"I
had an enormous desire to grab the bike and just take off, to listen to
the thousands of sounds that a place like this could have at night, to
look at a sky filled with stars, to feel the cold, to enjoy a cigarette,
and nothing more."
My intent for this
web is to reveal to other motorcycle fans what I think about these machines,
and the splendid landscapes that my country can offer, not only to the
riders who come from other countries, but also to my countrymen who for
one reason or another have not had the opportunity to get to know what
Chile can offer to us. And finally, I would like to take the opportunity
to establish an interchange with others, through this two-wheeled nexus
we have in common, and just talk about life in general.
On this web page I would like to show some of the trips I've undertaken, not just within Chile but also some through our sister country, Argentina. These stories were written at different times, sometimes with spirits high and at other times low, each time feeling differently about sitting down at the keyboard and telling them. I would not want to bore anyone who might be reading them, nor get frustrated from the lack of details about a particular story. Nevertheless, I will try to put a summary which you may find useful, or failing that, you can ask me directly through e-mail. Bearing in mind the limited time available to answer, I will do my best to answer whatever questions you may have.
I have selected the approximate equivalent of "elf" simply because I know Claudio and his manner perhaps best suits the connotation of that the word in English. Claudio's kids call him by a diminutive form of duende, as a term of endearment.
If you would like to contact
The Duende but can only write in English, use the translator/webmeister
email address at the bottom of this page, and indicate that you are sending
a question or comment for Claudio).
Mi verdadero nombre es Claudio Horzella, nací un 18 de enero del año 1964 en la ciudad de Arica, en el extremo norte de Chile, una linda ciudad ubicada a 2.050 km. al norte de Santiago, la capital de mi país. Soy Ingeniero Civil y actualmente me desempeño como tal, en la División de Concesiones de la Superintendencia de Servicios Sanitarios, (http://www.siss.cl), un ente gubernamental, encargado de velar por el desempeño de todas las empresas que prestan los servicios públicos de producción y distribución de agua potable y de recolección y disposición de las aguas servidas en Chile.
My real name is Claudio Horzella, born January 18, 1964 in the city of Arica, in the far north of Chile, a fine city located 2,050 km north of Santiago, the capital of this country. I am a Civil Engineer and currently work in that capacity with the concessions division of the Department of Sanitation Services (http://www.siss.cl), a government entity in charge of supervising the work of companies providing public services in the production and distribution of drinking water and the treatment of waste water.
Relatos:
Stories
Por dondequiera que vaya...
"Pensamientos
de una duenda" - Related story/relato relacionado (link)
"Las
Minas de Lapislazuli" - (Publicado en SOLO MOTO 30) (link)
Actualmente poseo una YAMAHA XT-600 E del año 1991. La compré en junio de 1997 con tan sólo 11.000 km. recorridos y hasta hoy, prácticamente fines del 98, ya acumula 30.000 km.
I currently have a Yamaha 1991 XT600. I bought it in June of 1997 with only 11,000 km and as of today, nearly the end of 1998, I have already accumulated 30,000 km.
Sin embargo mi vida sobre las motos ya tiene una historia de unos 13 años. Partí con una YAMAHA DT 175 del año 78, la cual me la compró un amigo, pues yo ni siquiera sabía manejar una motocicleta. Cuando ya estuvo en mi casa, comencé a practicar poco a poco y así fue como comencé a conocer este mundo tan particular y como sin darme cuenta, empecé a amar estas maquinas, a darme cuenta de las situaciones tan especiales que nos brindan….
However, my motorcycling life goes back some 13 years. I started with a Yamaha 1978 DT175, which I bought from a friend, and I knew practically nothing about riding a bike. t home I started to practice little by little and in that way got to know this peculiar world of riding, and without realizing it, I got to love these machines and the splendid times that they can provide.
Posteriormente pasé a otra DT, pero de 125 cc del año 1981 que la tuve por unos 5 años, con dos ajustes incluidos, luego una DT-175 nuevamente, pero año 91, por sólo un año, y llegué por fin a mi primera 4T, una fiel Honda XLR 250 R año 87 que se mantuvo conmigo por dos años y medio y con quien por primera vez me atreví a salir más lejos con mayor confianza.
Later I went on to another DT, this time a 1981 DT125 which I had for some 5 years, with two adjustments included. Then another DT175 but this one a 1991, but only for a year, when I got my first four-stroke, a faithful 1987 Honda XLR250R which I kept for two and a half years, and with which I first dared to take long trips with more confidence.
