I am new to HU and have already reviewed some of the posts particular to my planned (loosely) trip around the world. The trip I am planning will be conducted over multiple years, storing the bike at various locations, returning to that location, sometimes a year later, to continue on, probably for a time period of about a month.
I live in Alaska and plan on riding my BMW R1100GS. I have taken the bike up the Alcan Highway from Washington, and to Deadhorse and Inuvik Canada. The bike is pretty much set up for camping/traveling and plan on taking off on the first leg of my around the world trip this coming July. The first leg will be from Alaska just to Texas where I plan to store the bike until next year. Next years (late 2013) leg will be from Texas to Tierra del fuego then on to Buenos Aires. I'm thinking I will store the bike in BA and fly home. I will need to have the bike shipped to Cape Town prior to the next leg across Africa. I don't know if I should ship the bike to Cape Town before I leave BA and have it stored there (probably be another year until I do the Africa leg) or store the bike in BA and have it shipped to Cape Town just prior to my flight to Cape Town and meet up with the bike there. I'm not sure what would be the best way, logistically, to do this, or which way would create the least possible trouble. Anyone out there have any suggestions or ideas?

Hi,

Its better to store it in Uruguay. There its allowed to stay for one year. To enter Southafrica you will need a carned de passage wich expires after one year and witch is complicate to be renewed...

http://www.adventure-travel-experien...=en_westkueste

Greetings, Tobi

Most South American countries, including Argentina have pretty strict time limits on temporary imports. You don't want to overstay your TIP (generally around a few months, depends on the country) otherwise it's a big fine. So if you know that you will be back within that time limit, you can store in BA or ship across but if you think you will be longer, it's better to ship it across.

If you do decide to ship across, you will have to arrange for a company to receive your bike, clear customs and then store it for you. All possible, just takes a bit searching and organizing.

Argentina gives you only 8 months, Uruguay 12.
There is a guy there (bike shop @ Montevideo) who can store it for you, seems a nice guy:
lemes54 [ at] hotmail[ dot] com.
Is around 50-75 USD per month if I remember correctly, but please check.

In Argentina you can store your bike at Dakar Motos, but I've seen that.... a dozen of bikes leaning against each other with worn tyres thrown onto them... and that for 150USD per month!

Daan
I think your reply to the OP is a malicious attack against us, I’m nearly sure you don’t want to start an argue with us here in public…
No one of those bikes are from travellers, no one are touching each other and the two that have onto used tires are old mine from ’77 and ’81 waiting for a future restoration..
Our prices are in our website and aren’t what you says, (around U$D 90-110)

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Javier...
Dakar Motos “ ”

Getting a vehicle shipped from continent to continent, while the owner is not present, could be complicated to arrange. It's been a simple rule here at the HUBB as well, that you should not fly out before your vehicle has left. But if you arrive much later to where the vehicle has gone, that might also create problems, like storage fees.

I also thought, that South Africa required the carnet as mandatory, but there have been opposite claims also on this forum. Never taken my own bike there, so I don't know which way it is. Absolutely needing it, or being able to use it, while there is an alternative way to make temp import, always create confusion.

Sounds like leaving a bike almost anywhere for a time period of a year is problematic. And having it shipped to a new location without the owner doing the shipping/receiving is difficult as well.

Has anyone shipped a bike (anywhere in the world) and had it stored in the crate at the new location for a period of about a year?

Keep in mind, "problematic" is not the same as impossible. But I think you'll really need to do your homework well on this, or costs may pile up. I haven't done what you plan to do, but I would imagine the vehicle needs to get cleared through the customs after arrival to a new location, so that it can be stored somewhere else than at the air- or seaport, those typically have only a few days of free storage, after that you pay for each day. Do they have some option for a longer storage, I don't know.

But here you can hopefully contact people, who have done RTW-trips in smaller 'legs', and so will be better informed about shipping&storing.

The fact is a foreigner riding through Argentina on her/his foreign registered motorcycle after having obtained an Argentine temporary Vehicle Import Permit can leave the bike in Argentina for up to 8 months from the most recent entry date of the bike. During this time, the owner may exit Argentina and return to Argentina without the bike.

As a 5 year + member of the Hubb's Buenos Aires community, the experiences of everyone I know, and everything I have read - has been that Dakar Motos is a safe and secure place to leave a motorcycle, Javier and Sandra have been most helpful, very friendly and have assisted hundreds - perhaps thousands of international over landers. Their contribution to international motorcycling and to fostering Argentine tourism is very substantial.

An old cowboy from Arizona, who was mildly disturbed by dstehouwer comments regarding Dakar Motos.

