Across Americas - Discovering the New World on a motorcycle

[Truenorth2005]

Hi Alex & Andreea
Yes, a tubless tire can be patched from the inside. A good tire guy should be able to get you patched up to get you to somewhere that you can buy a tire. How many KM's on the new tires before this happened? What kind of a blade? Was it still in the tire when you got stopped? Good thing you went to the tire repair seminar at the Horizans Unlimited rally.
Stay safe.
Bill & Brenda

[Turkeycreek]

http://www.seccionamarilla.com.mx/re...os/chihuahua/1

• HONDA CANAL
  TEOFILO BORUNDA 1328, ZONA CENTRO, C.P 31000, CHIH
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• MOTO - BICI
  AV. INDEPENDENCIA 394, HIDALGO DEL PARRAL CENTRO, C.P 33800, CHIH
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• MOTOS Y DESPONCHADO EL QUESO
  BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS 28, HIDALGO DEL PARRAL CENTRO, C.P 33800, CHIH
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• PARTES DIFICILES MOTO EXPRESS
  TRIUNFO DE DE LA REP 320, SAN LORENZO, C.P 32320, CHIH
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• MOTODEL
  CENTRAL OTE 602, CIUDAD DELICIAS CENTRO, C.P 33000, CHIH
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• MOTONOROESTE
  CARR CUAUHTEMOC - BACHINIVA KM 49, CIUDAD CUAUHTEMOC CENTRO, C.P 31500, CHIH
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• HONDA LOMAS
  PERIF ORTIZ MENA 3412, LOMAS DEL SANTUARIO, C.P 31205, CHIH
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• MOTOCICLETAS Y DEPORTES SA DE CV
  TEOFILO BORUNDA 2705, SANTO NIÑO, C.P 31200, CHIH
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• MOTO-MANIA
  GONZALEZ ORTEGA 2309, ALTOS DE CHAVIRA, C.P 33770, CHIH
  FAX: (648)462-3060
  

[AnjinSan]

guys, thanks for the clarifications. So a tubeless tire can be patched from the inside. So, right now the tire is patched with 2 patching sticky strings side by side. And it seems to hold air. It got us 50 kilometers from the middle of nowhere in a beautiful mountain pass, to this little town called San Juanito. From here to Chihuahua there are areound 250 kilometers.
Now, should I try to reach Chihuahua with the current patching (on the reasoning that if it held air for 50 kilometers it will hold for 250 kilomteres)? Or should I try first to find a guy in San Juanito that knows what he's doing and patch it from the inside?

@Tom: thank you for the list. I was finding online and writing down some of them as well.

@Bill: the tire was practically brand new :( just changed it in Fresno and was looking strong. It was a Michelin Anakee 2, as the previous one (which held for 12000 miles). The balde was part of a metal piece of equipment I guess. Very strange looking, courvy, likfe a quarter of a circle and 1.5 inch wide. It was all in when I stopped. the air was leaking but slowly so I stopped when I felt something was wrong in the back.


Despite all this, I just wanted to add that we are having a great time here in Mexico. The scenery is gourgeous and people have been very friendly so far. We hope to meet nice people from here on as well.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I guess tomorrow I'll head out towards Chihuahua.

[Turkeycreek]

Buenes noche amigo

[cyberdos]

Originally Posted by AnjinSan

... So, right now the tire is patched with 2 patching sticky strings side by side. And it seems to hold air. It got us 50 kilometers from the middle of nowhere in a beautiful mountain pass, to this little town called San Juanito. From here to Chihuahua there are areound 250 kilometers.
Now, should I try to reach Chihuahua with the current patching (on the reasoning that if it held air for 50 kilometers it will hold for 250 kilomteres)? Or should I try first to find a guy in San Juanito that knows what he's doing and patch it from the inside?...

Hi Alex. Sorry to hear about your misfortunes but things could be worse. You'll find that you will hear two very polarizing answers to your question. Some people simply will not use a patched/plugged tire. Others will ride on one until the treads starts showing. I am of the latter camp. I have ridden thousands of kilometers on an array of plugged tires without any issue. As a matter of fact right now I am on a rear that has over 6,500 kilometers on it after being plugged on the side of the highway in a remote area in Colorado. :)

So my vote is for you to keep a close eye on the tire. Check the pressure with the same gauge under similar conditions. What I mean by that is if you are checking the pressure in cold always check it in cold. You should be doing this daily but I sometimes fail to heed my own advice. If the tire is not losing pressure for a day or two you can safely ride it to where you can either path or replace. Being that it's such a new tire I'd go with patching.

Once you get the tire patched from the inside you should be set. The patch will become part of the tire and you shouldn't have any issue for the remainder of the life of the tire. That, of course, is right before it snags a nail.

Good luck my friends and I'm glad you are having fun.

