Bike to Cuba?
 

Having a bit of a rethink about my trip later this year and Cuba is a recurring theme.

Has anyone taken their bike to Cuba by any means other than the Strahlette?

I read Mi Moto Fidel years ago and now I've got an airhead I could retrace his trip.

Any suggestions??

There are tour groups which arrange shipping bikes from (at least) Canada and Europe. I met some Danish folks on giant chrome machines while I was riding around myself on a lesser bike. They ship bikes by container. Probably Google will serve you well.

There are also a few well-known locals who cater casually and/or officially to riders. I'd go to the Lonely Planet (Thorntree) Cuba forum and start sifting and searching.

In the end, you can temporarily import any bike if you've got the time and patience. The process includes all sorts of weird little twists and turns, like rubbings of engine and chassis numbers, procuring local plates and license, etc. etc. etc. Cienfuegos and Havana seem to have the most experienced aduana personnel. One of those well-known locals told me it was a huge pain in the butt even for him. It took me almost a week in Cienfuegos, but could have been done faster (or slower).

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Importation and other stuff
 

I read Mi Moto Fidel a year and a half ago and recall Christopher Baker got his bike to Cuba on a sail boat from Florida. That voyage was "under the radar" as it were. For the moment, those steps will be hard to retrace, not impossible, but certainly not on an advertised schedule. Better luck finding a freight forwarder with experience shipping cargo into Cuba. Not sure of your itinerary, but Mexico or Canada would be good places to ship from. Motorcycles are classed as dangerous cargo, so be prepared to pay an extra fee and get turned down by companies that won't accommodate.

I have heard a story a couple of years ago of a boat leaving Florida on an unscheduled trip to Havana, without a registered plan. That particular sail boat ran into a reef or something as it approached Havana harbor. Be careful whose hands you put your life in.

The importation process in Santiago de Cuba went like this, initial importation paperwork at the dock/marina by aduana officials, then more paperwork in the city at the main aduana offices where a sticker added to the windshield. Next stop, the department of motor vehicle where crusty computer systems baffled the clerks. No doubt because they rarely import motorcycles. You will have to go to a bank and buy a 5 CUC stamp (blue in color.) Not to be confused with going to the post office and buying a 5 national peso stamp (red in color.) Getting the wrong stamp will waste a couple of hours. Ask me how I know. After sometime you will be issued a piece of paper that will act as your drivers license, TVIP and insurance. I never had the document translated, but that is what I was told. As a final step a license plate will be attached to your motorcycle. Its a red provisional plate. There are 7 or 8 different colors, such as black for diplomats and blue for ministry of the interior. On the back end of your trip the documents, plate and sticker must be turned at the department of motor vehicles, which pretty much consumes another half a day.

It takes a lot of time, energy, patience and money to ship, import and ship back. I imagine its a lot easier to take a tour. Fly in, get shown around the island by locals, no fuss, low stress. (PS: how is your spanish?) Chances are you will have a great time on a tour, even if it means leaving your motorcycle in storage in another country and flying to Cuba. There may be other tours, here is one:

[url=http://christopherpbaker.com/motorcycling-cuba]Christopher P Baker

Thanks Mark and Peter - I have a bunch of ideas about this trip as you have seen Peter.

If I go to Cuba I would stay the maximum allowed which is 60 days and immerse myself in the place. I'm not one for a 10 day whistle stop tour, and I reckon the cost of importing my own bike would be cheaper than a tour.

I'm waiting for replies from a couple of agencies for clarification - I'll let you know how things work out.

First, there are lots of private boats visiting Cuba. The Cubans don't care where the boats come from. While it remains technically illegal for an American boat (more specifically, for Americans themselves) to go there, it's apparent that at least some Americans and their boats certainly do. Boats owned by other nationalities are fairly plentiful, and they come from all directions--you can make whatever arrangements you please in whatever port you find them. On arrival, you'll certainly be met by immigration officials and customs inspectors.

Second, the Cienfuegos aduana, immigration and police are reasonably versed in temporary imports of motorbikes--due largely to the repeated Stahlratte visits. The Havana authorities are also accustomed, although from the sound of it they're so much larger and more byzantine that things are more difficult there. I don't know about the various other international ports of arrival, but it's clear that procedures exist and will be followed.

Third, Cuban bureaucracy is every bit the equal of what you find in, say, South Asia for complexity and obtuseness. If you're prepared for the slow pace, thoroughly unreasonable regulations, and power-mad lower-level functionaries, you'll do fine. If not fully prepared, you may go mad.

Last, miscellaneous FWIW: I never bothered to attach my plate to the bike. Why risk losing it to theft? Once freed of the import officials, I had a fun, carefree trip slaloming through horsecarts, pedestrians and old American cars all over the island. In cities, watch out for traffic cops; on the highways just try to keep your attention focused. Stay in casas particulares, not hotels. Bring Canadian dollars, not US. Etc. etc. etc. There's a lot of good information scattered among the nonsense on the LP site I mentioned above. It's all about to change radically, so try to get there sooner rather than later.

Oh, and I did talk to a few of the members of that Danish tour, as well as to their guide. The whole thing looked like a giant, obnoxious, hideously expensive cluster cluck. I'd rather ride the buses and hire cars than join one of those tours. Glad those weren't my only options.

All IMHO, of course. Hope that's helpful.

Mark