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North America Topics specific to Canada and USA/Alaska only.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 4 Jan 2009
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In the US, it depends on the state but I have purchased a US bike as a non US resident and it took all of about an hour. There are a lot of simple options to overcome the address issue, even as simple as posting here looking for an address from a kind hearted fellow traveller. In Canada, you can buy a bike, jump through a couple of hurldes and be off and riding same day.
- Hmmm, i emailed the DMV of both Ontario and BC and the response was the same... i needed to be a resident there. My problem is i don't generally like to impose on others as they'll probably end up dealing with my stuff afterwards (follow-on mail from DMV's etc - or am i too paranoid?). I know non-residents have managed in the past, but they usually seem to have relatives there to assist with addresses etc. It's a right pain being a reserved Englishman, i can tell you.
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Old 5 Jan 2009
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- Hmmm, i emailed the DMV of both Ontario and BC and the response was the same... i needed to be a resident there. My problem is i don't generally like to impose on others as they'll probably end up dealing with my stuff afterwards (follow-on mail from DMV's etc - or am i too paranoid?). I know non-residents have managed in the past, but they usually seem to have relatives there to assist with addresses etc. It's a right pain being a reserved Englishman, i can tell you.

Your thoughtfulness is understandable and commendable, it in part may come down to a matter of personal preference.

What I can say from personal experience though is that people are coming to work/study in Canada and the US daily and having to buy vehicles and the issue of registering a vehicle to a person that has just arrived crops up all the time. Here in BC, a quick trip to our provincial insurer, ICBC will yield typical questions and in general there are failry easy solutions that can be found.

Establishing residency may be difficult in some places, but I would venture to say that in most all they really need is an address, any address. I've seen people use hotel addresses, addresses of friends, etc.

And perhaps some would indeed mind the odd letter addressed to an old aquaintance, but as a motorcycle traveller I wouldn't even notice your annual renewal notice and unpaid speeding tickets in the tonnage of flyers and mail addressed to old tenants. If you ever need to borrow an address or rusty tools, please feel free.
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Old 5 Jan 2009
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Ahhh, Nuts... and i had started concentrating on Southern Africa for my next tour as it's really straightforward to register a bike for a visitor, apparently.I was last in BC 4 yrs ago, backpacking, and want to see more of West N America - can't get to much on the Greyhound! So the plan is to ship my bike over but the cost is Woahh Baby!! This needs a rethink, methinks...
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Old 7 Jan 2009
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Thumbs up Great responses!
We (the mate I'm going with and I) have decided that we will probably stick to the black top at least 95% of the time for this trip, therefore, with the additional info of having to ride at 70+mph, we think a mid size cruiser is the way forward.

I have heard about many negative issues with the various HDs so we'll probably go for a couple (we will not be two up) of Jap bikes (like Yamahas XV 535 or similar). Do any of you excellent folk know of such a model that is common in NA? If so, is there one better than the other?

We are still considering buying here (UK) and shipping over because we are concerned about wasting lots of time bike hunting in an unknown town or city. So do any of you UK based people know of a good (reliable & cheap) mid size cruiser available here?

Great responses so far, thanks.
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Old 8 Jan 2009
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For a plentiful, available (uk and us), reliable, and great value mid-size bike... sv650. Nuff said!
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Old 8 Jan 2009
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... sv650. Nuff said!
Thanks for the suggestion Pottsy, but this looks like a sports bike which isn't what we're after. We want a mid size Jap cruiser that is available here or in NA. Any ideas?
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Old 8 Jan 2009
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viagra (oops virago) 535, dragstar, intruder (not sure the sizes they do this in) etc lots of mid-range cruisers in the UK.
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Old 2 Feb 2009
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Canada trip!http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/welcome.gif
Some pretty good advice on this site! I live in the Kootenays of B.C. so the riding is great, but limited due to the seasons. I have lived in the UK and ridden all my life. A dual sport is the way to go as even the blacktop is rough on many road. 650 Vstrom, or the 1000 are very good buys for the money and easy to resell. The Xr650L is a gem also like the KLR but a bit more oriented towards off highway. You can pick up a 650L real cheap in most cities. I have met guys on KLR and Xr,L that have ridden the whole continent even through south america. Most dealerships are easy to find but there,s fewer KTM dealers than the Jap stuff. Start off on the east coast, west coast is expensive for everything, bikes, insurance, licensing and fuel!
All depends on the type of riding you intend! Your,ll see more taking the back roads. When do you intend to start? Jr
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