Oregon to Ushuaia on an XR650L

[Range Rover]

Originally Posted by ONandOFF

Bryce, I love everything you're doing on this trip, except this kinda stuff. This isn't the first time you've reported polluting and/or trashing up a place. I hope you realize you are acting as an ambassador for any of us who may follow you. They may appear not to mind and not say anything to you but I assure you nobody takes kindly to anyone disrespecting their environment (and by extension, them). They will be talking about you for a while! And then they will consider the rest of us to be like you. We'll take the heat for your indiscretions. I'm sure others are thinking it also, but someone's got to step up and say it.

I suggest you treat wherever you are with the same respect and consideration as if it were your own place, or your parents' place. Tread lightly; leave it the same or better than you found it. Thanks!

+1 on this.
I have enjoyed your RR and appreciate all the work you've put into it. But I have cringed several times when reading about these indiscretions. Yes, you are an ambassador, so please tread lightly so others may follow. I'm guessing that if some "mexican" rolled up in front of your house and changed his oil, spilling it everywhere, then drove off- you'd track him down and hang him by the pelotas. Think about it.

Keep on rockin' in the third world, and be safe. Again, thanks for the entertaining RR.

[Brown Falcon]

Originally Posted by duncanfc

When I went to OSU back in the 80's, I worked at the Beanery, which I think is the same coffee hut this fellow is talking about (there was another, but sorority girls went there...granola types came to the Beanery).

It is at the corner of NW Monroe and NW 26th...well, it was there in the 80's. (by the way, there was a sister coffee hut by the same name on SW Washington and SW 2nd).

I used to ride my Seca 750 with a few motorcyclists who came to the coffee hut on weekends, but I could never keep up.

One of them, Paul O'Neil, a die hard motorcyclist by morning and night (by day, he was an oceanography engineer at the university) who looked like the leather clad hell angel sterotype who did heroin daily from age 18 to 50, rode a Honda Hurricane among other very fast bikes (didn't have an HD as far as I knew).

From what I heard after I graduated, he ended up going off the road on Mary's Peak at speed one morning and into a tree. A friend of his in the lead got to the bottom, waited, then came back up looking for him. A gruesome scene against a Douglas Fir and RIP Paul.

If you do get to Corvallis, head on out past Philomoth, and when you get the fork in road, don't go to Newport but take the road to Alsea (bear left), follow the road till you get to the Mary's Peak turn off. Nice ride to the top and great view on a good day.

But I digress, back to the story at hand......

There is still the Beanery there, which is somewhat hippy-ish, but the one they are referring to (I'm 99% sure) is called Interzone, and is down the street a few blocks on campus from the Beanery. Interzone is VERY hippy/alternative.

Mary's Peak is amazing! If you look a few pages back I posted some pictures from a ride I took with a friend of mine on our XR's a few weeks back. I had to remind Bryce of what he's missing back in Oregon. haha

[Ulyses]

Originally Posted by ONandOFF

Bryce, I love everything you're doing on this trip, except this kinda stuff. This isn't the first time you've reported polluting and/or trashing up a place. I hope you realize you are acting as an ambassador for any of us who may follow you. They may appear not to mind and not say anything to you but I assure you nobody takes kindly to anyone disrespecting their environment (and by extension, them). They will be talking about you for a while! And then they will consider the rest of us to be like you. We'll take the heat for your indiscretions. I'm sure others are thinking it also, but someone's got to step up and say it.

I suggest you treat wherever you are with the same respect and consideration as if it were your own place, or your parents' place. Tread lightly; leave it the same or better than you found it. Thanks!

Oops. Thanks for brining that up. I suppose you're right. There is a different attitude towards it down here though; it may not be the same everywhere, but I've seen numerous people draining the oil/radiator fluid/gasoline/etc out of their vehicles into the ground/street/sidewalk/ect. When I started this trip I would ask people what I should do with that kind of stuff and they would tell me not to worry about it, so I stopped really worrying about it. Still, I suppose that's no excuse. I guess it's time to clean up my act.

[Ulyses]

Originally Posted by mcma111

Since I'm at work and don't have acess to my service manual I'll throw this out there. I think your bike takes more than two liters of oil per service. Especially if you changed the filter which you don't mention. You DO NOT want to head out with out a full amount of oil. When I service my XRL I use 2 1/2 quarts to get a full reading.

Hmmm...for some reason mine gets full after about 2 quarts with no filter change and 2.1 quarts (2 liters) with a filter change. I did change the filter last night. I do about three oil checks per day, and today every reading was right at the full mark. What kind of oil cooler do you use? Do you think that could be the difference?

[Ulyses]

Originally Posted by Spud Rider

Bryce,

Make sure the bead is seated on your front tire. Examine the bead around the entire circumference of the tire on both sides of the tire. If the bead is not fully seated your front wheel will noticeably hop as it turns. If the bead is not seated, you can support the front wheel and deflate the tire while its mounted on the bike. Then apply Windex, soapy water, or some other lubricant to the bead on both sides of the tire. After the bead is lubricated, re-inflate the tire and watch to ensure the bead seats on both sides of the rim.

