Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle’

« Older Entries

The end of my Latin American motorcycle adventure (and perhaps the beginning of another)

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

So this is it. My last post. I’ve been back in England for a month now and life is… well life is normal I guess. One thing I can say though, is that riding across the high-desert in Peru feels like a lifetime away when you’re caught trying to steal someone else’s pushchair outside your nephew’s nursery. William, the little rascal, assured me that the pushchair was his but promptly bailed on me when the real owners walked over and politely informed me that I was making a mess of their pushchair. The situation was made slightly more embarrassing in that not only was I taking the wrong buggy but I couldn’t even assemble the damn thing. In the end the ever so helpful (and slightly smug) victims of my attempted theft had to help me erect my sister’s pushchair; something that proper parents appear to accomplish with only a flick of the wrist. Rather than stand by his uncle as events unfolded, my ‘sweet little’ nephew pulled the old crying trick and took shelter in the bosom of a nursery teacher. Whilst I’m hurt by his treachery I’ll let him off this once as he is only two and a half. In fact, the more I think about it the more I admire his quick thinking and resourcefulness. Smart kid.

The long awaited reunion with my motorbike was emotional but not in the conventional sense. No misty-eyed embrace between man and machine. More along the lines of: “Surely you can’t charge that much to dispose of the crate? You thieving b@stards! Oh, if you put it like that I guess I’ll have to. Here you go.” Followed by installing the battery the wrong way round, thus unknowingly blowing the master fuse, and then worrying that none of the electrics worked. It took a while to realise that the battery could have the + and – terminals switched and after doing this it took another 10 minutes or so of frantic key twisting and calling the RAC breakdown recovery service before I thought to check the fuses! Replacing the master fuse brought back the electrics. Unfortunately this didn’t appear to be enough to make up for over 7 weeks of neglect and the infernal machine refused to start. I think the engine finally caught on about the 20th push start so I cancelled the RAC call-out. And then as one final test I had to pump up both tyres from 4psi to 30psi with my mini-now-broken-foot-pump. Why hadn’t I just ridden the bloody thing into the sea in Brasil and left it at that! Thankfully my sister was there to take the luggage home and of course my nephew provided moral support with the occasional helpful statement like: “Ollie. What that?”; “Ollie motorbike broken” and “Mummy, I need wee, wee.”

Before:Crated motorbike delivered from Brasil to England

After:

Finally unpacked and ready to ride off

With both bike and rider finally back on British soil I feel that my Latin American motorcycle adventure has come to an end and although the bike needs a lot of love and my right ankle still occasionally aches and bruises I reckon we did ok. It’s good to be back and I’m actually looking forward to knuckling down to a bit of normal life for a while. I’ve even started to make a living…

However, whilst the wanderlust is quelled it is by no means extinguished. In a previous post I mentioned a couple of ideas for future travels and I’m pleased to say that my dad is up for one of them so we’re looking into it. If we go ahead with the idea I’ll produce and online resource for others that wish to do the same (as I did with www.greasysprocket.co.uk) and will also keep those that are interested up to date with a blog. I’ll post links to the online resource and blog here. The planning and preparation involved will be considerably more than that needed for riding a motorbike across a couple of continents so I can’t guarantee that we’ll make it. I am fairly sure though that father and son travelling over strange lands in a confined space will be anything but uneventful. If you thought I was absent minded at times you should meet my dad!

Here’s the PLAN.

If I can learn how to do this…

PPL flight traning manuals

… and we can take this…

Piper Archer 4 areoplane

…we’re going to try and fly here.

Map of Africa

Got to go now as I have quite a bit of work to do. Thanks for reading and good luck in any future adventures of your own.

***************************************

- Motorbike touring planning resource -

- Photos of Latin America -

- Become a fan on facebook -

- Subscribe to this blog -

- Read this blog from the beginning -

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in england | No Comments »

Delivering my motorbike to Santos port (Santos – 25,700 miles)

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

The day finally arrived when I had to put my motorbike in a crate and leave it in a warehouse whilst Brazilian customs decide its fate. The sales manager (Victor) of my Brazilian shipping agents came with me to make sure I found the location and everything ran smoothly. This meant an early start because I had to ride to his office in the centre of Sao Paulo (10 miles) by 8.ooam so I could follow him in his car to the crating company in Santos (50 miles away) by 9.30am. Fortunately Sao Paulo’s motorcyclists ride like manics* so cars generally try to give them a wide berth. Sometimes enough for me to squeeze my bike with hard luggage through. This meant I only had to leave at 6.30am to cover the 10 miles to the office in 1.5 hours! Sao Paulo traffic is bad. We made it though and I’m pleased to say that no one lost a wing mirror or had their car scratched.

