What-If total breakdown
 

Hello people,

in a few months, my RTW motorcycle trip is starting. I can repair a flat tire and fix some regular things myself.

But.. what if something really nasty is happening in the (larger) backroads of e.g. Mongolia or the Pamir highway? What if your motorcycle just doesn't work anymore?

How did you get back to a larger city to have someone with more knowledge, get it fixed? Hitchhike and arrange a truck to get it? Have it towed? Just wait a few hours until someone passing by arranges a transport?

I usually find crying followed by curling up in a tight ball and rocking back and forth helps. Sorry, you mean after that right?

Any of the above. You make it up as you go along. Sometimes a really nice blonde lady in a Porsche pulls up and not only drives you to the bike shop and buys you coffee but gives you a ride back to the bike (she was married but I had to ask), other times you hear stories of guys pushing for miles or getting asked for cash by truck drivers. I think the only advice is to try and be honest but also gauge the chances of a better or worse deal coming up. If there are roads and vehicles someone somehow will be up for sorting the ones that aren't happy.


Andy

I too tried crying followed by curling up in a tight ball and rocking back and forth the wife wasn't impressed. Swearing and throwing spanners was the next step. :taz::cursing:

Perhaps that's where the techy stuff comes in useful satphone / spot tracker etc.. I'm not a fan but I see where it comes in useful.

You won't know what you need to do until it happens. Every situation is going to be different. Unfortunately it can happen and all you can do is trust in peoples kindness and reduce the risks as much as possible before you commit to remote routes, prep the bike etc.... The more risk you take the more chance of something happening, but surely that's why we do it, go on adventures I mean.

In general a lot of the time we worry about stuff that probably won't happen. When it does happen its never as bad as you think ........mostly

One thing I have learned. It is pointless carrying a load of new spares if your bike is about to need them anyway. Some examples

Start your long journey with new chain and spark plugs. Tyres/tubes and rim tapes also if you are doubtful about their ability to complete your journey to some place where it would be simple to change them. By all means carry spares. If the plugs and chain you removed are still good for 3,000 miles then carry them as spares. they will "get you home" (home being somewhere easy to fit new). Usually I run chains as a pair. get both at the same time same make/batch /supplier and fit one carry the other.
Same with cables, fit new, carry any used ones if they are Really good.
On cars this includes belts (not toothed ones).

Also if your vehicle need special tool for a job, it may be worthwhile to take the special tool.

For really remote areas with no traffic, like desert-crossings abroad - get a Satphone or Satellite-Messager.

For any other roads there is some traffic. The people will help you or offer their help for money.

Read some blogs of other travellers and you will see - there is a solution.

Surfy

having recently watched one of Oisin Hughes videos in Mongolia, where his GS broke down several times until he couldn't go any further. He was picked up by a couple of guys with a truck. One of the guys had a mobile phone who managed to contact someone who spoke English - she told Oisin how they could help.
It wasn't easy, the truck broke down several times too but eventually he got to a place where he could pick up a new parts (sent via a variety of HU contacts).
......
where there's a will, there's a way :)

I find that giving the vehicle a sound thrashing with a leafy branch broken off a nearby tree sometimes helps.

Travelling is about finding out the "what" in "what if". Once the "if" occurs, throw some spanners, then cool down, get yourself a beer and a good sleep. Come next morning, everything will work out. Next to a tire iron carry a tent and always enough water and food to have a good late night meal whereever you need to camp out. This is all you´ll need.
Cheers
Chris

I worry about everything :innocent:. Having said that, if we knew for certain that trips were going to be uneventful, would we still go? Part of exploring the world in its ever more far flung regions enables us to experience the "what ifs" and forces us to deal with the consequences. There's a famous quote that says "do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough of its own worries". Once I read this, it did change my outlook on "what if?".

You will find a way... That is certain. Whatever happens. You won't spend the rest of your life next to a broken down motorcycle on the side of a road.

There are things you can do to make this situation easier...

1) Have a bike which is well maintained and reliable in the first place. With a little knowledge you will probably get yourself going again. PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. If you think something is going to break, it probably will. Don't wait until you're in the middle of nowhere.

