Servicing Day!

I got the sprockets sent to me in Thailand but I haven't had time to put them on yet. Stupid to get them sent in from Australia because they are made in Bangkok. For future reference JT sprockets for big foreign bikes can be bought from Link Associates. They also sell chains made by JT as well but I hadn't heard of a JT chain before. They're a lot cheaper than the Japanese chains so maybe we'll start seeing them around the place. I got an EK chain from Red Baron, they also had RK. Note that Link Associates respond slowly to emails (hence me getting them sent from Australia) and Red Baron might as well not have email, it's better to go in person and most of them speak English anyway.

Also when I got them sent to me I had to pay duty... No choice in the matter, they also made me pay the duty for motorcycle parts (60%) on all items I listed in the package because it was first on the list. Even though the other items should have been less or no duty. On the Thai Airways flight to Nepal you're handed the customs declaration form. I filled in the form correctly because I had two cameras (you're allowed one), and the motorbike parts also. But when I got off the flight and through immigration I tried to declare it all to customs but they were just not interested in looking at my luggage no matter how hard I tried. They were only interested in the large suitcases coming through, not my small bags. I saved any import fees there, but lost it all on the rip off taxi ride afterwards.

So yes, still don't have many photos from Kathmandu to show. Not much sight seeing going on. There's been a lot of drinking with a few people in the guesthouse but they've gone off to do the Everest base camp trek for the next few weeks. Might see them again over in Pokhara.

I also just found out it's going to take about 3 working days to get an Indian Visa so it looks like I have to hang around Kathmandu until Monday at least. I really don't want to come back here. While waiting for the visa I might take a few trips to the top of the hills surrounding Kathmandu to get better views of the Himalayas. I can only see one mountain with snow which might be Langtang, but it has only been visible through the smog/dust/clouds twice in a week.

So todays big task was to put the new chain and sprockets on my bike. It's parked at the guesthouse next door because this one doesn't have parking. They're all very friendly, but I'm still wary they'll ask for money because I parked there.

My bike in bits in Kathmandu. Last time I did this was in Cairns, 8 months and 16000km ago!

Old vs. new front sprocket. Hmm, not so bad really.

Slightly worse here, but different chain types.

Riveting a master link

520 (bottom) vs. 525 (top) chain. 525 is the new one. Looks like it's a lot stronger, and I've also gone for  different gearing with the sprockets because I don't need the top speed. Hopefully that will make it all last longer.

Riveted? Maybe? I'm not sure it's done right... Forgot how to use the tool!

This is the nifty chain tool. But looks like they don't make them anymore.

The other nifty tool I have with me. Got it from some forums here.

Chain tool lives here with a length of spare chain, puncture repair kit, carby jets, spare wire and a bit of saw blade. Note that I've only lost one bolt so far.

Now I'm hungry... More mo mos or thenduk? Don't mind if I do.

A negative review

I'm still having trouble finding sprockets in Thailand. I know they are made in a factory here somewhere, however, I don't know where or how to get them here. I'm resorting to getting them posted from Australia with a few other things that I need.

Rant mode activated.

In the meantime I tried contacting a place I've used several times before. The place is Procycle and I think half the parts on my bike are from them. It was always straight forward dealing with them in the past: put the bits you want in their cart system, pay via paypal (which has been disabled now), and then it arrives a few weeks later. They are a good supplier for DR650 parts, they have everything. But I probably won't use them anymore.

So the other day I sent off this email to them to see if I could get the parts sent via UPS, as the normal postal service in Nepal is apparently unreliable (lots of posts on the lonely planet forum about things going missing etc). Now I know it's going to cost me a couple of hundred just for shipping by using UPS, but it's my only option when it's a critical part. However on their site they say they use USPS for international postage, but that isn't good enough for me, too slow and things to missing at the other end.