I removed the battery, windscreen and wing mirrors and then left them to it. Well, left them to it if you call “leaving them to it” hovering around, taking photos and intervening if I thought they were doing something that might harm the bike… Generally being a nuisance. Having said that. If I hadn’t intervened a couple of times they would have put my bike on its centre-stand. They also would have strapped the bike down (not using the centre-stand) to the full depression of the suspension. Again a potentially bad thing for a motorbike in transit. For those that are interested Horizons Unlimited give good crating instructions.

Photos below.

Measuring up.
measuring up to crate

Strapped down and ready for the rest of the crate. motorbike is all stapped down ready for covering

Many men with hammers.

many men and hammers crating my motorbike

Taking it out to the lorry for transportation to the warehouse.

taking the motorbike out to the loory for transport to the warehouse santos

On the lorry for the 5 mile journey to the warehouse. The most expensive 5 miles this motorbike has ever travelled (see costs below).

now the motorbike will be transported by lorry to the warehouse in Santos

Now for the costs…

  • Authenticating paperwork for Brazilian customs = R$150 / GBP56 / USD85 (This has increased form my previous post because customs have since asked for more documents. Looks like the fun and games have already begun.)
  • Crating the bike (see above) = R$1200 / GBP450 / USD680
  • Moving the crated motorbike by lorry from the crating company to the warehouse = R$430 / GBP160 / USD245 (yes, that’s GBP33 per mile!)
  • Brazilian Customs clearance and moving it from the warehouse onto the ship = R$1190 / GBP450 / USD675
  • Sailing it from Santos to Tilbury = R$219 / GBP82 / USD124
  • UK Customs clearance and getting it off the ship and onto the road at Tilbury = R$930 / GBP350 / USD527 (although not confirmed yet)

Giving a nice and juicy total of around R$4120 / GBP1550 / USD2335

Of course, if you wanted to crate and deliver the motorbike to the warehouse yourself (as many people do) you could reduce this by about 40%.

I can supply a more detailed breakdown of the costs for anyone that needs them and I’ll also update the horizons unlimited shipping database when I actually finish the process. (ie. I have ridden my motorbike out of Tilbury docks.)

I can’t tell you how effective they have been in exporting my motorbike from Brazil yet, because I won’t know until 25th March, but I can tell you that my shipping agents in Brazil have provided great customer service. When needed, they have come in person to translate and ensure the various processes are completed correctly (e.g. paperwork authentication and motorbike crating). They have also explained as much as they can about the intricacies of the export process and why it’s such a nightmare to import/export to/from this country. Their contact details are below (along with the crating company I used).

Nothing to do but wait now. So the plan is this; horse racing in Sao Paulo this weekend, then off to the Amazon for 10 days – including a 5 day trek into the jungle, back for a wedding in Minas the following weekend, then proper site seeing in Sao Paulo before heading back to Blighty at the beginning of April. Starting to get a little anxious about that last bit…

-

* On average there are 25 motorcycle accidents and 1 motorcyclist death a day in Sao Paulo. The highest in Brazil.





Shipping Agent in Sao Paulo – Santos – Brazil.

Contact: Victor Hugo, Overseas Brasil (Transporte e Logistica Ltda.).

victor.mello<AT>overseasbrasil.com.br

+55 11 27293460

www.overseasbrasil.com.br

Shipping motorbike from Brazil. Shipping motorbike to Brazil. Brazil shipping agent. Freight forwarder Brazil. Shipping motorbike from Brasil. Shipping motorbike to Brasil. Brasil shipping agent. Freight forwarder Brasil.

Crating company in Santos – Brazil

Contact: Cesar Pacheco, Export Paletizacao.

export<AT>cmg.com.br

+55 13 32321231

www.export-paletizacao.com.br

Crating motorbike in Santos. Motorbike crate. Santos. Brazil. Brasil.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in brazil | 5 Comments »

Finding a new motorbike helmet in Belize rather tricky!

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Rosa is Guatemalan and she spent the morning showing me places to visit and avoid, which is funny because she and Maria have also been trying to persuade me not to go further south. Rosa has also been helping me track down a new motorcycle helmet. Safe (US DOT approved) helmets are few and far between in Belize. People seem to be happy if it just looks like a helmet. I could buy one here for the equivalent of US$15. Having said that, most people ride around with their helmet clipped to the back of the seat anyway so I guess it doesn’t matter how strong it is. My initial search for a helmet was a disaster. An hour to Dangriga on the bus, only to find the cheap Chinese helmets. Then 2 hours into Belmopan because a Kawasaki dealer told me he had a DOT approved helmet in stock. Only to discover that although his computer said ‘yes’ his stock room said ‘no’. I should have got him to actually get the helmet from the stockroom whilst I was on the phone. Back to Lost Reef Resort empty handed after a whole day on the buses. The second attempt will be Spanish Lookout (4 hours away). Wolf’s Garage, in Spanish Lookout, assure me that they have them in stock. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Winston has kindly offered me a lift with him and his kids so we’ll incorporate my shopping trip with a bit of sightseeing in San Ignacio, near Spanish Lookout.

