Looking for a mechanic near Zacateca, Mexico
 

Hi all,

Well, three days into my trip down to Ushuia the seal on my KLR650s shock failed. Can anyone recommend a mechanic in the greater Zacateca, Mexico area?

Thanks,

Matt

Sorry this happened.
I can't refer you to a specific mechanic, but will suggest that you find a cheap and comfy place to stay and enjoy the city...and have a new shock sent to you fron the States.

You certainly don't want continuing problems to nag you along the way.

It will be a lot more expensive to get a new shock in Mexico than in the States. You are very close to the Laredo which has a Kawasaki dealer, contact them and order a shock and then take a bus to the border pick up the shock and get the bus back, It will probably be cheaper than shipping the shock down and also faster.
If you try to get a shock in Mexico it could take weeks. KLRs are not common here and parts will have to be ordered from Japan.
If you plan to come to Mex City send me a mail at garry dymond @ prodigy. net .mx (put it all together) I will be on holiday from Sept 17th to Oct 1st but after that would be happy to put you up. and show you around.
Good luck

KLR parts
 

If at this point you are still in Zacatecas and assessing your options , here's another possibility.
Gary's suggestion to go back to Laredo Texas is a good one.
If you do go that way think about first giving a try to the Kawasaki de Mexico service in Monterrey which is en route to Laredo anyway. As it is already Friday you probably will be hard pressed to get to the Laredo store before the weekend closing time, so you might want to spend a night in Monterrey. Kawasaki has its major depot for parts in Monterrey and the store is on Pino Suarez, in the city center just south of the big "Arc de Triomphe " -like arch. A few years ago I needed a new clutch cable for my KLR and they had it in stock ( $26) , so you may be in luck too, save a bit of travel time even if the price is a bit more than USA. Call them , MOTOMEX , at 81 8218 3848 . There ar plenty of inexpensive good little hotels in the area

I live in San Antonio Texas and ride a KLR. I replaced the shock on my bike with another stock unit, which I bought as a take off from F1 Engineering in California last year. They advertise take off parts on ebay regularly, or perhaps if you gave them a call, they would sell you one. They have a web site, which I'm sure you could find through google. Not sure about shipping to Mexico, however. I still have the old shock from my bike, minus the spring, which you are welcome to, if you would want me to send it to you. I just replaced it before a big trip because it had 30,000 miles on it and I got a replacement cheap.

Your profile won't let me email you, but if you want my cell phone #, email me and I will send it to you.


ajtiegs aaattt yahoo dott com

KLR shock
 

I'm kicking myself begause yesterday I forgot to include some info that might be very useful for Matt.
If you are looking for a place to park the bike in Zacatecas go to Hotel Plaza del Carmen at 222 Av Juarez , in the colonial city center just east of the Alameda park. It is a very nice small hotel , only one big front door, and they will insist you run your bike inside to park in the atrium/lobby.
The owner has a KLR and will be happy to let you use his small shop to do some repairs on your bike and will no doubt be agreeable and allow you to park your bike there if you have to go back to Laredo TX for parts. However he may also have a line on where you might get a replacement shock, he's sort of a KLR - central for the city.
As a correction to my suggestion for Motomex in Monterrey - the number I gave was more for the wholesale business end of it , their actual retail store in Monterrey is named on my store receipt as Motociclos y Equipos, tel. 8125 888 , and is located as where I described at Pino Suarez Norte 700.
As to shock failure on KLRs , part of it may be due to road splash and grit from the rear wheel getting onto the exposed shock shaft because the inner fender is not long enough. To cure that cut a piece of heavy truck inner tube or similarly flexible plasticised cloth ( truck tarp) to make a short flap which you can rivet or bolt to the bottom of the inner fender letting it drape onto the swingarm. That will keep abrasive dirt away from the shock shaft and its seals.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I ended up going with option #3, I'll bus it back up to Laredo and pick up a brand-spankin new Progressive shock from the Kawasaki Dealer there and then bus myself back. And Sjoerd, thanks for the info on the hotel owner. I've already got a place to keep the bike until I get back, but I will definitely contact him, as I am looking for a place to do the actual installation.

All part of the adventure (I was just expecting this part of the adventure to start more than two days in. Maybe it's good that it did;)

Thank you all again,

Matt Pearsall

Success! Got the shock and got it installed. Sjoerd, thank you so much for the tip. The owner of the Hotel Plaza de Carmen, Manuel, was extremely helpful, both with tools and with a space. I gave him my old shock and he's going to try to get it rebuilt (so if another KLR rider blows his shock out riding up to Real de Catorce he might have just what you need . . .). All he wanted in return was the chance to photocopy my Clymer manual (very hard to get in Mexico, apparently).

Tomorrow my father and I are off on the road south again.

Thank you all,

Matt

KLR shock in Zacatecas
 

De nada. Glad to be of help. Buen viaje