The bike is ok, the noise i was initially concerned about is still there although not as bad (bad). But the last 1000 miles of desert hasnt killed it (even at 250 miles a day), in fact it doesnt sound much different, so what the hell!!! Ill ride it until it dies....

The fact that the front sprocket was put on backwards and caused the output shaft seal to fail about 3km over the Moroccan border didnt really inspire confidence, but then neither did the wrongly routed brake hose that I didnt spot on my mates bike which almost got cut through by the disk on our first offroad section.....After that I checked both bikes REALLY closely!!!!!

Im normally anal about my bike prep so all this shit is killing me. For them not to have checked my head bearings as part of an overhaul costing 1400 euros for a desert trip is, quite frankly, shit......Especially as when I cracked the bearing open today I found the reason it didnt run notchy before it failed....it had siezed solid and rusted up! it failed when the lower bearing cage disintegrated with resultant chaos.

Its ironic really, the DRZ is by far my favoutite bike to date of all the bikes Ive ever ridden in long distance desert conditions. For one reason or another its also been the least reliable. I think its pretty obvious that that has little to with the model and more to do with the purchase of a lemon and unfortunate circumstances.

Still I have to say, Ive had a grin on my face six feet wide all week prior to my latest mishap.....boy oh boy does that DRZ do dunes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why, Oh Why, Oh Why, etc......have they stopped making them?

What the hell do we do now?

Dave

Hoping for new head bearings from Suzuki Maroc at Noon tomorrow....after a mere 24 hour wait. Can it really be true? If it is then theres time for another 500 miles of piste yet.....Watch this post!!!!

Youve picked up my bike luck, sorry!.....
Still jealous as hell though. Having a nightmare in the desert beats a day at work everytime!

Hey! Good news David!

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Dave,
I hope you will name and shame that workshop in Spain - this has to be as important as a much longer list of good-excellent workshops that will be available in the relevant forum; alongside that list, would be your warning of poor value & botched workmanship.


Apart from "the lemon" problems, you have made me a tad curious about the logistics of your trip - are you travelling very light with a back up vehicle, relatively-light touring in between accommodation (say), or "heavy" self-contained with camping equipment, to name a few permutations?

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Dave

I'm travelling the way I always do, most people call it super light, but to me its the only way to travel. I'm constantly amazed at the shit people take along with them. One French guy we met was carrying a HAMMER!

My total luggage capacity is two soft small side panniers of just under 15 litres each. Thats it. I rarely stay in hotels, always stay out when I can and never ride with support.

In those panniers I can get a sleeping bag, bivi bag, self inflating mattress, two spare tubes, wash kit, bike spares and tools, maps, navigation kit, and enough clothes to see me from desert miday temps to freezing 3000m passes.....

Why carry more?

In answer to Mollydog, your dead right. Ultimately no one is responsible for my bike but me. I have now learned that leaving your bike in another country anbd trying to prep for multiple trips with no tyesting and prep time built into a hard years riding shedule is NOT a good idea. It almost always leaves me knackered at the end of a trip and in a hurry to get home, and stuck withy too much stuff to think about when I arrive and too eager to get moving.

All these things lead to simple mistakes like the head bearings and assumptions that other people will take the same care of my bike as I do if I pay them enough.....

I have now learned and will be either shipping my bike back the the UK in the next few months or spending some time time is Spain specifically on looking after my bike.

Another important lesson learned with nothing more than a few days delay and no serious incidents.

Lucky huh!

Dave

I like it! That list just leaves the cook set for brewing tea in the desert and a bit of room for the teabags.


Cheers,

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Dave