The other option was to buy the exact same make, model and size of my current helmet in the USA and John (the owner of Lost Reef) would pick it up when he popped back there in the week. Unfortunately it appears that they don’t import my make of Italian helmet (Airoh) into the USA. Nothing is ever easy!

Postscript: Finally found a DOT approved helmet, at Wolf’s Garage in Spanish Lookout, Belize. Motorcyclist traveling through Central America, if you need to buy a helmet go to Wolf’s Garage in Spanish Lookout (phone: 501-823-0348 email: cwolfe@spanishlookout.bz) or you can try the Yamaha dealer in Belize City. In fact, if you need any parts or tyres I reckon your best bet is to start at Spanish Lookout.

Find out more about Ollie’s trip at his Greasy Sprocket website.

If you’re on facebook and you want to see any photos then visit the actual blog here.

You can also see photos from Ollie’s trip in in his Greasy Spocket Photo Gallery.

Become a fan of Greasy Sprocket on facebook

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in belize | No Comments »

When it actually happens you don’t have any last thoughts! (Lost Reef Resort – 7,884 miles)

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Being constantly confused is frightening. I now understand what my grandma (with dementia) is going through and I really feel for her. Today I woke up in a strange place and had no idea how I got there. At first I thought I’d got really drunk and found my way here. Then as bits started to come back I realised it wasn’t the drink that hit me but the road. A guy called Winston found me wandering around a dirt road near Placencia, Belize. He stopped and apparently I asked him where I was. He pointed to the spot on my map and I then said, “No. What country am I in?” At that point he realised something was wrong and he brought me to Lisa and John’s beach resort (www.lostreefresort.com) in Riversdale, Belize. It appears that I either hit a rock or mud, came off my bike and hit my head pretty hard. Thank God for bike helmets and body armour. More importantly, thank God for people like Winston, John, Lisa, Bill, the doctors that treated me, Maria, Rosie and everyone else at the Lost Reef Resort, Belize. These people have taken me in, had me seen by world class doctors and are doing everything they can to make my stay here as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. I can’t tell you anything about the accident because I’m still pretty confused about a lot of things and my short term memory is shot. I’m told it will eventually return but it’s a matter of time. The good news is that I banged myself up very close to paradise, so the convalescence is an enjoyable experience.

I’ll fill you in soon on how these people are looking after me and what they are doing to help my body and mind recover.

In the meantime I need to reiterate how important proper motorcycle equipment is.

  • If I hadn’t been wearing motorcycle boots I could have lost my right ankle.
  • If I hadn’t been wearing knee and shin guards I could ave lost my right kneecap or perhaps leg below the knee.
  • If I hadn’t been wearing a proper (certified) helmet I would not be writing this now.

It doesn’t matter how hot it is or inconvenient the motorbike kit is to wear. It’s definitely worth it. A few pictures of the bike. (No idea if I took the one of my bike on the road!)

And a final note to my mother. Sorry mum. That was probably the worst 60th birthday present a son could give to his mother. I’ll try to be more careful in the future!

Find out more about Ollie’s trip at his Greasy Sprocket website.

If you’re on facebook and you want to see any photos then visit the actual blog here.

You can also see photos from Ollie’s trip in in his Greasy Spocket Photo Gallery.

Become a fan of Greasy Sprocket on facebook

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in belize | 3 Comments »

I’ve found a paradise in the jungle (El Pachan – 7,285 miles)

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

I won’t lie to you. Juchitan is a dump. Its only redeeming feature is an event that happens at dusk each day. For a few minutes the sky over the plaza darkens as 100s if not 1000s of birds descend on the trees to roost. The screeching of these birds builds from a distance to an almost deafening racket as they all pick a spot to sleep for the night. A rather surreal experience.

