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Photo by Ellen Delis, Lagunas Ojos del Campo, Antofalla, Catamarca

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Ellen Delis,
Lagunas Ojos del Campo,
Antofalla, Catamarca



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  #1  
Old 2 Apr 2009
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i almost died yesterday
all,

I almost died yesterday. I was 20 kilometers outside of ushuaia, going 70 mph and my front tire explodes. Throws me across the highway right into the path of an oncoming 18 wheeler. I manage to get the bike back on the right side of the road but the bike is going crazy. I lay it down on its side and go sliding down the highway. i seperate my self from the bike and it flips down the highwya. Closest to death as i have ever been. scared the piss out of me. cant believe i didn´t get hurt. not sure what to do now. the bike is jacked up and unridable. i want to get it up to BA and sell it...hopefully. i was wondering if there was someone in Buenos Aires that could help me or give me some direction. The bike is salvagable and luckily the crash bars protected the engine. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i am unscathed. not a scratch or bruise. i can´t believe my luck. i am just EXTREMELY gratfull that i didn´t die.

Counting my blessings in Ushuaia,

Paul Hotze
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  #2  
Old 2 Apr 2009
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Very glad you're OK. Who could predict a tyre blowout - AND in front of a big truck.

Give yourself a chance to relax and don't sell the bike.
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  #3  
Old 2 Apr 2009
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Good to hear you did not get injured! Like Caminando says, you need to take it easy for a bit. Take some time to rest up, lick your wounds and then decided what to do. No need to make big decisions right away.
But if you are itching to get it up there, call Javier at Dakar Motos (54-11-4730-0586, I think this is the number). He could probably point you in the right direction.

By the way, what kind of bike?
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  #4  
Old 2 Apr 2009
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Hello Paul,
Very good to know you're OK.
Don't worry now, wait a moment and you'll have time to know what is better to do.
Here you have the website from Javier... DAKAR MOTOS-HOME OF ´OVER-LAND BIKE´ TRAVEL IN SOUTH AMERICA

Keep in touch,
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  #5  
Old 2 Apr 2009
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man are you lucky
I'm in Popayan Colombia where 3 motorcyclist have crashed in the last 3 weeks, 2 very seriously.
Gracia a Di'os, Chavo


Zig
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  #6  
Old 2 Apr 2009
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Hey Paul, glad to here your ok mate. I know how you feel; some tosser in Nissan De-Forester didnt turn when he should have today, bloody lucky to have my leg in one piece. Not as severe as what your describing, and I also vowed to sell, but at least give it a few days. The body prepares (and comes down from) for shock in very strange ways, best advice is to have a few single malts, about 12 years old should do the trick

Whats Ushuaia like then?

Take care, tom.
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  #7  
Old 3 Apr 2009
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Hey Hotze!
Any update? Where are you at now? The people I've talked to about your crash all also recommend Javier.
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  #8  
Old 3 Apr 2009
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I had the same thing happen in chile !
Hi , Same thing happened to me at 110km hr , in Chile 3 months ago , bike went ape shit on me , across the road back and finally sliding down the road on my ass watching the bike slide into the gaurd rail, bounce off and slide across into the ditch , so lucky I was on divided road and no traffic comming, did some tumbles before I stopped sliding , ran across the road and picked everything up and said to myself i'm alive !!! Holy shit .... It took some doing but I got the front tube fixed and 2 hrs later was back on the bike and riding like a scared little girl . Down to 80km hr and shitting everytime I hit a bump or got buffeted by the wind. My advice is to get back on the horse start riding again and enjoy the rest of your trip if you can...we only live once ... good luck !
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  #9  
Old 3 Apr 2009
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There is a motorcycle shop in Usuaia that may be able to sort you out without going all the way to BsAs. I have a sticker from there on my bike, but I don't have my bike with me right now. Let me know if you want the address. It's actually outside of the city on the way to TDF national park off to the right if you are headed south. They have a sign, but you are more likely to see it heading back to town. Ask around- someone will know it.
Last edited by petefromberkeley; 3 Apr 2009 at 22:00.
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  #10  
Old 3 Apr 2009
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If you need to get in touch with Javier at Dakar Motos in BA I suggest calling him. I talked to him a few days ago and he told me he hasn't had a chance to get to his emails in three weeks. He does good work, but give him a call if you need immediate attention.
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  #11  
Old 4 Apr 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by petefromberkeley View Post
There is a motorcycle shop in Usuaia that may be able to sort you out without going all the way to BsAs. I have a sticker from there on my bike, but I don't have my bike with me right now. Let me know if you want the address. It's actually outside of the city on the way to TDF national park off to the right if you are headed south. They have a sign, but you are more likely to see it heading back to town. Ask around- someone will know it.
Motopablo, aka pablo is the guy. It can be found with google. My friend's experiece with Pablo is that he charged him several hundred (something like 5-800) to fix his bike and then Javier in BA had to redo all the work. Javier also said that the parts that were sold to my friend as official BMW parts absolutely were not. He has a reputation for overcharging travelers because he knows how desperate we are. I met him, he's nice but sold me a very overpriced battery. But I was desperate too.
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  #12  
Old 6 Apr 2009
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Alll,

Thank you for your responses. I apologize for not responding sooner but I got in a brawl with a bottle of Absolut for the past four days and am now recuperating. I had the bike shipped from Ushuaia to BA this past Friday. It should arrive in BA by Monday next week. I am then putting it on a boat and having it sent back to Houston. Going to repair it in Houston. Anyhow, everything is fine.

Took a bus up to puerto natales yesterday and depart tomorrow morning for a three day trip up to Puerto Montt. Then catching a flight and heading to BA.

I appreciate all the comments and feedback. Dakar Motors was highly suggested and they got to respond to my emails. I am hoping to swing through there when I get to BA.

Thank you all again!

GoHotzeGo
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  #13  
Old 6 Apr 2009
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Good to hear you are Ok, could have been very bad, the Gods must have been smiling at you.

Sounds very similar to my accident the other month, only the Cub didn't have crash bars. You can do all the planning in the world, and everything comes down to a tube of rubber in between you and the tarmac.

Hope all goes well for you.

Birdy
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  #14  
Old 6 Apr 2009
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Phweeee man.. Glad to hear you are ok.

I think many of us have had those days where you think "is it worth it"..

I've walking away from a few bad ones myself. Goes to show overlanders bounce well...

May I ask.. What tyre were you using ? Tubed or not ? Badly worn ??
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