Hi all,

I've gotten myself into somewhat of a bind down here in Argentina. Riding a 1993 DR650 around South America - toward the end of the oil lifespan I think the level got too low or contaminated, because my camshaft, rocker box, and rocker arms are worn beyond safe riding levels (at least for a trip down Rte 40). Must have been an overtemp sometime in the last 1000km or so .

My problem is this: there are no new parts available in Argentina that I've been able to locate, and the only used part I've found would be sight-unseen and $1100 USD from a completely unknown buyer in Cordoba. New parts from the USA would be $900 plus shipping and wasted time. Some of the parts could be repaired, but the aluminum rocker box case is the most damaged part and it cannot be repaired (according to the mechanic I have been working with).

I only have 2 months left in the trip and really want to see Patagonia, so I'm tempted to get rid of the bike ASAP and travel by bus to see Ushuaia and Bariloche. The problem is, the bike is registered in Bolivia and I don't know of any way to sell it here in Argentina after repairs, so I'd need to ride it back to Bolivia. That's a lot of time, so I'm thinking about parting out the bike or shipping it back to Bolivia on a truck to try my luck with repairs or sale up there.

Kind of a complicated situation - the bike is worth about $3500 in Bolivia, so I can't spend a huge amount on repairs. The $1600 I'm looking at now (including parts and labor) is above my threshold.

Does anyone have ideas about what I could do next? Mendoza is beautiful, but I'm getting sick of being stuck here

Muchas gracias,
Luke
Seattle, WA