[MikeMike]

I've put 18,000kms once on a tire that was first patched with a sticky string and then patched from the inside.
Mexican tire repair shops know how and when they can apply a vulcanized interior patch. I've never been to a tire shop here where the guy doing the repairs has made a decision I wouldn't trust. If they tell you it can be done, they will do it and they won't charge you very much.
The repaired tire I had, I used down to the cords here on Mexican roads.
If you are looking for a new tire, prices will vary considerably depending on where you shop. Usually, dealers will charge you a small fortune, especially the Japanese bike dealers, however, there are usually at least a few good accessory shops that have common sized tires in stock and will direct you to a good place for mounting, but balancing can be harder to find. If you want to buy bike parts in Mexico in a city you don't know, ask the pizza delivery guys or the other delivery guys who use their bikes all day, every day. They, or the manager of where they work, will usually recommend a place.
In Mexico, you will often find the MotoMundo locales, but they are always the most expensive, other than the dealer.
MotoMart locations are usually cheaper but you might save a few pesos by shopping around but it isn't worth it sometimes. I've seen some tires here cheaper than in the US.

[SR]

You can patch the inside of a tire. That is the correct way to do it. The only problem is that if the patch is too big it can throw the tire out of balance. Most automotive tire shops wont have the correct equipment to mount and dismount motorcycles tires, so they may scratch your rim. If you are concerned about that, you may ask around or go to a good motorcycle shop.

For a new tire in Chihuahua try these guys. There are probably the biggest shop in Chihuahua and deal with big bikes not pizza delivery bikes.

www.motoconexxion.com

One of the best rides in Mexico is from Creel down to Parral through Guachochi. You are not too far away. If you get your tire fixed, It's almost worth back tracking from Chihuahua city for.

If you are heading south to Durango, a shop here has a Metzler 19" front for 3,500 pesos and should have a Metzler 17' rear in tomorrow for 4,000 pesos. Shinkos are in stock and cost 2,000 for front and 2,500 for rear. Maybe that will help you decide what to do.

Suerte
SR

[AnjinSan]

¡Muchas gracias, guys, for all the suggestions

We put an inside patch at a local tire repair shop and they insured us that we can go on with it. Of course, there was no balancing but I hope that the patch didn't do too much to umbalance the tire.

While I was out searching for tire shops, Andreea tried to find a new tire in Chihuahua, the owners of the hotel we are staying at called many motorcycle shops in Chihuahua City but couldn't find our size available for today. So I don't thing there is any point in riding today there (as weekend is coming as well). We will try and ride with the patch towards Parral and Durango, hoping that we will find a new tire on our way in these bigger cities.

Today will be just a short day, to Creel and we will check the tire pressure in the evening and tomorrow morning. If all OK we will try to reach Parral as SR was suggesting, via Ruta 23 to Guachochi and onwards. If we stick to pavement and if the tire pressure holds today it should be OK until we reach a place with a new tire.

This tire was brand new almost but still, and I am willing to travel with the patch for a while, but if we find a good opportunity (price and tire type) I would be much more relaxed with a new tire in the back.

Once in Creel today we will try to phone some more shops in Parral. If not maybe Durango would be our safest bet.


¡Hasta pronto

[SR]

I dont think you mentioned if you need a front or rear tire but I saw both with my own eyes in Durango. At the local Honda dealer.

UTM 536187.00 E, 2657513.00 N

You are going to love the road from Creel to Parral! Give me a shout if you want to meet up in DGO.

[Ramata]

Anjin,
I just read your message and tried to find a tire for you, but unfortunately the only tire close to this size is an AVON AM26R, if you want go for it or get your tire repaired locally PM me.

[AnjinSan]

We are in Creel after a swift 30 km ride. I think the shorted day in our trip so far. The good news is that we stopped because we wanted to not because we had to :) The tire patch seems to hold. Indeed I forgot to mention that we had the problem on the back tire.

Tomorrow we will go around a bit, but no riding to the bottom of the canyon for us though...

Then the day after tomorrow we should be on our way to Parral and then Durango.

@SR yeah it would be great to meet up in Durango. We might get there on Monday or on Tuesday. I'll give you a PM closer on.

@Ramata: thank you so much for trying to find it. We did as well phoning from San Juanito but the same limited success. It would have been nice to meet in Chihuahua but maybe some day, under better circumstances

[Turkeycreek]

Good that you are back in business. Just remember that if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

looking forward to more of your RR and interested in your take on Hwy 20

Abrazos a de tus amigos en Banamichi and remind Andreea to eat yogurt.

[AnjinSan]

Since today we had some free time in Creel, we had some time for a new entry. So I hope you will enjoy Utah and Arizona.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Utah and Arizona: September 16 – 19

We are going to Utah (that’s North of Las Vegas) but first we go…. South. We take a small detour to see Hoover Dam. We find a view point on the new bridge built as a safety measure so that the big trucks won’t pass on the dam. I admit this is a big, impressive dam and every time I will see an action movie with Special OPs descending on the dam I will be able to say “Ah, I’ve been there”.

We didn’t spend too much time there but we did get into Arizona by foot from there and that is because the dam is between Nevada and Arizona. It is time to head North so we get back to Nevada, to the parking lot where the motorcycle is parked. Utah, here we come.

