World Trip: Swiss dude wants to start in Chile
 

Hello Guys

As the title tells, I am a guy from Switzerland and I want to go on a trip around the world on a motorbike. I have to work until November before I can start, but then it's winter in Europe and therefore I am planning to start somewhere in Chile. First I wanted to ship my BMW F800 GSA there, but as the shipping is quite expensive and the bike is too heavy for me anyways, I decided to sell it again and now I am thinking about buying a new one directly in Chile.
I saw that there are already many threads about this topic and I read many of them. But here I would like to ask for very specific tips for my own trip.
So my first question would be the following:
1. If I get a chilean licencseplate and insurance, ist it also possible to drive the bike to different continents with that plate?
2. I am thinking of buying something like a crf 250L or DR650 and build it up as adventure bike. Does anyone have a contact of someone with skills and garage to help me buy & build up the bike?
3. Is this whole idea stupid and should I just buy a light bike here with swiss insurance & license and just pay the price for shipping?

Again, the plan right now is to just buy a ticket to Santiago (or similar) and stay there for maybe 3 weeks to learn spanish and organize the whole material for the trip etc.

I would appreciate any kind of help :)

P.S. I recently made a test trip to the UK on my BMW and I really struggled with some light offroading, therefore the whole Idea of selling and rebuying a light bike came up. If you like you can watch a little video about my trip and my learnings here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct1pPNEKXRY

The information is in the threads
 

Hi You need to read the threads on here which contain all the information you are requesting. Particularly the second thread on buying a bike in Chile. A honda 250 would be more than adequate and you can buy from Colvin & Colvin in Santiago. Also in the thread you can read about Casa Matte as a place to stay and do any work on your bike. Enjoy Chile:

Yeah Dlyttle pretty much summed it up mate, all the info is just a search away. I'll second colvyn y colvyn, good blokes, and casa de matte, Christian is a legend, I stayed there 2 months and he bent over backwards for me. Also check out the honda XR190L, much cheaper than the 250 (which is also fairly rare in south America, so are the parts) its fuel injection and a 10L fuel tank, 400km range. The 250 only has a 6L tank which is a bit too small for some of the stretches with no fuel available.

Yup... what I would do if I were you is fly down there - maybe Chile, maybe Peru or Colombia where the paperwork is even simpler - buy an XR190L, throw some soft luggage on it, and just go. I rode around elsewhere in the world on an XR150 and loved it - the 190 is the same bike but fuel injected, which makes a big difference. It'll be local and serviceable by any mechanic, cheap to get parts, etc. And reports from people who have sold them on the HUBB have been positive.

You don't *need* to do much offroading if you don't want to.

I've got an XR150L in Perú, I've done 10k kms so far and love it! I started the trip on a KLR650.... To be honest I was glad to see the back of it and jump on the the 150. I'm not afraid to take it anywhere, I wouldn't have done Ruta Lagunas on the 650 on my own, but on the 150 I took my time and enjoyed nearly 2 weeks doing the loop. Dropped it around 15 times but hey, I can lift it fully loaded without any strain! People seem to be of the opinion you need a big bike to have a "real" adventure... Maybe for their instagram photos they do.... But I met a group of "big bike" bikers on ruta lagunas, they were in a 4x4 tour, because they were too scared to do it on the big bikes. I can't remember who said it, but they said "you'll never wish you had a heavier bike, only a lighter one".

Thank you guys for the replies! Thats exactly what I was looking for, people empowering me to go light and buy local :)
I'll definitely check out Casa Matte

Here is another idea for you
 

I shipped my bike from New Zealand. There were never any problems with crossing borders. Once the bike arrived by air then I could ride it within a few hours. The downside is that the bike must leave Chile within the 90 day TVIP period. If you want to leave the bike in Chile during these 90 days you need a "traspaso" which is available from Customs. You need a Chilean resident to guarantee the bike while you are away.

If you buy a bike in Chile it is possible either new or used but it will take you a few days in Santiago to find the bike and get a temporary RUT. Then you need to wait up to 30 days for the Patron (ownership papers) but you can use the bike meanwhile and with the right papers cross borders. But you can only ever cross to Argentina. Not Peru or Bolivia. You can read my post on this in the Sticky. Even in Chile the laws are not always applied correctly at the border. Its not corruption just laziness or lack of knowledge maybe. If you do buy in Chile a foreign plated bike is a good option if you get the documents right.

One shipping agent in Santiago told me that from Europe there are about 400 bikes arriving in Chile each summer and returned to Europe a few months later. The shipment is in full containers with the bikes not boxed. Also the shipment is direct to Valparaiso so you know the ETA of your bike. The cost is reasonable and you can pay for the return freight in Europe. You can take your own bike. Not need to transfer funds to Chile. No need to waste time on getting a RUT etc and most importantly no problems going from one country to another. And you are not stuck with a hard to sell bike in Chile.

As for the bike well others have commented and know more about it than me. People seem to do well on the smaller Japanese bikes.