2) Only travel in the daytime and get on the road early. A Sunday evening is not the time to be looking for a shop with spare parts or a hotel (I know this through experience)

3)Have all your 'can not live without' valuables packed into one bag like a tank bag that you can walk away with. Or a 49L Ortlieb with a shoulder strap that you can get 100% of your important stuff into. Then you can hide your bike somewhere. (A lightweight rattle proof lock and a bike cover will make you sleep better) This is where having a £2000 dirt bike is better than having a £15,000 BMW. One is easier to write off and walk away from in the worst case scenario.

4) Always have emergency food and water for the area your're travelling. Don't ride into the desert with 1L of water and a mars bar. In western Europe, this isn't so important. In remote regions, it is more so..

5) Keep a DECENT stash of emergency cash. You will need it. Local currency is best. Dollars will do.

6) Don't travel solo into places that you can't walk out of....


Scenario.... Your bike dies on a road in Mongolia. You're miles from a town.

Get comfortable... Compose yourself and think things through. Make a brew.. Try and fix your bike. Wiggle this, kick that, check connections and switches etc.

If it's beyond your skills, spares and tools then you need to get yourself and your bike to a town or village. Collect your valuables together and flag down a vehicle.. Best case scenario you flag a truck for you and your bike.. You will probably get a free ride. Flashing some cash will definitely get you some help.

Find somewhere to sleep.... You need a base-camp to solve your problem from. Once secure, ask around for someone with a trailer, truck, van etc to get your bike back to the place you are sleeping if you couldn't do this to start with.. This is actually WAY easier in small remote places. People WANT to help you. You will probably be saved by a do-gooder before you even realise you have a problem. It sounds like a nightmare but it will just happen. You won't have a choice anyway. It will be the natural 'thing to do'.

Then it's just a case of putting your feet up. Ask around for transport to a mechanic etc... Try and enjoy the mini adventure... You didn't think you'd be doing THIS when you got up this morning.

If it's late and no cars have passed, put your tent up, make a cup of tea and think things through. Sleep on it. Unless you're REALLY remote, you will get help.. Eventually. Even if it costs you $$$$$$

You will find it's just a minor inconvenience. It will be memorable. You will make new friends and have great stories..

With hindsight you will often find that it is the unexpected halts that are the making of a trip. Always remember in the grand scheme of things five years after it really wont seem that big a deal to have thrown a con rod in the desert. You just need to learn to relax and go with the flow. This is why a tight schedule is such a pain and silly thing to have.

This is SOOOOO true and GREAT advice... It's only a stressful situation if you have a tight deadline. Otherwise, it's just another day and another adventure.

This is one of the MAIN reasons I do 6 month trips. I've met plenty of people tearing their hair out due to breakdowns or set backs.


eg. Ushuaia 2008.. I met a German guy in the camp site. He was waiting for a new fuel pump.. He had 6 weeks off work and shipped his 1200GS to Chile. He rode all the way to Ushuaia in a week after releasing his bike. His fuel pump gave up on him in Ushuaia. He had to wait 3 weeks for a new pump to be shipped in then ride straight back to Chile to fly home. 3/4 of his trip was spent in a cold wet camp site on the phone to DHL...

If he had a longer trip, he could of left his bike there and jumped on a bus, plane , train and seen some great sites while his parts were in transit without always stressing about fixing his bike and return flights. Even better he could of arranged transport back to Buenos Aires and enjoyed some great Asados at Dakar Motos.

Anyway, I'm going off topic. You will be fine if you have the time. :smartass:

All the more reason to travel on a well used bike. If I had a $20,000 GS and it took a dump, I'd have a melt down worrying about it. A 7 year old KLR on the other hand, I could walk away from.

Exactamente....

If you're short of time and don't like using threats of physical violence on freight company managers to persuade them to do their job properly, don't use DHL as your freight company :innocent:

Chapter 17 The Big Trip

:offtopic:

I've been on the road for almost 2 years now. When I started, I did not even want to go into my motor to check the valve clearance. Now there is noting I would trust a mechanic to do. If/when something breaks on my bike or I hear a different sound, I look at this as an opportunity to learn the bike.

I also carry spares. The wheel bearings that I carried for 50,000 km came in very handy in Siberia. There are failure modes for every bike. Replace these with better parts before you start.. or as you go.

One thing I've also learned.. don't trust the touratech catalog :innocent:

Great Thread!
 

