While in the Bolivian altiplano I noticed some goo forming on the inside of the clear clutch over. Uh oh, water pump replacement time. Time to finally do a little work on the bike. Since the water pump is a 15,000 km wear item on the LC8 motor, I am prepared for this and have all the parts I need. Its still a pain though because it takes a full day to do in the field, with a field tool kit. If you have access to a shop its not nearly as much of a pain. But, I was in a campground, oh well.
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile is a tourist trap. Its, small, its quaint, its expensive, and its full of tourists. Not really my thing. But, it was nice.
I dont think it could possibly get any more touristy.
Camping is almost 20 bucks a night, hotel rooms 50 to 200 bucks, meals are around 10 to 15 bucks, groceries are not much less, and I feel like I was transported to Europe. Sticker and culture shock, not good. It feels like I have left South America. I’m kind of bummed out about that actually. We are not in Bolivia anymore, that’s for sure.
But, its time to get to work. Once I drained the coolant and oil, and removed the case cover, I had to cover the motor with foil since the wind was blowing dirt and dust all over the place.
I used my beer can stove to heat up the case to remove the old water pump bearings. Vinny Mc Gyver.
Holger was there to help me and it was very nice to have an extra set of hands and eyes. Besides that, Holger is quite a capable mechanic having maintained 2 BMW F650s in the field for the last 4 years. I think he has done a couple of water pump replacements and rear suspension rebuilds as well. So, with Holger watching me, I kept the cursing and tool throwing down to a minimum.
Anyway, its not a big deal, just inconvenient. We had everything done and buttoned up before night fall. Holger would cringe and wince when he saw me beat the heck out of the bearings and the new seal to get everything seated back in the case. It was quite funny. He said that I was hitting stuff so hard he thought I was going to crack the case cover. He then reminded me that the nearest KTM dealer was a few hundred miles away. If stuff doesn’t go in easily, you just use a bigger hammer or hit it harder right? If you cant fix it with a sledge hammer, its an electrical problem.
Anyway, with the water pump fixed up and less than thrilled with our first taste of Chile, Holger, Anja, and I made a run for the border.
Stoked about life on the road.
The first Bife de Chorizo in Argentina. Meat, its not just for breakfast. Argentina is famous for meat. Its incredible. This steak melted in my mouth. All for 8 bucks.
Testing out the pavement limits of knobby tires.
The roads were very nice.
Bummed that I have knobby tires.
But it didn’t stop me from doing some spirited riding.
More scenic dirt roads. Ho hum.
And of course, sand.
Two tracks that lead into the end of nowhere.
Where there always an awesome place to camp.
and just stare at the southern Milky Way for hours on end.
Until the morning when its time to ride in spectacular deserts once again.
Then the pavement appears, and believe it or not, sometimes its a welcome sight.
At times I think that I was magically transported back to California or Arizona.
But the night sky reminds me once again, that I am a very long way from home.
Saludos, Vicente