Walter Javier Maldonado
Walter and Mauro on Honda XR 600.
Myriam Fernandez works with Walter’s mom María at the reastaurant. Muy sympatica.
New mayor in Union!
Rosa friend of Walter. She works as a nurse in the local hospital.
Radio interview with ATWJ – mhoey.eu in Union (100.7 FM).
Visiting the new city hall of Union, located in region of San Luis, Argentina.
Visiting Turco the local mechanic, amazing skills. The guys loves mate con dulce!
With Turco and Policía (Sebastián). Buena personas.
Taking the local girls for a spin around the block. Son Bonitas.
Big thanks to Slime, Sparkplugs.com, Royal Purple Synthetic Oil, Norbar Torque Tools, Precision Shims Australia, Haynes, but mostly all the lovely people out there following and supporting me where ever I go. I dedicate this trip to you guys. Lets see where it takes me? 
Fuck it is getting cold, the winter has arrived in SA
Hey guys and girls, time to get on the curvy road again. The story is not that complicated, it is not that Lilián has kicked me out of her apartment It is very simple, my temporary import of the VFR in Chile has expired. They wouldn’t give me another extension. So I am on the street again hunting down new adventures and most important, I get to visit my beloved Argentina again.
Left casa de Lily yesterday for the Los Andes border passing. Don’t know why the two countries, Chile and Argentina are so different from each other, but they are! I would best describe it as Chile/ Santiago is like Denmark/ Copenhagen. People are very busy minding their own business, at least in the city. Once you pass into Argentina on the country side you are among people having time to chat with you. It seems like they care more about each other here in Argentina. I think I have talked with more people the last two days than a whole month in Chile. Of course it also has to do with the bike, it creates curiosity especially for us bikers.
The border was quite easy this time compared to last time crossing Los Andes to Santiago. Once again the Chilean officials didn’t have much to say, but when I was done with them things changed completely. The Argentinian border officers were incredible nice. One of the aduanas insisted on doing the bike papers for me while I talked with two other officers about my life on the road. We don’t stop here, when I got the temporary import documentation for Argentina I realized that they officer had given me not only 3 months of entrance but 8 months stay for the bike. Wake up Chile, you remind me of my own country!
I love Chile, but in a way it feels like being home again when crossing the border to Argentina, during two days I have had great company when stopping beside of the road. It has included news paper interview today on a YPF gas station in Tunyán near Mendoza. Enjoying a cup of coffee and Media Lunas with Federico and Gaston not to forget a great night of sleeping in another gas station in Portrerillos accompanied by the dog Negra. And finally I just got invited to drop by tomorrow in San Rafael to pay a fellow biker and his family a visit. Things goes on in Argentina, they love smelly bikers and travellers, bikers love Argentina Don’t hope my lovely Chilena changed the lock of the door back in Santiago by saying so!
Well, enough writing, I know you lazy bastards prefer photos and videos, so here we go:
While doing maintenance Norbar Torque Tools Inc. from United Kingdom supplied and helped me with their quality torque tools. Thanks guys.
Big thanks to Chris Bullen from “Down Under” for sending me shims to do valve clearance on the VFR. Thanks for the support from him and Precision Shims Australia
Additive for coolant system. Reducing engine temperature. Sponsored by Royal Purple who also supply their Max-Cycle Synthetic oil for better engine performance and clean gear shift. RP, many thanks for your help. Look forward to test and ride with oil from Royal Purple.
Getting the frame TIG welded at RaceTech in Santiago, Chile. The cost 43 USD
Bike ready after a couple of months waiting on parts and doing maintenance. Sounds even more crispy than before
Leaving Chile behind. Feels great being on the road again. ATWJ – mhoey.eu is alive!
They know what a biker needs on the road in Chile. Where are the beers?
A pleasure doing business with the Argentinian customs & immigration officers. I ended up with a 8 months temporary import permit for my bike
Tonight I will not sleep next to a lovely sexy Chilena, hehe.
Gabriel & Negra (the dog) from Portrerillos, Argentina. Thanks for letting me sleep at your place.
When it was cold, Federico & Gaston fellow bikers asked me in for a warm cup of coffee, Medio Lunas and a great time while I showed them photos and videos from around the world. I enjoyed it guys
Dire Straits – Telegrapgh Road (Mr. Slowhand keep on practising)
David Radford a friend from the road, last seen in South Africa has made it up to Santiago after visiting Ushuaia in Argentina. David will have his bike here with Lilián and me while his girlfriend is visiting him in STGO. Nice to see a well used Beemer. Take a tour on his site: Gelände/Straße Travels – good to see an old friend from the road again Lets get some beers soon…
Tonight I am having a social time with my new friend Gregory J. Young from Norbar Torque Tools accompanied with Lilián Pisco Mango, red wine, cheese and we will finish off with Lilián’s famous cheese cake, nam nam.
Visiting Lilián’s family in Valparaiso this weekend.
Back home down in the Bodega to take a look at the VFR with Gregory from USA!
Martin Solveig – Hello
It has not much to do with watering which is my job here in STGO - as a motorcycle rider I prefer to get my hands dirty like this weekend when the things came down to main- tenance, more precisely VCC (Valve Clearance Check) on a VFR
With a pack of cigarettes, a cup of Cola, iPod and a flashlight in my hand I spend most of the weekend in the Bodega (basement).