:D:DThis thread should be required reading for any rider starting out! It should be of help to new travelers on several levels, both practical and metaphysical. :clap: Kudos to all the experienced riders who've contributed! :thumbup1: :D:D

I hope our BIG EXPENSIVE BIKE BROTHERS are not too put off by some of the comments ... but reality is ... sometimes you do just have to walk away from your bike. Even carrying massive stocks of spares ... you still may not be able to manage a complex repair in a remote village without expert help.
Not all of us are experts.

But as said by several experienced guys here: If you start off with a reliable bike that you know well and that is 100% trip ready, with many NEW components to start, then you are ahead of the game and improve your odds. Also, carrying appropriate spares for suspect components is also wise.

As far as getting a ride somewhere from remote location, I think it's easier than we may imagine. I've read Walter Colebatch's Sibirsky Extreme report
(the latest one):
Sibirsky Extreme 2012 - The Toughest Ride of Them All - ADVrider

Several of their party hired a truck to drive their bikes all the way from Outer Mongolia (?) to Russia or the EU (??) at the end of their ride. They took 2 or 3 bikes IIRC. Of course the driver was paid. It really helps that Walter speaks Russian.

The KTM 690 rider did have some problems. He got towed a few times and eventually was left behind. IIRC, he got a truck ride to some town to get parts. Then, once the bike was fixed, he powered on and caught up to the group! :D (I think he had a bad fuel pump?)

Colebatch and friends are probably the premier expert explorers of that region. I imagine any local with room in his truck would be happy be make easy money carting a light weight travel bike any distance.

This is certainly true in Latin America where I have personal experience getting both bikes and injured riders trucked hundreds of miles to help. We ALWAYS insist to pay ... even if refused, we find a way to pay something.
It's just the right thing to do. :thumbup1:

There are no reliably good freight or courier companies. The whole industry is based on a labour pool of drivers and clerks who really aren't paid to think and once they have your money and package there isn't a lot you can do. UPs, DHL, FedEx, all as bad as each other. I always pick the one with nearest office. Knocking on the door and asking for your stuff makes it harder to be given the run around, but not impossible.

Andy

It depends...
Is there anywhere to walk? To start walking you need somewhere to walk. If the chances to meet people increases if you walk then start walking.
Your need of water will increase when you walk and this will limit your time, so if water is an issue it might be smart to wait (and hope). Walking at night might be an option.

I've walked 36km through a forrest (lightly injured) in mx-boots and it wasn't nice.
Always use a battery-powered GPS.

IMHO the cost of the bike is not an issue, it's always cheaper to stay at home.

I don't really want to add much to the practical information that others have given as it's all pretty much on the nail but whether a breakdown becomes a disaster or just an interesting day is down to how you approach it. Notice I said breakdown and not accident. It's a different matter if someone gets injured or becomes ill. That takes priority over everything (in many cases you may not have a choice).

If you're away for any length of time everyone has good days and bad days and one of our rules of thumb has been that whoever is having a good day takes charge if there's a problem - even if all they can do is provide some sort of upbeat "we'll get this sorted" message. It's one of the advantages of travelling with other people.

My approach had always been to try and anticipate what might go wrong and work out in advance a kind of graded response depending on how severe the problem is. You have to be prepared to go to the end step on the list though. For example - the bike grinds to a halt in the middle of nowhere. My first concerns would be more about me than the bike - is it 50C in the shade or -50C in the sun and do I have enough water / warm clothing to spend any length of time in this environment. Only after I was happy about that would I turn my mind to what had gone wrong.

Just about every breakdown or problem will fit into one of the following categories -

1. I can fix this myself, here and now.

2. I need better facilities, a base, maybe some spares, some help moving the bike / car etc but I know what's wrong and can sort it out.

3. I need professional help, this is beyond me

4. This is the end of the road for it / me. All I can do is remove the tax disc for refund purposes and head for the airport.

Categories 1 and 4 are the easy ones - if a luggage strap has come undone or the bikes's gone up in flames your options are fairly straightforward - from the bike's perspective anyway. If its a burnt out wreck in the middle of the Sahara and you were on your own you really should have thought it through before heading off. Many years ago I had a bike catch fire in the middle of Athens. I jumped off and ran but someone came out from a local garage with an extinguisher and put it out. I got towed back to my campsite and spent the next couple of days rewiring it. In a more remote area I'd have let it burn - but, I was travelling with other so wouldn't have been stranded.

