, Baja

The #1 post on this thread was from a user who was new, and it was his first post. He's since made one more post, and then...nothing.

The OP has a presence elsewhere on the internet, and posted a link for anyone interested. Not everyone is attached at the hip to ADVrider.

As for donating: anyone choosing to do so can research or question until they've got enough information to satisfy themselves....preferably before sending money rather than after. It doesn't look like anything's being hidden in this case, so just decide whether you want to offer support and act accordingly.

Mark

A lot of good advice given. I too, was curious to see what the outcome was so followed Mark's advice and clicked the link back on the first page. So you don't have to waste time it came down to:

(quote)"Update Sept 30th

"Things are moving so slowly here. The mechanic found the parts we needed in Cabo and they got delivered a few days ago. They’ve fixed the camshaft issue, but when they started it up, something was still wrong, so they opened the KLR back up and found a broken piston."
"Things are progressing, but not at a pace we can appreciate at this point. Garages seldom seem to be open when the hours claim they’ll be and we’ve learned that the word “Maybe” here actually means, “Not a chance.” We’ve now been in La Paz for one full week. We meant to be in Guatemala by now."
"On a happier note, the response from our supporters has been incredible. The prayers, encouragement, and contributions to our indiegogo campaign have definitely made it clear that we will make it through this and continue our journey… the issue is just how long will it be until we’re moving again (and how much will the time lost here change our final destination)."
(endquote)


I see that they have raised 3900 bucks on an indiegogo campaign, so I imagine everything will work out fine.
On a seperate note, I was thinking what I would do in a similar situation with a bike that went tits up in La Paz. Being mechanically inclined, I think I would drop the motor, box it up, duct tape it to a small collapsible hand truck or somesuch, lift it into the back seat of a taxi, catch a ride to the bus station, take the bus to the border, walk it across the border, call or IM somebody like Vince/Crashmaster who would know someone in San Diego area with a garage space to take the motor apart and fix it, or buy a good used motor on craigslist if one was around (less likely). Then reverse the process to get back to La Paz.

With all the Kawasaki parts dealers in SoCal, I imagine it would take a week, two tops. It will be interesting to see how the OP fares. My guess is my way is quicker. And you get to meet a lot of nice ADVriders. I know I would lend a hand if some poor sod broke down out here in BF Nebraska and needed my garage to tear apart his bike.

When the plan falls apart the adventure begins. Easy to remember now. Things always work out and you usually meet interesting and helpful people after you finish cursing your effing bike on the side of the road.

Cheers,
John Downs

On the other hand, your way might not attract prayers, encouragement and (not least) $3900 in contributions while facilitating a stay in La Paz.

Good point, Mark.

I get a sense you don't hand out money to alkies and addicts at the stoplight who "will work for food".

I, on the other hand am poor and lacking moral fiber and intend to put a donate button on a website if I can figure out how before I head to South America later this month. It pains me to beg, but desperate times and all. I need a fix bad.

Kindest regards,
John Downs

John, my chosen vocation consists largely of giving until thoroughly emptied, and much of my spare time and discretionary income is taken up running an NGO I started on another continent. If that means I've got little sympathy to spare for someone posting here who by all indications doesn't take sufficient responsibility for himself, well..... I don't mean to sound harsh, but like a lot of stuff, it's mainly about priorities: mine, yours and the OP's.

I'll add only that I tend to feel more compassionate towards those who put consistent effort into helping others, whatever form that might take, and who offer evidence they've learned from mistakes and will not merely crave further help a few miles, countries or months down the road.

Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

Mark

Yes, pretty much the way I feel, although you put it more eloquently. And goodonya for devoting your time to helping others. The older I get the more I look back and realize that the times I gave selflessly to others are some of the most rewarding memories.

I do love reading Latin American threads that go off the rails in my spare time though. I now know that Indiegogo is NOT Swahili for NGO.

Best,
John Downs

Looks as if the proper groove is back...:)

Good thing.

how is it going?, found this one in Guadalajara http://tequiladezert.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6589

It sold. Not a bad price by mexican standards.

Thanks again for the advice.

Alright, here's what's happened. The mechanic, Luis at Baja Motos, found the parts we
needed in Cabo (why he didn't find them earlier, we're not sure, but that's ok) and had
them delivered. What was going to cost about $1,880 (shipping was going to be $380) to have
shipped from Florida then only cost about $300 and the possible 2 weeks of waiting for the
parts reduced to 1 day.

He replaced the camshaft and there was still a problem. The bike didn't make it on the
ferry and was instead brought back to the shop in a truck. Turns out the camshaft
sprocket's pin somehow got out of place and wore away at the inside of the sprocket and
eventually dug a new hole on the bottom side of the sprocket so the arrow that is meant to
point forwards was pointing backwards. This sprocket, apparently was overlooked before.
I don't know exactly how the pin did that or how it wasn't noticed from the beginning.
Since that's been replaced, the engine has been working great.

The engine was drinking oil at an alarming rate, especially while driving down Baja, but I
was told by quite a few people that as long as I kept replacing the oil, it wasn't such a
bad thing. Yes, I should have investigated that issue earlier.

In the last few days, since it's been working properly, I have not noticed any leaking, But
it hasn't been on any longer rides yet.

