Hey guys and girls, I am planning a year long trip around Central and South America but I am trying to find out the logistics involved in using a motorbike registered in Australia.
Im hoping someone that has rode their australian registered bike over central/south america can give me a heads up on what specific paper work is required for the entry/exits of different countries.

1) Does the bike need to be re registered over south america or would the current australian registration be ok.
2) What specific paper work is required to travel legally …not a big fan of paying bribes every day
3) Was it possible to have the bike insured against theft/damage etc.
4) What shipping company would you recommend

Thanks in advance for any experiences on this matter.

1) Aus (state) rego is all you need. Most countries will give your bike up to 90 days to be in the country Temporarily. Some much less.
2) Registration paper from your state. Usual procedure at the border is to present this to the customs officer and you will get a temporary permit for your bike to enter that country.
3) Apparently yes but expensive. I don't know first hand.
4) Bikes abroad.

For South America at least, I can say it is honestly very easy and without incident if the bike is yours and registered to yourself. I suggest speaking a bit of Spanish will help - are you doing lessons or can you speak a bit already? Start ASAP. This will make the trip even better.

+1 for what Snatchy said. Very easy to travel with Aussie bikes and getting TIPs were easy, easier once the Spanish language was mastered.

However, I WOULD NOT recommend Bikes Abroad. My experience with them was one of frustration, delay and untruthfulness. IMO stay well clear. I would also say that flying the bike is better than shipping, I know that is what snatchy did.

All the best.

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Mark and Carlie - a three year jaunt around the third rock.
www.rtwbymotorbike.blogspot.com.au

+2 for what Snatchy said. I air freighted Brisbane to LA in Feb this year and recommend them
From Brisbane, Australia to Los Angeles, USA - February, 2014 | Horizons Unlimited

Forget about insuring your bike. Self-Insured is the word I use. World Nomads have good travel insurance for Aussies. When looking at off-road vs on-road riding, On-road includes dirt roads between towns if they are maintained by govt/council, even if they are crap.

I don't speak Spanish (yet) but have had no problems. They are more interested in the bike and that you are visiting their countries from Australia. Just do your homework on what is required. A good site is Visa requirements for Australian citizens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for your visa and lots of info on WikiOverland, the encyclopedia of Overland travel for your bike.

PN

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Thanks for all the helpful replies. A year ago I was going to ship my Western Australian registered bike ( Husky TE 610 ) from Perth to Chile but that was going to cost approx $ 3500 return. Does that sound about right?

What was the cost for flying the bike over Snatchy ? Is the scenario the same in the states if I was to fly the bike over there and ride it down to south america ( i.e. temporary permit for the bike ).

I was also wondering if anyone had any issues with bike theft over there. Would a new bike be more likely to be stolen than if I had an old bike over there?

The plan is to spend a month somewhere learning Spanish to make my life easier and also to allow me to interact with locals a lot more.

Thanks again for all your replies, much appreciated.

I paid about $2200 to fly a crate from SYD to Santiago in early February. DR650 in a small (1.35m cubed) crate that the bike comes in new from the dealer. Need to take off front wheel, fender, handlebars and right rack to fit. Air freight is mostly about volume so get the smallest crate you can if you want it cheaper. Time of year has some influence on cost apparently. I am sure you can guess when is more expensive.

$3500 return sounds cheap. Did it include destination charges?

The way I see it is; Bike theft, whether a new 1200gs or a cheaper old dunger, will have a large effect on your holiday so I suggest you just don't leave it anywhere unsafe if at all possible and make security of the bike a priority. I found this to be achievable. Insurance is another story... but not that useful if you have your trip of a lifetime cut short but a small portion of the cost returned to you IF they pay out. I am not sure what type of bike is more likely to be stolen - probably one similar to what the locals use since they can use it and blend in, or sell bits for parts.

There is a lot of info available in the Hubb and ADVrider archives if you search for TIP etc. for each country. Generally every question you can think of has been asked and answered before - just need to find it and sometimes it is in ride reports/blogs.

Stopping somewhere to learn Spanish is a great idea but I would still recommend starting now as much as you can. Podcasts etc..

Smicko80 before you commit to any local "deals" I can only suggest you contact Martina and Enzo at Villa Kunterbunt, Valparaiso (search this site) who appear keen to enter the Pacific trade. You might be surprised...
And if you are shipping your bike, you will need an agent with nouse in the port of Valparaiso

South American countries (and other countries too) won't care about what Australian state it is registered in. As long as it is registered.

The differing rules between states for the overseas traveler boil down to the yearly inspections - if they have them then you have to deal with it. I rang the NSW people and they said they'd deal with it this way - you get a local inspection by someone who is recognized in some way, preferably they do the same kind of thing there. I'd take a copy of the last local inspection with me to show them what is done, you don't want to have to meet the local regs as they could differ from ours, you want road worthy not quite the same thing. But you should ring your state people to see what they say.

Matey, We used Enzo and Martina (Villa Kunterbunt) to clear our bikes in Valpairaso. Great. I use Stewart Garmey from Tradelanes Global Solutions in Australia. Helpful and honest.We shipped, but it is worthwile getting a quote to fly them.
We had insurance, although no one ever asked for it. I usually don't use it and will not again. Columbia insisted we purchase insurance. We didn't bother.
You may occasionally be asked for the original purchase receipt for your bike, they also prefer original registration papers.
A good disk lock and cable are a worthy investment. We never left our bikes outside. If hotels don't have parking, they will usually let you park them in the building.
We used the bike friendly hotels section of Horizons all the time. Excellent.
My Blog might have some helpful information: BMW Motorcycle Tours, Trips and Gear

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Chris

thanks again for the helpful info guys…I've been keeping my eye on a few KTM 690 Enduro''s that are fully setup with long range tanks/fairings etc…

Keep the info coming, always appreciated

Mick