My guidebook says that San Cristobal de Las Casas is one of the most beautiful towns in Mexico. I’d say that it’s not a patch on Durango or Puebla. However, El Pachan (near Palenque) is a paradise built in the jungle. Building holiday villages in jungles is not a new concept but I like the fact that one man started the community here and all the businesses that have built up are owned and run by his offspring and their families. A private, family village as it were. The huts, laundry, travel agent, 3 bars and restaurant are built into the jungle. Lots of strange noises at night but a great setting and always busy. I highly recommend it. I have a feelling that a few of the bands and fire dancers that perform every night are travellers that arrived for a couple of days and never managed to leave. Apparently it’s not uncommon for people to overstay by a few weeks or in some cases settle here. An American called Steve has been here for 9 years! However, I will be leaving tomorrow, to cover the 300 odd miles to the Belize border. Time to change countries.

can you see my hut

Before I sign off though I’d like to mention a fellow motorcycle traveller I met here yesterday. Sean is an Australian and his world tour makes my little adventure look like a walk in the park. Although he’s stopped to work for periods of of time between trips he will have effectively been on the road for 5 years. The 1st leg from India to the UK. The 2nd from Spain to Capetown and this final leg from Toronto to Santiago. His 1986 BMW R65 (a road bike -  with road tyres) has taken him all the way and it sounds like they have ridden through everything. Sheet ice in Russia. Desert roads to Timbuktu. Sand, rivers, mountains. You name it and he’s done it. Inspiring stuff.

seans bike

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in mexico | No Comments »

First Section Compete (2,415 miles)

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

So that’s the practice section of this adventure over. Time to get amongst it south of the border.

Before I leave I need to write something that will probably amuse some of my close friends. Here goes…

When asked, my friends would probably tell you I am a politically ‘left leaning’ European. (That doesn’t mean to say I like any of those dirty money embezzling Members of European Parliament though.) This means that in the past I may not have had much time for America as nation.

I now admit that was very narrow minded of me.

In the last 2 weeks everyone I have met here has been extremely friendly, helpful and generous (apart from a transsexual bus driver I met in Vegas. Before you ask, it was in a professional capacity. S/he was driving the bus and I was a passenger. S/he was the moodiest person I’ve met in quite a while.).

So, I now have a lot more time for this nation. I can also understand why many people don’t leave their country (or state) very often/ever as everything is so large and plentiful here, why bother. I guess there’s often no need to trouble yourself with matters going on a few states away, let alone on the other side of the globe. As long as they are harmless then I guess just let them be. We had Jade Goode after all.

A few things I’ve learnt for motorbike travelers in America:

  • It’s easier to find cheap unhealthy food than cheap healthy food. If you’re in California buy fruit and vegetables by the side of the road.
  • American motorcyclists wave to each other (rather than the customary English nod). I guess that’s because they have longer, straighter roads over here.
  • When camping wild, keep all your food in your hard luggage on your bike and put a cover over the whole lot.
  • When they say ‘canyons’ they mean ‘ mountains’ (6,000-10,000 ft).
  • If camping with no spare water you can survive on ‘wet-wipe and talcum powder showers’ (but not for long).
  • Use the Wanderlust World Map form www.smellybiker.com but also keep a paper map with you.
  • If you like off-road riding, head to Utah and Nevada. (I’m sure there are plenty other states but those were the best I visited.) See – www.transamtrail.com – www.utah.com/offroad – GORP
  • US highways chew up your tyres. Use a harder compound if you can.
  • To avoid getting cramp on the long, straight roads here you need to keep your body moving. Develop a motorcycle dance if you will. The small loss in dignity when caught ‘motorcycle dancing’ by other motorists is far outweighed by the benefit of not getting cramp…
  • If you’re in or near Nevada pop into Sam’s Cycle Supply – 3900 N. Rancho Drive, Suite 101, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89130. 702-367-7267.
  • And finally. If our Queen does pop her clogs. Don’t let on if the person you’re talking to doesn’t know. They love her over here.

That’s about it. There may be radio silence for a while as I’m heading into Mexico, Baja California back-country and I don’t know what internet access will be like.

You can find out more about Ollie´s trip by visiting his Greasy Sprocket website.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in usa | No Comments »

Sam’s Cycle Supply – Las Vegas, Nevada

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

WARNING: This is a shameless plug for a motorcycle store in Las Vegas, Nevada. If you’re not near Las Vegas, are unlikely to visit or not interested in motorbikes you may want to skip this post.

First, a bit of background. I arrived in Las Vegas after 2 days of trying to improve my off-road riding in various forests and deserts, which involved rather a rough time for my bike. I was a little paranoid about the sound of the engine and I also needed to buy some knee and shin protection. I was tinkering with the bike outside my motel and a guy starts talking to me about my bike. Turns out he’s local and rides trail bikes so I asked him where I could buy the knee and shin guards. He recommended “Sam’s Cycle Supply”, just up the road. The following morning I rode to the shop and go in to try on the guards.

