Seis semanas en Pérez-Zeledón en una 125cc

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by shadman

Excellent adventure! My cousin just bought 52 acres in CR with a house and pool and waterfall. So now my wife is even more interested in visiting and riding around 2 up to see what CR is all about. I have tried and failed to convince her to consider moving to one of the few towns on your / my MX short list. But the stability of CR appeals to her very slightly more pampered ways. I've forwarded your write-up to her email and (hopefully) planted another seed.

I am just starting constructing a "beach" house in El Porvenir, El Salvador being built by a former employee of mine who returned home. Simple, 2 bedroom, block and thatch, cheap. My plan is to stash two of the CG150 style bikes there year round and visit maybe 2-3 weeks a year. I wanted to do this in Monterrey Mexico, but that area is definitely on hold right now. Sadly, it never happened for me.

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthre...ghlight=mexico

As far as storage of your fine little scoot...it is essentially the same bike as a CRF150F, and I have 3 f them. Turning off the gas, draining the bowl, putting a cap full of fuel stabilizer in the tank, and hooking a tender to the ***removed*** battery is all that is needed to assure your bike is ready to go in 6 months or 6 years. I'd trust that method over letting anyone chance a mishap on my bike when I'm not around. That said, I'm the first to offer up my 1000cc supersport to a new acquaintance and not really care about the outcome. But a bike stashed in CR, and developing mechanical issues just when you need it least is whole other can of worms.

Congrats on your life adventures. I hope I can be so brave soon.

Peter in Houston, TX

Wow! 52 acres...that's quite a spread! RE your plans, I think trial runs are always a good way to find out what you want to do long term. You could rent a bike and do the 2up thing with esposa for a couple of weeks and that might give you an idea. Sounds like a wonderful plan in El Salvador--that's the only CA country I haven't visited yet....hmmmm, when's that house going to be done?

I thought about leaving the bike prepped as you pointed out, but I've got a neighbor and some family members who likely will use it, and I'd rather have it ready for them.

Hope your plans work for CR / ES!

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by Salsa

Battery chargers, if not plugged in, Run Batteries DOWN !!!!

THe cheap diodes leak.

My friend in ALaska lost 4 batteries by doing that. Mine survived bu disconnecting it.

Don

By "battery chargers" do you mean the pig-tail, or the charger itself? It will be connected most of the time, but I might just bring a sealed battery down the next time so I don't have to deal with the maintenance.

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by riderddonald

We do get course credits for following along don't we? Sorry to see you heading home. I really enjoy your reports and learning more about CR. Can't wait to get back down there again. It's an easy place to get hooked on.

Jajajajaaa.................................


I'll ask the admins....I know what they'll say.....pay the tuition, sure we'll give you credits



Thanks for following along.

[pdedse]

Well, we leave shortly. About every other morning Olga leaves me a smiley faced breakfast. She made tortillas and this one needed a little work, but it was close.


Then this morning, my last with her for awhile, she left me this one...kind of sad to leave.


A few shots of the students in action at SEPA school.




If you want to do a language study on your own, I think they do a great job:

http://www.spanish-school-costarica.com/

Perlita, waiting for the next ride...

[Ratman]

Originally Posted by pdedse

[COLOR=Orange]
Will have to leave that ride for the next time.

Thanks for the RR, pdedse....especially your friends synopsis of the CR political condition.

Would your 125 have benefited from a little lower gear ratio?

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by Ratman

Thanks for the RR, pdedse....especially your friends synopsis of the CR political condition.

Would your 125 have benefited from a little lower gear ratio?

Mike's views were his, not sure what to make of them. My sis in law kind of blew it off when I told her, saying something to the effect that he's always talking crazy, but maybe that's what frustrates him, that the CR government has the same attitude.

The 125 pulled me up some rocky/dirty inclines that I wasn't sure about...it really surprised me, just kept climbing away in first, so I'd say it's gearing was good. Sometimes wanted a bit more power on the pavement, going up hill. Did lots of shifting, but it responded much as I was hoping. Top speed was around 80-85 kilometers ph, so it did all right. On a long flat, I'm sure it would hit 100kph, but it's CR, so what's the hurry?

[Salsa]

Originally Posted by pdedse

By "battery chargers" do you mean the pig-tail, or the charger itself? It will be connected most of the time, but I might just bring a sealed battery down the next time so I don't have to deal with the maintenance.

They all have diodes. They have to get from AC to DC. Some leak more than others.

Just disconnecting a charged battery should work for you. It did for me for 10 months in Alaska.

Don

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by Salsa

They all have diodes. They have to get from AC to DC. Some leak more than others.

Just disconnecting a charged battery should work for you. It did for me for 10 months in Alaska.

Don

Yeah, if no one ends up using the bike much, I might just have a friend do this. Thanks.

[pdedse]

Made it back to Oregon. Always a bit strange to arrive home after some time away in another country. Small things that you completely forget about, things that you live without.

The students were very happy with their experience, practically every one of them talked about when they could go back to CR, asking how they could go about working in CR...even buying property!

Let's see among the 12 of them they collectively...saw a guy get shot from about 15 feet away, got sick and hospitalized...twice for one gal...saw some of the most amazing sunsets ever...took salsa / merengue dance lessons...got to play guitar and sing at bars, and get invited back...got their backpack / passport stolen with the ol-I'm-selling-lottery-tickets-and-won't-quit-bothering-you-while-my-partner-slips-your-backpack-off-the-chair-from-behind-you-while-you're-telling-me-no-gracias ruse...participated in bull-fights...bought paintings from an 80 year old Chilean who has "never worked a day in his life, only painted" (his words) and is more lucid than you can imagine...made friends for life and became adopted sons and daughters...saw toucans, iguanas, spiders bigger than they cared for, macaws, monkeys, pizotes, some type of wildcat, sea-horse, vultures and manta-ray, to name a few...ate more gallo pinto than they thought possible...learned lots of Spanish, tons about themselves and what it means to live in another culture, albeit briefly...in short: they had a blast.

I started putting this program together about a year ago. Had no idea if it was going to generate enough interest and 12 students signed up, the minimum necessary to make it a go. It took me back to my own study abroad experiences in CR and it was cool to see them grow in lots of different ways.

Loved my Perlita...she's a champ. I felt like I blended in, got very few stares riding it around because there's lots of them. Even so, many people would compliment me on it, saying what a great bike it was, how much did it cost...how fast would it go......seriously.

House construction starts early next year. Hopefully, it will be a nice stop-over for long distance riders in the not-so-distant future. Keep it in mind.

Gracias por acompañarme,

p

[crashmaster]

Great report amigo. Love those CGL 125's. Tore up the CR jungle a bit in one of those a couple years ago, albeit slowly. Best part is that when you bury it to the axles in mud, its a lot easier to pull out than the 990.

This looks a bit familiar...........



I love that area around Uvita, nice beaches, lots of hikes into refreshing waterfalls.

Looking forward to your next installment.

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by crashmaster

Great report amigo. Love those CGL 125's. Tore up the CR jungle a bit in one of those a couple years ago, albeit slowly. Best part is that when you bury it to the axles in mud, its a lot easier to pull out than the 990.
...

Glad you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the lightness of this bike after owning an HD Sportster and my present KLR650.

I was thinking of "NO FUMAR ESPAñOL" when I took this foto of a fellow hiker: