A cheap bike in Mexico..?
 

Hi...
I'm a long-time motorcyclist who has done some short-term tours overseas. I've rode a variety of street bikes, and currently ride a little Honda CBR125 in Canada. After talking with my manager, it sounds like I'll be able to take 4 weeks leave in February-March 2012, and I'm thinking of going to Mexico.

I have three options:
a) Ride or trailer my 125 down to Mexico in the middle of winter. Riding from Canada south could be terrible depending on weather. Trailering/shipping would be very expensive (say $1000 each way).

b) Rent a small motorcycle. The trouble with this is that any moto rentals I can find with Internet searches are Harleys or BMWs at $120/day. That's fine for a few days maybe, but I want to do as much riding in four weeks as possible - and I'd be happy to plod along on a 125cc rather than a big honking bike.

c) Buy a cheap little 125cc in Mexico. I think this might actually be a great option. You can buy something like a CGL125 or a YB125 for less than 20,000 pesos ($2000 US). The worry here is paperwork and registration.

So... what do you think? Does anyone know of some thrifty motorcycle rentals in Mexico? ...
Or is there a dealership in Mexico that is accustomed to dealing with us 'extrajaneros' who want to do a quick buy/ride/sell in a month..?

Where are you coming to in Mexico?
I bought a little Suzuki 125GN. It is a great little bike and costs 21,000 pesos. At the time it was the best option around and I think it still is. I don't think you will find a dealer interested in doing a buy back plan but you should check around.
When I got my bike I was looking for something second hand but there really wasn't a big saving. I can help you get a new bike and can give you a habd selling it but why not just keep it here so you can use it whenecer you visit?

That's not a bad idea at all, and in fact that was the sort of idea I had in mind.
I know a couple of people who teach in Huatulco, Oaxaca, so I could leave the bike in storage with them, but I'm not sure there is a decent motorcycle vendor there that would help me get the papers and registration in order...

When I look at rental rates, I find that Mexico seems to be really high. For example, I can do a search and find places in Guatemala or Nicaragua that rent out 200cc bikes for about $50/day. However, when I Google "Mexico motorcycle rental", these are about the only rates I can find:
Kawasaki KLR 650 7+ days: $115 per day
BMW R 1150 GS 7+ days: $145 per day
Harley Sportster 883 7 days: $475 /week
KTM 640 Adventure 7 days: $975 /week
Suzuki V-Strom 650 14+ Days: $110.00 Per day
plus insurance, etc.

The cheapest bike there is $70/day for off-season, and it's a 500lb Sportster out of Cancun. All I really need is a 125 or a 250.

Over 250 views in one day - and only one response?

No one out there has ever bought a small bike in Mexico..?

Only me by the looks of things.

I haven't, but I'm interested in what you find out. I'd like to do the same thing in Mex. and maybe elsewhere in the world, too.



:cool4:..................shu

Bike for sale in Mexico
 

Hi
I will recommend some friends near Mexico city who have good bikes stores and plenty of dirt and all purpose bikes for sale.
They are located at a small town 2 hours drive from Mexico City, and you may find some in Mexico City too, you just have to be carefull with registration papers as they may be stolen bikes.

Il be glad to help, I live in Mexico City, and know pretty well the area.

I am planning to go up north to St Fco in middle August in a Gs 1200, by the way, if anyone interested to go up.

I think Simon Gandolfini bought his CG 125 Cargo in Mexico.
Check out his blog(google Old man on a bike) or maybe pm him on the HUB and he might give you some tips.
I'd go with the Honda CG from the research I have done, if your looking at a 125
Good luck

I've already written to Simon G. (I started reading his book "Old Man on a Bike" a few days ago; an entertaining read, BTW)

Mr. Gandolfi said he contacted Honda Mexico's HQ, and they put him onto a Honda dealership called Moto Diez in Veracruz. He managed to get his CG125 registered and on the road in only a couple of days... but he speaks excellent Spanish while mine is mediocre. One of the staff at the dealership offered to help him out with the paperwork, and claimed Simon as his grandfather while using his own address as a proof of domicile for the registration process.

I need to find a Mexican dealership that is used to dealing with foreigners and will offer a similar level of help. I think my next step will be to write to these Moto Diez guys in my crappy Spanish and see if they are willing to help me out.

So if anyone out there knows of other such helpful dealerships in Mexico, please let me know...

