One big musician released an album
Report from a canceled divorse.

And one famous Swedish musician once had to cancel a concert, due to his alcoholism.
He than made the comment "A cancelled concert is also a concert"

So in Covid 19 times, I though of writing a report of a cancelled trip.
If a cancelled trip also is a trip.
At least I learned a lot during prepration.
A lot of the information is not new. But is found here un Horizions Umlimited.

The story goes as far as it went before Covid 19.

This my story, my thoughts and decisions.
I do not claim what is ritght or wrong.
Or that this is "better" than any other choice.

Information is to my best knowledge.
But do your own research.

I will add some parts from time to time.

Maybe the trip will be done for real some time.
So far I travel in my fantasy

Introduction
My plan was to make a real long trip on a motorcycle during the winter of 2020-21. Pre conditions would then be in place. The house sold, I would have quit my work and broke up the family. Well, not really. But....

Residence
I did not want to leave a villa in Sweden empty over the winter. So I had to wait until I had sold the house and moved into an apartment. An apartment in Portugal that I can lock and leave without any problems. So I can go without having to worry about an empty house. The house was sold in 2020. To adapt to external circumstances.

Work
I had previously been laid of in a redundancy process. First, I had a notice period. Then I received a severance pay and then unemployment insurance. It all ended in the end of 2019. And on 1/5 2020 I retired. (Early retirement)

Family
The wife decided in 2016 to invest in a new future. And disappeared. My 2 sons stayed part time in the villa for a while. Until their studies were completed. The last one moved out 2019. So the family had dissolved itself.
This is the story of what happened (and did not happen) with this trip.

Destination
Since I was planning a winter trip, it was clear that the trip would take place in the southern hemisphere. Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia or South America. And for me, South America was really the only option. There were several reasons for this. I've been to Ecuador 3 times a long time ago. And I saw how amazing it was. With everything from beaches, via the Andes to the Amazon. I lived there with my then wife's sister and family. I did quite some travelling by bus around in Ecuador.

Below are 4 samples from Ecuador. From west to east.



Salinas



Guayaquil



Banos



Chimborazo



El Oriente

I met very few tourists. But in the Andes and the Amazon, I met 2 kinds of tourists. The first variety had been a week in the Galapagos, and then stayed a week in Quito. The other varieties were back packers. Who travelled around South America. Their story fascinated me. And somewhere there, the idea was born to travelling around South America at some point.

At that time I knew some Spanish. Now, most of that is forgotten. But it is a little easier for me in the Spanish-speaking part of South America. And I try to learn some Portuguese. Due to that I am moving to Portugal.
Visas and such things are relatively easy for South America compared to many other parts of the world. Basically all countries offer 90 day Visa. And 90 days TIP (Temporary Import Permission) for the motorcycle. And no Carnet de Passages is needed.

South America is big. And offers so many different natures and landscapes.
So for several reasons, the choice fell on South America. But which part and which approximate route still remained to be decided.

Sounds like a great trip - my dream journey is a loop through South America... but I can't see the photos you posted. There's just a grey circle with a minus sign through it for each pic.

NOTE: Never mind - now I can see the photos showing up 8 hours later...

__________________
Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250

I can see the pictures using Safari on my iPad. They look good. As far as timing is concerned the stars seemed to have lined up for you to take the trip but then the sky filled with very dark clouds. One word of caution - it may be better to not visit your ex-wife’s sister......

__________________
You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.

Great start Erik! Photos are fine for me on Firefox, Chrome and Edge, logged in or not, on PC.
brclarke, can you see them now?

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Now they are visible. Maybe I just needed to relaunch my browser...

__________________
Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250

No problems with the pictures for me (Mac using Safari) but as a latecomer to the party I guess whatever the problem was has already been fixed.

So, before I settle in for the long haul on your report let me just check I've got the background straight: you separated from your wife some years ago, the kids have now left home as they've finished their education, you jumped into early retirement from work before the job disappeared, you sold your house in Sweden and you now live in Portugal. Is that right? And the plan was to do a long bike trip around South America during the winter just gone?

