klr 600<->650

[punkynsquirt@cs.com]

Sr. Luis Zambrano: Buenos dias amigo. Are you a student, professor or what at UCLA? Yes, I would be interested in a heads up report on any particular negatives you ran into and that I may be able to avoid or just simply be prepared for. I assume you are fluent in Spanish. Did it help you avoid problems/mordidas at border crossings and police or military stop points, particularly in Central America? Did you buy insurance or use a carnet for the bike? Do you have a list of Latin American bike shops where I will be able to get KLR 650 parts/service? I noted that you chose to fly from Lima to Panama avoiding Ecuador and Colombia. Did you consider it too risky to go there? Any good places to stay? Thanks for the contact and offer of assistance. I need all the help I can get. I'm 63, retired, kind of creaky with arthritis and haven't ridden a bike in over 20 years, but have had a long standing desire to tour the Americas. My lady friend doesn't think I'll make it out of the state of Florida. If I don't, it won't be for the lack of giving it my best shot. A sure way not to succeed is not to try. Some smart guy, seems to me his name was something like Goethe said "If you can or think you can, begin it, for boldness has genius power and magic in it." I had it on a plaque in my sailboat, which I lived on for 5 years and cruised Mexico's west coast, then out to Hawaii. Mind you, before buying that 47 feet trimaran sloop, I had never sailed even a dinghy. We'll see. Any other helpful info. you care to share would be appreciated. Thanks for you interest a kind offer. sincerely, Lew Waterman Punky & Lew's Americas Motopaseo

[Jim Nesrsta]

Lew, Have you read the travelogue from Jeff and Linda: http://www.aracnet.com/~anspach/tripjournals.html It's a long journal but it has a lot of great info. Jim punkynsquirt@... wrote:

> > Sr. Luis Zambrano: Buenos dias amigo. Are you a student, professor or what at > UCLA? Yes, I would be interested in a heads up report on any particular > negatives you ran into and that I may be able to avoid or just simply be > prepared for. I assume you are fluent in Spanish.......

[punkynsquirt@cs.com]

Jim: I'm always interested in anything I can find about long distance motorcycle traveling and especially north and South America. The more recent the better and on a KLR 650 better yet. I will look up Jeff and Linda's travelogue. Thanks. Lew Waterman Punky & Lew's Americas Motopaseo

[Ted Palmer]

Toby 'Slide' Lampson wrote:

> I suppose, but I got a 600 motor, for free at this point. > The heads used are $300......dunno about the barrels though.

If you have the whole motor then you have the gears as well, so you have most of the bits you need to do a WR conversion on a 650 'box. Good find. Mister_T