The deal

The deal is especially interesting for someone from Europe who is planning a trip across the Americas, or for someone from the US who wouldn't mind selling the bikes before coming back home. The two bikes have been bought and registered in France and they are now located in San Francisco, California. The odometers and speedometers are in kilometers, not in miles, so even though they cannot be registered in the United States, they are easily transferable to Mexico or anywhere in Latin-America.

If you are from Europe, you can fly over to San Francisco, ride all the way down to Ushuaia, and you will have the choice between selling your bike in Buenos Aires or bringing it back to Europe.

If you are American, you can ride your bike all across Central and South-America (or further!) but you will probably have to sell it there before you come back home. You can ride it back to the US and legally continue to use it under your name, but then you are supposed to sell it only to other travelers, or for parts.

A note about the titles: they cannot be transfered to only your name, because the French Administration requires a proof of residence (it would be too easy otherwise for the bad guys to buy a vehicle giving a false address). The new titles will have to be to both our names. Don't worry, it's "my name OR your name" (not "my name AND your name") meaning that you can do whatever you want with the bike afterwards including selling it, of course. Please just try not to rob a bank in France with it, that's it.

The plates remain the same. French registrations don't have an expiration date, nor renewal fees (as in the US, for instance). Once you buy the bikes, they're really yours - no need to deal with the French.



The bikes

The two bikes are BMW F650 GS Dakars fully equipped for long-distance adventure motorcycling. They are both from the 2002 model-year but they have been ridden almost only between 2003-2005. The Blue bike has 73,500 kilometers (45,600 miles); the Yellow bike has 79,000 kilometers (49,000 miles). They both should be able to cover as many more kilometers, which is plenty enough for 2 or 3 continents or for a short RTW trip. They have been parked in our garage for the past 2 years, only occasionally ridden to keep them in shape.

We took good care of them, they work great, never had a breakdown, the BMW 650 is well-known for its reliability, and you will probably never find on the market two motorcycles as well equipped as ours:

* Touratech tanks 39 liters with a range of 900+ kilometers (560 miles)
* Touratech seat
* Touratech (Y) or Jesse (B) aluminum suitcases
* Touratech (Y) or Jesse (B) rear luggage carrier
* Touratech (Y) or Jesse (B) Radiator protector
* Touratech Kevlar protections for engine and brakes
* Touratech Aviation brake lines
* Touratech large offroad footpegs
* Acerbis metal hand-guards
* Touratech tank-bag
* Ortlieb large waterproof bag
* Garmin GPS: Garmin Vista with RAM mount (Y) or Garmin Etrex with Touratech mount (B)
* Fork gaiters
* BMW 12v plug
* BMW alarm and circuit-breaker with remote
* BMW Custom-made center-stand
* BMW Custom paint


The big Touratech tanks are especially important and very rarely found on adventure motorcycles. With a range of 900+ kilometers (560 miles), it means that you cannot run out of gas whatever road you take in South-America. You don't need to carry extra gas to cross the Andes in Bolivia, or along Ruta 40 in Argentina - and you still have plenty enough gas to fill your stove and cook with at night!

All the additional protections aren't commonly found either: they will make it much less likely for a stupid fall to get you stuck for a couple of weeks waiting for a part to be shipped from overseas.

Gas tanks, protections, luggage... Our bikes really have the best prep you can buy.



The price

The price? 5,250 dollars or 4,000 euros each, which is a good deal considering the amount we spent in preparation. Each motorcycle cost us a total of 12,000 euros - and that was without counting some extra stuff like GPS, tankbag and big waterproof bag. The Touratech tanks alone cost more than $2,000 each!

If we make a deal, we can spend a couple of days with you to get you ready for the trip - whatever it is that you most want to do or learn:

* Change or fix tires
* Do the maintenance
* How to use the GPS
* Go around town and shop for camping gear, clothing or cameras
* Help with planning: places to go, life on the road, etc...


You can stay at our place downtown San Francisco for free, for a week or so. The city is really worth a visit, the ride down to Los Angeles on the world-famous Highway-1 is not to be missed, and the Western United States as a whole have incredible scenery (Yellowstone National Park, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, etc...).




Contact

Pierre Saslawsky & Merritt Grooms
29 San Carlos St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
(1) 415-573-7608
pierre[at]photobiker.com




Pictures

Wow, nice pics!! You guys are GOOD!

What country can you register the bike and get a new title without paying a HUGE tax on the importation? Like 400% of value. In some countries you must also prove residency. Don't know about Mexico.Takes time and hassle from what I've heard.

Unfortuneatley, the Mexicans now have computors and know just enough to be dangerous. Any case, you can't go too far into even Mexico without a vehicle import permit, and to get it the bike's title must match your passport, no? Solutions?