Having a lot of friends and family in Sweden I can easily understand why you'd want to avoid spending the winter there, particularly if there's not much to keep you. Portugal though? We've had a couple of family members living there for decades and after one passed away a year or two back the other one moved back to the UK. She constantly complains about the weather here - even in the summer. Better pubs though (when they're open anyway).

Ok, onto the next instalment ....

How to get a motorcycle in/to South America

Rent
Renting a motorcycle is best suited for shorter periods of time. Otherwise the cost will be too high. It is also usually linked to a geographical limitation. That you are not allowed to leave the country where it is rented. It did not match my plans. So it was not a serious option.

Buy and sell at the destination
An interesting alternative is to buy a motorcycle. And then sell it when the trip is over. Then you avoid cost and hassle with shipping. And you can buy a motorcycle that is common locally. This prevents it from protruding. And that it is easier to find maintenance. (Spare parts and workshops). I looked at this a bit. But it takes time to find the right motorcycle, if you do not buy a new one directly from dealers. It needs to be reviewed. And equipped with various things to adapt for long journeys. Time taken from travel time in my case.
The rules for non-citizens to buy a motorcycle in South America differ from country to country. In most countries you can buy a locally registered motorcycle. But do not leave the country with it. I abstained from this option. But continued to research around this. My conclusion is that the only countries where a non-permanent resident can legally buy a motorcycle. Register it with yourself as the owner. And then go beyond the country's borders are Colombia, Bolivia and Brazil. The supply of motorcycles in Bolivia is very limited. So then Colombia and Brazil remain. For Colombia, the change of ownership must be registered in Colombia. Both at the time of purchase and sale. So a working plan is to start the journey by buying a motorcycle in Colombia. Travel around it and return to Colombia. To sell it there before you go home. An interesting and affordable alternative for a trip where Colombia is suitable as both a start and an end point. The range of motorcycles is good. New is everything from Royal Enfield, Indian TVS and Chinese motorcycles. A Royal Enfield Himalayan is for me an interesting alternative. (I have driven one in Nepal, and know how well it is suitable for that type of road and traffic).

Kirk Wilson made such a journey. And wrote a book about it. 20,000 miles Through South America. He used a motorcycle made in India. TVS Apache 160 cc. He travelled without camping equipment, which allowed him to go with light packing.



There is also an option to purchase a US registered motorcycle. And get it registered with you as owner.. With help from the USA. Without being a US citizen or even going to the US.
There are various used motorcycles sold by travellers who have completed their journey. But to make such a purchase, one must really be at home in the bureaucracy. And probably be prepared to go into the grey zone of what is legal.

Transport your own motorcycle
That is probably the alternative that you think of in the first place. I had planned to buy, equip and test my own motorcycle. To then ship it tested and ready to use. I started reading various travel stories. And look for forums (For example, Horizons Unlimited). It turned out, however, that most of the companies referred to no longer offered these services. However, you can divide the possibilities into 3 main options.

By boat, shipping in a wooden box
A form of box is built on pallets. As the motorcycle is transported in. However, the box must be built of specially approved wood. A good idea is to ask a Motor cycle dealer. If they have package from new motorcycles. And if you build the box at home, the box must be transported to a port. My first plan was to build at home. And then get it driven by truck to Gothenburg. And then by boat to Buenos Aires in Argentina. However, it turned out that the shipping company's prices extended to the quay in the recipient country. To then get it out of the port and through customs was up to me. The cost and work of that procedure differs between countries. And there are also costs for storage for the bike during the time it takes to get it out of the port. Argentina proved to be one of the more difficult and expensive alternatives in terms of port activity. Better then to ship teh bike to Chile.