I didn’t know at the time but the owner (Sam) was outside with a customer. When he comes in he asks if the bike is mine and then is able to give me the full history of the bike make and model and what other bikes had the same engine as mine. Bear in mind that they stopped importing my make and model of bike into the US over 8 years ago! We get chatting and I tell him I’m worried about the sound of the engine.

“No problem. I’ll ask one of my mechanics to listen to it when he gets in. Would you like a coffee?”

Yes I would. We start talking about tyres and whether I’ll be able to get replacements in Central and South America. Sam recommends a few tyres and then suggests I wait for Fernando to get in as he is Mexican and has loads of knowledge and contacts for south of the border.

In the mean time I ask for the nearest internet cafe or library so I can check emails, etc. Sam offers me the use of one of his computers (for 3 hours…)

When Fernando arrives, it turns out he had a bike with the same engine. He has a listen and gives mine the all clear. Fernando talks me through tyre options and where I will be most likely to find replacements. We start talking about Mexico. How to ride safely. What police to avoid. What to do if you get stopped. Places to visit. Places to avoid, etc. And get this. Fernando then offers to put an itinerary together for me in Mexico. I can pop in to collect it on my way back from Bryce Canyon in a couple of days. How amazing is that?

At no point are these guys selling anything to me. In fact, they give me pizza and cola. I was wondering how they manage to survive running a business like this (I only bought a pair of $15 guards). I then realise that there had been a constant stream of customers coming into the store since I’d been there. People trust these guys and it seems to me that as well as being extremely friendly and generous to their customers they also know what they are talking about and their customers trust them.

Thanks for all your help Sam and Fernando. Much appreciated.

Sam’s Cycle Supply – 3900 N. Rancho Drive, Suite 101, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89130 (Phone: 702-367-7267) They don’t have a website. They’re a people business.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in usa | No Comments »

We both arrived safely in Los Angeles

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

My bike and I both landed in LA safely. After the initial discomfort of being called “motorcycle guy” over the tannoy system at US Customs the process of getting my bike on the road was surprisingly quick and easy. Customs paperwork took 15 minutes and un-crating the bike took about another 25 minutes. It turns out that they stopped importing my make and model of bike quite a few years ago. So the rarity of the bike and the UK number plate seems to attract the interest of motorbike geek and regular punter alike. Much of the time I have no idea what the motorbike geeks are saying but smiling, nodding and well timed murmur of agreement tends to do the trick.

Everyone is incredibly friendly and helpful over here. Even the park ranger who almost towed my bike (because he didn’t think the number plate was real) seemed to be very jovial about it. After a little small talk he let us both go.

Now we’re on the road I’m going to get out of LA as soon as possible. I’m not that keen on this city.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in usa | No Comments »

Finaly, I can ride a big motorbike

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

Re-took the test (after the mandatory 10 days wait) and passed it this time. With my irrational fear of driving tests overcome I managed no minor or serious points this time. Motorcycle adventure is now back on.

I now need to decide on a motorbike for my trip. Help with choosing a motorbike can be found here.

You can find information on motorcycle test types in the rider preparation section of Greasy Sprocket.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in england | No Comments »

Failing my first Full Motorcycle License Practical Test (DAS Test)

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

I need a large motorcycle to transport me and my luggage through Mexico, Central and South America. A 125cc machine was not going to manage. This means I need a full motorcycle license. You can see other motorcycle license options on the rider prepartion section of Greasy Sprocket. Anyway, I had passed my theory test and attended East Side Riders 4 day Direct Access Motorcycle Training course. All seemed to be looking promising. What I hadn’t counted on was a bout of totally irrational, knee trembling fear as soon as I stepped into the DVLA Test Centre. I have not been nervous like that since… well since I took my UK driving test when I was 17. I don’t know why a driving test can instil that amount of fear in me but it did. I’m not talking slightly anxious before a sales pitch or presentation to the boss. I’m talking about having ‘trouble controlling the movement of your limbs’ fear. I’ve done some fairly silly things over the years, that have caused the heart to pound and knees to wobble but I have not been that nervous for a very long time. Needless to say my decision making and motor neuron abilities were suffering due to all the adrenaline rushing round my body.

So… After stalling the bike as soon as I got on it I later stopped at traffic lights when they were green! The examiner, on a bike behind me, nearly went into me and the car behind him nearly went into him! 1 minor + 1 serious = FAIL. If I can take anything positive from the test, it is that I now know what a DVLA examiner sounds like when they sh*t themselves.

THIS IS POTENTIALLY A SERIOUS DISTRUPTION TO MY PLANS…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in england | No Comments »

« Older Entries