Back to the subject, its been quite a while since I have had the engine cracked open to take a look on the valves (valve clearance). Exactly 63.061 km since I did last check back in Denmark on a cold december weekend!
Some motorcycle riders (incl. myself in the past) believe it is only necessary to do the first valve inspection check at the given interval and afterwards neglect the others in the believe that the valve clearance will stay the same. I know now that this is not the case. All my intake valves are out of specs. Most of them are 0.09 – 0.10 mm out of limit. The clearance on one of the intake valves on cylinder #4 I can’t even read with my feeler gauge. The value is under 0.04 mm which is the thinnest feeler blade I have. I said last time that I like things tight, but not this tight!. I know it is not the end of the world/ journey, all problems have a solution. It would have been far worse if it was the case for the exhaust valves. Only one here is out of limit, cylinder # 2 exhaust valve is 0.01 mm to the tight side. I will not do anything about that (which I also said over two years ago). In fact it is 0.01 mm less than last time when I measured it to be 0.20 mm, so things tend to be better regarding exhaust valve but not intake valves!
Valve clearance values:
Intake: 0.16 ± 0.03 mm (0.006 ± 0.001 in)
Exhaust: 0.25 ± 0.03 mm (0.010 ± 0.001 in)
25/26DEC2008 (Honda VFR RC36-2, 1996) – Km: 65.379 (Dragør, Denmark)
(EXH=EXHAUST) (INT=INTAKE) – (OUT=OUTER) (CEN=CENTER).
CYL2 EXH OUT: 0,23 mm – CEN: (0.20) mm | CYL4 EXH CEN: 0,22 mm – OUT: 0.22 mm.
CYL2 INT OUT: 0.13 mm – CEN: 0.15 mm | CYL4 INT CEN: 0.13 mm – OUT: 0.16 mm.
CYL1 INT OUT: 0.15 mm – CEN: 0.15 mm | CYL3 INT CEN: 0.17 mm - OUT: 0.15 mm.
CYL1 EXH OUT: 0.24 mm – CEN: 0.23 mm | CYL3 EXH CEN: 0.23 mm – OUT: 0.25 mm.
27MAR2011 (Honda VFR RC36-2, 1996) – Km: 128.440 (Santiago, Chile)
(EXH=EXHAUST) (INT=INTAKE) – (OUT=OUTER) (CEN=CENTER).
CYL2 EXH OUT: 0,22 mm – CEN: (0.21) mm | CYL4 EXH CEN: 0,22 mm – OUT: 0.22 mm.
CYL2 INT OUT: (0.07) mm – CEN: (0.11) mm | CYL4 INT CEN: (0.08) mm – OUT: *(<0.04) mm.
CYL1 INT OUT: (0.08) mm – CEN: (0.09) mm | CYL3 INT CEN: (0.09) mm - OUT: (0.07) mm.
CYL1 EXH OUT: 0.24 mm – CEN: 0.24 mm | CYL3 EXH CEN: 0.23 mm – OUT: 0.24 mm.
* I might have a problem finding the correct value/ data for the cylinder #4 outer intake valve, as I do not have feeler gauges less thin than 0.04 mm.
I have already taken of the cam shaft on cylinder # 1 & # 3 to read out the thickness of the shims (2 shims per cylinder on intake valves).
Shims on intake valves measured:
Left to right (written on the shim which thickness it has):
2.10 (210) – 2.08 (208) – 2.05 (205) – 2.80 (280)
In DK you can at some motorcycle stores change your shims for free, I don’t know about Chile. I will try to find out.
The formula you have to use when finding out the correct shim thickness if your valve clearance is out of limit:
a = (b – c) + d
a: New shim thickness
b: Recorded valve clearance
c: Specified valve clearance
d: Old shim thickness
Example:
Recorded valve clearance: 0.06 mm
Old shim thickness: 2.80 mm
Specified valve clearance: 0.16 (intake valves)
a = (0.06 – 0.16) + 2.80 mm
a = 2.70 mm
Now you would say, well that is fine, but Honda do not fabricate a shim with a thickness of 2.58 mm! No that is correct, but they have shims of 2.60 mm which will do just fine!
Notes:
- Clean the engine near the area you will work on before opening into the heart.
- Align the crankshaft & cam shaft with the marks so the cam is in a neutral position and not in a position opening a valve.
- Make sure you have the spark plugs out to see that the piston is in the TDC (Top Dead Center).
- Don’t drop anything into the engine ;oP
Download the spreadsheet I use to record valve clearance and shim thickness to calculatethe new valve shims right here
Video about the initial work done during the weekend!
This night I was proud of being a Dane, thanks Kashmir! You guys totally ROCKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They played live at Amanda in Vitacura, Santiago, Chile. If YOU get the chance to see them in your city, I would highly recommend it, they are worth every penny spent!
It was nice to see the place so full of happy singing Chilean people. I only managed to bump into two other fellow Danish persons than the band ;oP
Kashmir – Rocket Brothers (one of the best Danish rock bands – sorry about the sound, but it was the best my Canon could do – I don’t hope I will destroy your Hi-end speakers)
Thanks to the Danish embassy in STGO for telling me that Kashmir came to the big city, that is what I call service. I guess it pays off having paid taxes back home in DK ;oP
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