There was an electrical problem after that which again stopped us from getting the ferry
resulting in another ride in the truck. The brain wasn't fully charging the battery while
it was running and this led to starting difficulties. The mechanic replaced the brain (not
a new one, but a better one) and put the headlight on a switch. Since then, I haven't had
any issues with that.

The total cost of all the work has been about $1000. After the bike spent a week and a half
in the shop and had a couple breakdowns and after the mechanic sent me away saying it
worked fine, he took it personally, promised he would get everything working perfectly, and
didn't ask for any more money.

In response to the ideas given above and what I've found to be the case down here...
Selling the KLR and going to San Diego was a good idea. When I looked into that option, I
found that the flights were not much more expensive than the bus, though. There are people
that need vehicles taken from La Paz or Cabo up to Tijuana or San Diego, though and they'll
pay for gas and sometimes a bit more, so I found that as the best option, when it's
available.


A lot of the information given about paperwork and the issues the come with buying a bike
in Mexico are true, but only in mainland Mexico. Baja has different rules regarding
vehicles and most of them are American anyways, so paperwork in Baja is often not as big an
issue. Bikes are also more expensive in Baja, though, so again, buying a bike in Baja was
not the best option.

My frustrations with the situation came from some of the contacts here who were less than
optimistic about the likelihood of my bike ever moving on it's own again and spending
multiple days when sitting outside a garage that closed for siesta and didn't reopen that
day was the only notable thing I could say I did.

Thanks again for the advice everyone, it's been invaluable. In the end, I stuck with the
KLR and put my expectations of moving forward on Mexican time (now a 20 day stop). I feel like
I have a very good grasp of how things get done in La Paz and have the contacts to help
others, so I suppose everything's ok.

I apologize for not keeping more current here on ADV. At a certain point there seemed to be consensus on what my options were and I didn't want to post again here without making a decision and some progress.

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for reporting back and letting us know the deets. Always interesting to find out what happens in the end. Inquiring minds and all.

I look forward to getting on Mexican time soon. Maybe see you down the road in Central America.

Best luck,
John Downs

Thanks for the details and update Nathan. Great job getting your KLR sorted.
I helped a friend get his BMW air head fixed by Luis in La Paz ... and the bike is still running. (touch wood).

I believe your experience in La Paz is excellent prep for the rest of your trip South. You now know how things work ... and how to get things done.

All the best y

!Que le via muy bien!

I'm beginning to think the KLR does not want to be on this journey. I'm near Puerto Vallarta now and I've got a broken rear shock. It looks like the best bet for finding a working replacement is in Guadalajara.

So, again I ask for advice. Will I do any major damage to the KLR if I drive it to Guadalajara bouncing as it is right? Does anyone have a contact for KLRs in the area?

Thanks

I can't help you for KLR parts, but if you happen to come through Manzanillo, I'd be happy to put you guys up for free and give you some work space if needed. If what you have is unfixable, you're probably best off ordering it in from the states. For what you'll pay for new kawasaki parts here, you might as well spend the same money and get a much better aftermarket shock from the states. If you think it's fixable you could pull the shock and hop on a bus up to Guad. Bouncing around like crazy won't hurt much as long as you try to minimize topping out. That hard hammering you get when topping out can damage internals. I can't remember how rebuildable KLR shocks are though. If you need a place to tear down the bike and leave it during a trip up to Guad, or a free place to crash while you get things figured or just an address to ship parts to, let me know. I'm a few hours south of you on the coast. Shoot me a PM.

Is the tire scrapping on anything? Has the shock 100% collapsed? Is it leaking oil? If not, ride on. Maybe crank Pre Load UP to max. Probably fresh internal seals, new oil and a Nitrogen recharge will fix you up for a while.

In the meantime, have someone mail you a replacement shock along your route. Make sure to include receipt from a shop ... make it under $200 to avoid Aduana probs. Other countries? Not sure.

Check in with ALL the local Japanese brand shops first. Most use Showa or KYB shocks. I believe your KLR uses a Kayaba (KYB), correct? There is also a $BMW$ community there, someone may know of a shock tech in town. Get in touch with that community ... maybe through the BMW dealer there? Very helpful group of guys!

Maybe PM some KLR riding Mexico experts here for more accurate advice? Check in on KLR.net or other popular KLR sites. Helpful group.
Good luck!

Take it from me, Airhead Wrangler is one if "The Good Guys," he'll help you out anyway he can. He and Mary helped us out of a jam last February on our Mexico-Baja trip. If you do hook up with him tell him, Mary & "Mr. Boots" hi from ADV Fool & Goinpostal.

When I rode the Continental Divide trail a few year back, a riding partner's KLR puked out all its rear shock oil the first day. He had a spare shock shipped a couple days down the trail and rode those two days with a blown shock. So it shouldn't be a big deal if you stick to pavement and take it easy through vados and over topes.

The KLR shock is not listed as rebuildable. However, a Canadian KLRista had a web page showing how to do it and I rebuilt mine following his instructions, and it worked fine. Was pretty cheap as I recall. I don't have the webpage url as that was a long time ago.

Regarding a bad shock and the ability to continue riding...

That shock is one part of the suspension system.
You can ride forever without one. Really, really.
Many people have that t-shirt.