From Buenos Aires, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa - August, 2006

The bike will be shipped on a Malaysian Airlines aircraft- but Malaysian doesn't handle the transaction. It took me quite a few phone calls to figure that out! The company you'll be dealing with is called Delfino. Sol is the person to contact. On initial contact with Sol, she will want the height/length/width of the bike in centimeters, and the weight in kilos. They will want you to retain a customs broker at a cost of $150, this is included in the price of $1300. Sol retained a broker for me and I never met her. They just do the paperwork and co-ordinate with Sol. (A customs broker: Alejandra 4313-5493 or 4313-2619). Sol told me they didn't want their own people spending 3-5 hours on company time walking people through the complicated customs process. I simply rode the bike to the cargo area of the BA airport and asked for the customs area. Once there I asked for the Delfino office. Go upstairs and turn left (there are only 2 floors), Delfino is the second to the last door on the right. Once you make contact there, they'll let you know what to do. You'll ride the bike into a large building where it will be weighed. They'll drain the fuel for you. They will want the battery disconnected- I convinced them to let me just remove the fuses as this is much faster on a Dakar! You'll watch them wrap up the bike, sign some paperwork and be on your way. You have the option of paying in Buenos Aires or in Capetown- best to pay in BA to guarantee the price. There was a handling fee at the Capetown airport, around $50usd I believe.