Great start Erik! Photos are fine for me on Firefox, Chrome and Edge, logged in or not, on PC.
brclarke, can you see them now?

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Now they are visible. Maybe I just needed to relaunch my browser...

__________________
Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250

No problems with the pictures for me (Mac using Safari) but as a latecomer to the party I guess whatever the problem was has already been fixed.

So, before I settle in for the long haul on your report let me just check I've got the background straight: you separated from your wife some years ago, the kids have now left home as they've finished their education, you jumped into early retirement from work before the job disappeared, you sold your house in Sweden and you now live in Portugal. Is that right? And the plan was to do a long bike trip around South America during the winter just gone?

Having a lot of friends and family in Sweden I can easily understand why you'd want to avoid spending the winter there, particularly if there's not much to keep you. Portugal though? We've had a couple of family members living there for decades and after one passed away a year or two back the other one moved back to the UK. She constantly complains about the weather here - even in the summer. Better pubs though (when they're open anyway).

Ok, onto the next instalment ....

How to get a motorcycle in/to South America

Rent
Renting a motorcycle is best suited for shorter periods of time. Otherwise the cost will be too high. It is also usually linked to a geographical limitation. That you are not allowed to leave the country where it is rented. It did not match my plans. So it was not a serious option.

Buy and sell at the destination
An interesting alternative is to buy a motorcycle. And then sell it when the trip is over. Then you avoid cost and hassle with shipping. And you can buy a motorcycle that is common locally. This prevents it from protruding. And that it is easier to find maintenance. (Spare parts and workshops). I looked at this a bit. But it takes time to find the right motorcycle, if you do not buy a new one directly from dealers. It needs to be reviewed. And equipped with various things to adapt for long journeys. Time taken from travel time in my case.
The rules for non-citizens to buy a motorcycle in South America differ from country to country. In most countries you can buy a locally registered motorcycle. But do not leave the country with it. I abstained from this option. But continued to research around this. My conclusion is that the only countries where a non-permanent resident can legally buy a motorcycle. Register it with yourself as the owner. And then go beyond the country's borders are Colombia, Bolivia and Brazil. The supply of motorcycles in Bolivia is very limited. So then Colombia and Brazil remain. For Colombia, the change of ownership must be registered in Colombia. Both at the time of purchase and sale. So a working plan is to start the journey by buying a motorcycle in Colombia. Travel around it and return to Colombia. To sell it there before you go home. An interesting and affordable alternative for a trip where Colombia is suitable as both a start and an end point. The range of motorcycles is good. New is everything from Royal Enfield, Indian TVS and Chinese motorcycles. A Royal Enfield Himalayan is for me an interesting alternative. (I have driven one in Nepal, and know how well it is suitable for that type of road and traffic).

Kirk Wilson made such a journey. And wrote a book about it. 20,000 miles Through South America. He used a motorcycle made in India. TVS Apache 160 cc. He travelled without camping equipment, which allowed him to go with light packing.



There is also an option to purchase a US registered motorcycle. And get it registered with you as owner.. With help from the USA. Without being a US citizen or even going to the US.
There are various used motorcycles sold by travellers who have completed their journey. But to make such a purchase, one must really be at home in the bureaucracy. And probably be prepared to go into the grey zone of what is legal.

Transport your own motorcycle
That is probably the alternative that you think of in the first place. I had planned to buy, equip and test my own motorcycle. To then ship it tested and ready to use. I started reading various travel stories. And look for forums (For example, Horizons Unlimited). It turned out, however, that most of the companies referred to no longer offered these services. However, you can divide the possibilities into 3 main options.

By boat, shipping in a wooden box
A form of box is built on pallets. As the motorcycle is transported in. However, the box must be built of specially approved wood. A good idea is to ask a Motor cycle dealer. If they have package from new motorcycles. And if you build the box at home, the box must be transported to a port. My first plan was to build at home. And then get it driven by truck to Gothenburg. And then by boat to Buenos Aires in Argentina. However, it turned out that the shipping company's prices extended to the quay in the recipient country. To then get it out of the port and through customs was up to me. The cost and work of that procedure differs between countries. And there are also costs for storage for the bike during the time it takes to get it out of the port. Argentina proved to be one of the more difficult and expensive alternatives in terms of port activity. Better then to ship teh bike to Chile.



By air freight in a wooden box
The difference here is of course the time that the shipping takes. But even the handling at the airport compared to the port differs. Handling at an airport in ex Argentina is much easier and cheaper than handling at the port. In addition, there are other companies that handle air freight than those that handle sea freight. An English company that deals with air freight is motofreight. Noraly aka Itchy Boots would transport his motorcycle from the Netherlands to Argentina. Then it turned out that the most advantageous was to drive it on wheels to the airport in England. And send it by air using that company. James Cargo. She just left it at the airport, and they did the packing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuQ0...0hT6af&index=3

By boat, shipping in a container
I've only seen one company offer that service. In Time in Hamburg. They send a number of containers Hamburg-Valparaiso back and forth every winter. Where you simply park and fasten the motorcycle in the container. As it is (without petrol and with disconnected battery) The company also has service in both places. To make everything as simple as possible. That was the option I chose.



https://www.intime-ham.com/en/motorc...alparaiso.html

Motorcycle
Model
Some time ago, I read about 2 Swedish persons that made a South American trip. They used the BMW F650GS Dakar. So I thought of something similar. Most bikes can be used and have been used. The choice is a compromise. Weight, height, load, asphalt, gravel, maintenance etc.