In summary taking your own bike is the best solution by far if you have a bit of money. The buying in Chile is probably not worth it unless you are on a tight budget or have the time and flexibility.

Thanks for your advice! Although I have to say, that I got plenty of time to stay in Santiago de Chile. Since I have no time schedule for my journey, I could easily stay there for 30 days before my travel starts. The goal then is to travel the entire world from there and finally drive the bike back to Switzerland (crossing the sea from Alaska to Russia)
The fact that my BMW is too heavy and I am gonna sell her anyways brings me to the point where I have to decide wether to buy a CRF 250L either here and ship it to south america, or buy it directly there....

Chilean bike?
 

I guess the same rules apply to other countries motorcycles (bike) as apply to New Zealand. That is you need to keep your bike registered and legally on the road in it's home country for it to be legally on the road in a second country. It is possible to keep a NZ bike registered by internet if you have a NZ drivers licence. Many people don't bother doing this as the authorities seldom check registrations. All they want to see is the ownership papers. This is fine until you are involved in an accident or similar. If you get insurance in say USA or Mexico you can be sure the bike will have to be legally on the road for the insurance to be valid. How do you keep a Chilean motorcycle registration up to date once you leave the country? It may be possible - I don't know. The next problem with a Chilean registered bike is that to leave Chile as a foreigner you will need to have a "poder" which is the legal document promising you will return the bike to Chile as mentioned here.
https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...tiago-45637-12
Then again you might get lucky and the customs will not ask you for it when you try to leave.
Don't forget that to get the temporary RUT someone with Chilean residency has to be your guarantor.
Chilean bikes are not supposed to permanently leave Chile but maybe no one cares and you can leave and never go back but you are still left with the registration problem if you are worried about that. Would be interesting to hear other peoples experiences.
And one last thought - Bikes are expensive in Chile. You might find you can buy what you want in Europe and ship it to Chile cheaper than you can buy in Chile or for a similar cost. Calculate your real costs of buying in Chile like money transfer and exchange rates. Chile is an expensive place compared to most other countries in South America

Buying a lightweight bike as a Crf250L or a Dr650 is a wise decision. Buying a bike in Chile as a foreigner without recidency is not. There are heaps of reports about all kind of foreigners who have bought a vehicle in Chile but they are not ablw to leave the country with their newly purchased vehicle - just check in the sticky thread in forum section and or google a bit.

Also as mentioned above - bikes are quite expensive in Chile and there arent a huge amount available and not so much aftermarket parts to buy either.
Usa are a much better place to buy a bike for such a trip. There are very many available, many are already quite well kitted for long distance travel, aftermarket and spare parts are readily available and the prices are in general not bad at all.
And in most states you will be able to register the bike in your name and by that eliminate all kinds of trouble at any bordercrossings around the world. And you will understand the language much better than in any spanish speaking country.

A spanish course is great to have and it can easily be done in Mexico or Guatemala on your way south.

Ok thanks for that information! This is what I was worried about...
So then it could be an option to buy a bike in California and go south from there. But then I have the problem of seasons. I wanted to be in Ushuaiha somwhere around march and then go north again to be in the USA around august... I don't think I will make it down there if I start in California in december.
On the other side it should be pretty easy for me to buy a bike in the US since I have a swiss/us dual citizenship :)

So, if you want to do a world trip on one bike you're better off buying American or taking your own bike. Me personally I find it crazy that people take their own bike. Purely because they spend my travel budget for a year just on shipping the bike. Then inevitably have a break down or two (or for some reason need parts) and end up stuck in a country which doesn't have the parts paying extraordinary amounts to get them shipped to them.

Your problem with buying in North America and riding south is crossing the Darien. You're looking at $2000 ish to ship the bike and yourself. For me, that's the cost of a bike. Which you can sell when you're done and recover most of the cost.

People are still buying and successfully riding Chilean bikes with a "decleracion jurada" which states that you'll return to the country within 12 months. Crossing the border with this if someone questions it will come down to your Spanish skill level and charm. Approaching the aduana as an extranjero with no Spanish and expecting a smooth ride with a sullen face will not go well.

I haven't heard of people having issues with Colombian bikes so it might be a better option. Again, the CRF250L is expensive. The xr150l or xr190 is much cheaper. Personally I'd suggest buying in south America (new) riding around and reselling in south America before moving to your next location and buying something there again. For example you might fancy coming to Australia after south America. Here we have an abundance of good second hand bikes. So shipping a dr650 here for example would be pretty pointless.

If you've got $100k to spare on a 4 year RTW trip then by all means buy a new DR650 in North America and go for it.

Buying in Chile
 

Here's the thread (sticky) about buying a Chilean bike. It's kept up to date and makes for good reading if you consider buying from there. Seems with the declaración jurada people aren't getting the troubles they used to.

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...tiago-45637-12

And here's a link to a thread discussing how to buy a bike in Colombia

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...colombia-95891

That's not really possible. There are no flights, and the one flight that sometimes operates in the summer, is a narrowbody jet that cannot take bikes in the cargo hold. Your closest option would be sea shipping from Vancouver.

