Bellingham to Brazil, not coming back

[el' hefe]

Your last post had some really great photo's in it. I like your style, and keep up the good work!

I am onboard with you regarding american chain food. Nothing like going on an adventure only to eat at Micky D's.....F-that.

[TicoRider]

Ryan

I live in Costa Rica, and I can give you the address of a good mechanic that he used to be the head of mechanics at BMW Motorrad but them he got his own shop, it is located 2 miles from the dealership.

The name of the guy is Christian, he is very good and cheaper than BMW shop.

Tecnimotor
+506 83465512

Coordinates
9.93322,-84.11816

[Flyingavanti]

Have the trip of you life..... I am hooked!

I do have one small suggestion I learned from a 2 year ride through South America.........

Start a spread sheet and keep track of everybody that offers to help, and/or meet you in later travels. You WILL NOT remember everything. I felt soo bad after I left some where and realized I missed someone, who was going to give us a nice private tour of different areas.

It happened time and time again! We had many offers in Brazil, but took us 1 1/2 years to get there, and forgot many things!

If you need any contacts or help. please send us a note..... PUT my name at the top of the spread sheet!

Good luck, and safe travels!

[PaigeIGGY]

I'm diggin this report, even though I have no desire to travel to SA.

The photography is on point!

Lastly, what's NOT to hate about McD's? Dog-food for the masses that I wouldn't feed my dog,

Stay safe Ryan

[J-Dub]

Really enjoying this RR, Ryan! Great pics and style!

[NCK]

I'm in!

[Ozmandrew]

Great RR! Get your pops back in the mix - Guatemala looks fantastic. I have a friend in Quetzaltenango & Guatemala is on my radar especially since I am fluent in Spanish. What camera are you shooting with? keep up the good work & have fun!

[phastbiker]

Awesome Pics on that last report. For that, I buy you a taco! Thanks for the RR and stay safe.

Brian
Dallas, TX

[Reryder]

Great pics! You obviously have an eye for that stuff.
Thanks for posting, loving it.

[PorLaTierra]

So the BMW dealer was unable to remedy this, but did they say why? You think you have a short somewhere draining the batt? Like a bare wire rubbing somewhere or something like that? Did the BMW dealer hable inglese?

Did they charge you labor?

They did not fix anything, I should have bought the GS regulator anyways, but I chose instead to save $150 since they insisted that was not the problem and now I wish I had just bought it, just to be safe. I think it may be dying but maybe the real problem is in the wires and connections somewhere. I am now in Costa Rica and two of the three yellow wires have totally burnt up. I am going to re do them and crimp them down really friggin hard this time. Hopefully that wont lead to a burnt VR.

I am learning all of this while I go. No they did not speak any English, or I guess I never asked if they did. They charged me less than 50 bucks for what amounted to 3 hours of labor. That was ok I guess all though I am not sure how good they really are. Maybe I will try again in Panama. Hopefully nothing will happen before then.

I got some excellent pictures in Central America and I am loving the roads here, the most fun so far. Nicaragua was great. REAALLY slow internet connection at the hotels free computer so I cant do any updating yet. Soon though. Maybe I will earn more tacos with a couple more good pics!

Thanks Flyingavanti for the tip, a spread sheet is a great idea. I love all the connections one can make while travelling, priceless.

TicoRider, give me the name of that mecanico if you dont mind. Are those GPS coordinates? I dont have one of those fancy gadgets unfortunately, just a torn paper map and the ole trusty sense of direction. If I decide to go back to San Jose I will definitely go and see him. I was there this morning and I should have checked this thread, silly me.

My sense of direction had me riding in circles in San Jose in the rain until I stopped under a tree and saw a sign, Hostel del Parque, looked fancy but I decided to get off the bike and go ask about a room and it was only 11 bucks a night, with a garage! Sometimes I like getting lost, sometimes not having a guide book is great and I find awesome places, other times it would be nice to have one but I think its better to just go for it.

Any suggestions on burnt wires are appreciated, I think I will redo the burnt ones and then continue on to Panama and check the wires everyday, hopefully I will be ok.

Update with pictures coming as soon as possible.

Saludos,
Ryan

[woodly1069]

I would offer this thought and take it as you wish...if you are checking the wiring harness for burnt wires you should check the connections first. Any loose connections may cause an issue you may see as black marks or corrosion in the connectors and that will be an issue; replace those or just "jump" over the affected area. Be sure to check the incoming wire to the connectors as well as the area inside the big plastic connector; sometimes the crimping of the wire is the issue and you will see evidence of arcing on the back side of the connector, Otherwise look for some place that a wiring harness has "rubbed" the frame or bracket holding it place, that may cause a short to ground and your issue of the alternator not charging your battery. Include any pictures of areas you are not sure about and I am sure the great folks her will steer you the right direction! Good luck, can't wait for more!

[Airhead Wrangler]

I guess my house is cursed. Your the second rider that's stopped at my house in the last couple months to suffer a charging failure immediately afterwards. Maybe you've read this already, but maybe not:

http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/CB400RectifierFAQ.htm

[CCRyder]

Cool trip, great photos, enjoy doing your thing ...... sounds like the ride of a lifetime !

Went to a McDonalds in Bangkok Thailand couple of years ago...... not exactly like eating at a McD's stateside .....nothing tasted or looked the same, guess it had the southeastern Asia "spin" on it............but yes, sometimes when living or traveling in a place where the food is considerably different ( Thailand) than what one is used to........ something familiar would be nice.............. LOL

good luck, ride safe, be well...............

[TicoRider]

Here is the place Technimotor, hope the map will be sufficient, the mechanics name is Christian the shop is really close by BMW Motorrad near La Sabana park.

Shop number 2290 4031

[Hannda]

Originally Posted by kwb210

As a dad it is dificult to pass up the chance to ride w. my son, more so since he will be gone on this extended trip for quite some time.

Ryan's dad