Ultimately though you have to be prepared just to walk away. I have gone off on so many trips where the interesting part wasn't where I was going but how far I would get. For last year's Elephant rally (a 1700 mile round trip) I went on a bike I'd riden six miles after it had been sitting in a garage for over 25yrs. My backup plan was a kindle and some movies on my ipod while I waited for the breakdown services.

If you're British the breakdown services are easy to use in the UK. One call and they swing into action (kind of). It's what they're there for. It's lightly harder in mainland Europe with language issues etc but it still works eventually. In both cases though, when you phone up, they're expecting to be told about some kind of problem. You don't feel as though you're putting upon the kindness of strangers - it's their job.

For many of us though, having to involve a total stranger moves us well outside our comfort zone. The realisation that, despite all my planning, all my forethought, I'm now dependant on someone taking pity on me. Every time I've been in that position I've had to move mental mountains to kick things off and subsequently been amazed by how generous people have been. OK, often (but not always) cash changes hands (even a couple of times from them to me!) but I've no problem with that as long as it's proportionate. The most important thing though is to be in charge of your own destiny and decide what you want to do

:thumbup1:

I think that's the main thing, to be prepared to walk away from your bike if its beyond repair, If you cant afford to walk away from it, don't overland on it.
But if you have to leave your bike somewhere fairly remote or hide it off the beaten track (and you are going to find help) and you carrying a GPS, make sure that you save the bikes position as a waypoint, you may not be back for a while, vegetation and landscapes can change quickly especially with rain, some places without prominent landmarks can be difficult to find again. As Ted mentions a duffel or dry bag with shoulder straps to take the essentials with you and always carry extra food and most importantly water.
If you are really going out into the boonies solo or as a pair, then a sat phone/spot for sure, but everyone has their own comfort levels, personally Im not too worried about breakdowns, something normally turns up somehow, as long as you have enough food/water/shelter to cover your ass until someone finds you, most people genuinely want to help. Id be far more concerned about a serious injury that might need a medevac, than my bike breaking.
If your bike is in a country on a Carnet and it has to be abandoned/ left by the road/burned, then make sure you take detailed pictures of it, you will need to convince customs that its a write off to avoid potentially paying duty.

That's a really good point (no pun intended) ;)

Seriously though... I remember travelling back through Argentina back in 2008 and there was an American on the HUBB who had left his broken down GS at someone's house in a non descript location

He was begging anyone to check up on it as the phone number he scribbled down didn't work.. People were happy to help but when they asked they asked, all he could say was "The garage has a red door. Off down a track near some shacks, Somewhere on a 50 mile stretch of road"

No one is going to try to hard to find that one are they. He didn't even know where it was himself.

That bike is probably still there.... Or what's left of it.

That happened to me back in the pre GPS days. I'd been to the Elephant rally on my mother's Honda C50 but something went wrong with the clutch on the return trip followed by a shredded tube and a rear wheel collapse. It had stopped outside someones house near the German / Belgian border and the owner kindly offered to look after the bike for me while I returned to the UK via a lift to get parts etc. When I came back a couple of weeks later I couldn't find the house - I hadn't written down the address as I was sure I'd remember it. doh

Once bitten, twice shy though and I made sure I had a GPS location when I had to walk off and leave my broken down XR600 in the Mauri dessert years later. I also thought to leave my contact details on the bike, something I hadn't done with the C50 either.

If you are not carrying a GPS a few snap shots of the front of the property and any street numbers or signs where you are leaving your bike can jog yours and locals minds.
These days, if there's something written down or an address I need to remember, I tend to take a photo of it, instead of making a note on a piece of paper that I will invariably lose after a few beers. bier

Some of my very best long distance rides have been when my equipment (bike, riding gear, electronics, etc.) have functioned perfectly.

So it is imperative that you ensure your kit is in top form before to start off.

Having said that, I echo what other travelers have said about "issues" being part of the adventure.:scooter:

When you find yourself in trying or difficult circumstances, be assured that you can know at the time that LATER you will have some great stories!

(That's helped me be patient in times of "troubles" I've encountered along the way.)

You can trust me and Ted Simon when we say this...