By air freight in a wooden box
The difference here is of course the time that the shipping takes. But even the handling at the airport compared to the port differs. Handling at an airport in ex Argentina is much easier and cheaper than handling at the port. In addition, there are other companies that handle air freight than those that handle sea freight. An English company that deals with air freight is motofreight. Noraly aka Itchy Boots would transport his motorcycle from the Netherlands to Argentina. Then it turned out that the most advantageous was to drive it on wheels to the airport in England. And send it by air using that company. James Cargo. She just left it at the airport, and they did the packing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuQ0...0hT6af&index=3

By boat, shipping in a container
I've only seen one company offer that service. In Time in Hamburg. They send a number of containers Hamburg-Valparaiso back and forth every winter. Where you simply park and fasten the motorcycle in the container. As it is (without petrol and with disconnected battery) The company also has service in both places. To make everything as simple as possible. That was the option I chose.



https://www.intime-ham.com/en/motorc...alparaiso.html

Motorcycle
Model
Some time ago, I read about 2 Swedish persons that made a South American trip. They used the BMW F650GS Dakar. So I thought of something similar. Most bikes can be used and have been used. The choice is a compromise. Weight, height, load, asphalt, gravel, maintenance etc.

Pure enduro machines are usually tall, have a small tank and short intervals for maintenance. They require quite a lot of modifications to work for longer trips. So that segment went away. A too large and heavy machine only gives limitations. And adds nothing. So 1000 cc and up was not relevant. Really small machines such as Yamaha XT250, Honda CG160, NX 250 are not available in Sweden. Otherwise, it would have been interesting to choose a really light machine. I started to look at the Suzuki DL. I tested 250, 650 and 1000 cc. The DL650 was good enough for me. I did not found any need for a DL 1000. The DL 650 is available in an XT version. Which is a little better adapted for gravel roads / off road. The DL250 was enough. But it is not much lighter than the DL 650. And then there were no ready-made accessories to buy. I did not wanted to manufacture holders for top box and side cases. And various other accessories. Both Touratech and SW Motech accessories were available for the DL 650. So the Suzuki DL 650 XT became my choice. My compromise.

I had planned to buy one in the beginning of 2020. And to get it ready and tested during that summer. Before the trip in the autumn of 2020. But in the spring of 2019, the correct motorcycle appeared at Sulas MC. Suzuki DL 650 XT model year 2016. It had been sold in 2017. It had been driven 3 000 km !! in 2 years. Maintenance was just done. So it was in condition as new, even it was 3 years old. It already had SW Motech side cases made of aluminium and an engine guard plate mounted. Equipment that anyhow had to buy. So a motorcycle in condition as new, with good equipment at a good price. It was just to close a deal.

(If I were to buy one today, the Royal Enfield Himalayan would be an interesting alternative. A slightly smaller and lighter motorcycle. Well adapted for South America. Maybe I'll buy one in Bolivia, sometime in the future. But for now, I am happy with my choice).

Modifications

• I lowered the motorcycle 25 mm. By changing the link arms (dog bones) for the rear suspension and moving the fork legs up in triple tree.
• I got both a standard seat and a lower seat. I put on the lower to begin with. And added an Air Hawk cushion.
• I changed the foot rests to a pair with better grip and which are adjustable. Then I could lower the foot pegs up to 25 mm.
• I raised the handlebars 35 mm with spacers. Then the driving position was fixed.
• The side stand got an extension for the foot.
• I mounted a centerstand.
• For luggage, the frame for the cases and the side cases were already in place. I added a top box, a tank bag with holder and a small tool box. And a selections of dry bags.
• For extended protection, I mounted a crash bar, metal chain guard and a hand guard kit. Engine guard was already mounted.
• For navigation and electricity. I mounted a holder for Garmin GPS and a 12V socket for cigarette lighters, including USB plug. And bought a Garmin GPS.
• I mounted a connection to the battery charger on the battery.
• And then I hid a GPS tracker somewhere.

As for tires, it is again a compromise between mud, sand, gravel and asphalt. Price, grip, durability etc. I chose to put on the Mitas E-08. Which should be 80% country road, 20% off road. It works well on ordinary gravel roads. But not enough in sand and mud. Before the trip, I thought of switching to Mitas E-07, which will be 50/50 on / off road. But after testing these tires on another motorcycle, I want another front tire. So there will be an E-10 as front tire and E-08 as rear tire. When these wear out, I switch to whatever is available where I am. With a good pattern.