Eat drink and Be Careful

xfiltrate

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Motorcycle Parking Buenos Aires, Argentina
www.xfiltrate.com

Sorry, you are right... it is not 150USD, but 135 USD today, and it was 138,5 USD when you quoted me the price for storage (12thFeb-2012).
Still makes me wonder where the 90 - 110 USD comes from, as you know the exchange rates too.

My post is just my experience, nothing more...

@Xfiltrate: sorry to have disturbed you, but not everybody is as happy with the services provided by DM.
Wish I had a better experience, but please allow me to advice people to go elsewhere when I think that is smarter and/or cheaper

hello I have a workshop in montevideo, I can help you with some info I maded southamerica around twice. also im offering bike storage in uruguay customs give you 365 days to leave the bike. anything contac
kevin

Daan
Of course nobody can make happy to everybody, we was talking about that on your last minutes chat at your staying with us if you remember? And also the special circumstances under than by now I will keep in private as I guess you will prefer?…
All those arguments about prices or dollar-pesos exchange are off topic and doesn’t have anything to do with the original question on this thread. Prices are on our website and people are free to ask if they want to pay in dollars at which exchange rate we will deal… But for your information if rates in Argentina bother you a lot: see this link
Anyway you didn’t storage any bike with us, but instead; the freight of your 2 bikes to South africa with us was around U$D 200.- cheaper than what we quote you…
Of course we have things you don’t like, well we too. And so what???
You don’t will miss us; we don’t will miss you…


We always try to don’t use the HUBB for self marketing and only to help as we considerer ourselves as Travellers too. Of course we are happy when someone recommends us because that means we are on the right path. But if someone attacks our job or good name we will try to defense… sorry if someone doesn’t like it. We don’t like it too.


For Bubb2
As others had says you can store maximum 8 months in Argentina and 1 year in Uruguay. But for Shipping later at least from Argentina (what we know) you must come again; cancel the temporary Importation is a personal procedure that you will have to do yourself in Argentina. The shipping out later with a POA isn’t a valid option as could be just for a short time and under very special conditions like an accident or so. The risk for the bike you and the shipper is too high also. We have done this before but never will do it again..
In some receiving countries agents or freight forwarders can receive, clearance the bike for you and storage it for some time but you will have to see where, for how long and at how much… But personally and financially talking I think isn’t a good option for one year..
Anyway you are talking to arrive to Argentina on 2014, we have to see if we still are in the same world… don’t plan too ahead if you will travel in Southamerica…

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Javier...
Dakar Motos “ ”

First of all, I don't attack anything/anyone, just keep to the facts and do not threat me by saying you'll post 'special intimate stuff' that does not exist.

Here you quoted the costs: (direct quote from your email on the 2nd of April 2012)
Mid February we quote you U$D2300 per bike, today is a holyday in Argentina so I can’t check for actual prices but I can confirm you that from that date we had sent many others traveler’s bikes to South Africa and they pay far less than that, less than U$D 2000.- in most cases..
Sandra told us the goal for the height was 120-125cm's, only the height was adjustable by us.
We made the bikes 110 cm's high, and payed 2204 USD per bike.
Guess your calculator was wrong again...

I will always support good 'initiatives' in the travel world, but will also share negative experiences.
I genuinly hope (for you two, and other travellers) more people will have better experiences!

For now, let's stop the discussion here as it goes a bit off-topic maybe.
My full in-detail review about our shipment will be online soon. All specs....

OK we had enough bickering, start a new thread if you feel the need to continue.

Back to the point of "how to make traveling around the world on the installment plan work" This is what I have been doing for the last few years with bike now stored in South Africa. It is that big pond between the two that is the problem.

Unless you can locate a place that will recive your shippment in South Africa but not do the paperwork till you show up you need to plan on shipping back to US. Even if this would work I expect the storage costs to be more than your shipping cost would be. Will also give you a chance to work on the bike some (always needing something changed).

If you do ship back to the US there is now a problem in shipping "less than container load" as a vehicle will delay the container a week to get cleared so no agents wants your business. But you can ship from Canada, When shipped to South America I hauled up to Canada where it was put in a container then trucked to Florida to be put on a ship.

We just did nine weeks in Southern Africa, best advice is to check out the Wild Dog forum, most hospitable people I have found anywhere in the world. Post this question on Wild Dog and they might have a solution for you.

If you want to check out our trip so far it is at "horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/thode"

Send me a PM if I can be of any help here or contacts in South Africa

OK one more of topic - Dakar Motos is good people!

Bob