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Spare parts south of the U.S.
I'm planning on taking my 2003 KLR south, and am wondering what spare parts I should definitely take. I'm a hiker and am used to packing in the minimalist style. Less weight = Better. No matter what the endeavor. That being said, if I have to take the kitchen sink, I will. But am just wondering if I'll be able to buy brake pads, tires, chain, sprockets etc. down south. Or should I purchase them up here before I leave.
Gracias Amigos. Limey Tony. |
Hi Tony and welcome,
I would suggest that unless they are new or as new replacing the parts you list before leaving, keep the old one for later if they have plenty of life left in them and not bothering to carry them as spares. You don't say how far south you plan to go but that should get you most or all of they way to Argentina if you plan going that far. I am not sure about Central America but tyres are available in South America. |
FAQ .. a Frequently Asked Question.
Everyone has a different answer. Read Bike preparation for long distance dirt road touring | Horizons Unlimited --------------------- In general .. most of these kinds of question have some answers in the blue bar towards the top of this page ... "GET INSPIRED" "GET READY" your now in the "GEAR UP" phase ... "ON THE ROAD" and "CONNECT" should all be read. Good luck. Oh and the saying here is "Less is More" ... :thumbup1: |
Has a KLR rider I can put in my 3 cents worth.
Depends on how and where you ride for your brake pad life .if you do a lot of wet and dirt they go way quickly.. What kind of service life have you been getting . I suggest you install NEW pads before the trip and that you DO carry a spare set. If you are going to be on s very long trip through South America carry two sets of pads, they aren't very big and can stand the snide of being in the luggage . Pads are bike specific and can be hard to find at times. Carry a spare clutch cable , make sure the throttle cables are good and they will last . Carry a spare tube for front AND BACK of correct sizes . Know the fuses in the KLR and carry multiple spares ,. Light bulbs can be bought everywhere so no need to carry , you shouldn't be riding in the dark anyway. Have a fresh chain and sprockets and you will be good for Panama and back , if it's going to be a trip longer than your usual sprocket / chain life you could carry but those are heavy items to pack and can be sourced in Guatemala City as can new tires. Has the doohickey been swapped out ? Make sure everything is in good shape and adjusted to spec . Other than tools and tire irons and patch kit and air pump you really don't need much more. Any part CAN break or wear out but it's impossible to carry all spares " just in case" |
Most common problems center around chain and sprockets. As mentioned above, starting off with NEW everything is a good idea and would probably take you at least 15K miles into your trip.
Tires are the other issue. But you CAN find tires in Guatemala and Colombia for sure. Rear tires wear out, fronts last double rear. Rear brake pads may wear quickly but not so much fronts when touring. As mentioned, riding off road in mud pads wear quick. I'd pack one set of each for 20K plus mile long trip. Tubes: I carry 3. One on front fender (21") two 17" in luggage. Hard to find quality HD tubes, but tubes are for sale, mostly Butyl Chinese ones except in a few big cities. Learn to use Llantero shops. Let them patch your tubes. They do a good job. Never toss out an old tube until its truly dead and you're sure you can find another. Remember, a 17" or 18" tube works fine on KLR. A 21" will work in rear tire too for short distance. (1000 miles) You can't cover every eventuality, but doing really good, comprehensive service before departure will avoid a lot of common problems. A good long shake down ride is also recommended. (2000 miles or so) 1. 2003 is an OLD BIKE. So Check all bearings, re-grease or replace (head, swing arm, wheel, linkage) 2. New DID X Ring Chain, carry two spare front sprockets, swap them out every 8K miles. This will extend chain life by a lot. 3. 3 tubes, quality natural rubber ones. (1 21", 2 17 or 18") 4. A tool kit you've tested out pre-trip in your garage (bead breaker?) 5. couple spare jets for altitude, spare pilot jet. 6. Carry any part that commonly fails on the KLR. (Stator? Pick up coil?) 7. Old bike, so make sure cooling system is perfect, hoses OK, fan OK, water pump OK. 8. If your KLR uses oil, keep close eye on level. DAILY. 9. New bolts done for sub frame/rack? 10. NEW high quality battery. (I like Deka) 11. Make sure valve gear has enough life left and that compression is GOOD. The good news about the KLR down South is that so many guys have made the trip, you may find OEM spares from crashed or junked bikes along the road. We hear of these once in a while. Good source for parts perhaps? Establish an account with a really good Kawasaki dealer at home so parts can be shipped to you immediately if you need them. Waiting around down South can be expensive. !Que le via bien! bier |
KLR is sold and poorly supported in Mexico by the dealers. However, you can easily source parts like pads, chains, tires, the carb is common to Harleys and old Yamaha jet skis, through local bike shops. You will have few difficulties. Get a spare cheap ignition off ebay and a spare set of the best sprockets you can find and pack those items.