We notice that the sky is full of clouds. Really, it’s gonna rain in Nevada?!?!?

We are going to Ivins, where the friends of our friends in Monterey are waiting for us. It is not far so we enjoy every kilometer.

The sun is descending and manages to trick the clouds and saturate the red of the cliffs.

When the light is perfect for taking pictures we are usually worried with “where are we gonna camp”. This time we know we don’t have to worry so we are enjoying the lines and colors.

We don’t get to Ivins, Brent and Pam live in a very special neighborhood, in the desert, at the bottom of a canyon. What makes it special? Let me show you.

The background is fabulous and the positioning scenic but what do these houses have? Or don’t have? Well, they don’t have posts. Actually there are no wires that you can see and no sewer.

Houses have no upstairs and they all borrow the natural colors that surrounds the area. Even the antennas are tinny and same color as the house.

The inside of the house may be comfortable, luxurious according to the owner’s budget but on the inside there is no extravaganza. Sun goes down over the desert houses and we go outside to see this:

The night is silent. No music from your neighbor, no barbecue smoke. Your hearing is fine, you can still hear the band of crickets.

Why is this possible? Common visions? Maybe. But actually when you buy land over there you accept the rules of the land. It is your property but you cannot do whatever you want with/ on it. For instance, the house cannot take more than 25% of the property.

Before you start building, you put poles on the premises the house will be built and your neighbors have a certain period of time to decide if the height or position of the house is ok with them. If it is not, you start the discussions or go back to the design phase.

Staying with Brent and Pam was a good chance for us to glance at a different kind of world. Water has a different shade of blue in the middle of the desert and windows seem cleaner when you see red cliffs through them.

But as many times before, we were impressed by the people and we learn something else from every place we stay at.

Next we will visit two natural parks, Zion in Utah and Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Are we in Cappadochia?

The oriental adventure is far away now. We are in America. The America we used to see on TV in the ’90 with cowboys and canyons.

We didn’t see any cowboys but we had to leave our “horse” at the entrance in Zion and take… the bus.

I was telling you in an earlier post that we enjoyed Yosemite but didn’t like it that it was packed with cars and people. Apparently it was the same in Zion before 2000 when the park administration decided to deny access to cars/ RVs/ motorcycles or any other type of vehicle. You want to visit the park? Very well, leave your vehicle at the entrance and take one of the shuttle buses with several stops along the way. Easy and efficient.

I cannot say that Zion is more spectacular than Yosemite, they are just different. But for sure Zion was more peaceful and we left from there more relaxed.

We continue Southwards and even the road is readish in this parts.

And what a road! It is a pleasure following it along the ridges.

It seems like under this rocks a history of milenia is hiding. The New World maybe for us, but a very old world indeed…

The tarmac sneaks out intro the prairies opening out the views.

And down the road we see, yet another time, that the journey can take many forms but the important thing is to keep walking!

We cannot take him with us, but at least we hope that the the rain will not catch him. Finally after the last few days of clouds in Nevada and in Utah, the rain shows itself in… Arizona.

And because nothing was blocking my view I could follow the movement of the coulds and their wet traces on the earth over the vast planes. I felt like in one of those old ATARI games, where you need to run from the phantoms in a labyrinth.

While trying to dodge the rain showers we pass by a rare thing. So here it goes: the RV is not a mini-bus and it doesn’t pull behind a bad ass SUV but a small and funny car. It even had the matching colors. How cool is that!

We follow the route which takes us to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. And with us Autumn was riding…

And here it is. The Great Canyon. Well known, well marketed. So we were expecting greatness. And still we remain speechless when we reach the rim. The pictures don’t do it justice but let’s try with a few:

We like it so much there that we are willing to splurge on a room in the lodge that was just on the edge of the canyon. They didn’t had any room left so, 100 dollars “saved”, we track our way back and with us the last rays of sun leave the national park.

In the night, lighting struck fall around us and light up sky and earth. But our camera is long gone in the tankbang while we are rushing for a dry place to sleep. We have the opportunity to escape yet again the big rains and find a cheap place to call it a day.
During the last days we’ve traveled through some amazing wonders of nature. Thoughts run between what we’ve seen in the past and what we hope to see from now on in the future. Tomorrow will be a new day, for everyone.

Next time we continue to discover Arizona, we spend some time on Route 66, and we see how plans made have to change when we reach the border with Mexico. Stay tuned!

[ben2go]

Your photos capture my thoughts of how the old wild west used to be, in the 1700 through late 1800s',before settlements were established.

[SS in Vzla.]

The patch is the normal way of repairing tubeless tires in Latin America (vulcanized patch) . Don't worry about it any more, if it has not leaked it will hold on for the duration of the tire's thread... The low speeds you'll be riding won't really show if the tire is unbalanced either.

But, I'd buy a tube just in case it happens again, so you can get out to civilization. As I'm sure the extra space on the bike is very limited, you can buy a 19 inch tube for the front tire and in case you need it for an emergency, just put it in the rear tire... not ideal, just some extra insurance.

Drum bun