It is South America.

Dec. 8-12 Hornopiren to Osorno

Another nice breakfast of coffee, bread, jam, ham, cheese, and orange juice was enjoyed followed by a scenic drive through the mountains made up our morning. The road is intermittent pavement and gravel for the first hour but it is relatively dry as the rain has stopped. There is one more short ferry to take, it is well organized and has the drive-thru design. 

We skirt the shore line to Puerto Montt then turn North on the freeway to Osorno. Our destination for the day is Osorno as we have been in contact with the people at MotoAventura, they have the ability to fix Brenda’s rear shock, so we expect to be there for a day or two.

Just north of Puerto Montt the Osorno Volcano is visible to the east and it is quite spectacular. The freeway is a toll highway and we are charged $1200pesos ($2 +/-) for our use of the road. We stop at the bike shop and it is closed, today seems to be a holiday as most businesses are closed and we seen a bunch of people in trucks all dressed up with Virgin Mary statues and such. Turns out it is a national holiday to celebrate Immaculate Conception Day. 

This takes the rush out of our day as we now have to wait until the morning in order to have the shock accessed for repair. We check into a nice cabana that is basically a hotel room with kitchenette, and it is walking distance to the bike shop. 

The next morning we are anxious to get the repair completed and get to the shop shortly after 9am. Surprise, surprise, they can’t fix it onsite even though they promised they could. It would have to be sent to Santiago de Chile for repair which is 1000km away. This was not great news but the risk of riding with a broken shock is not acceptable and we agree to the 2 day turnaround time. I would remove the shock, they would send it out today, it would be fixed tomorrow and then returned, I would re-install the shock and all is good. Ok today is Tuesday that means by Thursday the bike should be functional again. We agree as we really don’t have any choice and I return to the hotel and set to removing the shock. Twenty minutes and no bleeding knuckles has the shock off and we are walking back to the shop. 

They seemed surprised that I am back so soon but find me a box and we package the shock for shipping. Overnight express shipping is quoted at $30USD and the shock repair at about $150USD depending on what parts need replacement.

MotoAventura is the second largest tour company in the world with a fleet of 80 motorcycles. All BMW’s, mostly F800’s and few 650’s as well as 1200’s. We get to talking with Sonia the co-owner and she explains the history of the company and how they got to be this big. They started with 4 Yamaha bikes that she said always broke down and caused many problems as the customer’s holiday would be impacted by the breakdown. They soon switched to BMW’s and have grown their business to what it is today. They have a repair shop in Osorno with 8 mechanics, a showroom full of Held, Shoei, and a little bit of BMW riding gear. We get a tour of the whole facility and I am quite impressed by their warehouse full of Heideneau tires. Sonia explains that they have to ensure the bikes leave the shop with new tires for every tour and thus have a pile of partially used tires. Before I could ask she explains that for liability reasons she cannot sell the tires, instead they get used for very short ( less than 1000km) trips. So basically for people who rent for 1 or 2 days. All the big tours get new tires and she says she knows what bike needs what repairs from memory and the license plate number. I am sure it is written down somewhere as well but still very impressive to be able to keep all this organized. A large part of their business is just renting bikes to other tour companies from around the world. For example is I were to round up a group of people, I could call her and book 10 bikes. She would also provide all the hotel reservations, book excursions, provide a support vehicle, and even a guide if required. This all comes with a cost but is much easier for foreigners that trying to arrange it themselves.

Well, all seems very professional and well organized here. The shock is being sent to Carlos who is the Wilbers distributor for Chile which means that the repair will come with full warranty and be done properly. Unfortunately the South America factor kicks in on Thursday when we return to pick up the shock. We discover that it has not arrived in Santiago yet, apparently he express delivery service is backlogged due to Christmas rush and we are at their mercy regarding delivery. Phone calls are made, emails are sent and the shock is supposed to be delivered today which means it will be a couple more days before it is returned to me. I am pissed. I could have delivered it to Santiago myself faster and it would have gotten there. Now we have to stay longer and there is not much to do in Osorno except wait. Initially this seems like an enormous waste of time, but we soon realize that there are things that need doing. Like catching up on my writing/blogging, changing oil in the bikes, getting the luggage rack welded, and other general maintenance. Plus a bit of extra resting after being pounded on the Carratera and Rte 40 for the last couple of weeks, and let us not forget laundry. We wash everything as it is starting to smell like a hockey bag when we open our luggage. Not much else to do but be a tourist in a non-tourist town.

So today is Friday  Dec.12^th and we are informed that the shock has not arrived in Santiago yet. Lovely. The waiting continues. But I have caught up on my writing, maintenance, and clean socks make happy feet.

Dog of the Day. Smiling in his sleep.