Dream trip or Nightmare
 

I want to fly my r1200gs and I from Raleigh NC to Ushuaia, Argentia in December. Where do I start? I never flew a motorcycle before. How about flying over Darian Gap also. I have heard I should fly to Canada first and many other ideas. I hear it is the flying safest way to get a bike down there to ride back, but don't know if I can get my bike to an airport that far South. Stressed but Exited, Dan

You sound a bit scattered at the moment, which is natural but not necessarily productive. We've all had a first time, and companies which ship bikes will help guide you through the process (some more agreeably than others) because that's how they make money. I'd suggest starting by exploring this site, including for example https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ge...pping-the-bike and the links there.

You'll probably end up concluding that Raleigh isn't quite an airfreight transport hub, and neither is Ushuaia. That means you might end up shipping from Miami to Buenos Aires or on another similarly well-traveled path.

On the other hand, you might balk at airfreight prices, which are currently much higher than they used to be; even in December it's not that hard to drop south to the Gulf coast and scoot across into Mexico--I've done this, watching the weather for cold, frost, and winter storms. That would enable you to run your trip in reverse, more or less, although unless you move really quickly or have a lot of time for exploring you'd end up arriving in the southern Andes in wintertime, which is definitely less than ideal.

Airfreight across the Darien is quite simple, therefore not really worth worrying about just yet. At the moment, your focus should be on overall (seasonal) scheduling, finances, and where your trip is going to start. The rest will mostly fall into place based on those decisions.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

IMO, riding South America on a huge R1200GS will become a big mistake. Most of the memorable places to visit are on rough, mountain dirt roads. One day and five tip overs, and you'll avoid those memorable places. Many travelers have said they regret having a huge moto, never have I heard one regretting small. IMO, unless you have the skills of a Dakar or Baja veteran, consider a much smaller size moto. Of course, you can successfully ride the PanAm the whole way on a 1200GS, but you'll miss so much of the beauty and culture.

To see what your trip can be on a smaller moto, look up "Itchy Boots Youtube" and watch her pre-covid and current South America videos.