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max stuff
Doug Wothke famously said, "If you have small panniers, you'll fil them up. If you have large panniers, you'll fill them up." Try to practices packing and take at least a short overnight trip before you leave on the big one. There are many things you can always buy on the road. You don't need two of anything. Stuff I took on a trip that ended up being 32,500 miles in Central and South America, and Cuba:
Things I plan to take next trip, that I did or didn't have before: Tubes, extra clutch and brake cables (pre-installed, run along the installed set), chain breaker tool, and maybe spare sprokets... My next trip will likely be on a Chinese 250cc which I am hoping will be easy to find oil filters, chain and sprockets in Peru, Brazil, Parguay and Bolivia... There are lots of motorcycle parts stores, often grouped together to make a moto zona. Look for generic parts. This pattern took me a while to adopt. Have fun! |
Tubes and tires are much easier to source nowadays. A good patching kit and tire irons helps. You find a tire repair shop anywhere. Every visiting rider who has come through has not been happy eith the psin in the arse of hauling tires. Tubes and tires for sub 250cc can easily be sourced anywhere.
Anoyher plus of the KLR is you can source a chain and masterlink much easier than a rivet type o-ring chain. BMW parts support is pathetic and stone age. If the dealer doesnt have it, you wait 3-5 days for it to be sourced from another dealer or a central parts depot. If it cannot be sourced from in country you can wait up to 45 days for it to come from Germany or order it from the US and broker it but you'll pay more. Brake pads are often common to different models and you can get lucky. You wont like the pricing. If you are a brand fanatic for certain tires, you should bring them with you. If you are flexible, you'll be surprised at what you can find. |
I've been traveling around Mexico for the past 4 months. I've had my R1200GS serviced twice at the Mexico City and GDL dealer. No problem and the bike was detailed when finished. Went to Guatemala where I picked up a piece of heavy wire in the back wheel and broke two spokes. No one had anything close. Moved one spoke from the otherside of the wheel and nursed the bike back to MexCity. The dealer there said it would take 30+ days to get the spokes from Germany. No one in Mexico had the spokes. Flew to Baltimore, picked up front spokes from local dealer. Drove back with a friend. Had the front spokes cut and rethreaded. Bike is in good shape. This is a long winded way of saying you have to improvise. And in hindsight, maybe I should have carried spokes.
The real point is go. Go now. No matter how much you plan, you didn't plan for everything. Go as soon as possible. |
That's typical of BMW support outside the US where consumer protection laws force them to operate somewhat close to a modern business. I have been without my bike, which is my transportation here in Mexico, for 45 working days. Why? Because the dealership has a total monopoly in this part of Mexico, they could not source the parts locally from other Mexican dealers, and sat on their arses for 30 days deciding what to do. At the national level it is hardly any better. You'll be lucky to get a phone call out of them once you dare lodge a complaint regarding their legendary 5 star service and reliability.
They know they can force consumers here to use the dealer service to keep warranties valid, unlike in the USA, and can treat riders like dirt. In my case, it is an insurance claim due to hitting an unmarked hellacious tope lying in wait in the shadow of a tree, square edged and a good 8 inches tall. Real nice of someone to put the thing there for a junction with a farm road that is used maybe once a week. Insurance company came through with stellar service, BMW national and local suck. Decent service, as outlined above and on those two occasions is the exception and by no means the rule. |
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