Thanks a lot esville. Will definitely be heading for the back roads. I will have my girlfriend riding pillion so am going to get at least a 200, that RTM sounds like its the right price. Do the dealers have much in the way of 2nd hand Japanese bikes? I've been reading that threan on ADV rider and from what I gather if you get the 'permiso especial para firmar contratos' first it shouldn't take too long. 10 days until I get to Lima, then its time to learn to ride a bike.

'girlfriend riding pillion' 'Lima' 'time to learn to ride a bike' :eek3: (no emoticon for choking on a satsuma)
Good luck.
I'm guessing her dad doesn't use this forum..

Haven't seen any second hand bikes in dealers, only online, but they don't seem to depreciate much (or the posted price is the start of some serious haggling - if time's on your side)

Let us know how you get on,
Ian

Oh well, the first time i'd driven a bus and on the right hand side of the road was through Manhattan and Brooklyn and that scared me but it seems I haven't learnt yet. A new China bike looks to be on the cards. Did any of them have racks that looked decent? Cheers

Everything has a rack here. How else would you carry gas cylinders?

Ended up getting one of these Motos DAVEST - Pantera Motos del Peru - motos scooters - recambios motos - accesorios motos - moto ocasion - motos 125 - comprar motos - motos bmw - motos cbr. A crappy 250 China bike. But it says Japan technology on the engine so it must be good. The dealer got the registration/plates sorted, took about 2 weeks. Got the bike yesterday and have been riding around town a bit, it seems alright so far. Made a rack for it last night and ready to hit the road after another day or two practicing. Will let you know how the bike holds up...

A few tips from my experience with China bikes:

Flush the tank (if plastic)
Change the inner tubes
Install a fuel filter (many of them don't come with fuel filters)
Change from the manufacturers oil to just about anything else
Carry spare levers
Carry a spare clutch cable
Check the spoke tensions regularly
Give the gearbox a lot of TLC
Keep the chain lubed at all times
Let them dry out of the sun, they rust like crazy.

Owned lots of these and never had an engine fail on me but certainly lots of little things go wrong all the time, especially off road but many people do trips on them without any serious issues. Actually you should check this ride report, 2-up on a 200cc China bike in Colombia.

Thanks Pockethead, will do.