I have a motorcycle in Colombia.

My advice is to avoid Medellin like the plague on your motorcycle. Medellin loves trying to rip off foreigners anyway they can. Pretty sure it is the only city in Colombia where traffic cameras are used extensively.

Thousands and thousands of curves because it is mostly mountainous terrain in Colombia. For Colombia, you do not need a 650 cc. You would be fine with a 200 or 300 cc motorcycle. Motorcycles are expensive to rent or buy in Colombia. It is the same deal with cars.

In the coffee region there seems to be pretty lax police enforcement for traffic rules and speeding.

I have never had a problem with the police in Colombia when riding my motorcycle. Listening to stories from Colombians it sounds like there are some corrupt Colombian police officers. It is always hard to dissect the actual truth. If I had to guess, the police pulled over a lot of Colombians for actual offenses, (no helmet), (registration out of lapse), (too many people on a motorcycle) and than the person had to bribe their way out of the fine. Colombian police officers have always struck me as having way more honesty and integrity than Peruvian and Argentinian police officers.

My opinion with motorcycle riding in Colombia, is you have way more safety risk taking a corner in the mountains too fast than having an issue with the police.

In terms of bike security when you are on a hike. You want to pay someone a few pesos to watch your bikes. Leaving soft luggage on the bike seems extremely risky to me. Better to have aluminum locking luggage or leave your soft luggage in the hotel.

It is risky to pass people in the mountains. Colombian drivers are annoying because they do not value life and being alive as much as they should. For whatever reason, all Colombians with a vehicle turn into "Juan Pablo Montoya" once they start their engine. They are all tranquilo about everyday life until they step into their cars (which are a status symbol). Colombians have lots of paitience until they step into their cars. Pedestrians are second class citizens. The bigger truck wins is the law of the land.

In the cities lane splitting is the norm. You always need to be watching your mirrors in the cities or you will probably have an accident because of a motorcycle behind you attempting to pass you.

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http://www.journeyrider.net Latin America blog (07-8)