Buy bike & travel Sth America to USA possible?
 

Hi all,

I am considering reversing my travel itinerary so I'm not forced to arrive in TDF in Dec/Jan, instead I may depart at this time and be free to move as I choose.

I have searched the previous threads but found nothing specific, does anyone have advice on the following possibilities and/or which is the best choice of obtaining a motorcycle, preferably a KLR650?

a) Purchase a 2nd hand bike from either Brazil, Chile or Argentina - put it in my name and travel to Ushuaia, then be able to ride all the way into the USA, possibly Canada too if I have the money left over.

b) Purchase a 2nd hand bike from another traveler in the above areas, that travelers title will not be in my name therefore I am unsure how this works however it will be a cheaper option no doubt?

c) Ship my own bike across (though bikes here are very expensive so I think this is the unlikely option)

I have seen threads where you can buy a bike in Chile and travel Sth America but is it legal to take this bike all the way into the USA/Canada?

Piss easy...
 

Go where you wanna start, buy a local bike, kit it out and take-off. No need for carnets and all that BS Sth Am is a cake walk just landing at the borders.

I had an Australian friend who sold his bike to a guy from Denmark when we were in Argentina. The Australian had all the proper paperwork from buying the bike in Canada (he lived there for a year and managed to get a drivers license).

When he sold the bike to the guy from Denmark they doctored the title and Argentinian permit and than the guy from Denmark crossed into Chile with no problems. The only problem was that the guy from Denmark probably did not make it into the U.S. and surely did not make it into Canada but the sale price of the bike reflected that.

Which is the best method to legally acquire a motorcycle which I can travel everywhere on? I know argentina is not an option, but now I have read I can't enter peru or bolivia on a Chilean bike...

I want to buy my plane ticket now but first must be sure of these details :(

Why would you not want to arrive in TDF in January? You realize it's summer in January, right? And winter in the US? If you go to TDF now... it's winter!

Hey, I was planning to make my trip take a year, one summer to another. Now I have decided to reverse it and begin in Chile in early December :)

Your best bet is in Paraguay since your dollars will make you legal very quick.

This address might help you reach your dream :

Klein Motos
transformacion restauracion y reparacion de motos y jetski
Av Aviadores del Chaco 3220 Asuncion
Fone (021) 660531
kleinmoto@telesurf.com.py

Argentine people living in Formosa send their bikes there when they are in a hurry and/or need serious custom work done.

Pockethead - how are you getting on?
 

Hey mate,

How are you getting on with your planning? I am doig a very similar trip with 2 other mates starting in Feb 09. We have already bought tickets into B.Am Argentina (from Australia) - so now we are trying desperately to figure out how we are going to get bikes legal and get moving....

Ideas?

I'd like to think we could find 3 US registered bikes - but it may not be possible ad we won't have a month to hang around waiting for ownership papers etc.

Sorry I just read the other thread before this one. To get to Chile you have to changeover at B.A first anyway, might as well just buy a forward ticket from there then you can just buy a Chilean bike (such as an XR250). Only thing is you will need to travel light but who cares if you wear the same t-shirt a few times eh :thumbup1:

Ha, I´m at the tail end of my trip down to BA and I´m wondering how I´m going to get out of the habit of wearing everything a few times! Not to mention how long the licence is going to last in Oz with all the new bad riding habits I´ve acquired!!

Anyway, I met a fellow Aussie a few weeks back who bought a new GS1200 in Argentina and basically was stuck there as he wasn´t allowed to leave the country with the bike despite it being in his name (Arg law quirk)!! After a few months of mucking around he transferred the bike over to an Arg mate who wrote him a permission to take it across international borders and now he´s off like a rat up a drain pipe! Northern Brasil at last contact. But he had to work hard to get there so I suggest buying local might not be the best option if this is any indication. I can put you onto him if you want but I think he´s still getting therapy so you may not get a lot outta him!!

I bought a bike in the US and rode it down without any problems whatsoever. The only trick being having a US address to use which is easy. Essentially by transferring the US title over to yourself (ie in your name) keeps you above board and free to roam wherever, hassle free! Dodging up titles will probably catch up with you, me thinks. Right? My transfer was just $200 so why would you bother? Otherwise the only other problem being mistaken for a US cit which often seems to be interpreted as you have wads of cash to give away randomly. Odd but worth a try I guess. Anyway a small Oz flag (badly) taped on the number plate has tricked them without fail, showing you at what level you are playing at!

As for shipping yer bike over, yeah there´s the shipping over and back ($ & time) but then you have to deal with carnets which can be expensive also, from memory. So have a dig into this for yerself.

Finally, my brother and I are selling 2 KTM 640 Adventures (2005 & 2007) if you are interested. But I would imagine there would be other bikes around also such as KLRs; it´s just a matter of finding them! Not exactly sure about that one, except for the obvious internet search and this site´s classifieds. Although try DAKAR MOTOS-HOME OF ´OVER-LAND BIKE´ TRAVEL IN SOUTH AMERICA and Klein Motos - Official Website .

I hope this helps!
Pablo.