Pure enduro machines are usually tall, have a small tank and short intervals for maintenance. They require quite a lot of modifications to work for longer trips. So that segment went away. A too large and heavy machine only gives limitations. And adds nothing. So 1000 cc and up was not relevant. Really small machines such as Yamaha XT250, Honda CG160, NX 250 are not available in Sweden. Otherwise, it would have been interesting to choose a really light machine. I started to look at the Suzuki DL. I tested 250, 650 and 1000 cc. The DL650 was good enough for me. I did not found any need for a DL 1000. The DL 650 is available in an XT version. Which is a little better adapted for gravel roads / off road. The DL250 was enough. But it is not much lighter than the DL 650. And then there were no ready-made accessories to buy. I did not wanted to manufacture holders for top box and side cases. And various other accessories. Both Touratech and SW Motech accessories were available for the DL 650. So the Suzuki DL 650 XT became my choice. My compromise.

I had planned to buy one in the beginning of 2020. And to get it ready and tested during that summer. Before the trip in the autumn of 2020. But in the spring of 2019, the correct motorcycle appeared at Sulas MC. Suzuki DL 650 XT model year 2016. It had been sold in 2017. It had been driven 3 000 km !! in 2 years. Maintenance was just done. So it was in condition as new, even it was 3 years old. It already had SW Motech side cases made of aluminium and an engine guard plate mounted. Equipment that anyhow had to buy. So a motorcycle in condition as new, with good equipment at a good price. It was just to close a deal.

(If I were to buy one today, the Royal Enfield Himalayan would be an interesting alternative. A slightly smaller and lighter motorcycle. Well adapted for South America. Maybe I'll buy one in Bolivia, sometime in the future. But for now, I am happy with my choice).

Modifications

• I lowered the motorcycle 25 mm. By changing the link arms (dog bones) for the rear suspension and moving the fork legs up in triple tree.
• I got both a standard seat and a lower seat. I put on the lower to begin with. And added an Air Hawk cushion.
• I changed the foot rests to a pair with better grip and which are adjustable. Then I could lower the foot pegs up to 25 mm.
• I raised the handlebars 35 mm with spacers. Then the driving position was fixed.
• The side stand got an extension for the foot.
• I mounted a centerstand.
• For luggage, the frame for the cases and the side cases were already in place. I added a top box, a tank bag with holder and a small tool box. And a selections of dry bags.
• For extended protection, I mounted a crash bar, metal chain guard and a hand guard kit. Engine guard was already mounted.
• For navigation and electricity. I mounted a holder for Garmin GPS and a 12V socket for cigarette lighters, including USB plug. And bought a Garmin GPS.
• I mounted a connection to the battery charger on the battery.
• And then I hid a GPS tracker somewhere.

As for tires, it is again a compromise between mud, sand, gravel and asphalt. Price, grip, durability etc. I chose to put on the Mitas E-08. Which should be 80% country road, 20% off road. It works well on ordinary gravel roads. But not enough in sand and mud. Before the trip, I thought of switching to Mitas E-07, which will be 50/50 on / off road. But after testing these tires on another motorcycle, I want another front tire. So there will be an E-10 as front tire and E-08 as rear tire. When these wear out, I switch to whatever is available where I am. With a good pattern.

Test driving



I have driven it 7 000 km in 2019 and 6 500 km in 2020. Everything is well tested and works well. I am satisfied.
It is good enough and the rest of the budget is needed for other stuff and the trip itself.

Pictures of the modifications











































(And a small note: There are a lot of good bikes. Please do not list them here. Do it in "Which Bike" Thread.
Keep comments to this bike))

Looking forward to your updates !

Other Equipment
Camping Equipment
I am used to camping on my motorcycle tours. Most people in my generation have given up camping. And live in hotels. They have dinner and breakfast in the dining room. Except at biker meetings. But I live in a tent. And make my own coffee in the morning. I plan to camp a lot during this trip. Mainly at campsites, With access to toilet, shower, electricity and possibly cooking facilities. And sometimes take in a room.

I have various equipment that is suitable for weekend trips and shorter trips. But for a trip like this, I wanted better quality. In order not to be left with broken equipment, in the middle of the journey. So a proper tent is needed. Although it is not cheap. I expect the cost to be spread over many nights. Both for this tour and in the future. And using LPG kitchens does not work, as it is difficult to find LPG. So a multi fuel stowe was needed.

These are the most important parts

• Tent: Hilleberga Allak 3. Swedish quality product.
• Sleeping bag: Mammut Compact MTI 3-seasons
• Mattress: Therm-a-rest Trail King SV
• Stove: Primus Multi fuel

Riding Gear
When I go on day trips and on weekends, I often drive in leather clothes. And has a rain gear in the tank bag. Leather provides good protection. But gets cold when it's cold. And warm when it's hot. And if it gets wet, it takes a long time to dry. So it must be an all-weather stand of the Gore-Tex type.
I have Swedish Jofama jacket and trousers. Not particularly remarkable. But it is made for Nordic conditions. But that should be enough. The alternative is a large investment in Rukka equipment. But with a Rukka set, I would never need to buyt something again.

• Jacket and trousers: Jofama
• Helmet: Shoe Air GT
• Shoes: Handelsboden
• Gloves: Jofama
• Rain gear: Lelles MC

Typical Swedsih biker event. Where I use to go.
Simlar events happens every weekend during the whole summer



My new tent