IMHO you can also over prepare. I once met a rider at the Elefant rally who'd gone for the full monty police spec alternator, sump heater, thin oils and so on. His R100 was leaking because either the newly fitted sump had been assembled wrongly or the extreme winter oil was just incompatible with gaskets designed in the 1960's. If you are going to do major work, build up to the places its harder to get back from.

Andy

Interesting thread.

The quick answer: you will manage.

During my one year around South America my bike broke down EVERYWHERE. We managed either to fix it ourselves or found help somewhere. We even had to put my bike on the back of a 4x4 once as it died on the road, about 60 miles from Bariloche.

It also got stolen (in Brazil) then retrieved by the police (damaged). We dealt with that with local help (HUBB Communities can be great help in such cases!).

Then again some idiot in Chile crashed into me and destroyed the whole front of my bike…. We were stuck for a month in a small town in southern Patagonia without a motorcycle workshop…. Well, long story, but again, we managed, with plenty of help from local people and got back on the road.

In Vietnam the chain broke on my husband rented bike. Again we found some place to fix that, with plenty of gesturing to communicate.
Etc etc… I have a very long list of examples like these occurring anywhere on our own bikes or rented bikes, in many countries, where the bike won’t start or dies!

Ultimately, most problems on the road can be solved with 2 things: time and money. So make sure you have plenty of time and contingency money. You will need it!

A real life example...
 

I've just copied this from a friends status on facebook" Says it all...



"Last Sunday we broke down on our way from Miahcatlan to Zipolite, Oaxaca where we were to meet Pat and Belinda. The bike was trucked 12 kms to San Pedro Pochutla, a small town with not much happening. How wrong could we be!! Every night since we arrived there has been bands and dancing in the main plaza. A local festival has been in full swing and finished last night. We thought tonight would be quiet but there have been school bands/junior banda bands playing. As I type the off key trumpets and bass blast away in my ears. ... you would love it here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On another note, parts have been ordered and should arrive sometime next week Mexican time! Oh well, more R & R!!"

:) In the words of Ted Simon: The interruptions are the journey.

I agree. When My moto was stolen in Ireland.. I thought for 1 night it was the end of the trip. The next few weeks it seemed like all of Ireland and all of the motorcycle community wanted to help me. I welcome the excuse to stay in a town for a while. You can always get parts. You can always figure something out.

Even something like a crash isn't the end. My friend Craig and his girl Patty were in Tajikistan this summer and they had a HARD off.
ADVrider - View Single Post - Going Walkabout on an 800xc through Russia & Central Asia...and maybe beyond...

(full thread here)

They regained their wits, fixed the bike an continued the journey. I was supposed to meet up with them in Mongolia but plans changed. Anyway.. the point is.. just about anything can happen on your trip. Its your ability to continue in the face of adversity that will make the best memories... Especially when you are helped by a local and that was what made the make or break difference. :thumbup1:

breakdown
 

I experienced blowouts, crashes, bad border crossings, damaged bike parts(oil pan, starting motor, cables, windshield). Nothing so serious I had to quit and go home. I stopped in places I would have blown pass and not even noticed, got to ride in a potato truck, and really met the locals. Also some of my best memories. If you worry about what could happen, you will do nothing. Eric

What-If total breakdown
 

Had the outlet/inlet rod fail on an Enfield in middle of Nubra Vally near Pakistan boarder in India. Hid it behind a rock and next day two helpful Germans helped me toe it to town. Mech did a seriously questionable botch job which resulted in the outlet rod blowing a hole in the head the size of a two penny piece on a ride the next day. Should have walked away from that bike there and then but you live and learn. In the end switched the entire head and was enough to get me back to Leh over kardungla, one of the highest motorable passes in the world. Now to remember it, I ran out of fuel 1k from the top and had to push it to the summit and then coast down to Leh with a full moon for a headlight.

Only want to add,the motorcycle is the tool for the journey ,so dont be too eager to leave it behind,a tool has much more value then its pink slip.

I considered the option of total breakdown and that's one of the reasons why I never got a more expensive motorcycle. My bike costs just over 1000$ (BMW F650 1993) so if it really breaks down and the repair would a multiplication of this amount, I would probably offer the bike for free to some local person in need of new means of transport. I would get rid of the problem and the bike would probably got fixed with time and be of benefit to somebody for many years.