This is what I sent:

Hello, Is it possible for you to send a few items via UPS to Kathmandu with their wait for pickup option? I've heard the poste restante in Kathmandu is very unreliable so I'd prefer to use UPS over USPS for this shipment. I'm having no luck finding parts for my DR650 in Thailand, so my best option is to use you to get parts into Nepal for when I arrive. I've used Procycle multiple times in the past when I was back in Australia building up the bike. This is all for a 2009 DR650. So far what I need: - Fuel tank vent cap - Remote choke cable kit - DT Triple Layer Air Filter - Sprockets for front and rear, both 14+15 for front, 42 for rear, and 525 chain (or 520 if it's cheaper). - Sprocket retainer for 14 tooth sprocket. Can you give me a cost with/without the chain? I can pick up the chain locally and just throw it in the crate for shipping. Regards, Ryan Beales

So I'm emailing because I need to. Obviously I've tried other avenues, and I need them to help me out here.

And I get this back:

HELLO RYAN,, WE ONLY USE U.S.P.S. FOR SHIPPING. WE OD NOT HAVE ANY MEANS TO USE UPS. THANK YOU,  CARL.

The formatting and spelling is all theirs. So I think they obviously haven't read the previous email past the first line, or even past the subject. I can read their website, I know they use USPS, but I need them to help me out and ship via UPS. Also, they don't have the means? Really? Uhh... Anyone anywhere can send via UPS, yet these guys are unable to for some reason. I understand the parts may be in a warehouse somewhere else, but here's a solution: Get it sent to yourselves and then get UPS to pick it up (or I can even organise a pickup from here online), I'll gladly pay all the extra costs. I have a need for the parts anyway, cost obviously isn't an issue if I'm asking for UPS. There's not a huge amount of extra thought or work here.

So a little annoyed that a place I have dropped $1000's into in the past won't help, I send back my sarcastic reply:

You don't have a phone or internet access? Thanks for helping me out and giving the standard answer, I'll be shopping elsewhere from now.

Of course that's not going to help anything, but I'm annoyed that the customer service is really that bad.

I get this response back anyway:

HELLO RYAN, WE DO HAVE INTERNET ACCESS, THAT IS HOW WE ARE TALKING NOW, AND WE DO HAVE PHONE SERVICE,, 541-688-9543. GOOD LUCK, AND THANK YOU,  CARL.

Whooooosh... Looks like Carl still hasn't found his capslock key. I had an email from him about a year before this for another order and it was all in caps too.

There are other people working at Procycle, but Carl is the sales manager. Way to make a sale mr sales manger. If he'd helped me out I would have gladly added their sticker onto my bike and ridden it all over the place. I've posted photos of my bike on other sites too so they would have got free advertising when I do that. Instead the only mention of their name from me will be attached to this crankypants rant now.

Syarikat Motosikal Sunny

I'm back in Kuala Lumpur because the bike needed a service, I was only in Ipoh so it was just 200km along expressways into the city.

Everyone mentions Sunnys as the place to go for servicing here, I tried to find it last time I was here but I'd been looking at an old post on Horizons Unlimited with their old address.

For future reference it is here now (the green arrow, not the red marker):

View Larger Map

Address: Syarikat Motosikal Sunny, 37 Jalan Pahang, Setapak 53000, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.179802, 101.700992
Email: sunnycycle@gmail.com
Phone: 0340211661 or 0340216611

And the reviews are all correct. I wandered in expecting to come back the day after or do it myself (no problems there really), but they changed my oil, oil filter and brake pads on the spot! It took less than an hour, but I was looking at all the other bikes in there so I didn't really notice the time. He even used a Torque wrench to tighten everything back up (I have NEVER seen that in Australia. There they have left my axel nut undone, or put the front sprocket on the wrong way round... etc... but that's a different story).

Here it is, waiting to get new oil.

The bike on the right of the picture is Simon's bike from 2ridetheworld. I believe they've gone home for family reasons. I had a couple of random people in out of the way spots come up and mention that they had been in Malaysia. It looks like they've been at this travelling malarkey for longer than I ever plan to be!

So highly recommend if you're in the area! It ended up costing about a third of what it would in Australia, I would not have even got the parts for that price.

Bonus humourus restaurant name photo!