South America without a license plate

[BlueSky77]

Currently my motorcycle is only insured with temporary insurance and therefore I don't have a plate for it. Does anyone know if this will give me a lot of trouble in Central or South America assuming I purchase all of the proper insurance as I go?

Thanks a lot.

[xfiltrate]

Originally Posted by BlueSky77

Currently my motorcycle is only insured with temporary insurance and therefore I don't have a plate for it. Does anyone know if this will give me a lot of trouble in Central or South America assuming I purchase all of the proper insurance as I go?

Thanks a lot.

Blue Sky, I like your screen name.

Need a little more information to properly answer your question.

1. Is your motorcycle legally registered in a State of the United States or in a foreign country? yes/no

2. If so, is it just a matter of a lost or stolen license plate? yes/no

If not, you have no valid insurance even though you have purchased it locally.

Local insurance companies are authorized to sell insurance for any vehicle - but if there is an accident involving personal injury or significant property damage... the insurance company will investigate the "legality" of the motorcycle operating in country. If, in any way, the insurance company discovers that the motorcycle is not legally registered and does not legally belong to the insurance rider, you have no insurance coverage.

I suggest you order and wait for a new license plate if possible. Otherwise you may have problems crossing Central American borders and you definitely will have problems flying your bike over the Darien and crossing South American borders. Remember all mainstream transport companies do check and demand proper title for transport by air over the Darien Gap.

Any illegality will null and void any insurance you have purchased.

The border crossing issue is difficult to diagnose because I do not know if your vin # on title matches vin # on bike or if the title is legally in your name.

Too many variables to give any definitive answers.

xfiltrate

[BlueSky77]

The bike is 100% legally mine.

It is registered in my name in my home Canadian province.

The license plate is neither lost nor stolen, I was never issued one.

[mark manley]

Originally Posted by BlueSky77

The bike is 100% legally mine.

It is registered in my name in my home Canadian province.

The license plate is neither lost nor stolen, I was never issued one.

If you have no number plate which relates to the vin number and paperwork for the bike expect problems just about everywhere you go, I suggest you do whatever needs to be done to get a number plate issued before setting off.

[mollydog]

All true in theory, but fact is ... I've ridden THOUSANDS of miles in Cent. Am and Mexico with two guys who had NO license plates. Why? How? Mexico eats bikes ... their plates FELL OFF riding serious wash board at high speed.

BUT ... they had legal TVIP, legal, current titles. No problema!
Insurance? Yes, we all had insurance, but it's wasn't legally required in Mexico at that time ... and in fact VERY FEW Mexican carry insurance today. But changing as more and more get loans and seguros required to secure loan.

Oh, one more thing ... Friend crashed his insured Tri Tiger riding off road in Copper Canyon. He also lost his plate riding off road. We contacted the agent, he met us at the border (on Mex side). He never even asked about missing plate, just referred to title and current registration. Funny thing was ... His car had a California plate on it (!!!!) ... very common in Mexico, had a 2001 sticker on it
This in 2007. Now that is FUNNY!

Guy took pics, I figured they'd never pay up. BUT ... THEY DID! $2,300 Paid. In this case, insurance paid out. Not always the case.

Suffice to say, things don't work in Mexico exactly like USA and Canada.

[Tony LEE]

"Suffice to say, things don't work in Mexico exactly like USA and Canada."

AND in 2017, things aren't the same as they were in 2007 either.

International law says you need plates. That implies current registration.

[PatOnTrip]

Bluesky, is the bike still in Canada? Because I would worry first about entering USA without a plate.

And if the bike is in Canada and legally yours, it should be easy to get another plate and forget about all this.

Patrick

[BlueSky77]

I can't get a license plate without taking the bike back to my home province, getting it safetied, and then putting a full year's insurance on it which would cost a cumulative fortune.

I've travelled to the US with it with no plate before and had no problems.

How would Central American countries even be able to check that the plate belonged to my bike anyway?