Only two consideration here:

• Is it environmentally friendly to dump bikes in foreign countries?
• Not all countries would allow me to leave without my bike.

Anyway, it's a consideration. :)

There will allways be a truck or car to bring you back ti zivilisation. If you cant load the bike on the truck too save its position on your gps and get it later. I had a hard crash too and this was one of the nice times when i got to know soooo many helpfull people:

http://afrikamotorrad.de/?report=en_transafrika

one can allways get rid of a vehicle wich is not on a carnet at the boarder between two countrys.

Well after our 4 months trip to Mongolia and back it seems that luck was yet again on our side. :eek3: We had not one, not two… but 3 total breakdowns!

:(

I will put details below for your entertainment.

First the bikes. We bought 2 hondas XR125 (10 and 8 year old) from eBay. Spent a bit of cash building them up and replacing essentials parts.

Background to our predicaments:
We did not have experience on little old bikes like these. We started checking the oil every day. The stick showed it was always full. After a week and half we became negligent. Bikes were not losing or burning any oil right? Sod law. After several days not checking, somewhere in Turkey, we checked. My bike was fine (I actually never had any problem with it!) but the other had almost no oil left!

We filled with oil and continued. But that was the cause of the 1st total breakdown.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Uzbekistan, the engine on my husband’s bike gave up. By the sound we knew it was VERY bad.

There was nothing we could do but try to stop a truck and make it to the next big town: Andijan. After a while by the side of the road, a car with a copper at the back, stopped. WE explained best we could (my Russian is very poor). The cop summoned a massive cars transporter to stop and we loaded both cars in the truck. We spend few hours in the cabin with a really nice driver and his mate. They refused any money, as they dropped us near the airport.

From there we pushed the bike to a hotel.

Now the problem in central Asia is that there are very few Russian bikes. No mechanics, no parts, nothing!

With the HUBB we got in touch with a mechanic in Kyrgyzstan, in Osh (Muzto.com a company organising motorcycle tours in central Asia). Just about 100 miles away. We managed to hire a truck to make it to the border and we arranged for Patrick, from Muzto, to pick us up after the border crossing.

The news from his mechanic were not good. We basically needed either a new engine or a new bike! Importing an engine from Europe would be a nightmare.

The Russian mechanic then found out that there was a Chinese copy of the Honda XR125 available in Kyrgyzstan, and he could fit the Chinese engine into the bike frame. Few hundreds USD later the bike had a new Chinese engine. Unfortunately the CDI was not the correct one for the bike and that caused further problems as the spark was not timed properly and the bike could not go beyond 40 mph without choking and causing problems.

Some days later, on our way to Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, my husband’s bike once again died. Once again in the middle of nowhere. Because of violent storms we had been delayed and it was getting late and dark, we were in the mountains and no easy place to camp. We had to hide the bike, with luggage, in a ditch, and we found a place for the night.
Next morning very early we retrieved the bike (thankfully we set the GPS to it- otherwise it would have been very tricky!).

We wheeled the bike to a safe place away from the road and my husband got the carb in pieces. All seemed ok, he could not find the cause of the breakdown. By this stage moral was very low. We thought it would be the end of our trip….

He put the bike back together, tried to start it…. And it started like if nothing ever happened! We did not questioned, just thanked our luck, got on the bikes and spent few very stressful hours riding to Bishkek. After a week in Bishkek and more repairs we managed to continue our trip. Expecting any time that the bike would die again!

Last and not least:
A couple of months later, in Russia, on our way back home, the bike backfired badly and died again. This time we were lucky as we were just leaving the relatively pleasant town (by Russian standard) of Staraya Russa.

My husband once again pushed the bike a couple of miles back to the hotel (he was really happy to have a light bike and minimum luggage!) and again by luck we found a very nice friendly mechanic. We though the CDI had given up but in the end it was related to dirt in the carburator. He investigated and finally managed to sort it out and start the bike! And the mechanic, who came to our hotel to do the work, refused any cash.

So there. We made it back home. With both bikes. We relied often on the kindness of people. We had help from total strangers, we got to know and meet great and generous people. It was awesome.

So put things into perspective. Total breakdown is very stressful, but it gets down to two things: time and money!

Ride safe!

(full story on my blog - link via my website below for those interested)

I see some more presentations on the way....