Test driving



I have driven it 7 000 km in 2019 and 6 500 km in 2020. Everything is well tested and works well. I am satisfied.
It is good enough and the rest of the budget is needed for other stuff and the trip itself.

Pictures of the modifications











































(And a small note: There are a lot of good bikes. Please do not list them here. Do it in "Which Bike" Thread.
Keep comments to this bike))

Looking forward to your updates !

Other Equipment
Camping Equipment
I am used to camping on my motorcycle tours. Most people in my generation have given up camping. And live in hotels. They have dinner and breakfast in the dining room. Except at biker meetings. But I live in a tent. And make my own coffee in the morning. I plan to camp a lot during this trip. Mainly at campsites, With access to toilet, shower, electricity and possibly cooking facilities. And sometimes take in a room.

I have various equipment that is suitable for weekend trips and shorter trips. But for a trip like this, I wanted better quality. In order not to be left with broken equipment, in the middle of the journey. So a proper tent is needed. Although it is not cheap. I expect the cost to be spread over many nights. Both for this tour and in the future. And using LPG kitchens does not work, as it is difficult to find LPG. So a multi fuel stowe was needed.

These are the most important parts

• Tent: Hilleberga Allak 3. Swedish quality product.
• Sleeping bag: Mammut Compact MTI 3-seasons
• Mattress: Therm-a-rest Trail King SV
• Stove: Primus Multi fuel

Riding Gear
When I go on day trips and on weekends, I often drive in leather clothes. And has a rain gear in the tank bag. Leather provides good protection. But gets cold when it's cold. And warm when it's hot. And if it gets wet, it takes a long time to dry. So it must be an all-weather stand of the Gore-Tex type.
I have Swedish Jofama jacket and trousers. Not particularly remarkable. But it is made for Nordic conditions. But that should be enough. The alternative is a large investment in Rukka equipment. But with a Rukka set, I would never need to buyt something again.

• Jacket and trousers: Jofama
• Helmet: Shoe Air GT
• Shoes: Handelsboden
• Gloves: Jofama
• Rain gear: Lelles MC

Typical Swedsih biker event. Where I use to go.
Simlar events happens every weekend during the whole summer



My new tent

Planning
General
Is a plan needed? Is not it just to get on the motorcycle and leave. In any case, not directly. First, the transport of motorcycles, drivers and equipment must be planned. And that it meets up at the starting point. But then?

I do not have endless time and money. So I need some kind of plan for the trip, estimation of costs and time. We have seasons. With summer, winter and rainy seasons. So it is important to think about, so that you do not end up completely wrong. I travel a lot to see interesting places. And some places you dive into when you least expect it. Even when driving wrong.

But many places are missed, if you have not read on before. It is good to find out beautiful roads and nice places.

My view
Dwight Eisenhower on the invasion of Normandy.

• The planning was everything
• The plan was nothing

I think that gives a good picture. By doing a planning, you gather information. Makes decisions. And creates a foundation. Which is good to have with you.

However, one should not think that one can follow the plan completely. Nor try. The plan is a basis for improvisation. And a help to understand the consequences of what you do. The planning for me contains mostly what I plan to do. Less about time. The schedule does not contain any details. But is just a rough plan to not end up completely wrong.

Then I like to plan. To read guidebooks. Trying to find interesting places and roads. I think it's more fun to see places I know a little about. And to dream of the journey. It also creates pleasant days in the winter darkness or in Covid19 in quarantine. So sometimes I can get quite detailed. But even the detailed planning is not something I try to follow exactly. It is used more as a collection of ideas, to puzzle with.

But sometimes it can be good to know that something interesting happens one day a week, and what day. So that you do not come to the place the day after the interesting thing happened. And to know that this particular exit road leads to that fantastic place.

Route
Alternative 1: South America great tour
My first plan was to take a tour along the coast of South America. As basic idea. Starting in Buenos Aires-Argentina. After sending the motorcycle there by boat. Which was still the plan. But the route can remain the same, even if it starts in Chile.

