Two of us are planning a trip to South America for about a year. We are trying to work out if we should ship bikes from Australia or purchase in SA probably Chile we would purchase 150 or 250 bikes. Is there any restriction on the countries you can visit in SA with a chile bike? Or any advantage in bringing a bike over from Australia?

As long as the motorcycles are in your name I don't see a problem.

I met a traveller from NZ who purchased an xr150 brand new in Chile, he made it the whole way to the USA so based upon that should have no problems!

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Buying a chlean vehicle requires getting registered yourself in Chile and then completing a sequence of paperwork which ends up after days, but more likely weeks with you having complete legal ownership WITH all the required paperwork.

Even then there are lots of reports of Peru being rather strict and refusing direct entry from Chile to Peru and there are recent reports of a couple of different people being refused entry into a couple of border posts with Argentina.

I know my information is second hand but more credible than she'll be right mate assurances and there are plenty of credible first hand reports to back it up. For instance

15 February 2017 15:21

http://www.drivetheamericas.com/foru...chilean-car-11

As always any information, even first-hand experiences more than a few weeks old, is suspect

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

There is a new law just come out. See the Sticky Thread about buying and selling bikes.

As you are going for such a long period, I would suggest taking your own bike(s). At least you will be dealing with and riding what you already know. Also odds are they will be bigger and more comfortable :-).

You will have less border hassles.

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http://www.ytc1.co.uk

A foreigner with a tourist visa can no longer leave Chile with a Chilean purchased bike, so the options are shipping in your own or buying in Peru.


Shipping cost would probably be higher than the purchase price of a 250 cc Chinese bike.


But be careful about Chinese bikes they range from really awful and will break down immediately to being fairly good with some routine maintenance.

A gringo in Peru with web name Charapa has posted on here and ADV Rider.


He is based in Peru, north of Lima I think.


I dont know him and have never used his services but I have browsed his web site and what he offers in terms of sales, sales assistance, buybacks and rentals is very interesting.


I would consider doing this even though I am resident in Chile and can get my bike out of the country, however after doing the Santiago to Arequipa ride once I dont need to do the 4 to 5 very long days of desert riding to get to Peru again.

Its way cheaper to buy a motorcycle in SA then to ship exotic bikes around the globe to Chile were there are no parts available for them: Ａｄｖｅｎｔ&# xff55;ｒｅ motorbike trip around Latin America - Chile and Argentina

Here in Huanuco, central Peru and willing to help. 37 done so far.

Toby

So many travelers are selling their bikes in Chile. Better bikes than a Chinese bike and ready to travel.

I bought a 250 cc Chinese bike from charapashanperu (Toby) and rode around north central Peru for 8 days. The bike was very affordable and performed well. Toby does a excellent job preparing adventure bikes (small or large bore), adding accessories and doing custom work (in my case building a frame for two small Pelican case panniers.) Parts for Chinese bikes and local labor are ridiculously low. So build repairs into your travel plans. Chinese bikes are so affordable purchase, it's not worth shipping a bike from Europe or APAC. IMHO

Equally important, Toby is a wealth of knowledge that will enrich your travels in Peru with his tips. My bike is stored with Toby and gets rented out from time to time. I hope to get back to Peru for another rip around the Peruvian Andes. Maybe a short rip in the Fall of 2017...

I won't argue with anyone's opinion about Chinese bikes verses non-Chinese bikes to convince otherwise. Here is my experience, its less about bike's country origin and more about how it's set-up and fine tuned after purchase. I am not a life long rider, having started only 10 years ago. It is my understanding that Chinese bikes earned a bad reputation and I've heard the quality has improved. One clear advantage of riding a Chinese motorcycle in Latin America is the easy availability of parts and labor. Sure, you can find parts for a KTM or BMW if you look in the capital cities and a few other locations. But the locals ride Chinese bikes and you can find parts and mechanics EVERYWHERE. The next easiest bike to maintain would be a Japanese bike, but you may struggle to get specific parts. Is any motorcycle trouble free? Silly question, right?

I rode 32000 miles in Latin America on a F800GS and had a lot of fun. During that trip I was mostly on tarmac and over the months became more comfortable off road. Frankly, a small bike is easy to handle on dirt and gravel. Do you really need a mondo 1200 cc adventure bike? The correct answer is no.

So, think small, get what the locals ride and buy your bike from someone trustworthy, then have them tweak/adjust the bike based on the trip you are planning to take. I recommend buying a bike that is lightly used. A bike that has already seen several hundred or a couple thousand miles will have any "new bike" issues worked out.

Photo of my 250 cc Cross Triton. I call her "Pony" (2016 Jesus District, Peru)

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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

there is a document for tourists with motorcycles/cars you can ask for at the notary.

you need to promise to bring back th car after 6 month. this will make it easier to leave the country.

best wishes