Old age question - Foreigner & motorcycle in Mexico

[nomadicchris]

Hello guys! This is my very first post after months of using the site as a resource. I now have a question that I'm hoping can be answered, or at least to shed a little bit of light onto my situation!

Last year I rode an old Royal Enfield around India for 3 months and had one of the best experiences of my life! I'm now in Mexico and plan to purchase a motorcycle, and subsequently ride it through the country, eventually arriving into Panama. From there I will turn around, and ride it all the way back to Mexico, selling it before I return home. I plan to take this trip slow, stopping to volunteer and take Spanish classes along the way.

I'm from England, and do not have an FM3 visa, therefore registering the bike in my name is a no-go. I have read a plethora of conflicting information regarding this, but so far nothing definitive. I have been in Cancun for the last ten days and during this time have befriended the owner of the fantastic hostel in which I am currently staying at. I decided to head down to Honda, and purchase a brand new 2017 bike for the aforementioned trip. I haven't purchased it yet, but have put down a deposit on it in order to receive the placas. The sales guy informed me that the new bike could not go in my name (as expected) as I'm not a Mexican resident. (For the placas you need facturas/bills of an address) So in order to order the bike, I had to have the placas/plates put in the name of the hostel owner, Jamie, who kindly offered to do this for me.

When the bike comes into stock, I will return and pay the remainder of the balance. I also asked if the deposit was refundable, should there be any problems, in which the sales guy informed me that it could be. The sales guy was genuine, and didn't strike me as someone who would lie. He also told me that this is a common thing with foreigners. Also, the hostel owner, who also works as a tax lawyer, is trustworthy and therefore I have no issues with trust/friendship.

I have been told that when the bike comes into stock, I will need to pay the balance in order to receive the factura. (I have the deposit factura) Then, I will need a compra de venda, which is a form that is effectively an agreement between myself and the hostal owner in which he agrees to sell the bike, and all responsibilities over to me. Then, with both of our signatures on the compra de venda, I can then take it to a local lawyer who specialises in this and he will stamp his approval on it for $30 or so.

Apparently this process absolves all responsibility from Jamie (the hostel owner) and allows me to legally sell the bike back in Mexico, after my journey.

Does this process sound legitimate? Will I have problems crossing borders with the copy of the compra venda, and original factura of sale plus my license etc? Or would you stay away from the deal? To me it sounds legitimate and there are a few stories in which I have heard that back this up, but obviously I want to check first before paying the rest of the balance. Finally, is there any way at all to get this in my name, as ultimately that's what I would like!

Sorry it's a long one! I hope you've managed to get this far!

Your advice would be most welcome!