How would the buyer get a title in their name? It is fairly common knowledge that to travel in most any country from Mexico south, that one must have a title in their own name that matches their Passport.

I don't believe you can register a Euro bike in California (but not because of the Kms. speedometer...its the VIN number that will red flag the bike everytime...Euro origin = no se puede) so that option is out.

Perhaps you can post your title to the French DMV and change it to the new owners name? Can this even be done by mail or must you appear in person to change ownership? Just a thought.

My research shows NO foriegn, european or American, can sell a temporarily imported bike legally in Argentina. Perhaps there are ways if you have connections but from what I've read, it's not so easy. Any thoughts on this?

As far as selling to other travellers after the trip, I'm not sure that is very easy either. In fact, it's illegal in most S. American countries. If someone bought it, they would not be able to leave the country with the bike and if they did manage to leave, would probably be denied entry into the next country because the title would not be in their name, nor would the import permit from the preceding country. Complicated, no?

There may be some states in the USA where you would be able to register the bike and get a title for the buyer. Vermont comes to mind. I've heard you can do the whole thing by mail. Just send money and the current title. Not sure on this. Might be for US bikes only. There may be other ways, but I'm not sure of details.

Great bikes and fantastic photos! Good luck selling them!!

This sounds like a great turn-key deal for a couple wanting to explore the western hemisphere.
That the owners will stick around and go over the bikes with the next riders says a lot, really. Much better than buy-and-pray.

My my my... So many questions, Molly Dog. But you're talking to the king of trip preparation and things are simpler than you think.


Given the number of times we have been asked by people in Mexico, Argentina or Chile if we would sell them our bikes, trust me, the locals know ways to buy bikes and keep riding in their country, either legit or at least without fear of the authorities. If you need contacts, we have some in Zacatecas and Guadalajara (Mexico) and in Buenos Aires (Argentina).

If you sell the bike in Mexico on the way back from a trip in South-America, the buyer, from what we saw, will happily meet you in Tijuana and do the deal: you clear out from Mexico, come back without registering because you don't need to for day trips to Tijuana, sell the bike and leave again. Easy...

In South-America, the bike is not stamped in your passport so you can sell it wherever you want. I have an address in Buenos Aires, if you like. A guy I know sold his Korean-registered BMW F650 that way about 6 months ago.



We can change the title by following the procedure here, filling out the forms here and there.

The papers will be sent Fedex to my parents in France who will bring them to the French registration service, get the new card the same day, and mail it back Fedex. Total time: around 1 week during which the buyer can stay for free at our place in San Francisco (instead of paying a ridiculous $60-$80/night at the cheapest hotel in town) because we always love welcoming interesting people like long-distance travelers. I saw from your HUBB profile that you are from San Francisco too, so you can join us for drinks when buyers are in town if you like, and even look at the bikes and be jealous for not being on the road yourself.


I don't know what you read but from what we experienced, it's very easy to sell in Buenos. I have connections but even people without connections can easily find one (in fact, everybody ends up at the same place - if you've been there, you will easily guess which one).


Nope. If you sell to another traveler instead of a local, you can follow the same online process to register the bike as the one we originally followed, with a little difference: either you do it all on your own with prepaid return envelopes, or you contact me and plan a $50 gift to my parents so they can have a dinner out for taking care of the mailing.



Vermont is the only state where you can transfer a european driver license - not a registration. There is no state in America that will import any bike from any country. It's a federal thing - not a federal law, but to make a long story short, a federal absence of process to import foreign motorcycles.


Thanks. Yep, the bikes are great and the pictures are fantastic, but that's nothing compared to the experience itself. It wasn't just riding and collecting memories, not even unforgettable memories. We are different. We feel like we keep on traveling through life even without our wheels, but we still tremendously miss them and that's why it took us 18 months of indecision and back-and-forths before deciding to sell them. So, no, I don't think we deserve your "Good luck selling them!", you should instead wish to whomever "Good luck buying them!" And to the lucky one, let me add: you might not know yet what you're signing up for but, for sure, it's going to be quite a ride! And Merritt and I will be glad to help you kick your butt out and hit the road because if you've already been that far, you probably deserve it.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." (Blade Runner)

Pierre (& Merritt too)
Photobiker

Glad you've got this all figured out. To me info about how the title would be transferred would be first and foremost...not everyone has your experience or expertise. Thanks for clarifying this.

Certainly true, lots of ways around the rules for well connected and well off locals.

Yes, jealous indeed! But i've had a few short trips here and there so can't complain.

Hope you've enjoyed your visit here in California. Where are you headed next?
And what bike will you buy next time?

