This post caught my eye as well. I've never met Toby but have followed him and exchanged messages here on HUBB and ADV Rider for 10 years. More recently he got into the buy/sell/rent business and the few reports I've seen have been good.

Toby is always reaching out to travelers offering his services from bikes to guiding. He is a Peru' expert, been there many years, done lots of exploring.

IMO, Toby has always come across as a 100% stand up guy. (No way is this guy a scammer) I'm guessing the problem here is a series of miscommunications, some bad luck and possibly a not so great bike or an abused bike.

If me, I'd never ever buy or rent a bike long distance, sight unseen ... only in person and only after a LONG test ride and detailed interview with the seller. Who sends cash ahead, sight unseen? Just not good business practice, IMO.

Toby seems to me like a "full disclosure" type of guy and I'm thinking that if he knew the bike had problems before hand he would have mentioned it. But I wasn't there ...

IMHO, (having owned 5 XR's over the last 20 years) they are not they most reliable bikes in the barn and DO run hot. They require careful servicing and a conscientious owner to go the distance. But Toby is an XR fan and has owned them for ages.

Until we hear from Toby, I'm thinking we've only really heard one side of the story. Parsed and edited emails are not always a fair way to present an argument, unless it's one sided.

Sorry all this has happened. Hope an amicable solution can be worked out that's fair to both.

I will try to keep this short, with no slander or un-truths, and not naming the customer. First let me say that I am a Mechanical Engineer and moto mechanics teacher of 23 years. We run ALL Honda XRs and anyone who has rented or purchased bikes from our fleet will attest to their condition, older or not.

The PURCHASE & BUY BACK agreement is found online in much detail: adventure motorcycle tours in Peru and all South America - Moto Purchase & Buy Back

I realize that exponent feels he was improperly treated. I bought this 1996 one owner bike months previous to this sale and personally rode it 2,000 km with no issues before rebuilding the frame, new drive and putting on new plastic. The engine tested strong. There was no engine rebuild and it was never advertised as such. The bike ran great and I started it first kick every time in front of client. Client was encouraged to hard test the bike for a few days in the area, before completing the PURCHASE. The ignition failure mentioned during the one short test was an inexpensive key ignition switch I had just installed (the XR600R does not come with one) for the customers added safety against theft. Upon failure (there was also an unmentioned fall involved) I installed a new one at no charge with which there was no longer a problem.

I was greatly concerned for the success of the customers trip as: (1) This kick start model is a bear to crank! You must have experience, a strong kick and follow through. Perhaps the customer had not researched the model he was buying considering the fact that prior to this trip he had had major surgery on his right knee and was forced to attempt to crank with his left leg. (2) He carried with him no tools, no spares, no GPS, no real riding gear except a helmet, and limited Spanish or moto mechanical knowledge.

Yes, the clutch cable broke on his first day out, but would be easily fixed locally with some Spanish knowledge.

Due to a perceived no start one morning the customer allowed a rural mechanic to change the Honda CDI out with a Chinese one. This could possibly cause all kinds of problems to engine condition.

2,000 km of hard riding later the master link comes off the previously new chain and the customer feels the seller is to blame.

Bike finally fails 3,000 km later down on the desert coast with a high altitude jet still in the carburator. The condition (I'm told) is the head is burnt up due to an oil pump failure. Taking the customer at his word, I offer to cover the repairs so that he may continue his tour successfully, yet I find out later that ONLY the exhaust rockers failed. Customer installs a new oil pump (at 220% of MSRP) and 2 WELDED UP exhaust rocker arms from some donor bike. He allows himself to be charged 16 times the going labor rate (I guess that is because I offered to pay). After this expensive repair, the customer decides NOT to continue and I offer to BUY BACK the motorcycle as per the agreement stated on the website (less the minimum 30 days per Diem, less damages) The PURCHASE & BUY BACK agreement also sates the the customer must bring the bike back to me.

I made arrangements for the shipping back from the Peru/Chile border (over 1,600 km away via Lima and back to our Andes location) get the bike back to our shop and disassembled (after much personal time dedicated at no-cost to the customer) and find that there has been no oil pump catastrophic failure (no lack of lubrication to the cylinder or intake rockers), that welded up used exhaust rocker arms were installed, and other damage done internally to the engine during the faulty overcharged repair done in Chile. I found all of the engine oil was put in the sump and NONE in the frame from which the the oil pump has its intake. This COULD happen from the bike being laid over for a long time, which MIGHT have happened in transport, but I am inclined to believe it was the Chilean mechanics (at a Chinese moto dealership) lack of knowledge of this model. No failed parts were returned to me

I calculated the damage at my USA discount parts cost (even though I operate in Peru where parts costs are greater) and my shops professional labor rate (in Peru) at $4.50/hr to fix. I discounted the 30 days minimum Per Diem (as per contract), and the shipping. I refused to pay the exorbitant and badly done repair bill from Chile (I was only given a scanned penciled quote, NOT a formal bill or proof of parts costs) and returned to the customer the difference of his PURCHASE PRICE even though I was left with a paperwork nightmare to get it back in my name as the customer was in too much of a hurry to leave Peru to do this properly, blaming the language problem and Peru's system.