I can help you out: I am sure you will be able to find a dealer in Mexico City who can sell you a bike and get it refistered for you. If you want somewhere to stay while you set things up you are welcome to stay with us.
Garry

I think what he meant is that one of the people at the registration office referred to him as "abuelo" or more likely "abuelito" as an affectionate sign of respect for a friendly old foreigner. Claiming him as a grandfather serves no purpose during the registration process, unless he was getting stuck on registering with an FM tourist visa and somebody in the office was helping him out with that particular snag meaning they got someone to let it slide if it was a problem.

To get a good idea of the time you will need, he took two days to get to Tuxtepec, Oaxaca. Most riders get there in a few hours but they aren't riding a loaded down 125 with about 10 bhp. That KLR is looking more attractive isn't it?

I lived in Oaxaca from 2004 until 2007 and rode around on a 200cc while there, so I'm kind of familiar with the area. While a bigger bike would be ideal, I'm not going to be able to buy a KLR, new or used, for a price I can afford. I can manage a couple of grand for a nice little 125cc, though. I will have more time than money, and don't mind plodding along at 80 or 90 KPH.

Trust me, at 80 or 90 kph you'll be wringing its little neck.
You'll feel the difference from a 200 down to a 125cc.
If you spend $2,000 plus registration plus any insurance you then have the bike to store. If you rent the KLR for 10 days you can see way more, forget about maintenance, and you will have spent less. If you store the 125cc for a second go round a year later you will only be barely ahead of having rented the KLR. If you are going to use the little 125cc bike a third time around you will finally be ahead of the game but will still be limited as to how far you can go in the time frame of your vacation. If you buy the 125cc bike, wring its neck and then sell it for a good price, you'll be way ahead.
You can get bored real quick on a 125 Honda Cargo.
But its all about having fun, so I hope to see you on the road somewhere.
Good luck. At least you know that riding a 125 on the road in Mexico is not the same as in a Canadian city.

You can buy a used KLR in the States for the same $2k. I just paid $2800 for one with 6000 total miles, but higher mileage bikes are available cheaper.

I've tried the 125 route elsewhere and found it lacking in most respects although easy to carry up a flight of stairs. 200 or 250 is a good minimum in the mountains, particularly if you're not carrying massive baggage. For long journeys (tens of thousands of miles and 6 months or a year at a time) I prefer a 650.

Mark

Cgl-125 ($1307)
 

I just purchased a New Honda CGL-125 for $15,028 ($1307 USD) in Merida. Plates should cost around another $300 ($26 USD). Hope it helps. Have fun on your trip.

Registering bike in Mexico
 

I have just arrived in Oaxaca and planning to buy a bike here. Have been to the Honda dealership where they have a good deal on for the Cargo 150 but I am after some advice about getting it registered. From what I can tell this is going to be difficult without having a good grasp of Spanish (and I am not at this stage yet) or finding someone local who is willing to help. Any info greatly appreciated!

First of all you are going to need something that states a local address like a phone bill or a water bill or an electricity bill (this is called the "comprobante de domocilio"). Since you don't live there, you will have to borrow one, and it doesn't matter if it is not in your name and if you don't live there. Without that, you won't be registering anything. The second absolutely necessary document is the "factura" or bill of sale. You need originals and a copy of both of these or you are going nowhere.
You will need your passport and your tourist visa (or your FM document if you have a number 2 or 3 type) for identification. It is quite a simple procedure, you show up with the paperwork and then you go to a bank to pay and then you return with the receipts stamped and they will give you your plate with a document that corresponds with it and also your "tarjeta de circulacion" which is your registration for the vehicle. You will get two documents, one for the plate and one for the bike, and the plate itself and don't lose any of these.
If you bought the bike at a dealer they likely have a "coyote" who you can pay to do pretty much everything for you. It is an easy process, just time consuming standing in line but the coyotes usually have a connection and move to the front of any line or hand the request to someone in the office that will do it quickly.
If the office you are registering it at is a busy one, they will probably have experience registering vehicles for foreigners. They will ask you for your "credencial electoral" which is the voter registration ID card that almost all Mexican adults have for universal identification in Mexico. You don't have one so you will use your FM tourist or resident document and your passport. This might confuse them unless they have worked with these documents before, but they will sort it out with a little time.
Don't go paying a fortune for this, the coyote should do it for less than $500 pesos maximum and if you have the time and the documents you can do it yourself, get there early in the morning and smile a lot. Don't listen to someone telling you that you can't do it because yes, you can get the registration. They might say that just to get some more money out of you. If you use a coyote, go with them because they will have your papers and a power of attorney that you have signed (carta de poder). I recommend you do it yourself.
The only difficult part is that it is boring. Even with the most basic Spanish it is not difficult, you just have to follow the bureaucratic procedures. It is also very likely that if you are not pushy and not loud, someone in the office will spend some time with you and help you and they probably will speak enough English to get you through it.
It is Mexico, and you generally will find someone around to help you out.
Don't even think about riding a bike that size on any toll highway, stick to rural roads and stay off the highways. Stay well to the right, way over on the shoulder if you do have to go on a highway. That bike will do about 80kmh flat out with you and luggage and it will take a long time to get to that speed. Also, those little bikes are among the most stolen in Mexico so get a good lock for it and keep it safe or it will disappear fast. Big bikes are rarely stolen, it is the delivery models that get ripped off all the time.

