the only danger is: you may not want to leave
I made this decision 8 years ago, within 6 months as a foreign worker I bought g650gs and 6 months later I traded for a f700gs , these are my first road bikes , I had to learn how to ride in Colombia and I have never regretted a minute in the saddle
I belong to MC clubs and have never had a bad experience in 85000 km.
I almost had my wallet stolen in Valle Dupar beside the Guatapuri river while I was taking a dip, it was in a Comercial area with vendors and small restaurants.
I had parked my moto many times in this beside the street area with a self proclaimed parking attendant that would watch you bike for a small fee.
He had been watching me and as usual I opened my aluminum top box and put my essential stuff from my tank bag like sunglasses, cigarets , moto , apartment keys and my wallet and locked it and went into the river and had a . truly magnificent because the water is clean and clear it comes down from the pico Colon the glacier on the highest mountain in Colombia ,
Sierra Nevado de Santa Marta.
I returned to my bike 20 minutes later and the lock on the top box was busted, the tumbler was missing. the thief musta hit it with a flat screw driver and a rock
I opened the lid and low and behold everything was still there ,WTF
The lock is a simple Cam lock Uni directional but after you turn the tumbler 90 degrees you have to push a button to release the over the centre latch.
this dumb ass thief couldn't figure this out.
I questioned the attendee and he knew nothing about it and saw nothing.
I knew he was lying , It is pretty hard not to carry a wallet anywhere on the planet so my recommendations are keep your wallet with you in a water proof bag if you go swimming cause swimming holes are popular places for thieves. parking places that are legit are not alway available
Petty theft is a major problem in Colombia You have to put your thinking on a higher level of awareness in Colombia .

It's a bit complicated....

In general security has indeed deteriorated somewhat in some areas (illegal traffic routes and groups seeking control over them).

However some areas which were considered risky prior to 2016 have improved in terms of security, and are now "safe" destinations. For example this year we've been to San Jose del Guaviare and to Mocoa, both of which still raise eyebrows among friends, however both the towns and the surrounding countryside appear to be very tranquil now, and are well worth visiting.

My advice is to look at the various foreign government travel advice sites (UK, Canada, Australia, USA) and take the advice into account, seek (and follow) local advice, and apply good SA and common sense.

Hey Niliss thanks for your extensive post.

Thinking of buying a bike in bogota colombia and then heading clock wise through to venezuela, brazil and heading donw to patagonia.

With your post it makes me a bit unsure due to mentioned kidnappings.

Anybody have advice or tips for the road. done something similar?

I am a bit worried about motorcycle safety. but all i can do is install a lock and try to leave the bike in a safe parking inside of the accomodations. all else will be fate.

Also thinking of which gear to bring. My own helmet and gloves maybee a summer riding jacket with rain gear.

Anyway if any of you have advice its very welcome

Add, boots, and a tool roll with basic items that might get you out of a jam.
I gave up on using a dedicated GPS and now load up local offline mapping data on my smartphone + Google Maps. A currency converter weighs zero. If your spanish is basic, install an offline translator with language packs. Google Translate is Ok, not great.

__________________
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