Following the Atlantic coast down to the southern tip of South America at Ushuaia. And then driving north through Argentina and Chile . Possibly including Bolivia. Then on to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. The picture is very simplified. The intended route was much more extensive, there were a number of detours and small roads.



Rough sketch of the intended route

Once in Colombia, the question arises as to how to get to Brazil's Atlantic coast. Via Venezuela and the Amazon? Would that be possible? Hardly. The border with Venezuela has been closed for a long time, and will certainly continue to be so. And the roads in the Amazon are tough. BR 319 through the Amazon probably requires more of both the motorcycle and the rider than I can handle. And you really need to think about the season. So that you do not end up in mud.

More likely then was to choose to drive back to Peru. And there travel via Bolivia to Rio De Janeiro and then continue via Uruguay back to Argentina. Maybe after a trip up to Fortaleza.

But when I looked more closely at such a route, it requires significantly more time than the approximately 4 months that I had intended to be out. I would probably like at least 6-8 months for such a journey. In that case, it may be divided into 2 stages. And split it into two journeys.



The road back through Peru and Bolivia, instead of the road via Venezuela and the Amazon.

My plans were to stick to southern South America this time. Although a completely new idea of travel in the central area of South America began to be created in my head. More about that in the next chapter.

Route
Alternative 2: Follow Ernesto and Alberto
During the time I was planning, I read a lot about South America. As part of preparing myself. And because I'm interested and want to know more about places that I plan to travel to. I also saw the movie about the journey that Ernesto (Che) Guevara and Alberto Granado made in 1952. A journey of 4½ months and 14,000 km. Which started on a Norton 500 cc motorcycle named La Poderosa.

The movie is largely based on the books that were written.



The Movie





Ernesto's diary. "The Motorcycle Diaries". Which is the most famous book, and also the one that gave the name to the movie . But the book is not really a diary. It is a summary that he wrote after the trip was over.

What is less known is that Alberto wrote a real diary. Written during the journey. It was originally written in Spanish with the title "Con el Che por Sudamérica". It was later translated into English with the title “Traveling with Che Guevara: The Making of a Revolutionary”.




Both books are very interesting. And they often gives a slightly different views of the same events. Ernesto and Alberto interpreted the same information in different ways. It is clear how the trip and what they saw during the trip, affected them. They realized that change was needed, in one way or another. Simply put, Guevara left as Ernesto and returned home as Che.

La Ponderosa broke down in Chile. And they had to continue on foot. Hitchhiking and begging. Once in the Amazon, they went by boat. And then fly out of there. The idea was to follow in their footsteps as best I could, so far afterwards. For the part that they did on motorcycles and as hitchhikers. (Not the boat trip) From Cordoba to Pucallpa. Northwest of Lima. A journey of about 7,500 km according to the map. I was going to transport the motorcycle to Valparaiso. Then the first stage would be to get me to Cordoba. After Pucallpa, I planned to go via Bolivia, and visit the area where Che spent his last days. Before I returned to Valparaiso. Via Ruta 40 in Argentina.

A journey that on the map would be a total of about 14,000 km. Suitable for 4 months.





The journey of Ernesto and Alfredo. From Cordoba to Lima. The Journey than continued into the Amazon.



The continuation into the Amazon

It turned out that there is a person who made a similar trip as the one I planned to do. He did it almost 50 years after the two original travelers. And he has written a book about his journey. "Chasing Che: A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara legend". He follows Ernesto's and Alfredo's road to Lima. Where turns towards Bolivia. Instead of venturing into the Amazon. In Bolivia, he searches for the areas where Che's life ended. He also makes a trip to Cuba and meets Alfredo. Although it was almost 50 years after the original journey, he finds the traces of Ernesto and Alfredo. Things that you would not find today. This book is an interesting story about the author's own journey and about the journey that the two "G" made. Both as a story about the journey itself and about how that journey changed the travelers.



I will not make this trip now. But it is far from deleted from the wish list. It will remain as a future dream.