Spud

Hmmm....I just took a look at it and I think the bead is okay. Do you think it could be that the front axle wasn't tightend correctly? Is there a method to the madness?

[Ulyses]

Originally Posted by Spud Rider

Bryce,

Since your luggage rack is fracturing so frequently, I fear your bike's subframe might also be damaged. The photograph below shows the point on the subframe which is most likely to fracture first.



I strongly encourage you to inspect this area often. If you see the paint start to flake, or notice a hairline fracture at the bottom of the gusset, take prompt action to fix the problem. This area is located on the right subframe, just behind the air box.

Spud

Spud,

Thanks for putting up that picture. After hearing about the XRL's subframe issues, I've always wondered where it usually breaks. So far the subframe is still sound. I check it everyday at least once or twice and I haven't had any issues.

I am worried though; especially after getting hit by that car. Still, of all the things that could go wrong, that would be one of the easier things to repair. I'll keep an eye on it and tell you how it goes. I'm wishing that I would have had time to do the subframe reinforcement before I left.

The rack is so beat up now, especially after it took the brunt of two seperate crashes, that I think it's just going to keep breaking. The only thing to do is to replace it, which obviously won't happen until I get home. The president of TCI has offered me a new rack at no extra cost as soon as I get back.

[Creeker747]

Originally Posted by Brown Falcon

There is still the Beanery there, which is somewhat hippy-ish, but the one they are referring to (I'm 99% sure) is called Interzone, and is down the street a few blocks on campus from the Beanery. Interzone is VERY hippy/alternative.

Mary's Peak is amazing! If you look a few pages back I posted some pictures from a ride I took with a friend of mine on our XR's a few weeks back. I had to remind Bryce of what he's missing back in Oregon. haha

Dudes, your giving me flashbacks - OSU Class of '82, riding up Mary's peak on my '81 Seca 750, The Beaver Hut, OSU #1 Rank in basketball, Ralph Miller.............

Sorry Bryce to do a little hijacking, but a fellow Oregonian would understand. Keep On, Keep'n On.........

[mcma111]

Originally Posted by Ulyses

Hmmm...for some reason mine gets full after about 2 quarts with no filter change and 2.1 quarts (2 liters) with a filter change. I did change the filter last night. I do about three oil checks per day, and today every reading was right at the full mark. What kind of oil cooler do you use? Do you think that could be the difference?

I don't have an oil cooler. I dump in the 2.5 quarts and keep the other .5 qt for the next service or for topping off. The engine doesn't know if the tank has some extra oil in it.

[Spud Rider]

Originally Posted by Ulyses

Hmmm....I just took a look at it and I think the bead is okay. Do you think it could be that the front axle wasn't tightend correctly? Is there a method to the madness?

Okay, I just wanted to make sure the bead was seated. Was the rim bent during one of your collisions?

Here is a video which demonstrates the correct method for tightening the front axle. Of course, the XR650L only has pinch bolts on the right fork.



Spud

[Ulyses]

Day 92 (January 15, 2013)
Lima, Peru to Nazca, Peru
Day's Ride: 279 Miles



Starbucks, what a wonderful place. I took advantage of my last morning in Lima to hit up the old SBUX, drink some real coffee and post up yesterdays' report. I also upgraded my Med Jet Assist account up to the "Expatriate" level so that I have 180 days of medevac coverage. The old one was only good for 90 days. After seeing Justin get smashed and meeting that Australian (Adam) in Cali with two broken arms and no earthly idea of how he got that way, I figured it would be the prudent thing to do.

I swung by the moto shop on my way out of town to get a picture with the managers. Ricardo (on the right), the head manager, is also the sport bike racing champion of Peru. These guys are really cool and they went out of their way to help me out, especially with that chain guard that they cannibalized off of an XRL that they were selling.



As I walked into the shop, I recognized a KLR in the back that was being worked on. Ricardo told me that a Canadian who claimed to know me had dropped it off to have the tires installed and was currently over in the mercado getting coffee.

I rode my bike over to the mercado and look who I found:



Kedgi (on the right, aka Dwight) of "Lobsters to Llamas" fame, whom I had met at new years eve in Cayumbe. He had met up with a couple of Colombian riders that morning and was planning on staying in Lima for a few days.

Saying goodbye to Kedgi and his new Colombian friend, I hit the road. Getting out of Lima was surprisingly easy and before I knew it I was back on the coast.



After a while I stopped at a grocery store to check my oil, grab some batteries, and check my new chain. As I was checking things over, this guy comes walking out of the store:



I was so motivate by his shirt that I gave him an "Errrrr!". He had no idea what that meant. I'm sure that many of you don't either.....

Like Ecuador, Peru has nice roads. Like Colombia, moto's don't have to pay tolls. I suppose this makes it the best of both worlds.



It took me a while to figure this out, but after some angry hand gestures from the Peruvian toll booth workers, I eventually learned that moto's just skip around the right hand side of all toll booths. Interesting.

I stopped for lunch at a roadside stand today and had chicken tamales:



A little different than the Mexican version; these come wrapped in Banana leaves and are a little sweeter. They were delicious and at 5 Soles they were quite cheap as well.

