I want a good bike (dual sport) to take to South America, but my local market in Victoria BC is either go used (and trust me, people hold on to the good stuff) or brand new, which seems absurd for what I need.

Any ideas?
PS I may have to ride 2 up

I'm taking Gen I Kawasaki KLR650. We bought three of 'em for $6K, total and spent another $3k getting them ready. I have a Versys and it would probably work much better two up. You can also get them cheap used and new. I paid around $6k for a leftover '12.

Another vote for the KLR650, they are a popular choice with North Americans and seem fairly bullet proof, another good choice would be a BMW F650 which are certainly good value here, a friend travels on his two up with luggage and says it works well.

Save shiping costs and get a bike in South America.

Buying in SA would be expense and problematic, ride or ship one from US or Canada.

Which bike is always the question, If I bought a bike for the trip today it would be a KRL 650 or F800, I have not owned ether but that is my recommendation.

You might find someone from US or Canada that rode down and now wants to sell their bike, this can be a little tricky getting it out of the first country with temp import in someone else name on it.

Buy there and pay 70% to 100% import tax and in Argentina you will not be able to take it out of the country (legally). All the rule change so check it out with someone that know how it is today.

You do not need a big bike, (I rode SA on a Buell 1200 cc, was fun but more than needed, some days I did not get out of fourth gear)

RJ

Not too sure what you mean by shipping costs...I figure I can probably just hop on a bike and ferries will cover the distances I can't ride.


Yeah a KLR seems to be the way to go, having a hard time finding a good used one locally though.

I got a price on a new bike, but I'm curious if demo bikes are as much of a liability as people say they are.

Always a personal question with no right or wrong answer it seems.

I once read about a couple riding 2up on a scooter across Canada, she had to walk up some hills (iirc) because there wasn't enough power. You could do it on a KLR, DR, I know some say a Vstrom is great for 2up riding - had one and I would disagree. Although SA has been done on all of them.

We're currently riding a Triumph Tiger Explorer 2up, fits us great. Planning on riding her all the way down to Ushuaia. We met a couple riding the 800Tiger 2up and it fit them just fine. My wife and I though it was too small, and we're not exactly on the large side of things either. The answer to your question is very very subjective.

You imply your market is difficult to get a good deal. Go outside of your market. Try another city, or another province even. I bought a Honda ST1300 in the US a few years ago and saved a bundle. Washington is a 45 min ferry from Victoria and Oregon has no sales tax iirc. Yes it's a bit of a hassle to import the bike but there are some very attractive deals on bikes south of you.

Perhaps this isn't the best time of the year to buy a bike in Victoria, although I'm not really sure since I'm from Ontario. But here is always a good deal if somewhere if you're patient.

What bike? If you're riding mostly solo with only the odd passenger, then go small and light. If you're riding 2up from BC to SA then I would suggest that your passenger will have some input. You don't want an uncomfortable, pissed off pillion sitting behind you for several months.

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No ferry service across the Darien or from SA back to Victoria, assuming you're coming back with the bike.

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Might be a Darien ferry starting tomorrow: who knows? Regardless, the answer to the question actually asked by the OP is to buy in Vancouver or in Washington State, right around the corner. Seattle's easy enough--a dealer will register the bike for you (or just do it yourself) and Progressive will insure it. Don't try to bring it home with you unless you happen to enjoy bureaucracy.

If you don't get the shipping piece, do a bit of reading before leaving home. There are a few twists.

Safe travels!

Mark

I just looked into it, can get er done for under a grand both ways.

Simple solution:
Buy in USA. Register it in your name and head South. Lots more bikes for sale in Wash, Oregon, California.

First thing you need to figure out is if you're going Two Up or not ... :confused1:

Two Up involves a different approach, and a different bike too. As much as I love the simple dual sport singles (DR, KLR, XR650L, XT, F650) I'm not sure they've got enough room for two. Even with a good custom seat (a must have on ALL those bikes) I'm not sure you can get go two up comfortably.

Depends on what size humans we're talking about. Two smaller, lighter folks might fit OK, but those of XL dimensions will be cramped.

If going two up, the simple, inexpensive, no brainer choice is the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom. Cheap, reliable, plenty of room for two. ... did I mention cheap? Great aftermarket and forum support, well proven.

If solo ... ride the main contenders available ... go with the bike that moves you. All are pretty good. I'm a fan of the Suzuki DR650. Having owned the KLR and XR650L and spent hours on F650, I'm comfortable on the DR650. ALL need a fair bit of extras added before hitting the long road.

Good Shopping!

I have sent you a pm regarding a KLR650 I have sitting in my backyard in Edmonton.

Depending on what state you buy it in in the US you may not be able to register or insure it as an overseas person. I looked at trying to buy a bike and keep it legal and its a bit of a challenge.

Also be aware that as you get close to the Mexico border you will meet the border patrol and you will be stopped. Usually they only want to see your passport but you never know

Hope you sort something out