Help! Rear shock broken in northern Kazakhstan

[wardj91]

Hi all,

A few hours ago i watch in horror as the moab shock on my KLR 650 dumped all its oil onto the ground, south of Ayagoz in northeastern Kazakhstan With a dangerous-to-ride bike I'm scrambling for ideas...

Has anyone shipped a replacement part or new shock to Kazakhstan before? Would it be worth trying to get the bike to Russia? My biggest constraint right now is that I have a flight out of UB in three weeks

In terms of repairing, I believe i need a new seal head... Has anyone managed to repair a rear shock before without having proper replacement parts on hand?

Any and all help much appreciated!

Jake

[Chris of Japan]

You might want to get it to Barnaul, Russia.
There is a shop or two there mentioned favorably in the past (search for info if someone doesn't re-post it by the time you read this.)

[TurboCharger]

I would think that within 1 week you should be able to get a new shock DHL delivered to your nearest 'big' town like Ayagoz or if you can make it to Astana or Almaty depending on your direction of travel. It's only a couple of phone calls away... albeit very $$$

In the meantime, why don't you see what the locals can do to fix your shock. I'm sure they are far more resourceful than either you or I give them credit for. Even if a temporary fix only gets you 100kms, it's still better than no shock at all!

If you don't repair it and keep on riding then you risk damaging your sub-frame. This would be a lot more time consuming and expensive to fix.

To put it into perspective, if you didn't break down you wouldn't have such a great story to tell at the end of your adventure! Hope you find a way to make the most of your time on off the bike.

[wardj91]

Thanks guys,

Turbocharger, I actually didnt consider the subframe aspect and was preparring to drive 350km tomorrow to Semey where the locals here tell me they can fill shocks with oil. I guess you'd recommend not doing that? For those familiar with the KLR650 i did the drill through with the subframe (ie the connection between subframe and frame is much better, screws won't snap), will this help?

If there's one thing I've learned on this trip its that theres more than one way to fix something, and the "locals" always come up with something that works. I'm just not sure with this one, it being a more complex part not made from metal (the seal gave out i think). Anyone have experience repairing one?

In regards to shipping a new shock, i've read and heard here that getting parts from abroad can take an much longer than one would expect (see below) as customs takes a long time.I met a couple a few days ago who waited 4 weeks for a new shock in Barnaul, similar story in the link below.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...k-russia-57422

Thanks for the quick replies!

Jake

[colebatch]

agree with Chris in Tokyo ... if its rideable (you still have a spring I guess) ... you can ride it easy to Barnaul. Russians will be able to fix it. I would be a lot less confident about a quality repair in KZ in general, and Semey in particular.

As long as you dont bottom out the spring, I think there will be less stress on your subframe than if the shock was working, as the natural movement of the rear end of the bike will be less impeded without a working shock. So dont bottom out the spring and your subframe will be fine. If you do bottom out your spring though, then all bets are off

Barnaul is only 2 days ride from Ayagoz ... its going to be over a day to Almaty or Astana anyway.

[wardj91]

Thanks Colebatch,

Well if there's suitable shops in Barnaul i'll try to get there (any recommendations?) I did drive 90km on the spring today and it was pretty difficult, and somewhat dangerous. I'll give it another shot and see how it goes.

I'm being quoted by USPS express mail 3-5 days to semey. Sounds a bit optimistic to me, seeing that it usually takes weeks. If the costs aren't prohibitive, maybe I'd consider Barnaul as well (it'd give me something to do while I wait!) Anyone shipped from the states to this part of the world before?

Thanks again for the help,

Jake

[colebatch]

Originally Posted by wardj91

Thanks Colebatch,

Well if there's suitable shops in Barnaul i'll try to get there (any recommendations?) I did drive 90km on the spring today and it was pretty difficult, and somewhat dangerous. I'll give it another shot and see how it goes.

I'm being quoted by USPS express mail 3-5 days to semey. Sounds a bit optimistic to me, seeing that it usually takes weeks. If the costs aren't prohibitive, maybe I'd consider Barnaul as well (it'd give me something to do while I wait!) Anyone shipped from the states to this part of the world before?