Continuing on along the Panamerican highway, the scenery remained very desolate.



There is a certain beauty and almost a sense of cleanliness to the desert that I enjoy. At times, being in Peru has made me miss living in the Mojave. The coast of Peru has been one of the most desolate and sand swept deserts that I've had the pleasure of traveling through and I think I'll probably miss it. Still, I have the Atacama and the Salar de Uny to look forward too...



Towards the end of the day, I arrived on the outskirts of Nazca.



No one is quite sure who constructed the Nazca lines and they weren't even found until 1939 when someone was flying over the area to research ancient irrigation methods. There are various theories about their purpose: UFO landing sights, giant running tracks, walkways, etc, but I'll spare you the details. Look it up on Wikipedia.

Apparently, the only way to truly appreciate the Nazca Lines is to take a plane and fly over them. I didn't really have the time or the money to do that; however, some of the overlanders in Lima had told me about a little watch tower right off the Panamerican Highway that you can see a few of the lines from for 2 Soles.



I paid my 2 quid and popped up the tower for a quick peak. This is the Frog (or maybe it's a Hand?):



And this is the Tree:



There was supposed to be a third set of lines (a Lizard) visible from the tower, but I couldn't quite make it out. As I was at the tower, numerous small bush planes were buzzing about, ferrying tourists over the massive desert scape of enigmatic figures. Apparently there are a couple hundred different depictions as well as numerous different geometric shapes and lines. It's supposed to be really cool from the air. Maybe next time...

Coming back down I chatted with the vendors at the bottom and bought a Peru sticker from one of the ladies. A young tour guide was also hanging out down there, so I asked him if he would take my picture.



After the leaving the lines I rode the remaining 15 miles into the town of Nazca and found a Hostel, The Nazca Inn.



After some negotiation, a bed in one of the dorms is 25 Soles ($10). They let me park my bike in the lobby, and they have laundry, hot watter, and fast wifi.

Tomorrow I head towards Cuzco.

[bwalsh]

Originally Posted by Ulyses

Hmmm...for some reason mine gets full after about 2 quarts with no filter change and 2.1 quarts (2 liters) with a filter change. I did change the filter last night. I do about three oil checks per day, and today every reading was right at the full mark. What kind of oil cooler do you use? Do you think that could be the difference?

My 04 takes right at 2 quarts to fill, including filter change.

My 08 uses 2.5 with filter.

Go figure...

Just about everybody with an "L" has a different amount they add to full. I think you already know this but it's best to check a few minutes after shutdown. There is a valve in the bottom of the frame tank that on some bikes...and it's happened a few times with my 04...the oil will bleed out of the tank and into the bottom of the engine over night so it shows NO oil on the stick in the morning.

[ONandOFF]

Originally Posted by Ulyses

... I've seen numerous people draining the oil/radiator fluid/gasoline/etc out of their vehicles into the ground/street/sidewalk/ect. ...they would tell me not to worry about it, so I stopped really worrying about it. ...

The "when in Rome" syndrome? I can see where that's a natural reaction.
But in this case, two wrongs makes twice the mess! In addition to our fellow beings, we have a responsibility to the earth.
South Americans are always polite and tell you "not to worry about it", no matter the circumstances. Pretty much. Well, unless you're married to them.

South America is still a lot "freer" than here in the US, and with freedom comes the associated responsibility. I want us to act respectful and continue to be welcomed and respected by the very respectful, kind, and considerate vast majority of the people there. But if instead of being mindful and cleaning up our mistakes, we act careless and laugh it off, not only will we piss off our hosts, but we risk causing some observers who are aspiring to undertake a similar adventure, to adopt a similar mindset of disrespect. We don't want to go back there and have them looking at us with daggers in their eyes, or worse, due to being equated to the inconsiderate gringo(s) before us who treated them as inferior.

I certainly do appreciate that you are re-evaluating the situation in new light!
Best wishes on the next step. Looking forward to reading about it. Cheers!

[ONandOFF]

Originally Posted by mcma111

I don't have an oil cooler. I dump in the 2.5 quarts and keep the other .5 qt for the next service or for topping off. The engine doesn't know if the tank has some extra oil in it.

Gotta chime in with a +1

[Ulyses]

Originally Posted by DRRambler

I didn't send anywhere near what it might take to shave that fuzz off your face, but your report has been very helpful to me. Normally I don't want recognition but I want to say that I have no problem contributing and certainly have no issue with being asked. Jammin Jay sells T-shirts, one of which I regularly wear and I direct people to his RR.
Keep up the fine work

Fuzz! Haha! Thanks a bunch man. Here you are representing:

[Ulyses]

Originally Posted by JDowns

Hi Bryce,

I donated some gas money. I don't currently need it. I'm still stuck in Panama waiting for the Sherpa loveboat.

Tio Juanito on the tank will go nicely with that bandito mustache on the front fender.
See you back in Oregon or down the road someday. Always enjoy checking in on your ride report. Keep up the good work!

Saludos,
Tio Juanito

John, you're the man! Thanks for everything. Hope you can find a boat! If not, I think you need to hit up Crashmaster and his plane....