patagonia chili perou andes mountains - end of 2005 : need i

[vincent danna]

Hello,

I want to go to patagonia this winter (dec 05 – jan 06) and also peru chili to drive in the andes mountains in one month +/-.
I have French passport (I don t think it will be difficult to get visas). + French and international driving license.

Is the planning good with the weather over there ?
Is it too short to do those 3 countries/areas ?

For so short time and money also, I m not flying with my bike.
Therefore, what would be the "best" bike to choose to ride overthere ? I was thinking about getting a local bike, like a 125 cc coursier/messenger bike for example (easy to fix anywhere, I won t have much time to wait for spare parts !), maybe something like Honda xr250, Suzuki dr350, bigger (?). What s the most popular bike overthere at which price (for a "ok" second hand) ?

Shall I rent or buy (and then sell before I leave or just leave it there for other people after me) ? budget reasons and also paperwork reasons (see under)

If I rent or buy (will I have enough time to register it properly with my name on it ? I don t think so!), would it be a problem to cross the borders ?

What shouldn t I miss on the way ? people, landscape etc ... ? avoid anything ?

What could be a problem on the way ? fuel, road conditions, safety, weather, etc ...

Thanx a lot in advance, sorry, I ve been lazy, I haven searched much for the moment, compared to other posts :-)

Happy trails

[BCK_973]

Vincent
I think that a month is possible,but visiting very specific sites.And if you are riding a smal bike like a cg 125 TITAN from honda(example) your final speed will be 100-110.
so you are a bit limited in km per day you can ride.
Look at the for sale bike part may be you can rent a "stored" bike here in the south.
Buying a local bike from new is crazy,as the used smal bikes too.
Dificult to plan a trip like this.Renting a car? and plan here a later longer bike tour?
If you are herewe can meet at Javier Kaper´s shop for a ?
Remember HU Viedma meeting in December
Bye
KH

[vincent danna]

thanx

you write : "Buying a local bike from new is crazy,as the used smal bikes too".

why ?

it seems for me the simpliest way according to my time, money ... + travelling light and easy.

how much would be the standard 125cc (if this is the most common bike overthere, easy to fix, to get spare parts, etc ...) second hand in a "ok" condition enough to drive patagonia chili peru in a month time ?

i m worried especially to cross borders (see previous message).

no worries to drive slower than with a big bike, it makes people more "accessible" also.

one more : where should i land and which tour/direction should i take ? patagonia first chili second peru third ?

i just looked a map, it s quite a ride from ushuaia or around) to lima (kms around ?), for a month (of pleasure). tomorrow, i buy lonely planet, promised :-)

why not for a or whatever you drink overthere ?

ps : alec "simmo" : you want to join for a drink ? ;-)

cheers


[This message has been edited by vincent danna (edited 03 August 2005).]

[BCK_973]

Vincent
You posted Money and time short!
For a new cg you pay here abot 4000 us.Add to this all the extras for luggage.
A good used could be 3000 us!
You must decide first witch part of patagonia you like to visit.As chile and argentina are nice on both sides of the andes.You can start from BA to Ushuaia,then all the ruta 40 to northern argentina,crossing into chile,then to peru and back to BA(or not)to sell the bike.
in one month posible if nothing comes in between.
Check your carts at home,calculate km.

[javkap]

HI Vincent:
You have other problem, I don’t know in Peru or other country, but if you buy a bike registered in Argentina you can’t cross to Chile. You need to stay in this country at least one year before cross any border.
Any way I hope you find the way to come.
We can meet you in Buenos Aires or in the HU Meeting in Viedma the first weekend of December.
Sandra
www.dakarmotos.com

[vincent danna]

thanx.
well, argentina doesnt seem to be the best country to buy a bike and travel around, then :-(
what about chile and peru ?
maybe it s easier to get a bike in peru and then go south to chile and argentina ?
how long would take the paperwork (registration / ownership of the bike and others maybe) in those countries ?

[BCK_973]

Vincent
I know that many travelers had sell their bikes in Paraguay.Its easy they said.
I will asked around.
Bye
KH

[vincent danna]

Hello,

thanx to the argentina chile peru hubb communities for their nice answers.