Thanks a lot for that - exactly what we needed to know.

Remember, the price for the coyote's service does not include the price of the registration and plates. Usually, the state hacienda office will charge you a fee based on the value of the bike on the factura bill of sale. It will be a percentage of the price of the bike and each year it will change when you renew your registration. If you fail to renew your registration you risk a fine and having your bike impounded or at least a hefty bribe to avoid that. When you sell the bike and the new owner goes to register it, they have to pay the previously unpaid registrations.
Many foreigners can get screwed badly if they don't understand the past registrations must be paid before a new "alta" will be given in someone else's name.
You are buying new so that is not a problem.
If you buy used, demand complete proof that all the previous "tenencias" registrations have all been paid in full.

Motorbikes successfully registered in Oaxaca :-D
 

Thanks Mike for your great advice.

Today we successfully registered our two new motorbikes in Oaxaca!

We borrowed a water bill from a very nice girl that works at the hostel we are staying at, and that proved sufficient.

An additional step we had to complete was taking the bikes to an office of "direccion de transito y validad del estado". There they took rubbings of the chassis number and engine block number and transferred them to another form, I believe called "Formato de impresiones de calcas". Only once we had this form signed and stamped could we proceed with the registration exactly as described by Mike above. We had to pay 903 pesos for each motorbike (we bought them for 28900 pesos each). The whole process took us 3 hours from start to finish, nowhere near as long as we were expecting! Everybody involved was extremely helpful.

For anybody that is interested, in Oaxca the 'rubbing' office is at 804 Naranjos and the registration office is on the corner of Heroica Escuela Naval Militar and Heroico Colegio Militar - it looks like a bank from the outside and indeed has a counter for paying in the same building.

Colin.

Hi Colin, congrats on the bike purchases.
I'm thinking of maybe a cg125 for my trip.

Just wondering if the 125 cargo sold in Mexico is pretty much the same bike?
Also it appears the cargo, at least in Mexico comes in a 125 and a 150.
Is that correct ?

Would you know if the 150 cargo is available in chile or elsewhere in S.A?

The cg 125 is readily available but did a search on chile autos and can't find a cargo 150.

Any info would be appreciated and hopefully you will post some reports on how the bikes handle.

Cheers,

James

I BELIEVE the Cargo 150 is assembled in Mexico to avoid the import taxes. I think Honda uses the same Mexico assembly with the CGL-125. The Cargo 125 is Brazilian Made and is more expensive (because of the importation?). I am not 100% on all of this, but this is the impression I have.

Cargo 150 ($20,900) Cargo 125 ($29,800) CGL-125 ($14,900) from the Honda website.

Congratulations on the registrations.
I haven't seen the rubbings done for ages, usually if there is an issue they just take a picture here, because the ID number is on the "factura".
Enjoy the riding and have lots of fun!

Any reason why the 125 Cargo is 30% more than the 150?
And the Cargo 125 twice the price of the CGL. Similar bikes no?

I think PabloKoh was trying to write that the difference is due to import taxes and labour costs. If I understand correctly, the CGL is made in Mexico and has no extra duties, whereas the 150 is imported (from Brazil I think) and does have duties.

My guess is that the Cargo 125 is made in Japan, and has even higher duties and labour costs, but is probably considered by locals to have higher manufacturing standards (although whether that's true is another sotry).

ok, thanks for clearing that up