Buenos Aries to Vancouver, BC in March 2013
 

Hi all!
I'm in the early planning stages of a moto trip next spring. My contract ends in mid March and I am thinking of buying a bike in BA and driving home. On the way I'm wanting to see Machu Picchu and will have to skip around the Gap between Columbia and Panama. Looking to be on the backroads and off the beaten track as much as possible.

Any suggestions to these questions (and any other advice) would be so greatly appreciated:

Best bike for this kind of trip? (someone suggested a Yamaha XT500)

Good ways to find a decent bike and shop in BA?

Must see stops on the way? Areas to avoid?

Issues with buying a bike and then leaving the country?

Thanks in advance for all help and advice!

Peru! Right up the center! I can give all the details... days, places to stay, km point to point, etc...

Buy an XR650L. It will be the easiest to find parts for.

Toby

If you're planning to buy a bike new, as it sounds, you'll have trouble (or maybe find it impossible) when trying to leave the country. Better to buy elsewhere.

If you're purchasing used from another traveler using the usual subterfuge, you're not going to have so much choice of what bike to buy, so thinking in terms of a specific model is probably futile.

As for the rest: general questions like "What are the most interesting places to visit between B.A. and Walla Walla Washington?" are remarkably difficult to answer. This is particularly true when no one knows anything about who you are, what you like, and whether you're actually going to make the trip you are "thinking of" taking. More specific, narrow questions tend to work better.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thanks for the feedback!

As I will be working in Argentina all winter, and I won't have the opportunity to bring a bike from home, I am expecting to buy a used bike down there. Probably from another traveller or a local shop. Any info on good models is useful knowledge. Thanks for the suggestion of the XR650L! I'll do some research on it.

The only thing on my list to go see is Macchu Pichu in Peru. I'd like to get off the beaten track and see some small towns and ancient ruins or natural wonders. The tentative plan so far is ride from BA along the east side, cross over to Macchu Pichu, then maybe cross back over along the Amazon somehow.

What is the best port city to ship me and my bike around Columbia to Panama?

Toby,
Thanks for the reply!
Looking forward to exploring Peru!
Very interested in what you can share about such a trip. Looks like you've seen a bunch of it. What do I need to know? Spots, roads, etc?

And the route continues to develop...
 

Now I'm thinking to skip Central America entirely. If I can ship my bike from the East coast of Brazil, French Guiana, Surinam, Guyana, or Venezuala to New Orleans the idea is to ride up the East coast of the US to Toronto and Montreal. I have family along that route I'll visit. So the South American section is looking like West from Buenos Aires to Chile, North through Chile and up into Peru to see Macchu Pichu, then East through the Amazon Basin to the coast of Brazil, then North to whatever port city I'm shipping out of.

The questions are : which East Coast spot is best for shipping or flying me and my bike to New Orleans? Is it better to leave from Brazil? Or Venezuala? Anybody have experience or info about that transfer?

Thanks for the help, folks!

Copyright Infringement!!!!!
 

Lokiman,

We are halfway through the Americas, as the name of our blog suggest we too are doing the BA. to V route via UShuaia.

You will find a lot of info on our blog about out of the way routes, small towns and rivers to fall in!

BUENOS AIRES to VANCOUVER | Chris, Chloe & two motorbikes across South, Central & North America

As for buying the bike, get in touch with Dakar Motos in BA and talk it through with Javier, he may be able to put you in touch with a potential seller. They have a lot of bikers passing through so if they new there was a potential buyer in you they can be letting people know.

As for the Darien Gap, we sail from Cartagena in 2 weeks on the Stahlratte, a very popular ship for bikers between Colombia and Panama.

If you are looking for a little more adventure, you could also go from Turbo in a rowing boat however (according to the guide books) you are guaranteed to either sink, be robbed, kidnapped or be murdered. Sounds like its up your tree?

Get in touch if you have any questions.

Chris
BUENOS AIRES to VANCOUVER | Chris, Chloe & two motorbikes across South, Central & North America

I met a Swiss guy in Ushuaia who bought a used bike from an Argentine. They would not let him out of the country with it. Just because that sounds stupid does not mean it's not Argentine law. I second the idea of talking to the Dakar Motos people also. Do a search they have a web page. There are two free trade zones in Chile. I have know idea if going to one will make buying an "exportable" bike legal. Dave