Hello everyone!

I am planning an off road/camping trip through the Andes mountain range in South America. So I would like to be able to cross boarders with the same bike, and buy/register the bike where I start my travel (North or South America). The bike will probably be a small, light, beginner-friendly, used, common/well-known enduro.

It seems possible to buy and register a bike in SA, but it's not clear to me which would be the best city/country (if there is such) to do it. People most often mention Chile, also Argentina and Brazil, it seems to me. Are there clearly differences regarding prices, availability, reliability/trustworthiness of the dealers, bureaucratic hassle?

I wouldn't mind spending some travel time in advance through North and Central America.
How advantageous is it to buy and register the bike in (any place in) North America instead, regarding the above mentioned aspects?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Cheers,
Ettore

Talk to Toby. He'll sell you a 250cc bike from his stable of tour motorcycles.

aroundtheblock07@gmail.com

The bikes are well maintained and modified to his specification. His ace mechanic will build a frame for saddle bags at a very affordable price. Tony has spent most of his life in Peru and knows how to get things done. So when he says he'll get the paperwork completed and in your name by a given date, it will happen.

There are posts about riders buying bikes in Chile. Some get the paperwork processed quickly, others run into issues. Some think they have the paperwork right then they run into issues at a border. If you go the Chile route, search this forum and find a contact there that will help you through the process.

If I understand the details correctly, it takes 10 days to get the bike officially signed over in Peru, so you can leave the country. That might not be 100% correct (check with Toby...) but I see that as time to noodle around Peru while finalizing the documents. He has a "buy back" option, contact him for details.

I am working on a plan for Summer 2016, buy a bike from Toby and tear through central South America, plunging into the heart of the beast. Ride BR 319 through the Amazon grasslands, floating down the Amazon river on a barge, a few hundred miles on the Trans-Amazonian highway, back to the dunes in Parque Nacional dos Lençóis...and this is only the first half of the trip.

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

What a great and informative reply! Really makes a difference!

Your trip plans sound fascinating...hope you have an exiting time

Kind regards

I see the questions posted a lot in the SA and CA forum asking about buying a motorcycle. The part that is most often not thought through is what will you do at the end of the trip with a purchased bike. If your plans are for a circular route where you end up in the same country where you bought the bike, then selling is much easier as the buyer is not facing paying importation fees. In every other situation the process becomes complicated and sometimes creative.

A friend of mine recently returned home to Japan after three years of travel. He left trusty bike in Kuala Lumpur because he could not afford to import his bike to Japan. The bike is available for free to the next adventure rider...

Another friend cancelled his TVIP for Brazil and rode his bike into Uruguay, slipped back over the border into Brazil and delivered his bike to a waiting customer, then he flew home. Yes, he saved the expense of shipping his bike home, but has mixed feeling about selling his bike. I think the bike was going to live on a farm and never get registered. (Recent reports mention that temporary importation is no longer required for Brazil)

When making plans for the big adventure, consider the hassle at the front end: amount of paperwork, support navigating the systems and finding a deal. If it doesn't go smoothly, then time will be lost chasing the details. Equally, have a plan to dispose of the bike on the back end of the trip.

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

It currently seems, though requiring some preparation, relatively manageable to get the bike in SA. However, your reply confirms me further trust in the possibility touring NA being fairly easy regarding paperwork/registration/buying etc. So for the case I run into unexpected difficulties I keep this in mind.

Been claimed that if a foreigner buys a Argentinian-registered vehicle in Argentina, he can't take it out of Argentina.

__________________
Tony
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