Biking in Colombia
 

The speed limits in Colombia are 40 km/h (25 mph) in built up areas, 60 km/h (37 mph) outside built up areas, 80 km/h (50 mph) and very occassionaly 90 km/h (56 mph)

All of the road signs for the main roads are Green with White writing. The Toll roads are indicated on these Green and White signs with the word AUTOVIA. The local road signs are Blue with White writing.

The roads in Colombia are generally very good but there are stretches where the odd large pothole appears now and again so it is best always to ride with caution as some of the potholes are deep enough to swallow the front wheel of a bike.

The Autovias are free for bikes and at each toll station there is a small lane to the nearside of the barriers that is for bikes to bypass the toll station for free.

Petrol at the time of writing was between 0.70 to 0.90 US Dollars per litre and it is sold in US Gallons.

There are occassional police checkpoints on the main road and there are plenty of signs saying that automatic speed detection systems are in use but I never saw one. I never saw a police speed trap anywhere.

There appears to be a mandatory helmet law in Colombia but no-one seems to bother about it and the police do not enforce it as lots and lots of people ride without a helemet and the police do nothing.

There also appears to be no law prohibiting the use of blue and red flashing lights on non emergency vehicles as many cars, buses and bikes used them. Because of this a vehicle using such lights may at first glance look as if it is the police but I have never seen an unmarked police vehicle in all of my time in Colombia.

Police vehicles in Colombia are white coloured with green stripes, police motorcycles are lime green coloured and all police veihicles and bikes have POLICIA marked on then and the drivers and riders are ALWAYS wearing police uniforms.

To buy a SIM card for a mobile phone you need to go to any mobile phone shop but you are not required to produce any form of identification to buy the SIM card. When I did this the cost was around 8 US Dollars for 30 days of unlimited internet.

There are laws...
 

Just that locals don't really adhere to them due to the years of neglect from the government in rural areas. In the last year alone, I paid over $250 USD (yes that is for 2 infractions if you must know) in fines that were automatically generated.

That is for the city of Medellin. It seems the aduanas now also track the fines if you want to export the bikes. I think if it is foreign registered it will be hard, but would not be surprised. You are warned about them on your cellphone, but it is best to check online (Simit https://www3.simit.org.co/Simit/indexA.jsp) . Please note this site will be offline about 1/2 the time which is normal.

Either way, if you were to be stopped at the border you can just go to the bank and get it settled.

So yes Colombia is a country with laws that recently they have started to actually follow, but in general as soon as you are off the main track I would not worry about it too much. Most cameras are for security and you can find maps online with the speeding cameras or have WAZE open on your cellphone...easy does it.

multas
 

yes Waze is the way to go
Its only in rural areas you see the locals without helmets
The transit police are looking for bandits in cities and out side also
Colombia wants to clean up the lawless on the roads and the cops set traps all the time especially on a strait stretch with double solid lines on a hill , they park at the top of a hill and will bust you if you pass any vehicles,
its pretty dam tempting especially when you see a lot of vehicles in front of you that are usually following a very slow truck. I have been caught passing on a double solid line. The traffic fines are steep in Colombia but its not the fine its the humiliation they put you through,
it takes all day to pay a fine for a infraction, you have to take a drivers safety course also, and lord help you if your bike was impounded like mine for a Pico-Placa infraction, Yes you have to take a safety course for driving on a day that happened to be unlawful to drive .
Every motorist in large cities has to take a day off once a week in Colombia And if your bike is Colombian plated you should google what days you can drive
The transit police have road blocks and will impound your bike if your caught Let the grief begin
Oh the cops drive there bikes and vehicles all the time with there blue and red lights flashing; so don't be alarmed if the pull up behind you, because they passing you. I have pulled out and passed cops with lights flashing.
the cop driver don't follow the rules of the road, they are like a normal vehicle but have flashing lights and Policia National all over there vehicle
I once tried to follow a couple of Highway cops on 650 Vstroms and no way could I catch them these guys were fast and know the roads. they are your best friends Always Wave because there job is to secure a accident scene especially after a deadly crash involving death
Giving them stickers at there Posts will win great respect and you will be in the biker community of the highest authority in Colombia
It works for me and I always stop for coffee at there posts. they all know me.
After 85000 km biking in Colombia The Highway cops have my complete respect and they will get me out of a Bind, Now that's a Brother

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.

JPM
 

Juan Pablo yes is the fastest driver ever being a Colombian National
But he has proved time and time that he is the worst driver , example Nascar Daytona yellow flag, the track was wet and he slammed into a jet dryer that was mounted to a truck, All hell broke loose and the truck caught fire and was pouring jet fuel on the track and burning. the officials had to shut down the race and resurface the damage. Yes Colombian drivers can be a pain in the ass

bike in Colombia
 

been here since 2016. bought a bike in2017. have travelled a lot been there done that and never get bored or sick of it no matter how many deaths I see on the road. and I have seen plenty. Colombia is a sketchy country WTF or I can't believe how cool it is

Riding in Colombia on May 12, 2013 (it was Mother's Day), I saw cops, riders, and a lot of motorcycles on a flatbed truck. The bikes were being impounded. For lack of insurance, outstanding tickets, or out-of-date paperwork? I don't know.