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List of Motorbike Parts Suppliers in Ushuaia/ Southern Patagonia
Hey all,
I’ve written this post for the benefit of those who will be travelling down to Southern Patagonia and who may be relying on some of the motorbike suppliers or mechanics in the area. I was recently in the El Calafate, Rio Gallegos and Ushuaia areas and needed some general spare parts for my 2012 KLR650. As there are so many travelers on bikes heading along these routes, this is just a heads up at what to expect. In summary, I found the parts quiet hard to come by and very expensive, even for a reasonably common bike.
I also met many other riders who were also unhappy at how they had paid double or more for spare parts, in particular, tires in Southern Patagonia.
Obviously there aren’t many motorbike shops in these parts, I’m sure freighting to these areas has some cost, the summer tourist season is short and I expected a higher price, but being quoted anywhere from 2 to 3 times the price of the parts in the USA seemed a bit extravagant to me.
Unless you have plenty of cash and time to throw around, my advice is to get your bike in good running order before you leave say BA, Santiago or Central North Argentina where there is an abundance of parts and mechanics. From what I’ve been told, most motorcycle parts are cheaper in Chile than Argentina. Load up on what you may think you will need at the end of the road, i.e. consumables like spare tires/ sprockets/ chain (pre-cut to the correct size of course!)/ oil/ brakes and save yourself the hassle and high costs. Providing you can carry these extra parts. Or even shipping the parts down there may be more economic.
If your heading through Chile’s, Osorno, Coyhaique or even Punta Arenas, may be a more economical alternative than Southern Patagonia. Can anyone verify this? I just heard from other travelers, but had no experience in these towns.
This is a rough list of most of the motorbike mechanics/ parts suppliers/ other suppliers in Ushuaia, El Calafate and Rio Gallegos and what you may expect to find. If you don’t have a GPS, just grab a free map from the main tourist offices, just ask people for directions or get them to draw you a mud map.
When I was looking for a few spare parts in Ushuaia, I didn’t have too much luck and did a lot of hiking all over town. The shops seem to have a little bit of some things, but not much of anything and you may have to try them all, to hopefully find what you need. There seemed to be an abundance of second hand parts as opposed to new parts in Ushuaia, which I guess could be handy to get you out of a jam, but again I wouldn’t chance them having what you need.
I can’t vouch for any of the shops for the quality of their mechanics as I didn’t have any experience with them. I only was looking for spare parts. Although they were all quiet helpful at directing me to where else may have what I was looking for. I’ve also included some from El Calafate and Rio Gallegos where I was also searching. Sorry the directions and names are a bit vague, I’m working off memory and business cards. You can google, “moto repuestos in Ushuaia” or the other towns and may find the ones below. Some have also have write ups on the HUBB in recommended repair shops in South America. Most of the shops are such small business you won’t find much on the net about them, hence why I’ve written about them. No one in the shops spoke English (as generally expected) so you may want to have some basic Spanish or take a translator with you.
HZ motor:
Address: Goleta Florencia 2031 Ushuaia
Tel: (02901)421825 / 15611474
15 minute walk north west of the town centre up the hill past the park. Have a bunch of bits and pieces, some new and some second hand. Probably the largest amount of stuff in town, but still a very small shop. Shop orientated more towards off road and racing bikes. Have a mechanic. Semi rustic shop.
Moto Pablo
Address: Ushuaia. HZ Motor guys will direct you there.
20-30 minute walk west of the town centre
Have minimal bits and pieces, some new and some second hand. Stock of tires. Have a mechanic. Quiet a rustic place.
Unknown name Moto shop: Ushuaia. About 5 blocks east from Pablos, the guys at Pablo’s will direct you. Seemed to have a larger stock of oils. Lubricants etc. and not much second hand parts or general parts. More of a dealer and riding gear supplier. Shiny new shop.
Mundo Motos:
Address: Gob. Campos 857 Ushuaia
Tel: (02901) 436226
Predominantly a Kawasaki dealer,10 minute walk north about 5 blocks up from the town centre, generally has Kawi stuff but also could get parts from others in town. He had a 521 CHOHO chain for me in about 30 mins and randomly had a replacement speedo cable. Manuelo was the guy and he had connections with suppliers in BA who could freight down parts. Although he admitted it was hit and miss when the shipments came and that he didn’t have much control of which general spare parts were actually sent to his store. Had a stock of tires and no apparent second hand parts. Shiny new shop.
Other Useful suppliers in Ushuaia:
Auto Suppliers (unknown name): These guys were located on the right hand side on main road into town, about 3kms back from the town centre, next to a moto dealer who sold new Chinese bikes. I picked up 3 the different types of wheel bearings for the rear wheel, and they were surprisingly cheap. It was quiet a large general auto shop and may have other general parts, lubricants or tools you may need. There is another auto supplier and vechicle mechanic say 1km further out of town and a few blocks up and to the left, who also stocked bearings but they were much more expensive (again sorry for not knowing the name) you may be directed to him by Mundo Motos. North of the town centre, up around the Mundo Moto area, there are a bunch of other small auto suppliers that the local ferreterias (hardware stores) should direct you to and also stocked bearings.
Hydraulicos Ushuaia: Gdor Campos 721, Ushuaia. Tel: (02901) 434970 or (02901) 15416990. About 6 blocks up from the centre of town. These guys specialize in what the name says. They are machinists and have a bunch of things like cables, radiator hoses, bolts, nuts and other type stuff. I couldn’t find a replacement throttle cable assembly in town or a bicycle shop (as mine was quiet frayed). These guys were awesome and had the exact sized inner cables in stock (I guess for other machinery with a similar system), cut them to size, fitted the new stub end, and ground back the metal stubs so they fit perfectly in the carby and throttle assembly housings. I’m sure they could jimmy something up if you needed it. They are a family business and a nice bunch of guys.
Ferreterias: If you need any other general hardware stuff, i.e WD40 or mechanics tools, there are plenty just a few blocks from the centre, just ask anyone for directions.
Other Towns:
Rio Gallegos:
SM motos
Av.San Martin 2290
Tel: 426777/ 434531
The largest shiny and new motorbike parts supplier and workshop than any in Ushuaia or El Calafate. Had mechanic.
http://www.smmotos.com.ar/
El Calafate:
As you come into town from the highway there is a small car wash/ car mechanic (come moto mechanic) on the right hand side across the road from the Hostel who can arrange parts to be freighted from Rio Gallegos (from SM Motos). The main moto shop (name ?)is towards the end of town near the gas station on the way to the glacier Puerto Moreno and is located about 5 blocks to the left up the steep hill. The guys at the gas station can direct you. They seemed to have a basic amount of supplies and a mechanic.
Rio Grande: I heard stories of a supplier, but nothing solid.
Extra word of warning: I met two other bikers who broke down on the pampas in Argentina and didn’t have the extra tools and spare parts to fix their bikes. They had to pay between 300-$400 USD for a tow truck to take them, no more than an hours drive to the next town. For those who haven’t been in the area, towns, people and help are few and far between sometimes. Hence another reason to take all the tools and spare parts you may need.
Hope this is helpful and please add your experiences, or if you know the names or the addresses which I didn’t have and I’ll edit the post
Cheers
Dom
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