5. Brazil, I Have a Problem
Day 254 Capitólio
I have a good day ahead of me so I started fairly early. I want to take advantage of a cool morning as it is getting quite warm in the afternoon here.
I got out of the town very quickly and I was heading northbound. It seems it doesn't matter how hard I try to plot my route through some secondary roads, they are always busy. And many times the “secondary roads” are actually freeways. I'm already getting used to heavy traffic. The roads are good and even with the traffic you can ride quite fast.
But the right from the get-go today, my bike doesn't feel right. For the past eight months, I spent almost every day on my bike. I know every sound, every vibration and how it's supposed to feel. And there was something off today. I was getting some vibrations through certain RPMs. They were barely noticeable, but being on the bike every day, I could feel it. But he bike have just been through the inspection yesterday! They also scanned the bike’s computer for faults, and there were none there. For the most part, the ride was perfect but just those slight vibrations made me worried. I even stopped and checked the bike if there's anything loose, but everything was OK. Another possible explanation could be a contaminated fuel. It was time to refuel anyway. But the vibrations stayed there. It was still barely noticeable, but it was something new. Maybe I need to change my spark plugs. But they were checked yesterday and they were OK. I have a new set with me so I will change them tonight when I get to my destination. I continued, but my mind was working in an overdrive. Towards the end of the ride today I was riding around a very nice lake. I didn't feel like stopping, however. I wanted to get to my hotel and check the bike. The handling remained the same for the rest of the day. But I felt like I ever so slightly losing some engine power. But I wasn't sure if it was the bike or my imagination.
My hotel today is very nice. A brand new small hotel on a side of the lake overlooking a small town of Capitólio on the other side. The room and the bathroom where very modern. I wish I have a bathroom like that. I unpacked and planned my route for tomorrow. I booked a nice hotel in one of the oldest mining town in Brazil. It looks very nice and I'm looking forward to explore it. But I also looked on the map where is the nearest BMW dealer. I know there is one behind me, but I found there is one even closer ahead of me. OK, I have my plan B if something goes pear shape.
I went downstairs to check my bike. I checked all the connections and they looked fine. I started the engine. I tried to feel if there are still any vibrations. I couldn't feel anything and the engine sound was normal. So I am back to my original plan for tomorrow's ride. But I will divert to the dealership if everything is not 100% tomorrow,
I have enough cash with me, but I looked up the locations of ATMs here. I want to get more money just in case I needed it. Cash is king everywhere. There is no restaurant in the hotel and also there are no shops around. I have to go on the other side of the lake, which is about 4 km. I will have a dinner there and will get something to drink and cash there as well.
Normally, I would walk there, but this time I have decided to take my bike. I wanted to make sure that everything's OK. I started the bike and everything was good. The engine was smooth, and there were no vibrations. I shift the bike into first gear and started to ride downhill. And I knew right away that something is very seriously wrong. I didn't have my earplugs like I had all day yesterday. I could hear very bad noises coming from the transmission. The vibration were much more severe than yesterday. I realized that one thing I was thinking about yesterday, but wishing I was wrong, is happening. With these symptoms, the problem could be only one of two things. It is either the transmission or the shaft drive. Both of them are very bad. Unfortunately, the model of the bike I am riding has a history of driveshaft problems. It was bad enough that BMW has issued a recall for all the bikes like mine. It consisted of checking the shaft drive, taking it apart and making sure that everything is OK. I have done that just before I left Vancouver. So everything was supposed to be OK, but clearly it is not. I was thinking about this as one of the possibilities for the vibrations but I was hoping I am barking at the wrong tree here. It was clearly the right tree.
The road towards the town was downhill and easy to get to the town without using too much engine power. But every time I engaged the gear, the noises became louder. It is clear that I'm not going anywhere. I got on the other side of the lake and put my bike on the centre stand. I started the engine in neutral and everything was fine. But as soon as I engaged the gear, I felt like the bike is going to explode. Switched the engine off, and I tried to move the rear wheel. I could feel the driveshaft was sticking and the noises are coming from the front end of the shaft drive. It is a big problem and a big job to fix it. I don't have the tools or the spare parts. I would have to take the entire drivetrain apart to find out what exactly the problem is. But I have a pretty good idea by now. I bet it is a broken U-joint at the front end of the driveshaft. That will have to be disassembled and replaced. I am also worried if the transmission was damaged as well. I am on the side of the road in a small town. I won't be even able to get the bike uphill to my hotel. I asked in the nearby shop for the direction to a motorcycle shop. Communication is a challenge as my Portuguese is non existent. But the nearest shop is about 500 m away on a level road.
I pushed my bike towards the Fabinho Motos shop. No problem finding it. But it is a very small shop fixing mainly small bikes people use for daily commute. It knew right away that they will not be able to fix my bike. The guys there were super nice, but like most people in Brazil, they speak no English. Thank goodness for Google translate! It was a show and tell comedy. At the end, we all agreed that the problem is the driveshaft however, they won't be able to fix it here. I need a big BMW dealership with all the tools they have there. And because I have looked it up yesterday I know exactly where it is. 300 km away. My options narrowed very much. Actually, there are no options. I have to get the bike to the dealer. I asked the guys in this shop if I can leave my bike here overnight. The plan is to go to my hotel and find a way to get my bike to the dealer. The guys in the shop where very nice and told me I can leave my bike there overnight. I will come tomorrow morning with a plan.
On the way to the hotel, I stopped in a small restaurant at the Lakeside. I didn't have anything to eat since breakfast and I was starving. Two burgers and two beers did the trick. It was already dark and way past sunset. When I got to my hotel, it was too late to text anybody. I will have to wait till tomorrow for that. But everything points to the fact that I have to get to Belo Horizonte. It is the sixth biggest city in Brazil with 2.6 million people. So much for avoiding big cities. Let's see what tomorrow brings. All things considered my situation is not that bad. I am in a nice hotel and food is just around the corner. I could as well have been stuck in the middle of Amazon jungle or mountains of Patagonia.