Around the world on a GS850G for a cause

[shirazdrum]

And of course more pictures.

[Skateguy50]

those last few look familiar.

[shirazdrum]

I see that Adrian already gave you guys the updates. I got back to Otamendi late last night. As Adrian said, the engine is on a back of a semi truck to Otamendi (it was way too heavy for the bus and the trains were all booked).

The Customs deal was as i expected, a complete bureaucracy. They charged what they wanted simply because they "could" and we had no choice but to nod and pay the man.

I don't know how i would have done it without Adrian's help, he is truly a saint. and he has a one hell of a GS750.

I'll post the whole story tomorrow with pictures. I have to go back and wait for the engine to arrive at the farm from Miramar. Thanks again to all of you who helped to get this nightmare sorted out. I'm eternally indebted to you.

[shirazdrum]

those last few look familiar.

Yeah, i know a crazy guy who fixes engines on his kitchen table and packs them up for war time condition :P. I'm trying to call you, pick up the phone.

They guy at the airport spend at least 5 minutes with an electric drill to just pop off the top of the crate. they didn't dare to inspect further as the battery on the drill almost ran out.

[Skateguy50]

sorry I missed your call, saw it 30 minutes after... and I think thats usually your net usage window.

things are a bit crazy here, like usual, but Im sure you will catch me one of these times.

[shirazdrum]

JAN 13TH. GETTING THE MOTOR OUT OF CUSTOMS

Jared emailed me with the delivery date of the engine and the waiting was over. The crate would arrive in Buenos Aires on Monday, and it would be ready to be picked up by Tuesday. I packed a little backpack with a shirt, my knife, my small laptop and headed out for the capital city, 500km to the north.

While we were searching for parts in the early stages, Rich Suz, a fellow motorcyclist emailed another GSR member, Adrian Sayanes, in Argentina for help. Adrian emailed me his phone number and offered his assistance, so I took him up on it. He would pick me up at the bus station in Buenos Aires when I arrived, and would help me to get the engine out of the customs.

I had to take two buses to get to B.A. One from Otamendi to Mar del Plata and another to B.A. The main Buenos Aires bus station is the size of the Atlanta airport. With hundreds of bus companies, gift shops, restaurants, and piles of luggage, it was overwhelming for a guy who spent the last two months in one of the most desolated part of the world. The area was packed with Bolivian immigrants who were sleeping behind the fences in the open.

I met Adrian and his brother Esteban at the station. They had to take a long train ride and a bus to get to me, and from the first moment they were nothing but helpful. After a drink at the station, I was relieved to find out that they both spoke very good English, and we got along well. They generously put me up in their mom’s house, and fed me the most delicious pizza I’ve ever had.

I was tired and fell into a peaceful sleep, but woke up at 3:30 am to a racket. The skies were as bright as day, and small rivers were forming in the streets from the massive thunderstorm outside. The rain came down with such ferocity that it killed nine people in a flash. I kept thinking of the poor immigrants that were camped out in a canal next to the railroad tracks under plastic sheets and inadequate shelters.

At 7:30 am, we tried contacting AmeriJet, the airline which shipped the cargo, but there was no answer. We called and kept calling until at 8:30, we finally got through. They didn’t have the engine nor did they know where it was! The guy said that AmeriJet doesn’t fly into Argentina, and they must have put it on another flight. He asked for some info and said he’d get back to me on that. He didn’t sound very promising, so Adrian and I headed out in search of internet so we could call the AmeriJet headquarter in the US to find out what to do. We found a little café with internet, and set up our command center. For the next two hours, I called everyone I could, and we finally succeeded. The engine came on another flight from Florida and it was at the airport already.

With no time to waste, we started our quest at the airport in the hot and humid weather of B.A and it didn’t stop until 8:00 pm. Since we didn’t hire a customs broker, we had to do everything ourselves, and not knowing what to do, we walked around aimlessly and did our best. Actually Adrian did his best. I was just the guy who followed him to the bank, and coughed up money for this paper and that paper. Right off the bat, the airliner charged us $95 for something they couldn’t even explain themselves. It had something to do with the storage and transportation inside the airport. We chased papers one office after another until at around 4 pm; we first got to see the crate. It was monstrous as I expected. The boss man came to inspect the contents, but they had to get into it first. It took a guy with an electric drill a good while to extract twenty or thirty screws from the top cover just to expose the top of the engine. So they weren’t too enthusiastic to dig in further which would reveal the expensive new parts from Z1 enterprise.

The boss man said that importing a complete engine for personal use was illegal in Argentina, but he made an exception; reading Jared’s letter explaining the situation in English and Spanish. He appraised the value of the complete motor at $400 (the new gaskets and seals alone were 400 bucks) and set the tax at 200%. So we walked back to the bank for the 6th time and paid the money. As we thought it was over, they charged us another 90 bucks for storage fee, inspection fee, (for the guy who wrestled with the screws to get the top off) and forklift before releasing the engine to us. They charged us for two days of storage, but in reality, the engine arrived at the airport at 11 pm on Monday, and we were taking it out on 6:00 pm on Tuesday, not even a full day! But who can argue technicality when bureaucracy prevails every time. So again I paid the man.

