South Am, 125cc for 6 to 8 weeks

[brclarke]

Hi….
I’ve been riding street bikes since 1992 and have toured overseas several times, but always short-term rentals of one or two weeks. I've been thinking of riding in South America for some time, but most rentals in South America tend to be pricey, costing $130-$200 US per day. That gets pretty expensive after a couple of weeks.

I’ve been reading a lot in the last few years about buying a 125cc out of Santiago, Bogota, etc. To me this makes sense if you want to take an extended ride: a CG125 would start saving you money over the cost of a big rental after about 10-12 days. I’m the kind of rider who likes to mosey along at the posted limit and I’ve owned a couple of 125s in the past, so I think I’d be okay with a 125 for several weeks of riding in South America.

Here on HUBB, you read lots about people either doing a rental for a few days, or taking a very long ride of 6+ months. I don’t see too much info on intermediate-length rides of several weeks… However, I’m limited by how much time I can take off from work. I am about 6 or 7 years from retirement, so I’m not in a position to quit my job. I do, however, get 6 weeks paid vacation a year. I could bump that up with some banked time to about 8 weeks of leave.

These are some questions I have…

1) How many days do you think it’d take after arriving in Chile, Colombia, etc. with a pocketful of cash to get a CG125 ready and on the road? I’ve read anywhere from 3 to 10 days. What was your experience?

2) Assuming it takes a week or so to get said bike, and I have maybe 6 or 7 weeks of riding time left, would it be worth the effort? I’m thinking 6 weeks is a long road trip, but then again I’d be moseying along on a little 125 with a tent and sleeping bag, so I’d be making slower progress. It’s hard for me to judge how much territory I’d see in under two months.

3) Say I’ve been riding my 125cc for several weeks, and I’m running out of time. I get to an airport and fly home. I’m not sure what happens with the bike. Do any moto dealers in South America do buy-backs? If I ride up to airport in Santiago and hand the keys to a stranger, is it a problem to just walk away from the bike and fly home? Or will there be exit paperwork problems? What if instead of Santiago, I try to fly back from another airport in South America, such as Buenos Aires, Quito, Lima, etc.?

Sorry I have so many questions. I hope others who have done this can offer me some answers.