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Buy bike in North America and then drive it through South America? Buy bike in North America and then drive it through South America?
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North America Topics specific to Canada and USA/Alaska only.
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 19 May 2015
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Buy bike in North America and then drive it through South America?
Hello everyone!

I am planning an off road/camping trip through the Andes mountain range in South America. So I would like to be able to cross boarders with the same bike, and buy/register the bike where I start my travel (North or South America). The bike will probably be a small, light, beginner-friendly, used, common/well-known enduro.

It seems possible to buy and register a bike in SA, but it's not clear to me which would be the best city/country (if there is such) to do it. People most often mention Chile, also Argentina and Brazil, it seems to me. Are there clearly differences regarding prices, availability, reliability/trustworthiness of the dealers, bureaucratic hassle?

I wouldn't mind spending some travel time in advance through North and Central America.
How advantageous is it to buy and register the bike in (any place in) North America instead, regarding the above mentioned aspects?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Cheers,
Ettore
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  #2  
Old 31 May 2015
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buy in USA
Hey

I bought my bike in Alaska and have ridden through to Uruguay where its in storage at moment. I intend to ship it back next year sometime when I complete my trip to Ushuaia end of year.

Worked fine for me. Im not USA resident so mate gave me address to register. The bike was new and there was no additional tax paid in alaska. I know it would be different in CA or similar.

Never checked out price of bikes in SA but know parts are more expensive because of import duties.

Good luck
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Perth to Peru 2014 | Perth to Perth 2012
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  #3  
Old 10 Jun 2015
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HI and Thanks Haggis!
For some reasons it seems very much I won't be doing the trip too soon, but instead in year or so.

From my research the last weeks it seems possible to buy in SA, but I will eventually consider the trip staring in NA.

Thanks for sharing your experience!
Greetings
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  #4  
Old 11 Jun 2015
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Location: NSW Australia - but never there
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May not apply to bikes, but it has been stated here that a foreigner buying a vehicle in Argentina is not permitted to take it out of Argentina. Chile is better, but getting the paperwork through can take weeks rather than days and apparently needs the cooperation of a local resident.
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