Wow, what a trip. We rate our trip 11 out of 10 and the main difference between this and other trips was the motorcycle. It allowed us total freedom to go wherever we wanted and stop wherever we wanted and get off the wellworn ¨gringotrail¨.

Belinda was very hesitant at first, but is now a confirmed ¨motorcycle Mama¨.
Luck has a big part to play in it all. Over the 14 months we had no punctures, no accidents, no robberies, nothing stolen, no illnesses, only 2 days we couldnt ride because of rain- Total NO PROBLEMO! Pat was very well organised, had thought everything through and had everything replaced on the bike at the beginning. We bought the best gear and replaced tyres well before they needed to. He is also a very safe, conservative rider and we never drove at night.

The 2 up combination has its advantages and disdvantages. It is very tough on the bike- we kept ¨blowing¨the shock¨- our only reoccuring problem. Also, bad dirt roads were a lot of work for Pat.
The advantages are many: Its cheaper- only one lot of shipping, registration, insurance, mainteanance and fuel. Its easier to navigate- Belinda had a map strapped onto the back of Pats jacket and would give hand signals to the surrounding cars (and the occasional finger signal!!). We couldnt loose each other in traffic and when we were looking for a hotel in a city, Belinda would read the book (while riding) and direct Pat to the Hotel. When we arrived at the Hotel, Pat would stay and watch the bike, while Belinda checked the Hotel out. Its a team effort and very bonding.

The only thing we would change is to have an electronic communication system so we could talk to each other while riding. The difficulty in understanding hand signals was a major source of frustration for both of us. We couldnt find a good, reliable set up before we left.

Belinda was never bored on the back- when she wasnt telling Pat where to go! she was looking at the scenery, waving to the kids in the villages, doing leg and arm exercises, singing at the top of her voice (shes a terrible singer- thank God Pat couldnt hear), reading, thinking and even sleeping!

The local people we were lucky enough to meet, too many to name here, really made our trip special, leading us to many fantastic experiences we wouldnt have had otherwise. globalfreeloaders.com opened a lot of these doors for us as well as the community section in horizonsunlimited.com . The world is a small place with the internet!

None of this would have been possible without the love and support from both our families, especially Jill and Jacqueline for their untiring efforts managing our properties and all our other affairs. The other huge thank you is to Grant and Susan Johnson from horizonsunlimited.com who sponsored our website and provided us with unlimited information and support, especially when we needed it the most. The cost is nothing to use the website and access this wealth of information. We have never recieved so much for so little. Its a great website for anyone travelling independently, not just motorcyclists.

We will be home in 5 days and are already planning our next motorcycling trip!

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A GREAT ADVENTURE IN CHILE OR ARGENTINA AND BEYOND!!

Yamaha Super Tenere XTZ 750 for sale in or around Santiago-Iquique, Chile, or Northern Argentina South America NOW.

see great photos of bike,starting with:
www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/peck/000328.php

Enduro style with long range tank and high suspension. Ideal for two people and has been expertly set up for long distance travel specifically for South America.
The motorcycle is mechanically like new and our lives depend on it being in good running order, therefore, it will be in very good running order for the next owner.

Substantial modifications include: Heavy duty bash plate connecting a heavy duty tool kit case with extensive tool kit, long range fuel tanks (40 litres), substantially reinforced sub frame incorporating heavy duty saddle bag frame, heavy duty front and rear suspension, carburetors overhauled, dual horns, bark busters with guards, 12v outlet, expanded side stand base, raised front mud guard, foam air filters, large fuel filter, front positioned foot rest.
The bike has been very well balanced and it is a pleasure to ride in all conditions and at all speeds.

Instead of carrying lots of spares and doing repairs along the way, I replaced everything that could go wrong and it was done by a Yamaha approved mechanic who is a perfectionist like us!!!

Accessories include: spare universal stand, battery charger, extensive first aid kit, altimeter, thermometer, clock, warm weather gloves x2, cold weather gloves x2, spare helmet visors, compass, extensive tyre repair system, sheep skin seat cover, MSR water filter, 6litre MSR water bags, spare front and rear tubes (Michelin heavy duty), high altitude jets, 1x Canon digital camera.

We have found a place in Chile, where we can sell the bike legally to foreigners or residence free of custom duties. Therefore, you will have no shipping costs, modification costs and no need for a carnet. It is currently registered in Qld, Australia.

The XTZ750 Super Tenere was 6 times winner of the Paris Dakar Race and has the dependability of Japanese Technology. Spare parts are available in South America.

We are having a great time on her, soon its your turn!! (We finish our 14 month trip in March 2003 in Chile)

Price: ONLY US$3,100 without accessories and includes all transfer costs.
All accessories will be sold- make us an offer we cannot refuse- all top quality and new Feb 2002.
2x all weather jackets, 2x systems helmets, 3X Saddle bags, spare parts, 1x kidney belt, 1x shin guard set, 1x guide book, various maps, 1x double mosquito net, 2x water proof overpants. Where there are 2x one size is small, the other large. All you need to bring is your personal clothes!!

Cheers, Belinda and Patrick Peck

PS We are currently in Mendoza, Argentina, heading north towards Salta, then Iquique, then back down to Santiago, Chile. We will sell the bike anywhere from here on.

From Salta we travelled over the 4,700m pass (Paso de Jama) to San Pedro de Atacama. We travelled through the largest and dryest desert in the world- it was amazing.

We then arrived in Iquique, which is a duty free port, the only legal place we could sell the motorcycle to a Chilean. We put posters everywhere and put the bike out at the beach on the weekend- where everyone was!! We had a few guys look at it, but they didnt have enough money to buy it. We then went to the only big Japanese motorcycle shop in the Free-zone and they didnt even look at it- said they had enough bikes to sell!! Our hearts sank- what were we going to do. The pressure was building up to get home and we were getting nowhere fast.

We decided to go shopping in the freezone and parked the bike outside the bike shop- target marketing!! When we returned the bike shop owner made us a really low offer on the bike. Then Grant and Susan Johnson from Horizons Unlimited rescued us!! They put our bike on the home page and said how desperate we were and the buyers came out of the woodwork- in the end we had four offers for the bike and chose the most convenient offer, but not the highest one (believe it or not!)

We found a like minded traveller- Daniel on the Lonely Planet website who was looking to buy a motorbike- he was in Buenos Aires and we were in Iquique- top end of Chile. We decided to meet in La Serena - Central Chile.

How we did the paperwork: We went to Customs in La Serena and they redid the motorcycle paperwork in Daniels name, took the ´entered with motorcycle´ stamp off our passport, put ´entered with motorcycle´stamp on Daniels passport, changed it all in the Customs computer and we were off- no money paid, no hassles! We then gave Daniel a bill of sale and put the registration in his name.
After this we were free to cross the border without the bike and he was free to leave with the bike.

We have set ´Miss Adventure´ free to continue travelling the world! Daniel is going to drive her up to North America- where we came from! We are glad that is all behind us now. We then did a tour- the first time we had travelled in a car for 14 months and then hopped on a bus to Vina del Mar- Chiles beach resort town and RELAXED for the first time in a month- the relief was enormous.