patagonia chili perou andes mountains - end of 2005 : need i

[vincent danna]

Hello,
I want to go to patagonia this winter (dec 05 – jan 06) and also peru chili to drive in the andes mountains in one month +/-.
I have French passport (I don t think it will be difficult to get visas). + French and international driving license.

Is the planning good with the weather over there ?
Is it too short to do those 3 countries/areas ?

For so short time and money also, I m not flying with my bike.
Therefore, what would be the "best" bike to choose to ride overthere ? I was thinking about getting a local bike, like a 125 cc coursier/messenger bike for example (easy to fix anywhere, I won t have much time to wait for spare parts !), maybe something like Honda xr250, Suzuki dr350, bigger (?). What s the most popular bike overthere at which price (for a "ok" second hand) ?

Shall I rent or buy (and then sell before I leave or just leave it there for other people after me) ? budget reasons and also paperwork reasons (see under)

If I rent or buy (will I have enough time to register it properly with my name on it ? I don t think so!), would it be a problem to cross the borders ?

What shouldn t I miss on the way ? people, landscape etc ... ? avoid anything ?

What could be a problem on the way ? fuel, road conditions, safety, weather, etc ...

Thanx a lot in advance, sorry, I ve been lazy, I haven searched much for the moment, compared to other posts :-)

Happy trails

[vincent danna]

Hello,

thanx to the argentina chile peru hubb communities for their nice answers.

My main problem is getting a "ok" second hand bike, my budget is around 500 usd : I m thinking about a local 125cc Honda Hero or cg. But if I can find a bigger bike for my budget, why not ? or get a "buy back" deal with someone on a bike ?

According to your information, if I buy a local bike in Argentina, I can t export it to neighbour countries within one year, so I ll be stuck in argentina.
Santiago Chile seems the best place to buy a bike. I m not too sure about the regulations there : registration, ownership, documents, possibility or not to export it to neighbour countries ? same with Lima Peru, although the bikes choice in Peru seems smaller.

Please if you can confirm and add info.

I may also reduce my plans for a total 30 days around trip (due to my business holidays, i can t stay more) : only visit 1-2 regions/countries, among Argentina, Chile, Peru, maybe even Bolivia (start in Santiago, go La Paz then Lima (?) for example). I m attracted by andes mountains, driving high, but also Patagonia : due to distances, it may not be compatible.

cheers