Help needed in rio Gallegos
 

Hi to everybody, I'm just desperate right now. My Suzuki drz400 broke down yesterday, blowing out the oil and now the motor is broken. It's at a small shop and they opened the engine. Camshaft is totally worn down and there is a problem with the valves, I didn't quite understand, but that caused the problem.
I need a top end overhaul and I already know that Suzuki parts are difficult to get in argentina.
If anybody has any idea to help me, I also consider a transport to punt as arenas, have no clue how to organize it. The mechanic was pretty nice and wants to contact Suzuki in Buenos Aires , but I have not much hope.may be something comes up, it's still south America
Fred

Desperate in Rio Gallegos
 

Frred, OK, so your bike has broken down. You are not the first nor will you be the last.
How you handle this says a lot about your character. It is easy to be strong when life is good, not so when you are in the middle of a test of character like now.

First, there is a transport company located in Rio Gallegos that can transport within Argentina, not sure about internationally. Ask the mechanic , one Rio Gallegos mechanic's cousin drives for the company.

Second, I would like very much to offer suggestions, but need to know:

How much time you have on your TVIP and your tourist visa?

How much time do you have considering other obligations - a job , family, etc.

Can you write? Would you be interested in having the local newspaper do an article on you, your travels and your breakdown in Rio Gallegos? It is amazing how a little good publicity helps....

Do you speak Spanish?

How much can you afford for repairs and per diem - for how many days?

And, REMEMBER if you do oder parts from the exterior - (internationally) NO SECOND HAND MOTORCYCLE OR VEHICLE PARTS WILL GET PASSED CUSTOMS. THEY WILL BE CONFISCATED. AND, EXPECT A HEAVY IMPORT TAX ON NEW PARTS. Better to let Suzuki in BA order the parts and buy from them and have the parts shipped to your mechanic. Whoever or wherever that might be.

Buena Suerte amigo. un abrazo. xfiltrate

I just sent you a private message with the contact details of a friend of mine in RG called Guillermo. He's a great bloke and his English is good too.

Good luck and keep us informed as to how you get on.

Dont think about Punta Arenas. My bike broke down there big time around new year and nobody could help me there - so I had to take the engine out of the bike and send it to Santiago with a truck. Where it still is 7 weeks later.....

So in Patagonia you have to be patient and strong.

My suggestion is to send the whole bike to a garage/mechanic that can fix your bike, check references etc and be sure they know what they are doing. If not the local guy can help you.

Pay expensive and cry only once - as they say in China...

Rio Gallegos
 

Hi Fred,

are you going South or North? Have you been in Ushuaia or are you heading there?

To transport your bike to Punta Arenas can be complicated, because of the border. Complications mean higher costs or delays. Why would you transport the bike to Punta Arenas? Is there a better mechanic or parts?

Suzuki engine parts are expensive (look up the prices on the internet), Argentinean import duties are high (calculate 100 precent of the value), it will take time to get the parts from the US (calculate hotel costs). I dont know nothing about your journey, so cant say if it will be worth it to repair the bike.

If you decided to repair it, I would go to BsAs for this. A transport to BsAs for your bike should be easy to organise. Maybe you could just take the engine out of the bike and take it with you on a bus to BsAs, just an idea to save costs.

Relax and see it as a part of your journey.

mika from bolivia

Thanx guys for your support. I have to be in Santiago April the 15. so I'm not worried about my timeframe. I will try to do the repair in Argentina, the transport to Chile seems to be difficult. My Spanish is not good enough for this, so the one contact I got could be extremely helpful. Keep you update fred

Update
 

To update everybody a valve has broken,1 camshaft worn down, the whole cylinder head hAs wear, not much left on the intake side. There are no parts in Argentina, even in buenas Aires, as they don't sell this model here. It has to be Chile, but it's not sure if they can get the parts there.still waiting for my enquiry.
There are complete heads in the USA for 900 dollars including shipping and I need experience with shipping parts to Chile, punta arenas is only 200 away.regards fred

Hi Fred,
we are at the moment in El Calafate and need some parts, which they do not have in Argentina.
So, we decided to let them come from Germany (8-10 days) to Punta Arenas. There is a mechanic, who works together with Motoaventura (Osorno), which is a really good and helpful company and stuff.

So, think about to bring your bike to Punta Arenas. In iOverlander, you can find a mechanic called Alejanddro - this is the guy, i mean.

Hopefully, this will help you.

Cheers
Tom

The Moto-Nomads: Tom + Lob on and off the road
https://facebook.com/TheMotoNomads

Hi tom we met on the noisy campground on calafate, I think, briefly in the morning. I'm working on the transport to punta arenas, but couldn't fond this mechanic in iOverlander. Is it the same guy with the good selection of tires?I think you only needed a sprocket, but if you need something bigger, take care at the border? They searched every vehicle and would not let me pass with my cylinderhead
Fred

I'm in punta arenas now and i should have done this long ago. I ordered parts from the us with the help of Salva from Laguardia, there's shipping over Miami not expensive and in a week or so, hopefully im on the road next week