which bike for travel L. America? (low budged)
 

hi all,
i'm a guy from chile how wants to travel arround chile and Latin america, but i dont have a bike, so i ave no ide wicho one to buy.
my budged is about 2.000 us for the bike.
i have reviewed some options and here they are:
1. euromot gxt 200cc chiese bike (qlink or qingqi 200cc)
pros: low price (about 2.000 us$, new)
many spares and cheap. a lot of reviews in chilean forums so i know all the futures problems that can have.
a lot of good coments, chileans and in other forums too. (like this one)
cons: the thing is that i have read that the 2010 and future bikes have a big problem on the gear box. the 3 and 4° gear sometimes get destroyed. but i dont know how common apear this problem.

2. an honda xr 250 used 1990 whit a lot of km

3. a United Motors gsf 200cc (chinese) new.
this bike i couldn't fine too many revews and info reated whit future problems.

4. a xr 125 or a yamaha xtz 125 from 2008-2011 low km.
pros. good brand, good km x liter, lot of sparest.
cons. have no idea if this 125cc can handle a long trip, plus 80kg (me jahahaha) plus luggage (guess like 20-30kg more?)

please you guys help me to decide which bike to buy.
other info: my idea is yo do this trip whit a friend, so he will buy the same bike as me, to have similar times etc.
i'm not in rush, so i dont care to travel at 90 km x hour.
my idea is to take the bike to dirt roads, and avoid the paviment roads and hiways, because of the trafic, but sometie i will be forced to do this, so also i need some speed for a security matter.

thanks to all for the good info.
ps. also i have look some bike here on the sell forum, like a 650cc's in my budget, but i dont know if i will have some problems if i buy this bike and be able to ride in chile.

I have a Brazilian made Honda XR125 which I plan to ride from the UK to Central Asia and think it is a great little bike, reliable, economical and very comfortable for such a small bike, I would recommend that model.
From what I have heard and read of other people's experiences Chinese bikes are not always reliable and best avoided.

Pulsar
 

Hola Juanla what about a pulsar 220. They are available almost everywhere in South America at an affordable price (about your budget or less) and with very good comments on long trips with no hassle. Only problem I may see is that it's a road bike and I dont think it would perform greatly off road.
Saludos.

yes, thanks for the advice.
i :Dsaw the pulsar,:scooter: but my idea is to do more off road.
besides my idea is go to bolivia, peru, ecuador, etc, so the roads there are full off road.

Hi juanla,

The Pulsar would be my choice, I reckon it will go anywhere you want.

This one has been through a few travelers hands http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...colombia-67681:thumbup1:

Thanks,
as always this forum is a mind changing in relation with bikes for me.
In relation whit the bajaj, i found it very nice bike, good reviews and all;
But i have two problems:
1.- the bajaja pulsar 220 here in chile is more expensive than my budged.
so i will have to buy a used (almost new) bajaja pulsar 135 or a 180.

2.- my idea es to go to off road almost all the way, and avoid as maximum as possible the asphalts roads, so I don't know if the bajaj can resist this.
Maybe if i can put some off roads tires on the bajaj, it is possible to make a better off road bike, but, is this possible?

I have saw the guy who made L.A. in a bajaj 180, but i have no idea if this guy make it on a asphalts roads, or took the off road ways.

Thanks for the comments.
ps. What about the xtz 125 or xr 125? to small?
there is any other options?

Honda CG 125 or Suzuki GN 125 are both bikes that numerous people have done long trips with and have found them very reliable. Depending on luggage and your weight they will cruise in the 90-100km ph range. Also brand new will come under your budget.
If you go the euromot they say to change out the spokes or take lots of spares and tighten frequently.

yes thats the cons on the euromot. a lot of people are having this problems (lose-cuts spokes, somle ligth problems) but recently y have read that the model have the problem whit the gear box. some mechanic guy here told me that was the same problem that have the dr200 suzuki, and it was for a deficient design on the motor engines, so the gear is not well fixed.
(sorry for my bad english, i dont know how to describe well this problem.

between a honda cg 125 or suzuki gn 125, i think is better for the trip, a yamaha xtz 125 or the honda xr 125 (low km used) or not?
my big worry of the 125cc is the low power in case of needed (to pass a car and avoid an acciden for exmple).

thanks for the advice anyway.
still on the limbo on which bike. mor tended to the bajaj by the way, only that it don't look as a off road bike who can make it.