Getting things fixed (and getting to know people)
Aktualisiert: 20. Apr. 2023
The combination of bad weather and my stubbornness to not call it a day directly after realizing the conditions were too bad to ride, resulted in my bike and me getting more ground contact than appreciated (at least six times), the aftermath of our mud adventure (--> Link) showed that I ruined my clutch and ripped open one of my panniers. ☹️
Objective 1: Getting the pannier fixed.
Whereas rectifying dented panniers in most cases only requires a hammer, fixing cracks is a different story.
Also in rural areas you usually can find someone that knows how to weld but welding iron or steal is a totally different story than welding aluminum, which was the case with my panniers. The one thing that avoids aluminum from corroding completely over time like most of the other metals do, is that it immediately creates a layer of aluminum oxide when in contact with oxygen. Said layer is not permeable for oxygen and therefore prevents further oxidation. This insulation layer that comes in quite handy in almost all usages (therefore no painting needed for protection) unfortunately makes it impossible to weld aluminum in a traditional way. To avoid the creation of aluminum oxide during the process, the welding has to take place in an atmosphere of Argon, an inert gas that avoids any chemical reactions. Long story short: You need special equipment, Argon and someone who knows how to use it.
The day after our semi legal camping next to the street, the “street” conditions were good enough to reach asphalt and we drove to Gobernador Gregores and one day later to El Chaltén and pitched our tent on a big camping site in the middle of the city. At the center of the camping site there was a little building, formerly shower and restroom, that “the mechanic” of the property converted into his little workshop.
His job was to fix everything that broke on the campsite so I asked him if he knew how to weld or if he knew anyone who could help me with my problem.
Although he didn't know anyone who had it or had the equipment himself, he was very helpful and motivated to help. He immediately put all his other tasks aside and went through his storage checking the availability of parts that could be used as an interims fix.
At the end we converted a combination of insulation rubber and tin plate into a supporting plate. After sawing it to size, drilling the holes for the screws and filing of the sharp edges it only needed painting and mounting and I should be ready to go.
During all this mechanic work I tried to support him as good as possible and we were chatting about dozens of things. One of them being the Argentineans and “Mate”.
“Mate” is the name of a special cup that is used to prepare a drink made of 80º C hot water and a big amount of herbs. It is extremely common in Argentina. You even see people taking a walk with their thermo bottle of water to take small sips of their mate along the walk.
At the end he told me how to prepare it and we shared his Mate which made me feel very welcome.
The next day, after the painting dried, he proudly handed me the supporting part we created. After painting it he also put his signature and his fingerprint in the still soft paint, signing his artwork. I was truly grateful. Because he denied taking any money from me I gave him a bottle of wine instead.
After mounting it I was ready to go again without having to worry about the cracks to widen on the upcoming gravel roads due to vibration.
But still I was looking for a final solution. During our next stop in El Calafate driving back from a car wash to our Hostel, Astrid saw an advertisement “Aluminio” painted on a building. So we parked in front of the building and I went inside to ask if they were capable of welding aluminum. They were not. But the sales person told me where to find someone that knew. Something like “Just a round the corner, than you see a building and than over there.” So the opposite of precise.
After I drove around for five minutes in the indicated area without seeing anything but abandoned or locked up buildings and dogs that were constantly barking at me, I returned to Astrid who turned out to be chatting with a couple. It was Erick and his wife that had parked next to her to buy some chicken at the shop next door. Erick not only happened to know some German and own a motorcycle, but also have a friend who could weld aluminum!
We kept chatting for a bit and Erick gave me the contact of his friend Franco the mechanic.
As I found out later Franco is the only one within a 300-500 km range who is capable of welding aluminum. He owns one gas bottle of Argon and when it is empty he has to send it to a friend of his in Buenos Aires in a big wooden box by mail to get it refilled and sent back. There is just no official distribution of Argon that far in the south of Argentina.
Luckily I found him and he was able to fix both cracks!
Objective 2: Getting clutch fixed
The second thing I ruined trying to get along in the mud was my clutch. Whilst traction was close to zero and a mixture of clay and stones where clogging both front and rear wheel, I was trying to move the bike slowly without falling… And I completely burned my clutch.
On the left side there are my charcoal like clutch plates and on the right side you see a picture of their usual color...
Luckily I was still able to ride, but the clutch failed to deliver the full amount of torque. Effect: When accelerating too much (50% gas), the revolutions quickly rose but the velocity barely changed. At the end it was like riding a much weaker bike. Possible, but where is the fun in that..?
After posting my problems (again) on www.GS-forum.eu where I promptly received a lot of helping feedback including a video tutorial of how to change the clutch, I knew that no specific tools were required. But obviously organizing the spare parts was an issue. If I would have been in Germany or in most parts of Europe, I just went to the next BMW dealer. In Argentina however the next BMW dealer was more than 1000 km north of us and we were heading south.
At this point another completely coincidentally meeting came in handy:
The day I picked up my motorcycle form the dealer in Bavaria, Germany I made a detour to the headquarter of Touratech on my way back to Heidelberg. Touratech was having an Enduro event that day and I was able to test ride a R1200GS with the Touratech suspension I considered to buy. At the end I did decide to not buy it, but instead I met Renata and Dieter from https://duo93adventure.com who travelled South America just before. Renata told me they knew a very good mechanic in Ushuaia. So I contacted them in January and they instantly provided the contact of Daniel, the mechanic in Ushuaia. Daniel was able to organize the required original spare parts from BMW in Buenos Aires and when we met in Ushuaia 4th of February he changed the charcoal like clutch and the smoky motor oil.
I’d say I was really lucky receiving these contacts. Even if I am not the biggest fan of small talk and formerly used to avoid chatting with strangers as good as possible, I learned to enjoy having a chat. Both Argentinians and Chileans like having a chat and are very designated to help you when you are in need. But you have to put yourself out there.
Also independently from solving specific issues, having a chat with strangers might lead to getting to know them and there is the possibility of having a good time ;-)
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