:thumbup1:

Not this year Ted, if the HU summer meeting is cancelled.:(

I was traveling by foot, not motorcycle, but I did have a breakdown of sorts in Leh many years ago when I got hepatitis (A) and could not do anything. I'd spent 3 months hiking in and could not even bus out with my liver swollen and hard - "breakable" I was told. Wound up renting a room in a house up the hill, already has a stove and plates and such and I had no choice but to move in and set up house. In a year and a half of traveling, I can almost say that the the time I was very sick in Ladakh was some of my best time because I was not driven to move on. I made friends, made tea, and enjoyed where I was.

A couple of people have mentioned this before but I would like to stress it out even more. Have plenty of water on your person when you go remote. You can survive for weeks with enough water. In remote breakdown situations survival skills are more important than finding someone to help you out with the bike.

I had to ration in Australia when I got in trouble because of a slipping clutch. Looking back at videos of day three I look intense and slightly nuts. With every passing day your capacity to make sound decisions decreases. Started cramping up too then because of all the exertion with the bike. Made it back to the roadhouse with the bike but left most of my gear behind by the sea (picked it up later). Once there my behavior of the past days felt dramatic but while I was in trouble it all felt very real. Made me realize too then how loose I had played it in Mongolia at one point.

Water and a little survival handbook. I still do not have the latter but since a few weeks I do know how make a water purification system. Learn how to do that and maybe bring water purification items. I know cyclists always carry those. The hot sun is out. Wait until it goes down before you start walking. Things like that.

As for the breakdown. When the motorcycle stops running you go from being king of the world to being a heavy large barely movable object handler. It is frustrating at first. Sit down and think, assess what you have and what your options are based on the severity of the situation. I had plans a b c, ended up using c, used up energy and water trying plan a and b. It was a bit tough to accept defeat while swallowing my pride earlier on could have saved me time and effort.

As long as you stay alive you will find a solution for your bike.

I've had a few issues in the past, nowhere remote, but both in the South of France, so still a good distance from home. The first was leaving Marseille on the motorway I came across a guy on a DR650, broken down, bike covered in luggage. This was the late 80's, no internet/mobile phones/European recovery. It was early on a Sunday morning, in other words, France was shut. I stopped, it was another Brit. His chain had broken, and bent the open link. By chance my Ducati used the same chain and I had a split link under my seat. We got him going using bits of rocks and wood from the side of the road, a great effort.

My own breakdown was generator failure, again near Marseille. We worked out that if I ran with no lights it would just about power the fuel injection and pump, but no more. We decided to head for Calais but hadn't got far before dark. Sat in a motorway services in the middle of nowhere and a couple of Welsh fellas pull up in an old Mk4 Cortina. They offered for me to follow close to them and they would lead with lights on. The next 500 miles were covered at about 100mph average, with a constant smell of some strange 'Herbal' cigarettes coming from the Cortina, great fun!

So, as has been stated, a breakdown is as much a part of the journey as anything else, and someone will always help you out :-)

Wow Maria, that's quite a story. So you're sure that the first problem was because the bike was ridden dry? A few times I didn't check my oil as often as I should have with my XR250 in Patagonia and it was just above the empty marker on the dipstick :eek (I checked it every day after that!).

CYes the first time the piston was damaged when the engine ran out of oil. Absolutely no doubt. The stick was dry when we checked. To be fair the engine lasted another 3000 miles or more after that.
I did two year of motorcycle mechanic evening classes at Merton College ( south London) many years ago, and my teacher really insisted that if the engine runs out of oil it will be destroyed. He told me it was better to use any oil, any, including cooking oil, rather than no oil!
It was silly of us and totally avoidable, but silly things happen on the road.... We live and learn! :)

Just out of interest - would that have been because of overheating?

Yes engine overheated because it ran out of oil.
The engine never sounded the same since the day it ran out of oil, and sound got worse and worse.
We knew there would be trouble ahead by the sound of it.
It lasted a long time but the funny noises getting worse were a but hint!

Cheers,

Ditto on the overloaded potato truck - my truck ride had only front brakes that worked, kind of, on a narrow dirt Peru mountain road heading down hill...7 hours to go 40km, and we all made it alive - moto on top of the load. A disaster becomes an adventure once you figure out a solution.