Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - General Information

Hi,

My Fiancee and I are planning a similar trip, starting late this year. I haven't done it before, so this advice is based on advice that I have had after a few months of trawling around the web and asking questions.

Regarding what bike to take, almost anything will do it, it is very much a question of personal preference and budget. Lots of people use dual sport/adventure sport bikes, many more use lightweight trail bikes, many use standard touring/all purpose bikes and some use more unusual bikes, from 50cc scooters to Yamaha R1s to HD Electra Glides. All have their pros and cons.

If you are on your own, and don't have to worry about a pillion than a small to mid size trail or dual sport bike will be robust and capable, and easier to pick up when you drop it than a large tourer, not to mention cheaper. If you don't mind going slowly and pack light then the smaller the better, if you want to make good progress when the roads allow then a larger bike will give you the extra power, and may also be more comfortable for long days in the saddle.

Then you come to age of bike. Some take the view that a newer bike will be more reliable and less prone to breakdown, others that any bike will break down so take an older one that is simpler and cheaper to fix. Very much up to you and your budget.

Buying a bike in South America registered in the country that you are buying can often be a bit complex it seems, and also import taxes can make them surprisingly expensive from what I can gather. However, there are always lots of bikes for sale on this forum, located all over South America, many of which have already been kitted out and are well suited to travelling, and often pretty cheap. Seemingly buying a foreign bike can sometimes be less hassle.

We took the view that we wanted to get used to our bikes and test our setup first, so we have bought bikes here that we will ship out, but that is also largely because we wanted two of the same bike, which might be difficult to find at the right time in the right place.

As for budget - how long is a piece of string, it will depend entirely on your attitude to travel. Fuel will be cheaper than the UK (there are petrol prices available on the internet, I think we reckoned that a little under a dollar a litre would be a reasonable average) work out what your bike will do (probably 50 - 80mpg depending on size) and how long your route is allowing for detours, there's your rough fuel cost. Visas in general seem not to be too expensive, and you don't need a carnet. Food is mostly relatively cheap, if you eat in modest places, as is accommodation, if you don't mind roughing it a bit. You'll have to factor in taking you and the bike across the darien gap (likely to be from 500 - 1000 dollars as far as I can tell, depending if you take a ship, yacht or fly). You could do the trip over several months for a few thousand, plus a thousand or so for a cheap and cheerful bike bought from a fellow traveller in SA, or you could spend 15k on buying and shipping a brand new bike from the UK, and another 30k on luxury hotels. Both have been done!

Good luck!

PS We recently did a day of off road training at Desert Rose Adventure Academy, great day, learnt really useful new skills, loads more confidence, and great fun. Recommended for building experience and confidence off road.