Felt really good to pass all the places where we had to stop to fix my tire , to see those piles of rocks in the ditch that held up my bike as we worked away in the rain and wind. It also felt good to fill up my gas tank more times than taking off my rear tire.
Rode 590 kms today. We crossed two borders and took one ferry, not too bad For the beginning half of the journey we rode with Lenny who is on a KLR, was great company. We went our separate ways in the afternoon as he was going to Peurto Natales and we were off to Ruta 3.
We rode along Ruta 3 along the east coast of Argentina to a town near Montelon where we camped for the night. Ruta 3 is a very boring highway. It's straight, windy as hell, and nothing but desert scenery. It is definitely getting warmer as we was north and is a welcoming feeling.
We have met quiet a few motorcyclists who are travelling as we are. It's funny that all of the ones we've met have met others we know. In such a large place the community still feels close which is a nice thing to have when travelling.
So the stats for this Tire story :
-15 flat tires in total. Mostly due to the warped bead, shotty patch jobs by us(need good glue) and by shops, faulty valve stem, a rock, and I can almost say with a gaurantee that we didn't pinch the tube for most of them.
-6 tubes of which one has 5 patches on it and 4 others have at least one.
-1 new rear tire
Lessons leanred:
-Buy proper patch kit with good glue
-Ensure the bead on your tire is seated correctly and in good shape.
-Don't trust dodgey shops with no tire repair equipment ( he cut a patch in half cause he didn't have enough)
-Don't be cheap and buy a center stand for your bike
-Stock up on parts when you can in south America. Hard to come by motorcycle shops
-Riding with was essential or else I would of been stranded
-Just laugh when you get passed 10 flats
-Lastly, I don't enjoy sleeping in ditches.
Pictures are painfully slow to upload so when we find a faster compter more will come