[PatOnTrip]

Good for you BlueSky if you can enter USA without a plate.



Patrick

[javkap]

Most countries down from the states till here will ask you for a plate showing a number that must be inscribe in your Registration or Title. Same for shipping back at the end of your travel if it’s your plan. As well many countries will demand you to buy a local insurance and you will need a plate that match with you docs. If you pretend to make a long travel crossing several countries I suggest you to have all the papers in order.
At some places even if customs allow you to cross in, ride without a number place is a troubles call, police will be have a perfect excuse to get a free lunch from you…

[mika]

It has all been said above, but of course BlueSky you could try to ride your bike without a license plate all the way to Argentina ... I have not heard of anybody trying to do this, but you could be the first. Maybe you can even convince Javier (javkap) in BsAs Argentina to ship it back to Canada. But pls tell us here on the HUBB what happened to you ... and we can all have a laugh at the police e.g. in Guatemala not understanding why you dont have a plate.

Good luck. Suerte.

mika from Bolivia (in some cities here half of the cars dont have a license plate, so I think here the police would maybe understand your point, but of course they would also want a free lunch to understand)

[mollydog]

Originally Posted by BlueSky77

I can't get a license plate without taking the bike back to my home province, getting it safetied, and then putting a full year's insurance on it which would cost a cumulative fortune.

I've travelled to the US with it with no plate before and had no problems.

How would Central American countries even be able to check that the plate belonged to my bike anyway?

Yes, sometimes a newly purchased bike will not have a plate until local DMV send one out to you.

So YES, I can see you being OK in USA as long as you have current, legal paperwork to present if pulled over.

Still, not having that plate means an excuse for The Man to pull you over. Maybe put a Dealer's Paper Plate on your bike? Like you get with a NEW bike?

Further South this may not work. I'm sure some countries will deny entry without an actual Plate. PITA, but not sure what alternative you have. In California, I can show up at any DMV and get a NEW plate in 10 minutes,
just PAY and you are away!

About 40 DMV offices all over the state.

[jordan325ic]

Since it's all legal, definitely, just go for it. But do expect to be hassled about it occasionally, or at borders, it is pretty irregular. All this stuff about a 'free lunch'... just be firm, you're in the right, and everything will be fine. If it was me I would print a paper plate with "DLR" or "TEMP" or some number from your paperwork though, just to minimize the attention.

[Tony LEE]

There you go BlueSky, Jordan has just agreed to pay all of your fines for you. As he said "you're in the right, and everything will be fine" so go for it.

I'll agree that the Vienna Convention is not taken very seriously by anyone until the shit hits the fan, but this extract from Wikipedia covers it pretty well

One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognize the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

Cars must display their registration number at the front and rear, even if legislation in the jurisdiction of registration does not require a front vehicle registration plate on cars. Motorcycles need display their registration number only at the rear. Registration numbers must be composed either of numerals or of numerals and letters. They must be displayed in capital Latin characters and Arabic numerals. In addition to this, the registration number may optionally be displayed in a different alphabet.
A distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. ...
In practice, the requirement to display a distinguishing sign, as defined in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, is mutually waived between some countries, ...
The vehicle must meet all technical requirements to be legal for road use in the country of registration. Any conflicting technical requirements (e.g., right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive) in the signatory country where the vehicle is being driven do not apply.
The driver must carry the vehicle's registration certificate, and if the vehicle is not registered in the name of an occupant of the vehicle (e.g., a hire car), proof of the driver's right to be in possession of the vehicle.

Seems to me your vehicle would fail at least three requirements - no plates, unregistered and not meeting the technical requirements for registration back in the home state.

[VicMitch]

They will not give you a TVIP in mexico without a registration. You have to provide a registration and have plates in most other countries. If you have some document, like a title, have a plate made up with your title # as the plate #. you won't have any problems past Mexico. mexico does check reg, but does not check vehicle on the way in , but does on the way out