RALF & EVA's TIPS ON

MOTORCYCLE DEALERS IN CENTRAL AMERiCA

RECEIVED BY E-MAIL

Ti Tynda,

Thank for your very fast answer.

We will give you some more information about the trip and us.

Yesterday, when I found your website in the internet I just wrote

something down what I remember, but it was not complete (I think it

will never be).

But more information now:

- you do not need a "carnet de passage" for Central America, so do not

take that paper with you, because it is something more you have to

watch for.

- there were no problems of diseases in Honduras or Nicaragua, a lot

of the press information are just "front page news"(iIhope you know

what I mean.)

- there are a lot of Yamaha dealers in every country, but the good

ones for the big travelling bikes are in the capitals.

Guatemala city:

a good and cheap place for motorcycle parts.

Yamaha dealer - good and helpful

FPK - very helpful and they have good and cheap tires.

Bridgestone tw 301 & 302 together for just

US$ 80 !!!!!!!!!!!

not the FPK in front of Yamaha!!!

Andy Young - very helpful mechanic ask the boss

of FPK, he knows him very well

Tegucigalpa:

Yamaha dealer not helpful

Managua:

Yamaha dealer helpful and friendly

San Jose:

the best place after Guatemala City for motorcycle parts.

Yamaha dealer very helpful and they have some parts too.

Panama City:

extremely helpful Yamaha dealer with some parts too.

may you ask, why we do know all of them, but since Guatemala our

motorcycles makes some problems:

Peten (Guatemala)

- a hole in evas engine

Coban (Guatemala)

- the generator of Ralf's Tenere is out of order, the moto

do not want to move, so we put it on a pick up.

In coban we found an extremely helpful mechanic who helps me a

lot, but there, when they repair the moto and watch out for

the bolts etc.(you have to do that in whole Central America).

they put new wires inside the generator and the tenere

is still running.

Copan (Honduras)

- a few km before the border on a dirt road one bolt of Ralf's

monoshock broke, so we put all the luggage on Eva's Tenere

and on the klr 650 of another Israelian friend, called Dekel.

I drove only standing the last 35 km to the border and then to

Copan.  On the next day Ralf went by bus to San Pedro Sula to

look for a new part, but at Yamaha they said: "NO HAY" that

means we do not have it - you will hear that very often!!!!

Rivas (Nicaragua)

- 130 km south of Managua Eva's clutch was out of order, no

more movement of the Tenere. so we went to Managua, bought

just 1 clutchdisc (because they do not have more) and Ralf

changed the piece in the garden of the hotel (with a lot of

chicken around).

In San Jose we bought 2 complete clutches, one for changing

and one for spare parts( you never know).

Panama City (Panama)

- strange noises on ralfs tenere, we went to the Yamaha dealer

and changed the bearings of the handlebar (I know it not the

the right word, but Ihope, you know what Imean.) and we had

to pay just for the parts!!!!

A new yamaha service for motorcycle worldtraveller?

- do not park the motorcycle outside in the night in a town, look for

a hotel to put you bike somewhere inside.

- the roads a nearly good everywhere, good ones in Honduras and

Nicaragua, bad ones in Costa Rica - surprise -

- you can drive always on asphalt, but we do like to drive offroad

sometimes

- beware of the speed controls in Costa Rica - very expensive -

We should pay 150 us $, but we get free somehow?!

- beware of the traffic police in Panama, they are corrupt

(but sometimes this is good!)

- beware of the police in Mexico, they try to fine you for any reason,

also if there is no! say no and ask for a recibo.

ralf loether, *20.12.1964, xt 600 tenere 1986, now 99.973 km

eva schoener, *01.03.1961, xt 600 tenere 1986, now 74.678 km

auf der scholle 2

40 668 meerbusch

germany.

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