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**Grant Johnson** · #1 9 Aug 2015

ILLEGAL places to sell a bike from another country quick starter:

Canada (it's ALMOST impossible = very expensive - to import a bike into Canada that's under 25 years old. Over 25 it's an antique and not a problem.)

Brazil

Argentina

All / Most of central America

**Warin** · #2 10 Aug 2015

I'd think it would be illegal to sell any vehicle in any country UNLESS it has had the import duty paid on it. The questions should be then be;

Is it legally possible to permanently import the vehicle and use it on public roads?

Is it economic to do the above?

**Tony LEE** · #3 10 Aug 2015

Quote:

I'd think it would be illegal to sell any vehicle in any country UNLESS it has had the import duty paid on it. The questions should be then be;

I'd say that sums it up pretty well, so maybe the list would be shorter if it is just for countries where the sale and purchase of foreign-registered vehicle by and to foreigners is LEGAL. And of course that wouldn't include countries where it is often possible to circumvent the rules.

**Walkabout** · #4 13 Nov 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splendid

Ecuador.

And on a site note, what my solution was, as I was not able to return to Chile where it was bought:
I took off the plate (brought it home as a souvenir). Then I reported it stolen to the police and got a report to show if asked about the bike at the border. Then I sold the bike to a local mechanic for scrap parts, as I made clear to him that the bike couldn't go on the road anymore and was only for parts.

This "trick" probably only works with cheap bikes, where there is no chance of taking a huge loss by selling it for scraps. Mine was a China-bike and I paid $250 for it and sold it for $200 to the mechanic. Hope this can help anyone in a dilemma like the one I was in!
It's possible to buy bikes in Chile, so if the goal is only to drive north, then this might be a way of doing that and "getting out" without worries.

That's simply splendid, Splendid!

**Wauschi** · #5 13 Nov 2015

Quote:

Mine was a China-bike and I paid $250 for it and sold it for $200 to the mechanic.

Jens, you scraped my dear adventure bike?
Seriously? It was only one year old and I spend days getting the paper work done so you can return the bike to Chile.
What a pity.

Wauschi

**docsherlock** · #6 14 Nov 2015

So you told the mechanic to whom you sold it that it was reported stolen, did you??

If so, fair enough, he was party to the fraud.

If not, you have placed that mechanic in a lot of potential trouble for $200. Some on these fora will applaud you, but I certainly do not. I hope you feel good about yourself.

Very poor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splendid

Ecuador.

And on a site note, what my solution was, as I was not able to return to Chile where it was bought:
I took off the plate (brought it home as a souvenir). Then I reported it stolen to the police and got a report to show if asked about the bike at the border. Then I sold the bike to a local mechanic for scrap parts, as I made clear to him that the bike couldn't go on the road anymore and was only for parts.

This "trick" probably only works with cheap bikes, where there is no chance of taking a huge loss by selling it for scraps. Mine was a China-bike and I paid $250 for it and sold it for $200 to the mechanic. Hope this can help anyone in a dilemma like the one I was in!
It's possible to buy bikes in Chile, so if the goal is only to drive north, then this might be a way of doing that and "getting out" without worries.

**Walkabout** · #7 14 Nov 2015

For whatever it is worth, my earlier

was based on how you have described the basis of a thriving "theft of motorcycles business" in the UK.

While some UK bikes are stolen "to order" and passed on for their intrinsic value many others are taken for joy-riding followed by exactly what you have done, selling for peanuts into a "bent" supply of second hand parts activity.
At least you did not steal the bike in question.

Churchill · #8 14 Nov 2015

I find it amazing how people are willing to commit fraud, ignore laws and generally disrespect the country (ies) in which they are guests, yet if someone did that in their own countries they would be horrified.

There if another guy going around with an "offensively" loud exhaust pipe and he even gets a like

Its not that the locals don't give a shit its that most of the time they are too polite to say something

Splendid you could have just thrown the bike into a river

**DavidZweig** · #9 17 Nov 2015

While on the topic of Chile, I would like to buy a Chile-registered bike from another traveller (bike is in his name) who is here (with the bike) in Colombia. Any idea how to handle the paperwork, without flying to Chile?

Can he sign off the registration document (i.e. cancel his ownership and responsibility to the bike), like in the USA, and then I register it in my name if I am in Chile?

Or do we do a notarised letter saying I am the new owner? Can I cross the borders with this?

Any problems crossing borders if the Chilean documents (tax, technical check) are out-of-date?

Thanks for the help guys..

EDIT: Discussion is here, thanks Walkabout. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...303#post521390

**Walkabout** · #10 18 Nov 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidZweig

While on the topic of Chile, I would like to buy a Chile-registered bike from another traveller (bike is in his name) who is here (with the bike) in Colombia. Any idea how to handle the paperwork, without flying to Chile?

Can he sign off the registration document (i.e. cancel his ownership and responsibility to the bike), like in the USA, and then I register it in my name if I am in Chile?

Or do we do a notarised letter saying I am the new owner? Can I cross the borders with this?

Any problems crossing borders if the Chilean documents (tax, technical check) are out-of-date?

Thanks for the help guys..

Some good discussion of current experiences in your other, non-sticky, thread.

**ridetheworld** · #11 30 Nov 2015

I'd like to get rid of an XR250 in Colombia without;

a; throwing it into a river
b; braking any law.

Even if this means getting back only a few hundred USD despite it being worth a few thousand.

Any suggestions welcome.

**Grant Johnson** · #12 1 Dec 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ridetheworld

I'd like to get rid of an XR250 in Colombia without;

a; throwing it into a river
b; braking any law.

Even if this means getting back only a few hundred USD despite it being worth a few thousand.

Any suggestions welcome.

Need a little more info, such as where is the bike registered? Someone from that country might want to buy it and fly in and ride it home for instance, or ride it somewhere and sell it to another citizen of the same country - it's straightforward-ish to sell to same country resident, difficult to sell to someone from another country.

Try selling it on the Bike for Sale Wanted forum here.

**ridetheworld** · #13 1 Dec 2015

Hi Grant,

It's a tricky one - bike is Chilean plated. Even if a Chileno picked it up and went home with it I think I'd have to be there in person at the registro de civil to sign it over. Whatever I do with it it's going to step on some official toe or another, short of driving it all the way back to Chile, which is neither desirable or economical unless I go via Brazil maybe. Otherwise would like a way to get rid of it legally in Colombia and would be interested to hear from anyone else who did just the same (legally). My other option is just continuing north until Mexico/USA.

gR · #14 3 Dec 2015

any chance you might be in Bolivia in the future on this bike? If so Id be interested. A local lawyer friend just told me it could be nationalized here ... Id have to double check that with aduana tho.

EDIT: For what its worth ... if my lawyer is right and this can be done in Bolivia it wouldn't surprise me if it could be done in Columbia as well. He says its important to produce a bank transfer document describing in detail the motorcycle when the buyer goes to aduana to register it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ridetheworld

Hi Grant,

It's a tricky one - bike is Chilean plated. Even if a Chileno picked it up and went home with it I think I'd have to be there in person at the registro de civil to sign it over. Whatever I do with it it's going to step on some official toe or another, short of driving it all the way back to Chile, which is neither desirable or economical unless I go via Brazil maybe. Otherwise would like a way to get rid of it legally in Colombia and would be interested to hear from anyone else who did just the same (legally). My other option is just continuing north until Mexico/USA.

**ridetheworld** · #15 4 Dec 2015

Thanks gR! Doubt I'll be in Bol any time soon and if I was if probably just sell in Arica as not to cause problems with the Aduana de Chile

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