The customer has received back almost 60% of his PURCHASE COST after 3,000 kms of use (in the jungle, the Andes and the deserts of Peru) and considering the damage to the bike. I believe this to be more than fair and that it is slanderous that the customer would resort to bashing me and my small business in Peru here on the HUBB, on ADV RIDER and Thumper Talk in order to hurt me for his perceived unfair loss. I'm surprised the moderators here on the HUBB have not stepped in as they have done on ADV.

My testimony of serving hundreds of HUBB folks and ADV inmates with their bike needs and route guidance in Peru (online and in person), lodging dozens in my home in Peru, repairing their bikes professionally at our $4.50 labor rate, all stands me in good stead against this rant.

Aside from this original settlement I offered to additionally refund him 150% of the MSRP of the new oil pump plus labor of the pump replaced in Chile (needlessly I believe, there being no other sign of lack of lubrication at the piston or on the intake side of the upper head) if it proves to be good still after being run dry in testing. Also, when I have all the engine damage repaired and the bike up and running I will strobe the spark timing to see if the installed Chinese CDI played into the eventual failure and share this information truthfully (via video) with the customer and any others interested (along with all the other damage photos and specifications already shared with the customer if any so desire).

It is interesting that 'exponent' keeps using the term 'Rental/Buy Back' when the website contract has it as PURCHASE & BUY BACK so as to put the onus on the OP.

Looking at his earlier posts he is even looking at selling the bike once he gets to Brazil... http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...new-bike-82948 which is totally his option as he BOUGHT the bike!

He originally wanted a simple answer to his 'Buying a bike in SA', but thot it crazy to have to personally do the required research: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-america-83049

Then as part of his argument is the loss of so many days on his ride due to 'bike failure' when part of that time he spent 2-3 days backtracking to the Bolivian border from Arequipa only to lose an additional 4 days trying to do a Peru/Bolivian border crossing with a Peruvian registered motorcycle that I told him in the beginning would be impossible: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ivia-can-86337

I shouldn't worry too much, it's clear even from the email that the OP posted that he's being distinctly unreasonable and that you've gone above and beyond in dealing with him. I'd say that, if anything, you should consider this thread as free advertising. I'd certainly come your way if I was considering doing similar.

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[ Tim | History - NW Italy/French Rivera, Swiss Alps, Morocco | 2016 - Greece > Albania > Macedonia > Kosovo > Montenegro > Bosnia > Slovenia > Austria ]

This business about being charged 160 the going rate etc is all crap and anyways it is all a smokescreen from what really happened. This bike was not driven one foot after the oil pump failure. By the way I guess toby feels the way to handle things is to have me banned like he did on adviser we hen all I did is post the truth. I notice née now claims that I further damaged the bike when I never even drove it plus he has still not talked to the mechanic in Chile and yes Chileans make much more than peruvians. As for the parts I personally paid Honda and the other party for the parts so there was no dealer markup. And again this is all post failure and just distracts from the oil pump failure which was starting to fail right in Toby's shop. He may be a helpful guy but he shafted me.

All you are doing is defamation and libel. That is why the other forums have stepped in. Don't be too surprised if it happens here as well.

You should restrict your discussions and arguments with the other party, or lawyers if you believe strongly how right you are.

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http://www.ytc1.co.uk

I know Toby and have only good things to say about him and Around the Block Moto Adventures. In the fall of 2014 several friends joined a tour in progress and rode from the beach to the Andes, an epic trip. Our bikes were well set-up and inspected at the end of each day by Toby and his ace mechanic. If anything was out of order, it got fixed a.s.a.p.

Last summer I recommend Toby in a post exponent made seeking advice. I still recommend Toby, as I know how much he cares about keeping his fleet in top shape. Any bike that rolls out his door will get the same attention. November 2016 (yes, I am putting a date down!) I will BUY a NEW bike from Toby and tear around the Andes for about a week with my amigos once again. There is no doubt in my mind that Toby will meet or exceed my needs.

A used bike may have hidden problems that any mechanic can't fix until it fails. Even a new bike may have hidden problems. When you are thousands of miles away, what do you expect from the guy who sold it to you?

Adventure starts when the trip goes off script. Travelers spin riveting stories of overcoming adversity. Tourists whine and complain without end. Did I make a fuss paying dealer prices when getting quality work in Brazil? No. The price of adventure is always worth whatever you pay. Some people are really better suited for staying home.

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

Err, me ?

Ok, so I knew the guy I was buying off having met him previously. :-)

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http://www.ytc1.co.uk