Tbh the ideal option, shipping-wise, would be to buy an Alaskan-plated bike off someone in SA, ride it back up to Alaska, sell it there, then fly yourself to Tokyo/Vlad and continue on a local bike.

Problems over problems, but in the end, that is what it's all about! :)
Probably the best way to go still is to buy the crf 250 in switzerland and ship it to uruguay and then solve any problem on the way. I got plenty of time so there is no rush to pass any disance. I read that you can take some small ships to cross the distance from colombia to panama and I'm sure, there is a way too for USA/ Russia.

Ushuaia to Usa, March to August - or Usa to Ushuaia December to March - whats the hurry? Dont you want to have a look around and see interesting places and relax at some beaches, hike some mountains and visit some far flung places?
Did you count for breakdowns? Waiting some weeks for spare parts to arrive or maybe not arrive, and some more weeks waiting for spare parts to arrive... Maybe a decent foodpoisoning or two? A bad flu and maybe pneumonia? It easily sets you back many days each.

Some persons do travelling only for the sake of travelling, Nick Sanders rode Alaska to Ushuaia and back to Usa again in 50-60 days or around that timeframe - but for most people I think stopping here and there smelling the roses, relax a bit, explore some new countries and take in some new environments is the main thing about travelling. Not only the feeling of having the bike under you 10 hours a day...

But ok, I see your point. March is not the best time to start southbound from the Usa. Will meet the rainy season in central America from June and onwards. If youre really quick you can make it to Panama and Colombia before the rainy season really are on. So July and onwards would be ideal for the Andes mountains, Peru, Bolivia, north of Chile and Argentina. Can be a bit cold of course. Then maybe October/November start towards the southern part of the continent, be in Ushuaia beginning of December. Hurry back to Valparaiso or Montevideo and ship your bike to next continent before christmas/new year.

Yep as mentioned the Crf250 are a bit expensive in south-America. Maybe better to go for the Honda Tornado 250 or the Yamaha Lander 250 or Tenere 250. Ir even the ubiquitous Honda Xr150L or the newer 190. Or even the Suzuki Dr200.
But in Usa the Crf is quite cheap. And so is a decent Dr650 too. Well - you have many decisions in front you. Best of luck with them and your travels!

Yes.

Well if you find a convenient and affordable one, a lot of people here would love to hear about it. ;)

Maybe I have had enough of adventure motorcycling by the time I reach Alaska and then I start a ferry company to operate between Alaska and Russia ^^

Man - I love your attitude!:clap::clap::clap:

I HAVE A BMW GS 800 FOR SALE IN ARGENTINA IF YOU are interested
or know of anyone.

snecdka,

I rode every country in South America except Uruguay and Chile (I plan to return to check them off!) on an F800GS. I am fairly tall at 6'3" I don't have any issue touching the ground, but personally found the bike was bigger/heavier than I like. I bought a 250cc Chinese bike in Peru and have taken several "short" trips until I can get away for an extended period of time for a large loop, mostly to see the interior of Brazil. A light bike is a lot of fun and can easily carry everything you need. A Chinese bike has the advantage of low cost and high availability of part and service. If buying a bike in South America is your plan, have a used bike carefully inspected by a qualified mechanic or if buying new have a mechanic go over the bike and ensure it is ready for the open road.

I have a personal recommendation if buying in Peru is in the cards for you. Send me a private message for details.

Your YouTube video is well put together. Don't let a few spills discourage you. It's best to stand on your foot pegs when in rough terrain. Try watching a few YouTube videos on riding off-road. You are sure to pick up a few tips.

Hi guys,

I would appreciate if somebody could provide their thoughts on the following:

Context:
I’m an EU citizen who plans to start the Panamericana from Santiago,Chile in early December 2021. The idea is to ride down to Ushuaia, and from there head back to north via Argentina, probably making a detour via BA, Montevideo (maybe Brazil too)...so hitting a bit of east coast before returning at some point to Chille and continuing over Atacama towards Bolivia, Peru and further to Central America and finally US. The goal is to reach Alaska by July 2022, so in c. 7 months. (all assumed COVID story improved)

Let’s assume Chille as a starting point is already decided!

As I still don’t rule out the option to buy a bike locally (instead of shipping my own from Europe), I am considering to get US plated bike in Chille. Given that the trip ends in US, selling it there afterwards and skipping the shipment costs both ways to/from EU is of course the reason to think about that option.

Questions:

1. How likely it is that I find another party willing to sell US plated bike in/around Santiago?
2. What are all the legal things I should consider?
3. How would the bike ownership transfer be executed outside of US? Is that mandatory for crossing all the borders?

Many thanks in advance for all your answers and advices!

I am Chilean and live in Chile. feel free to contact me now or at your arrival and I will be very glad to help you with whatever you need.
my cel phone is +56 9 8819 9816 (whatsapp).

Zorrorojo, Thanks for your offer of help, and welcome to HU!
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