Now that we had the engine, we had no way of getting it back home. Adrian’s car is a small BMW and the crate was as big as his trunk. Opening the crate was out of question. Adrian found a guy and after negotiating, they loaded the box in the back of their van for another 100 bucks to take back to town. (Adrian paid for the van and would not even consider being reimbursed, thanks again Adrian). The van driver suggested for us to go ahead, and he would follow, but I wouldn’t have any of it. I jumped through way too many hoops to get my hands on this engine and I wasn’t about to hand it over to anyone else. I rode in the back with the engine while Adrian took the lead to his house.

If getting the engine out of the customs was hard, we were faced with a bigger problem. The bus company refused to take the engine as my luggage due to its ungodly weight. The train turned out to be full and not going to Otamendi, and renting a car from B.A to Otamendi was $350 one way plus gas. We called everyone we knew for hours, but no solution came out of it. So we gave up for the night.

Adrian invited me to his place to have dinner with his girl friend, and they fed me delicious foods until I was about to pop. He dropped me off at his mom’s house gain and this time I slept the whole night after three days. The next morning I woke up with good news. Adrian found a cheap trucking company to take the engine to Otamendi, but we had to drop off the crate at their terminal. Adrian’s mom called around and found a van with a driver for $45, and once again we loaded the crate and headed for the terminal. Another $40 later, the engine got loaded up and it will arrive in Otamendi on Friday. The madness was over. Esteban, Adrian’s brother, took me to the bus station and put me on the bus to Mar del Plata, and I was home free.

Adrian and his whole family literally spent two days on the phone to make all these arrangements, and I have no clue on how I would have done it without their help. Adrian skipped a day work without pay, (despite getting in trouble) and spent every minute of it helping me with anything and everything. I don’t know how I could even begin to thank these amazing people who extended their generosity to a complete stranger with just an email.

When I came to Argentina, I was impressed with its vast landscape, towering mountains and beautiful glaciers, but what most strike me is its people. Nowhere in the world have I ever been this welcomed as Argentina. It’s an honor to be in this beautiful country.

[Richsuz]

Asi es Rich el se llevo el motor para instalarlo en la granja del pueblo de Nicanor Otamendi a unos 500 kilometros de B.A., entiendo que alli quien lo esta alojando le va a dar una mano.
Saludos.

Thats correct Rich he take the engine to the small town of Nicanor Otamendi distant 800 miles from Buenos Aires where he was living right now. Im understand that the guy who owns the farm will help him to swap the engines and put the bike running again.
Goodbye!

Adrian

Bravo Adrian. Eso es ser MOTERO de corazón "that is being a motorciclist at heart". What is even more impresive, the entire family got invloved.

I just got finished reading about the ordeal of claiming the goods from customs! But that is life outside de USA. I am happy to hear that Chris has got his goods and hope to see him on the road soon. Maybe you will have a chance to ride together for a while before shipping out to Africa.

[Skateguy50]

Chris,

I got to run so cant log into the website till later, but if you see this can you edit the photo with my shipping info and cell number

Thanks.

[BassCliff]

Chris,

What an adventuresome inconvenience. I hope you have much smoother sailing from here forward. I'll be looking forward to the book once you've completed your journey.


All the best,

Cliff

[four_shot]

The gsr rocks hands down!

Where else could a brokedown biker get all this help from a total stranger. glad to hear things are starting to work out.

[mighty13d]

I talked to chris tonight and he expects another 2-3 days to get everything buttoned back up. It's a large process but with a little patience it won't be too bad. I would like to say that we talked more about his plans and what he is up to exactly, but since I took a break at work to call him back, I didn't really have time. So no really detailed update from me. He's determined though and now has the means to get it back on the road. I'm honored to be able to help in part with this epic ride. I can't wait for him to get things going again.

[Roostabunny]

They guy at the airport spend at least 5 minutes with an electric drill to just pop off the top of the crate. they didn't dare to inspect further as the battery on the drill almost ran out.

Ha! And I thought I would add my shipping and customs advice to this thread - you guys have this down!

[Skateguy50]

To protect the top I almost double walled the top with a layer of 1x3 strapping then another piece of plywood. I dont think they would have enjoyed that

[jeff.saunders]

It will be nice to see Chris back on the road again...

[Skateguy50]

I agree, think he is to busy wrenching to head into town for email. Maybe his next update he can RIDE into town and not pedal.

I never did remember to ask if he has access to a torque wrench... I set everything to spec before it left but always checked / tightened the head after a few hundred miles.