Beginers buying a honda 900 in Nicaragua
 

Hello, Me and my wife are expierienced world travelers, but we usualy do the local transportation thing, which is inexpensive and fun but slow and restricting. We were recently offered a honda 900 by a fellow traveler and were wondering if this is a good bike to start out on. i know it is a big bike and me and my wife have very limited motorcycle expierience (honda waves in thailand, scooters in rome, and a puegot scooter in turkey) I know this bike is much biger thank anything i have ridden. Another thing is we dont have a motorcycle licence from the states. Is it possible to get one here in nicaragua? What insurance do we need? Any information would be greatley helpfull and any advice would be priceless right now.

thanks

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jeremy
jbotics000@hotmail.com

Jeremy, welcome to Horizons Unlimited! We'll try to help as best we can.

First, what are your plans - are you at the start of a long trip, or?

Ideally, you'd get a bike licence and some rider training on a more suitable bike at home, plus get some good riding gear.

The biggest problem/question with the 900 you've been offered - where's it registered? If Nicaragua, taking it home to the US could be extremely difficult - registration difficulties as it's not a US import. If USA reg, then you need to be very sure it's legit, and you can actually transfer it correctly.

Of course another problem is it's not an ideal first bike! If it's a cruiser style it's a little better than a standard or sports style for a beginner as the seat will be lower, making balancing easier.

Getting a motorcycle licence in Nicaragua is unlikely, though you can certainly try! An adventure in itself I'm sure. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Insurance is probably not needed at all. US insurance is not valid in Central America. Usually when you enter a country, if they require insurance they will sell it to you at the border. I don't remember off-hand if Nicaragua does or not. Check the Border Crossings section under trip plan for information.

Travel by bike is the very best way to go in our totally unbiased http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif opinion, so we hope you do try it - BUT we want you to do it safely - Rider Training, an appropriate bike, and good quality riding clothing and helmets are HIGHLY recommended.

Read some of the stories in the travellers stories section - you'll find people who just got their licence and headed off around the world, and had a great time.

good luck, and keep us posted on what you do!



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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

As far as i know, the bike is regestered and has a complete title in the country of panama. The owner is a respectable dutch traveler and has had the bike for 6 months, traveling a bit around central america on the bike. one of the plus sides is that the bike comes with helmets and saddle bags as well as a full tune up. The thing that i am most concerned about is the saftey aspect and our lack of expierience on such a big bike. I also believe the bike is a cruiser or whatever, as the seat is big and comfortable and low to the ground. One other question is about the "deposit" that mexico requiers to take a bike there, how much is it will we get it back so on etc.

Thank you very much for the info already it has definatly givin us some things to think about.

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jeremy
jbotics000@hotmail.com

Everything sounds good, except for actually doing the paperwork. Since it's registered in Panama, you need to do a transfer on Panamanian papers. THEN you have to decide what you're going to do from there - where are YOU going to sell it?

Re safety - size of the bike isn't a big deal - it's how smart you are, how careful you are, and whether you understand the REAL differences between a car and a bike. (A good OLD rider always assumes a. they can't see you - at all - or b. they DO see you, and are out to get you.) From there it's just practise practise.

Do the helmets FIT? SNUG is good, loose and comfy is very bad.

Mexico doesn't require a deposit. See our Mexico Meetings page for lots of details (links) on entering Mexico. It's all from the north, not the south, but the basics are the same.

By the way, don't put your email address in a post - that's a great way to give your address to the spammers... use your address in the profile only. See the FAQ. (Link below the Post New Topic button at the top.)

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------

One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

The ideal option would be for us to sell the bike once we got back to colorado if that is possible. We have not tried on the helmets either. Thank you for all of this information to consider this is all still very up in the air at the moment and your advice is very valuble.

thanks again, jeremy and gabriella

Chances of selling it in Colorado are NOT good - first you have to register it, and that can be anywhere between a huge pain the rear and impossible.

A suggestion - forget it for now, and be home for the HU Colorado Travellers Meeting in July! http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif You'll learn lots there, and be better prepared to head off on a motorcycle without the documentation hassle. And have time to get some rider training.

See the meetings link on left for details. Or if you're going to be down there for a while, see the Mexico Meeting in October.