So...I returned to the shop today to find my exhaust on the floor and the wheel off. Curious and shocked, I asked what was going on. He smiled and pointed to the wheel hub itself. The threads inside the hub were stripped clean. So...that was actually my problem all along, not the clutch (though I found out that it was broken).

Well how cool is that?

Okay so now he is looking for a new wheel in town as the time ticks down.  He offered another alternative if he cannot find a wheel to fit...that would be to torque a nut on there tight and then weld the nut and washer to the driveshaft.  This would secure the wheel and prevent it from slipping.  The only downside is that to change out my tire or remove the wheel I would have to have the weld cut or ground off the spindle carefully.  I have attached a few pics to show you the new problem.

Anyways. This is at least a true explanation of what was going on. I would have never guessed.  I think that Greg and my combined weight was too much for the wheel and stripped the threads. Fortunstely the driveshaft from the clutch isn't marred.

Tonight I am going to camp out in town in a stealth place I found a few blocks away.  A solution temporarily while I wait and see.  There is a $peso300  hotel up the road I will stay at tomorrow if I still have to crash around town.

Keep you posted. I feel better knowing that this is the issue now. Makes much more sense. Also now I have a new clutch.

the fabulous mechanic at motospeed in La Paz was able to find what may be the only Ruckus clutch in all of la Paz! he is finishing up the job and it looks as if I will be back on the scooter tonight! a celebration is in order. Feliz Navidad indeed!

Also...this

Leaving Todos Santos yesterday, the clutch began slipping. I thought it was the belt and after much shade tree luck and prayers it finally carried me the 70 miles to La Paz before the heat of stop and go city traffic led it to spin. No power.

I attempted to change belts and drive faces etc to no avail.  At a shop this morning, the owner helped me notice this broken piece. With the fabulous assistance of Greg Haugan, my Spanish speaking angel, we visited 6 motorcycle shops, two rental car agencies and found a shipping/export service. Nobody had the parts or any similar ones to repair it but at our final and most hopeful moment, an old experienced mechanic looked at the clutch and offered to rebuild it with completely different parts for another scooter then weld the spline from my clutch bell onto this new clutch.  It is a long shot repair but promising.  Ordering a new clutch from Honda will take until Jan 6-10 to arrive in La Paz.

I can only hope his welding skills allow it to rotate perfectly without blowing out the final drive seal from being out of balance.

When in Mexico, go with the flow...
Broken clutch support in upper piece

I'm doing just fine down here in Baja. the weather is warm and clear and the beaches plentiful.  I'll post a few detailed reports when I have time to collect my thoughts and find WiFi at a campsite.  meanwhile, here is an email I recently sent that describes my most recent experiences.  it is way better than I make it sound though. life is good.

"I am laying in bed along the Bay of Conception when I saw your email offline.  Great hearing from you.

I am enjoying myself but still finding the language barrier and cultural barrier greater than I'd like.  It is not impossible and I'm making do just fine, the hesitarion is probably more in my head than anything else when it comes to going inside places for food or to order things.  It is a completly foreign system and lifestyle down here. I have not seen a chain store of any kind since Ensenada and am avoiding the drinking water in favor of purified water. That alone is a huge change for me, where in the states I could fill up in every town at a gas station or fast food joint. Water is important in the desert so I just buy 5L jugs which are heavy but last 2-3 days.

Standing out like an alien everywhere I go on account of my gear and setup is also unusual. I've seen three motorcycles total in the last 4 days of travel and city visits, two of which were the police.  The discrepancy in safety concerns down here is much less than in the north.  This is much more of a small town kind of region with many miles of unhibatied deserts in which to camp/hide out. If I don't see any tire tracks down a side road/trail, there's a good bet it hasn't been traveled in a while and certainly won't be at night.

The vehicles here are in shambles. The rich own new cars, perhaps 10% of vehicles are 2005+, most are 80s-90s model cars which burn oil, creak down the highway on wornout suspensions and are missing pieces or dented.  The many trucks travelling the transpeninsular hwy are diesel burning and poorly tuned smokestacks of black haze and dust.  Drivers pass at very close distances and often three vehicles wide. Totally unsafe but with a level of comfort everyone here is accustomed to.  The engine braking is loud and groans through the night when I'm camped near a hilly section of road. Find me a "I hate engine brakes" or "FERNE CON ENGINE ES MUY STUPIDO" ;)  rant off

Otherwise the weather is dry, warm and clear. I spent today on a beach along the bay of conception then went a mile south once a guy came out of his shack and tried to hustle me and this French family for money, coffee or snacks to camp on "his" beach (they are federally owned). Nice quiet spot for the night minus the truck noise. Crickets chirping and owls hooting in the cactus.

Once again, the stars are magnificent."