Thanks again for the help,

Jake

Quotes schmotes ... DHL quoted 3 days to Yakutsk for FernanCI earlier this year with a broken shock. It arrived after 3 weeks. If you believe them, it could use up the rest of your holiday. Take it easy ... 30-40 mph, and some of us folk back in civilised lands can try and find contact details for repair places in Barnaul for you

[colebatch]

The man is Viktor ... Business is MotoHaus22. His number is 8-903-957-04-35 ... he doesnt speak much english, but is a very good mechanic and gets problems fixed. Plenty of hubbers seem to have used him and recommended him.

a map of his location is here:

г.Барнаул, ул.Балтийская, 80, бокс 50 (2й этаж)
Barnaul, Ulitsa Baltiiskaya 80, Booth 50. (2nd floor - entrance round the back)

I have never been there, but a quick cross reference of the map above and google earth, gets me an door entry at about 50 20' 13.7" N, 83 39' 50.1" E

[wardj91]

Colebatch, this is a huge help, thank you!

So I think I'll try and get the bike to Barnaul with out destroying the subframe then seeing what i can do at motohaus. Shipping parts with this little time left sounds like a bad idea-

Any recommendations on a good place to stay in Barnaul?

Thanks again for the help!

Jake

[colebatch]

Originally Posted by wardj91

Colebatch, this is a huge help, thank you!

So I think I'll try and get the bike to Barnaul with out destroying the subframe then seeing what i can do at motohaus. Shipping parts with this little time left sounds like a bad idea-

Any recommendations on a good place to stay in Barnaul?

Thanks again for the help!

Jake

Dont know mate. Ask Viktor ... probably recommend the best value solution ... or maybe better. I know Tony P visited Viktor for new tyres a few years back and was invited to stay with him, Apparently his wife speaks good english.

[bugsy]

Walter- can you check coords pls?
me confused
Barnaul town N53 20 22.1 E83 46 53.6
Viktor you put at N50 20 13.7 E83 39 50.1 which is about 340kms in straight line errr??? looks like in Kazakhstan too near Leninogorsk
so...... scratching head now- can u recheck pls? ta

[colebatch]

Originally Posted by bugsy

Walter- can you check coords pls?
me confused
Barnaul town N53 20 22.1 E83 46 53.6
Viktor you put at N50 20 13.7 E83 39 50.1 which is about 340kms in straight line errr??? looks like in Kazakhstan too near Leninogorsk
so...... scratching head now- can u recheck pls? ta

Oops ... Sorry Typo ... 50 N should be 53 N
N53 20 13.7 E83 39 50.1

[wardj91]

Ok, so i made it to Barnaul without destroying the subframe or myself and found motohaus22 (thanks for the coordinates colebatch, they got me close enough to spot another biker coming out, a bit of a hard place to find actually).

Victor is currently in the Altai enjoying some good riding but the kind folks there have agreed to let me use the workspace and tools to do the repair. Simply a matter of disassembling, replacing some o-rings and reassembling with new oil.

The trouble is filling it back up with air (let alone nitrogen). You need a hypodermic needle that you slide through a rubber seal, from what i understand (like filling a basketball?), and ideally then fill the chamber to 150psi or so by pumping air through the needle. Apparently they're common where people work on shocks a lot. Anyone have any idea where i might be able to find a shop that would be able to do this? Doesn't have to be bike specific. Basketball filling station?

Thanks again for helping me sort this out!

Jake

[colebatch]

yeah there is a silicon ball that self seals once you take the needle out.

I would think any auto suspension specialist would also be able to gas it up for you. Ask the local guys where there is a car suspension shop in Barnaul.

There is a KTM dealer called Bikeland (BAIKLEND) in Barnaul. If the guys (without Viktor) at Motohaus cant help any more, then try Bikeland.

[Knight of the Holy Graal]

Good idea to ride into Russia for repair.

I had my Harley's stator and regulator shot in Kulsary, KAZ last month and UPS delivered the spare parts after 10 days and after many phone calls + documents written in cyrillic stating that the spare part was not to be sold but had to be used by me to go back to Italy.
They made me get mad, believe me.

I wish you all the best to continue your journey.