My main problem is getting a "ok" second hand bike, my budget is around 500 usd : I m thinking about a local 125cc Honda Hero or cg. But if I can find a bigger bike for my budget, why not ? or get a "buy back" deal with someone on a bike ?

According to your information, if I buy a local bike in Argentina, I can t export it to neighbour countries within one year, so I ll be stuck in argentina.
Santiago Chile seems the best place to buy a bike. I m not too sure about the regulations there : registration, ownership, documents, possibility or not to export it to neighbour countries ? same with Lima Peru, although the bikes choice in Peru seems smaller.

Please if you can confirm and add info.

I may also reduce my plans for a total 30 days around trip (due to my business holidays, i can t stay more) : only visit 1-2 regions/countries, among Argentina, Chile, Peru, maybe even Bolivia (start in Santiago, go La Paz then Lima (?) for example). I m attracted by andes mountains, driving high, but also Patagonia : due to distances, it may not be compatible.

cheers

[Vagamundo]

Hey Vincent! 30 days is not much time. This is my suggestion. You could buy a used 185 XL in Lima for about 700 US. They are sturdy and ubiquos here, so spares and maintenance are guaranteed. Drive south to Nazca along the desert, then ther fabolous 700 km. mountain highway to Cuzco. Lots of off road riding and camping out around Cuzco. Then head south to Puno and camp around the edges of lake Titicaca. Back to the coast either through Arequipa and visit the awesome Colca Canyon. If you do this pretty quickly you still have about 10 days to make it back to Lima and to the eastern jungle. Only 8 hrs from the city. From sea level to 4780 mts in 120 kms!! The jungle is only a few hours downhill on the eastern side. There is a long tunnel near Chanchamayo. It says "Welcome to the Jungle" halfway through it you will smell the amazon. Incredible.
Another option is going north.
If you stay within the borders no problem with papers. You can sell bike in Lima before going back.
Write me if you want more detailed info.

[vincent danna]

thanx, sounds good :-)

i admit 30 days is short to do a big long (kms) trip.
still, on the same trip, i d like to go to 2 neighbour countries at least, with andes mountains for example (maybe chile, peru, bolivia).
because i can t export a bike bought as a tourist from argentina to neighbour countries within a year, i may skip argentina. next time.

i just received this info :

" in Chile everything is very fast with the papers, only that you have to know is that if you want sell the motorcycle in Argentina, this point is verbiden there, they can't buy used motorcycles. I don't know in other countries, but in Chile, Argentina and Perù, they have computers in the borders, and if you go to these countries with a motorcycles and then you want go to your country without the motorcycle you may be can have a big problem by customs. Is better that you ask before everything in the consulat of each country."

anyone could confirm ? if i can cross borders without problems / being illegal etc ... selling the bike is an other thing.

any other ideas welcome, cheers

[madmarco]

Salut Vincent

I left my bike in argentina and could leave the country without even answering any question. I'm not sure about that computer thing. I know that many people left argentina without their bikes and came back without having any problems.

By word-of-mouth I heard, that the situation is more or less the same for chile. But I think the chilean police and custom thing is a bit more organized than the one from argentina... and anyway, in chile you've got only three months to take your bike in.

As for another country (russia) i had some difficulties with the customs, but that's another story, mainly because i didn't take my bike out of the country within the permitted time written in the customs declaration. Got some nice penpals over there now :-)

Greetings

Marco
http://www.schnueriger.net

[vincent danna]

madmarco, thanx.
i think i ll go only to chili, bolivia, peru, to reduce the distances and hopefully to find a bike to sell and then be able to drive around.
argentina seems to be a problem to buy a bike (legally), a bit strange but ...
hopefully, i can buy a small bike in chile, then travel with.
has anyone bought a bike in chile ? does anyone know about the paperwork thing, if then it s possible to export it or not as a tourist ? maybe other difficulties also ?
cheers,
nb : plane tickets are getting rare and expensive now, so i ll go beginning of 2006