Going from USA to South America on a KAT!!!

[FDuranCol]

Hello everybody...

I want to share this will be Adventure with all of you,
I have always dreamed about a big motorcycle trip.
So, as you guys know, i just got my beloved 2002 Kat and i been doing maintenance an installing new stuff for my trip, yep THE trip...
Everything is going well and I'm almost ready....
I'm just finishing up some paperwork with immigration, all should be clear by the end of this month, so i am delayed but not given up..
My new departure will be by Sept 15, its a set date...

I am 31 years young, COLOMBIANO. Have ridden in south America, some what... bike mechanic... and fluent Spanish. i guess that helps a lot...

I have a Suzuki Katana (Sport Tourer) with all the luggage, bike is only 7K miles and fully serviced. i also have challenged my self on this bike as far as how long i can ride with it no stop, and my last trip to the mountains i put 200 miles one way lunch for 30 min, gas, and 200 miles back in aprox 7 hours, average speed 50 mi in the canyons, so i feel i can handle it no problem.

In the other hand i am not in a hurry and i expect to be in Central America for a month, maybe more if needed. I also plan once in Cent America, ride early in the morning for 3 hours, stop rest lunch rest some more and then hit the road for another 3 hours maybe 40 to 60 miles speed average. witch is a good speed down there... and then look for a hotel / motel / a place to sleep... that's basically the idea, also try to hit interesting points and towns, on the weekends it's better to rest... and party ( may be... lol) well i don't drink but c'mon
That's it, at soonest i hit south of the border my plan is no plan... no hurry and looking to absorb the most of the culture in every town... ride of a lifetime...

I also will be in Colombia for a little while...

I will be posting pictures of the bike and the mods and the luggage so ill keep you guys updated.

Fernando.

[kevin2502000]

AWSOME! I'm jealous Please post your progress so I can live vicariously through you.

[ckholloway]

that's very cool. I would love to do something like that one day

[katitoy]

That's great. One of my wishes aswell but traveling North to Niagara.

Please keep us posted and also picture of you bike with all the saddlebags, etc...

[Slofuze]

Keep us posted......I'd be happy to read about you cruisin' in South America while I'm freezing my azz off and looking at the snow I have to shovel.

[tdrcomm]

Hello everybody...

I want to share this will be Adventure with all of you,
I have always dreamed about a big motorcycle trip.
So, as you guys know, i just got my beloved 2002 Kat and i been doing maintenance an installing new stuff for my trip, yep THE trip...
Everything is going well and I'm almost ready....
I'm just finishing up some paperwork with immigration, all should be clear by the end of this month, so i am delayed but not given up..
My new departure will be by Sept 15, its a set date...

I am 31 years young, ridden in south America, some what... bike mechanic... and fluent Spanish. i guess that helps a lot...

I have a Suzuki Katana (Sport Tourer) with all the luggage, bike is only 7K miles and fully serviced. i also have challenged my self on this bike as far as how long i can ride with it no stop, and my last trip to the mountains i put 200 miles one way lunch for 30 min, gas, and 200 miles back in aprox 7 hours, average speed 50 mi in the canyons, so i feel i can handle it no problem.

In the other hand i am not in a hurry and i expect to be in Central America for a month, maybe more if needed. I also plan once in Cent America, ride early in the morning for 3 hours, stop rest lunch rest some more and then hit the road for another 3 hours maybe 40 to 60 miles speed average. witch is a good speed down there... and then look for a hotel / motel / a place to sleep... that's basically the idea, also try to hit interesting points and towns, on the weekends it's better to rest... and party ( may be... lol) well i don't drink but c'mon there may be few senoritas to meet.... 2

anyway so that's it, at soonest i hit south of the border my plan is no plan... no hurry and looking to absorb the most of the culture in every town... ride of a lifetime...

I also will be in Colombia for a little while...

I will be posting pictures of the bike and the mods and the luggage so ill keep you guys updated.

Fernando.

Dude, if you don't document this trip with words and about a trillion pics I wlll personally hunt you down and slap you silly.

THAT IS AWESOME!!!!

[JokerZwild]

oOKk WAIT!!!! Your going to the Tequillia Capitol of the world and the home of the most RIGHTEST SMOKE i've ever had the Honor or sampling and your going for the F*ck of it??? Do me a favor ...If you really want an adventure come stay with my kids for a few months and Wifey and I will go and actually enjoy all that S. America has to offer!!!

[TonyKZ1]

Sounds like you're going to have trip of a lifetime and the time of your life! Enjoy and keep us updated with your ride report, as much as you can anyhow.
Tony

[ct3]

sounds like hell of a time, be careful down there.

[TonyKZ1]

That's for sure, keep safe and be prepared for the unexpected, if that's possible? I'm currently reading Striking Viking's Two Wheels Through Terror book, about his travels through South America. He had some problems down there you could say, but was able to eventually finish his bike trip.

[first ride]

now that is a trip good luck

[JimG4652]

Awesome! Definitely keep us updated and STAY SAFE!!!

[loudnlow7484]

Sounds like someone's been reading through ADVRider a bit....

What is your plan for getting around the Darien Gap? Be careful in Columbia.... and take LOTS of pictures. Let us know how much you have to bribe the authorities to let you cross the borders. Haha.

[Zepp]

Very Cool!!! I would really like to go on a riding adventure like that too.

[The CyberPoet]

What is your plan for getting around the Darien Gap?

I'm curious about this too -- no chance you can go over-land through the Darien Gap on the Kat...

------

I think it's an awesome thing to do...
Specific mods I'd highly recommend before going:
- NRC or FactoryPro engine [signal/starter/etc] covers. If you drop the bike by accident on a bad road, last thing you want is a cracked cover keeping you from continuing. Parts-delivery time-frames can be a real PIA south of the border, esp. in some of the rural areas. If you need emergency parts, I will ship for you anywhere you need them to go during the trip.
- Remove any advancer if present. You need less heat, not more.
- If you're going through Mexico City, seriously consider installing a fan on the cooler, and possibly the bigger cooler from the next size up air-oil Suzuki motor.
- hard luggage & racks (I prefer Givi, but if you're on a budget, I've got a set of Krauser racks here that will fit your bike and you can use cheaper hard-bags from Pelican or JW Whitney).
- Aluminum tire valves (see my website at www.motorcycleanchor.com ).
- Restuff the OEM seat or get a Corbin (I'm also a Corbin vendor, so contact me if you need one cheaper than their price).
- Chain oiler. I've got one of those available too...

We have a guy from Mexico City that occasionally pops in here (Süsser Tod -- http://katriders.com/vb/member.php?u=821 ) -- suggest you PM/email him to see if he can provide any on-the-road support if/when you're in his area.

Will also suggest that you call ahead to a dealer in Panama and pre-order another set of tires and chain+sprockets plus OEM air & oil filters, or ship them down in advance of you. By then, you'll be ready to swap to a new set. Might also want to contact Metzeler/Pirelli USA and talk to them about seeding you with free tires in exchange for some publicity (specifically state that you'll be posting on various rider forums & your own website) -- for the cost of tires, they will often take the publicity related to it.

And as a mechanic, I probably have no need to tell you about on-board kit for repairs, etc., but you might want to look through some of the special lists on KR about it (such as http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=66450 ). Make sure you bring a sock or other fine-mesh material to filter crap gas through before it goes into the tank.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet