Leave a bike in Mexico?
 

Hey guys.

I am getting some conflicting info and figured HU is the best place to get some clarification.

I am thinking about riding down to Cabo from Los Angeles. I am considering leaving my GS at a friend's place and flying back to the States.

Will this be a problem? Will they let me get on a plane and leave without my bike? If I do leave without my bike, it is true that I need to return within 6 months? Will I forfeit my bond?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

i have been doing some more research and it seems that i can leave the bike in mexico and let the documents "expire" (beyond 6 months). as long as i renew it when i return. still unsure about the bond though.

also, wondering about the name of the registered owner. i will be riding with someone who name is not the same as the registered owner. is this just a problem when you enter the country or also when you leave?

You don't need a Temporary Vehicle Permit for Baja, Baja Sur and Sonora. So...there's nothing to expire vehicle-wise.

Your Tourist Card is good for up to 180 days.
If you're re-entering mexico after the Tourist card has expired, no problem, just get a new one.
If you want to get a new 180 day Tourist Card before the original has expired...don't show them the current Card, otherwise, by law, you're required to wait 72 hrs. No problem...

I assume some kinda notorized letter would be needed for the guy w/o reg papers, but can't confirm that.

great. that is helpful.

if i decide to continue my journey south and take a ferry from Cabo, then i assume at some point they will require a Temporary Vehicle Permit? Possibly upon arriving on the mainland?

I am also assuming that if they are not enforcing the vehicle permit procedure on Baja, then the registration name is not enforced either?

It's not a matter of the temp vehicle permit not be enforced, it's that they do no require them....for those 3 states. It's required for all other states.
I've read that the temp veh permit can be had in La Paz. Ferries operate from two cities in Baja, La Paz and Santa Rosalia.

The temp vehicle permit can be gotten w/o the bike being presented. You just show the paperwork and it's issued. I say this in case you decide later and want to just visit a border to get that permit.

'Some' type of additional papers would be needed to get a permit for a bike that's not registered/titled in your name, but I can't tell you what that is.

You can ride across all borders in Baja and not be stopped. A Tourist Card will need to be shown at the norte/sur state border near Guerrero Negro, although there are bypasses around this station.

Odds are that your friend (riding someone else's bike) would never be asked for registration papers. Baja is gringo playland with many people bringing their motorized toys for off road and water recreation.

I hear that getting temp permit in La Paz is a pain because the bank and customs are in different towns.

La Paz is...La Paz....right?
The ferry port is just north of town, a couple of miles at most.

I got a temp vehicle permit in La Paz in 2003, no problem at all. Yep, there's some messing about, riding from the port to the military bank and back to the port, but it's no big deal.

Suerte, Dan