Originally Posted by Vixonella

My first question is: 1. am I crazy?

No.


Is it possible in 6-8 weeks to get to a stage of being confident enough to ride a bike through Central America?

Depends on your route.


My friend, who is doing the ride for work (researching a book), says realistically I should plan for riding 500kms a day on long days, and up to speeds of 90km/hr, on a 400cc bike, or at the very least a 250cc. He'll of course try to take it easy on the days I am travelling with him, but at the same time I can't be a complete tortoise.

That's about right.

The rest of the questions I have are below. Apologies if they are very novice:

2. Can foreign tourists (I'm UK citizen) rent bikes easily in Central America?

Not really, some beaters are expensive and available but there are not a lot of options.

3. If I fly in to, say, Mexico City, or Belize City, can I rent a bike there and take it across the border to the next country on the itinerary?

I highly doubt that you will be taking the bike across borders unless the company specifically offers this advantage and you have all the paperwork you will need.

3. If you can take bikes rented across borders, or for long stretches within a country, do rental companies allow for shipping bikes back (ie. we won't be travelling in a circle so how do I get the bike back?)

I have never heard of that but perhaps someone else has.

4. If no to the above, then is the only option buying a bike? I'm on a bit of a budget, so is it possible to buy a second-hand bike? (Paperwork, how would I find one, etc) And then I would have to make sure I get the TVIP (I think I read that is what it's called) at every border crossing, right?

Bikes are expensive in the 3rd world unless you are buying a used Chinese small CC range beater. You might get lucky and find yourself a good deal on a KLR 650 that someone is leaving behind. Just a week ago on this forum a guy was going to dump a Honda 125cc at the Mexico City airport.
Take a look for the thread, maybe you can score that bike!

5. Would another option be renting bikes for part of the journey - eg. in places where renting a bike is easier and the route offers a way of returning it to the original point - and riding pillion with my friend for the parts where it's more difficult. My pal has a 650cc but it will be a bit heavily loaded so he thinks a couple of days pillion here and there would be ok, but not really more than that.

Renting bikes is not as easy as you might think it to be. It isn't the USA.

6. His route is Mexico - Yucatan Pen - Belize - eastern Guatemala - Honduras - western Nicaragua - Costa Rica - Panama - and then on. If anyone knows bikes are easier to rent in certain of these countries, please let me know.

Originally Posted by garrydymond

You won't be able to rent a bike and take it across borders. The only person I know who rents bikes in Mexico is Oscar Calderon. I think his company is called www.mexmotoadv.com .


Garry

Originally Posted by Vixonella

Hello all
Hi Victoria,
I hope some of you can give me some advice. I'm planning to meet a friend who is travelling Canada-Ushuaia by bike, beginning next month. I want to meet my friend in Central America in mid- to late-July. My arrival + departure points and timing is totally flexible, so I can join him whenever and wherever in Central Am is best/ easiest.
I live in Guatemala and this is what I can tell you from my experience. I just traveled to Costa Rica in Feb. Buying a bike in Belize will cause you a lot of headache. The best way to travel CA-4 (Centro America -4) is on a bike with plates from Guate/Honduras/Salvador/Nicaragua. Mexican, Belizean, Costa Rican or Panamanian plates are bound to be a problem. As far as I know you can cross the CA-4 borders with the bike titled on someone else's name, Coming from Belize, going into CR or Panama it will have to be in your name. Buying a good used bike, like Mikemike said is next to impossible. Very hard to obtain a 250. What's your budget? I know of a honda Tornado 2010 new, but the dealer wants about $USD3500 for it still
I live in Delhi, and have never riden a bike before. I'm currently learning, 8 lessons in. It's a bit frightening on these streets. I'm learning on a Honda 125cc.
From what I hear, Very few places are as frightening as Delhi, you should be good. My wife started riding on a Honda Titan 150, moved up to a YS250 yamaha in a month and we rode to Mex (Guadalajara) six months later. Riding in CA is not that bad or hard
My first question is: 1. am I crazy? Is it possible in 6-8 weeks to get to a stage of being confident enough to ride a bike through Central America? My friend, who is doing the ride for work (researching a book), says realistically I should plan for riding 500kms a day on long days, and up to speeds of 90km/hr, on a 400cc bike, or at the very least a 250cc. He'll of course try to take it easy on the days I am travelling with him, but at the same time I can't be a complete tortoise.
The roads here are better traveled on under 250cc bikes anyway. Big bikes are more of a hindrance. A 125cc will take you places at an average 80kms/h. More than sufficient, you will feel more confident on a small bike and it will also be easier to pick up. Not that you will drop it....
The rest of the questions I have are below. Apologies if they are very novice:

2. Can foreign tourists (I'm UK citizen) rent bikes easily in Central America?
NO. I know of two places that rent bikes in CA. CATOURS in Antigua, and another place in Managua. I don't believe they do oneway rentals.
3. If I fly in to, say, Mexico City, or Belize City, can I rent a bike there and take it across the border to the next country on the itinerary?
See above comments.
3. If you can take bikes rented across borders, or for long stretches within a country, do rental companies allow for shipping bikes back (ie. we won't be travelling in a circle so how do I get the bike back?)
See above comments.
4. If no to the above, then is the only option buying a bike? I'm on a bit of a budget, so is it possible to buy a second-hand bike? (Paperwork, how would I find one, etc) And then I would have to make sure I get the TVIP (I think I read that is what it's called) at every border crossing, right?
Honda has just introduced a new 125cc bike here. It is the equivalent to the honda ACE125 sold in Africa and other parts of the world. As a reference the price in SA $627, here $1200. Should be reliable, but not sure how easy to sell in Panama. I think getting the bike titled would take about a week. Best bikes are in the USA, but bringing it to Guatemala would cost a pretty penny. Buying a used bike for the intent to travel 2000 to 2500 kms is a crap shoot, specially if the bike is not a common bike here. Looking for a reliable bike for a oneway trip like yours, I would consider the Honda, put it in my name to avoid border problems and dump it, cut my losses at the end of the trip
5. Would another option be renting bikes for part of the journey - eg. in places where renting a bike is easier and the route offers a way of returning it to the original point - and riding pillion with my friend for the parts where it's more difficult. My pal has a 650cc but it will be a bit heavily loaded so he thinks a couple of days pillion here and there would be ok, but not really more than that.
possible, but you will waste a lot of time searching for such bikes. Like I said here in Guatemala CATOURS (search here in the HUBB for them) rents bikes locally and even offer tours
6. His route is Mexico - Yucatan Pen - Belize - eastern Guatemala - Honduras - western Nicaragua - Costa Rica - Panama - and then on. If anyone knows bikes are easier to rent in certain of these countries, please let me know.

I'd really appreciate any help. Thanks very much.

Victoria