There was something in the way you formulated your questions that originally left me wondering if you were genuinely interested in the answers, but I'm a fairly inquisitive guy myself so I guess it's only fair. You're welcome.


This cynicism should not be reserved to southern latitudes, for sure! I think a mix of "ingenuity" and "make-do" would be more characteristic of the way things work in many countries.


Trips aside, I've been living in the Bay Area for 14 years and I'm a very proud San Franciscan citizen now - even though I still occasionally have problems acknowledging that my citizenship also embraces the rest of the nation

We're not going anywhere. We stopped after 3 years on the road because of recurring physical problems, exhaustion and financial constraints, so we're back at work and our next adventure is likely to involve a new set of legs rather than a new set of wheels. We want a kid.

Pierre (& Merritt too)
Photobiker

Hi Pierre,

The bike and the deal sound great to me. I am from UK and thus cannot see a problem registering a European bike in my name I guess. I do not plan to be in the US till September to start my travels though! Plan is to start my adventure from the US to Central & South America and would only need 1 bike.

My brother lives in Phoenix and could fly out to LA earlier if need be. And your generous offer of helping with the bike maintenance and a roof would be gratefully appreciated.

I am attending the HU meeting this weekend in UK, still need to do a bit more research. Will contact you early next week.

Cheers Mojo.

__________________
If life gives you lemons then make lemonade & find a friend whose life gave then Vodka & have a party. Mojo

Howdy Mojo,

No problem. Given their equipment and registration, our bikes are kinda specialty items in the US (basically, they're only interesting to people here who are about to leave on a long-distance trip) so they might still be there in September. Also, we'll probably be in France in August.

Our offer to welcome you stands no matter what. You come here and look at the bikes. If for any reason you don't like them, or if by any chance they are already sold, you can stay for a few more days, the time for you to look for something else in town (we are right downtown San Francisco, within walking/bicycling distance of most motorcycle dealers and repair shops) plus maybe a cheapie place to stay at if takes longer and you don't want to abuse our hospitality. If we make a deal, you can stay until we receive the registration at your name. Our apartment isn't glamorous, just a crash pad, but it's ideally located and I promise it won't be the worst place you are going to stay at during the trip.

Pierre[at]Photobiker.com

(note: we're in SF, not LA)

FYI, I sent you a PM on AdvRider a couple of days ago.

-John

I sent you a mail yesterday at the gmail address that you registered with ADVRider. I tried to replied by Private Mail too but my response exceeded the number of characters allowed.

Please let me know if you received it. My email is pierre[at]photobiker.com.

Cheers,
Pierre

__________________
Pierre Saslawsky
http://photobiker.com

Pierre have posted you a PM,

Regards Mojo.

__________________
If life gives you lemons then make lemonade & find a friend whose life gave then Vodka & have a party. Mojo

In response to some inquiries: Yes, the bikes are still available. One might go in September but since the deal isn't confirmed yet, it's still up for grab.

Also, I updated my original post with some info about the titles. Here it is again:
---
A note about the titles: they cannot be transfered to only your name, because the French Administration requires a proof of residence (it would be too easy otherwise for the bad guys to buy a vehicle giving a false address). The new titles will have to be to both our names. Don't worry, it's "my name OR your name" (not "my name AND your name") meaning that you can do whatever you want with the bike afterwards including selling it, of course. Please just try not to rob a bank in France with it, that's it.

The plates remain the same. French registrations don't have an expiration date, nor renewal fees (as in the US, for instance). Once you buy the bikes, they're really yours - no need to deal with the French.
---

Cheers,
Pierre

__________________
Pierre Saslawsky
http://photobiker.com

Pierre,

Thanks for the update, sorry have not been in touch as been busy with leaving this country I guess!! Sorry but I cannot see myelf being in the US by september due to work n personal reasons. Been told that once I finish I the UK I have to visit Mama in HKG for a few weeks before i AM ALLOWED OUT?

The registration issue is not an obstacle with me, no worries. Have attached some shots of Mont Blanc from last weekend for you.

I will keep in touch with you over the next few months. My Pm is mohit@malhotra21.wanadoo.co.uk

Thanks once again, speak soon.

Regards Mojo

Attached Thumbnails

 

 

 

__________________
If life gives you lemons then make lemonade & find a friend whose life gave then Vodka & have a party. Mojo

are you open to parting with 1 set of TT39l tanks or is this not an option as you don't have the replacement panels.

None of the parts are for sale separately. Each bike is sold fully equipped: tanks, protections, panniers, luggage, gps, tools, spare parts, etc... (+ free lodging downtown SF and complimentary planning and training).

I have the replacement panels available for the buyers if they are interested.

__________________
Pierre Saslawsky
http://photobiker.com