Hasta que llegó la Duenda, mi actual moto,
una eficiente Yamaha XT-600 E, año 91, que tiene su sección
propia en esta web.
Then along came the Duenda, my current bike, an efficient
1991 XT600E, which will have its own place in this website.
Bueno, ya les decía que la Duenda tiene
su sección propia y esta es. No pretendía cambiar la Honda,
sin embargo llegué a verla sólo por curiosidad, para saber
que moto vendían y por ese precio, para irme haciendo la idea de
cuanto debía disponer, en cuanto a dinero, para cambiar de compañera.
Well, I've already mentioned that the Duenda would have
its own section and this is it. I didn't plan to replace the Honda, but
I went out of curiosity to see what other bikes might be out there, and
at what prices, and the idea grew on me to figure out what it would cost,
at least as far as money, to replace my companion.
La XT 600 es una excelente moto, no sólo mecánicamente sino en cuanto a su polivalencia. Muchos estarán de acuerdo que no es una excelente moto en nada, pero muchos más dirán es una muy buena moto en muchas cosas. Y eso es lo fundamental, para mi, en una moto. No anda perfecta en carretera, si es cierto, pero mantiene cruceros respetables de 120 km/h. No tiene la suspensión adecuada para caminos malos de tierra con el mango a tope, si, es cierto, pero su físico no es expuesto en caso de caída y su curva de potencia es muy aprovechable, aún para manos sin mucha experiencia. Y en ciudad ratonea como un buen scooter, tiene un mantenimiento bajo, no es alta de talla para los pilotos más bajos, y para ser una moto de 600 cc, tiene un tamaño físico reducido, no es alta, no es pesada, y es hasta económica.
The XT600 is an excellent bike, not just mechanically but also for its multifaced nature. Many others will certainly agree that it is a bike that is great at no one thing, but many more will say that is good at a lot of things. And this is the basis, for me, of a motorcycle. It doesn't run ideally on the highway, that's for sure, but it can cruise at a respectable 120 km/hr [75 mph]. It doesn't have the suspension for really bad dirt roads, that is for sure, but its guts aren't exposed in case of a crash and it has a decent power curve, at least for someone without much experience. And in the city it darts around like a good little scooter, has low maintenance requirements, isn't too tall for shorter riders, and for being a 600cc, it has a smallish size: not tall, not heavy, and even economical.
Su historia la puedes conocer en "Pensamientos de una Duenda", algo que escribí y quisiera saber que si ellas "pensaran", lo hicieran de ese modo de nosotros.
You can get to know the history of this bike through the story "Pensamientos de una Duenda" [ right now only in Spanish] - something that I wrote to see about how bikes "think" about us riders.
Si deseas algo menos sentimental, algo así
como características técnicas de la XT-600, pues visita…….(
perhaps/quizás... future link/enlace futuro).
Normalmente la gran mayoría de mis viajes, por problemas en la disponibilidad de tiempo, no pueden durar más allá de unos 5 días, por tanto muchos de ellos han sido sólo conociendo Chile, salvo un viaje a Bariloche, en el sur de Argentina que se extendió por diez días.
Normally, due to time constraints, the majority of my travels can't last longer than about five days, so most of them have been for getting to know Chile, except for a ride to Bariloche, in southern Argentina, that lasted for ten days.
He tenido la suerte de conocer gran parte de lo que se denomina el Norte Chico de mi país, esto es, la zona comprendida al norte de Santiago, hasta La Serena, una ciudad con gran actividad turística en verano, por sus hermosas playas y un clima cálido que la caracteriza.
I have had the good fortune to get to know a lot of what is known as the Norte Chico, or "Little North" of my country, the zone comprising from the north of Santiago to La Serene, a city busy with tourist activity in our summer due to its beautiful beaches and a characteristically warm climate.
Pero mis viajes no son por los sectores turísticos y más conocidos, sino por zonas más cordilleranas, recorriendo pequeños pueblitos que tienen en su paisaje y sus habitantes un encanto en particular.
But my travels are not to visit the tourist traps and the well-known spots, but to go into the more mountainous zones, through little towns whose surroundings and people provide a special charm all their own.
More photos/Más fotos
site:
El
Rincón del Webmeister
If you wish to contact Claudio (in Spanish), use the email address given in the above text. If you wish to contact the translator/web page developer (in either Spanish, English, or Catalan) use the following address:
