Buying a used motorcycle in Colombia
 

I'm planning to travel to Colombia this coming fall. I want to fly there and buy a used motorcycle and travel throughout the country for 6 weeks.

I read that the law requires one to have a Colombian ID to be able to register or buy a motor vehicle.

I also read one can bypass this by buy a new vehicle from a dealer. The dealer does all the processing.

I know that in many cases the law can be like the driving indications and is not applied and one can buy a vehicle without a Colombian ID without problem.

I would like to know if some among you bought a used motor vehicle without a Colombian ID.

And finally would like to know if someone among obtained his Colombian Driver's license.

Thanks

Colombian licence
 

From what I can understand, to get a Colombian licence you need to have a ´cedula´- which entitles foreign residents to apply for licences (I think it´s like equivalent to being a temporary resident with a special ID). To obtain this you need to have a visa. Coming in as a tourist and getting a licence is next to impossible. This seems to be the case with most countries in SA.
Hope that helps

I know for a FACT, you can walk into a dealership, and buy a NEW moto without any problems. They will do all the paper work for you if you want to buy NEW.

Long story short: I've been on the road for a few years now on my moto, but back in 2007 I road a bicycle through the Americas. Because of this I love seeing anyone on a bike. I was laid up in Medellin, Colombia with dysentery and met a gringo at the hostel who had ridden his bicycle up from Tierra del Fuego to Peru where he had an accident and tweaked his knee. He was on the hostel circuit and hating it. He wanted to get back on his bike, but couldn't because of his knee so he was thinking of a small moto. After looking around at used bikes, and talking with people about the paperwork it seemed like a real pain or nearly impossible, but at a dealership it was hassle free. I helped him shop around and figured which brands where also available in the surrounding countries. We ONLY had to deal with the dealership. He ended up paying around 1100$ for everything. I drove it to the hostel and then spent the next days teaching him how to ride it. Then he was off heading south to Ecuador and Peru. He didn't have a moto licenses, nor did he have to do ANY paperwork.

Good luck,
EW

Hi,

I am currently in the same situation as Anyway. I would buy a used bike in Medellin to ride across the Andes to Patagonia.
Does anyone know specifically what kind of paper are needed and should be produced when buying? All I know so far is that you can easily be registered into the drivers repertory "GRUNT" with your passport at the SIM.

Clement

Never used these guys but it anyone is still watching this thread seems to be a reliable resource

http://www.motolombia.com/buy-a-motorcycle/

company that rents out motorbike in Cali- fantastic town by the way

Any updates on this situation that anyone can add ??

Quite easy if you are other than a tourist
 

being a foreigner To get cedula you have to apply for temporary residence which means you have to have a propose to be in Colombia Workvisa,Marriage or pensioner bottom line! Tourists can buy what ever you want but if you buy from a private citizen then the shit runs uphill Car dealers and bike dealers will set you up no problem with SOAT and RUNT, insurance and registration
I am a foreigner with a work visa and cedula so i bought a bike
the registration is carried over from the previous owner and is good for a another yearand it took me 2 hours and a million and a have pesos to get a Colombian drivers licence because i have never owned a bike only Class 5 for cars in Canada yes i am learning to ride in Colombia and it is not boring its a work out on a 2014 g650gs
as far as i know winging it on a passport may be a problem to register a bike in your name but finding a temporary Colombian prepago and she would be happy to take your money so you can get a co restristation the choice is yours brother
Its like foreigners trying to get a green card and it can be done in Colombia
just don't piss her off
my two pesos

Never seen so many bike riders getting pulled over for paperwork checks as in Colombia so make sure yours are 101% in order or you may not get far.

I can make it happen for you in Peru no problem as a tourist. It is a tad tricky, but weve already done it for over 35 foreign riders! PM me.

Pulled over !
 

I remember reading in a national news paper awhile ago that tourists were complaining about cops asking for documentation all the the time, Minor harassment if you want to call it, President Santos caught wind of this and told the Policia National to back off we want people to go home with positive thoughts of Colombia and tell there friends I think it is working
I have done 5000 Km in Colombia in a month and a half and haven't been pulled over once its probably because i don't look like a tourist and i have a Colombian flag on the back of my helmet along with a Canadian one

You don't need 'a cedula' (I've no idea what people mean by that).
All you need is to be registered in RUNT, so they have you in the system and can print a priopiedad card in your name. You register in 'transito'. So f.e. in Medellin it'll be: Secretaria de Movilidad de Medellín. Just bring your passport, driving license, and have a local address and phone number ready. (Doesn't have to be your address)
It is easiest to buy from a dealer, especially if you're not used to south american bureaucracy.

Tutorial beforementioned is good.

I have bought and sold my moto privately in Colombia and traveled SA on it. Please also search my last post on similar topic or PM any questions.

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I am currently going through the very process of buying from a dealership and what hes saying is correct, you only need a passport, you should have a moto license but they never asked me. I am buying from the aktdealship 1 block from the Exposiciones metro stop here in medellin. They walked me 1 block over to a small garage setup who did the runt. You NEED to know your blood type for runt, i had to go 1 block the other direction to literally give blood for this bike. It was around 215 dollars for the paperwork. Everything is right there and convinient. Runt will take a day or 2 for paperwork. I can then legally ride this bike anywhere in Colombia that can handle me. I hope to sell the bike in 2 weeks, but may end up keeping it, eitherway the akt bikes are cheap enough where this isnt a terrible idea though i origanlly was supposed to stay here longer getting my moneys worth. 2 weeks puts it about same as a rental but I dont need to return the bike in a certain city. 3+ weeks and it might be a great idea. Hell I can leave it in the streets with keys in it and fly home, and treat the lost money as if i paid a rental.

In Peru (after we do all the paperwork ahead for you) the process takes a signature and about 1-2 hrs of your time and you ride away with an owners card in your name, license plate and insurance, ready to cross borders!

This thread is about Colombia, if you were in Ecuador I would understand your blatent advertising, but Peru is half a continent down, serms pretty useeless here. Thanks anyway

Sorry you feel that way, but there are many more looking on with flexible plans.

My wife and I do volunteer social work in the Andes of Peru and help riders from all over.... it's not about business. Ask any of the few hundred who have come through that know us...

To confirm what we already knew, I now have the bike and was waved over by the cops 10 minutes into the ride, as expected everything was in order and we chatted about Cambodia of all things, i haven't been to that many countries but they were impressed with my passport lol. I did get the license plate number put onto my helmet but that may not be necessary for foreigners not sure. I had 2 hrs to kill before bike was ready so walked a block and a half till I found a helmet shop. It was going to cost under a dollar, but after befriending the guy he refused to take any money even though I would rather have paid him. Viva Colombia.

for sale 2014 g650 gs
 

i recently bought this bike in july with 2550 km and it now has 9000 km great bike all decked out with motorrad luggage and tank bag SOAT and RUNT
I want a g700gs because 25 more horse is needed when in the high mountain passes if you have a passenger

thanks for all the useful info. i am looking at doing about the same thing you did on an upcoming trip to Colombia.

can you tell us what type/model of bike you bought? new or used? and how much you paid for it (in USD/$)? .... and if you were able to re-sell it at the end of your trip?

I bought new, so the dealership would do all the paperwork for me. I got the AKT 180 TTR, it can handle some off road, and had enough power 95% of the time, but I am 5'10 150+/- lb. At the very top of the Andes mountains it was chugging a bit, but overall did great, though plans changed and I pretty much just slabbed it the whole way.

Cost was 1500USD+/- and an additional 215 for all paperwork + insurance. There is no tax the prices listed are what they charge you. Paid a small fee at the RUNT place which I cannot remember now.

AKTs are cheap Chinese bikes assembled in Colombia. They are know to break down on longer trips but I had no problem, and parts are cheap and readily available throughout Colombia. I gifted mine to a Colombian friend, he has a garage so its there to use if I go back, but I doubt the bike will last long enough for me to see it again as I assume it will break before I return.

I posted here, but did not actively try and sell it. I only had 1 person contact me when I posted here selling it for 1000USD for a barely broken in bike, but he never left any contact info so didn't hear back. My plan was if nothing else to leave it in the street keys in it, and fly home. The cost to buy equaled the cost to rent so nothing really lost. Buying let me get a smaller bike, and the freedom to stop the trip wherever I chose rather than return the bike at the end.

In Santa Marta there is a Hostel that rents AKTs if you wanted to focus on the north, I do not know the cost or limitations but they would be an option, I am sure google can tell you who the are, I forget....just saw a sign but they were closed.

This was the bike, though they gave me a Red one.

AKT Motos | TTR 180 Enduro - Cualquier camino, una aventura más.

thanks for the great info!!!

.t'
 

Be carefull when buying a motorcycle in Colombia. I much prefer the Canadian passport and the support from the Cnadian Embasy over the Colombian cedula if I'm in trouble. The cedula only say who you are.

It easy to get visas to live in Colombia fulltime. If I want to stay in Colombia more than 6 months all I have to do is asking for student student visa or a visa to teach French at the French Alliance.

I usually a buy a motorcycle when I arrive in Colombia in the fall and I sell them before I leave in May. I encontered issues the last 2 bikes I bought because the dealer didn't do his work properly.

Once the dealer omit to have me sign a document, they told me not o worry, but when I wanted to sell the motorcycle, I found out that someone at the dealership signed it, and I had to go back to transito to sign documents.

The other issue I was promised That I would have full coverage. When I went to pick the motorcycle, they told me since I don't have a cedula, I cannot obtain full coverage policy. This is bulls***. I have been buying full coverage policy since the 1970s through a broker.

So be carefull and make sure to sign every document when buying.

Hi There
I saw your post on Horizons Unlimited re assistance doing bike transfer in Peru. I’m looking at buying a used Honda 250 which another traveller is looking to sell end of Feb. I’m wondering if you assist in an instance like this? I’m looking at studying Spanish in Peru for March and feel this will allow some time to organise paperwork and set the bike up properly the way I need it.

Please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards

Natasha


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I bet he's somewhere near Dakar route now...
That's his web:
www.aroundtheblockmotoadventures.com

With all the info on HU, it's possible to skip the middlemen and save though. Definitely adds to the adventure:)

If you want to buy a colombian registered bike, you can only make a full legal transfer to your name in a colombian city it was registered in.
Of course there are ways around, just be smart and careful.

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Natasha,

Is the 250 you are talking about a Peruvian Registered motorcycle? If not it is near impossible... but PM me.

Toby