Hey guys,

As the name suggests, I'll be spending the next year in South America traveling extensively. I now have the opportunity to buy a 250cc motorcycle here (in Peru), and the idea sounds amazing to me. I can't think of a more intimate way to connect with the people and the land. The thing is, I've never even ridden one before - am I way over my head?

In general, I'm a very defensive driver when I drive a car, but I understand that a motorcycle is totally different. I'm definitely willing to take things slowly at first, and I am also definitely aware of the risks involved. What do you guys think?

Beg, borrow or steal a 125cc motocross bike & go learn on the dirt first.

1, You will learn how to fall off correctly, or safer.

2. You will learn balance, brake & clutch control.

3. You will learn how fit you are going to need to be & how unfit your are now.

Try doing some small jumps, again its all about balance and getting confident on a bike.

Mezo.

Motocross training is great but I think our guy is ALEADY there, yes? Bit late for doing motocross and with a first timer I'd not jump straight on a Moto bike ... too early. Got to learn basics FIRST. (I taught many kids to ride and taught old guys to ride off road) Riding round S. America is not a Motocross race anyway ... about 70% paved roads and passable all weather dirt roads. Not really that tough unless you go LOOKING for trouble following Cow Trails (Llama trails?)

Can you ride a bicycle? Are you in decent shape? Decent balance? Good, then you can ride a 250. Get a GOOD ONE.
Enduro style preferable for travel.

City Traffic will be biggest challenge/danger (in a car as well). So your defensive driving (riding) skills will pay huge dividends. You get no 2nd chances on a bike. One good shot ... your dead or ruined. As long as you know that fact. Equipment helps but won't always save you. Boots, helmet, gloves at a minimum. RAIN GEAR!

Get the bike then get out and practice some basic moves. A must do.
1. emergency braking. Braking should be 2nd nature, something you don't have to think about. Use BOTH brakes together ... but the front is the important one for stopping fast. Go light on the rear on paved roads and don't use it in the wet.

2. learn to swerve and avoid rather than locking up brakes and sliding into a car or obstacle. Remember! On a bike you WILL GO WHERE YOU LOOK!
So ... LOOK around the obstacle DO NOT target fixate on it like MOST do.
Look for a path around the obstacle. This can save your life.

3. Learn to start and shift the bike properly. Do NOT abuse the clutch.
4. Learn to and get comfortable with leaning the bike WAY over in a corner. Once again LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO ... and you will go there! Do not be afraid to LEAN the bike over ... way further than you feel comfortable with.
Look through and around the corner, look towards the exit of the corner. Always maintain proper tire pressure. Very important on a motorcycle!!!

5. Learn the limits of your low powered bike. DO NOT make stupid passes. This can be a dangerous game. So start nice and easy until you really learn the bike and develop some skills. Skills will save your life.

6. Learn the limits of the bike, learn what it can do and what it won't do. Ride within your and the bikes limits. Push yourself to PRACTICE the basics outlined above. You may survive.

All good stuff as above, but seriously, no you are not mad or crazy or over your head, embrace the idea and do it the right way. Find a good training school and take some lessons. Most of us here have many years practice, and we do what we know best for the situations that we get into. Your style of riding and what you want to do, may be entirely different from what we do and where we go. It's worth investing serious time and money in getting the basics right, you will enjoy the future a whole lot more and be a lot safer when you are completely at ease in the saddle.

Good luck, and go for it!

__________________
-''It is better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction''. ( Herman Siu)
-'' Live life then give life '' (www.lltgl.org.uk)

Do you intend to pass a test? Without a licence to ride a motorcycle any insurances to have will be invalid which will be bad news for yourself and anyone you injure.

The OP is in Peru' NOW. Test? You worry too much.
Have you ridden or driven throughout S. America? Any license will do, mostly what authorities want to see is your passport. They don't care about licenses. But a car license is fine, valid for car or bike in most places.

Insurance is a good idea and often required upon entry to most countries. So if it's issued to you, it's valid regardless of license status ... which they can't check or decipher in any case.

Already where? he said "I've never even ridden one before" so the quickest way of gaining all the skills are moto-x, simples.

Mezo.

One thing that takes some getting used to in Bolivia is that no one in a car thinks a motorcycle deserves a full lane. They WILL pass you on the left and right oncoming traffic or no. Oncoming traffic will go into your lane to pass fully expecting you to move over). On the plus side of things, we don't pay tolls on toll roads, and no one expects us to stay in line for redlights (centerlining/shouldering/passing to the front of the line seems to be generally acceptable).

Cant speak for Peru, but in Bolivia a motorcycle specific license is required. It requires a written and riding test (but there are ways and there are ways). You also have to have insurance (SOAT). riding around without these two things would get pricey as you will encounter police checkpoints ... some mobile and some fixed.

Are you crazy? I don't think so. Are you taking a higher normal level of risk? absolutely. Mitigate your risk as much as possible. Learning to ride and gaining experience first on a dirt bike in the country is a great idea. If you have to learn in an urban area, do your learning early weekend mornings when all the drunks are passed out and traffic has not picked up yet.

I assume you've driven a car in Peru for awhile?

I passed my test in the uk and flew out and bought a 250 enduro in Chile. That was two years ago! Now back out here for second trip - my 250 has nearly 35,000k on her. Just learn as you go along. If I can do it anyone can!


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This is my first post here, I'm new to the HUBB but have been around bikes for a few years.
Some points.
Most countries will want to see a bike license
Some will want to see the insurance

and Y in SA, don't believe all you read, check and then check again.


"I passed my test in the uk and flew out and bought a 250 enduro in Chile. That was two years ago! Now back out here for second trip - my 250 has nearly 35,000k on her. Just learn as you go along. If I can do it anyone can! "

this poster, as far as I can see in his past posts, crashed in the first week?
was taken to hospital unconscious, (found by miners thrown on the roadside), broke his bike and is very lucky to still enjoy bikes.

Get someone to teach you.......

To be fair, RTW seems to be the perfect candidate to buddy up with for the initial part of your travels

I noted the same incongruence. Seems odd to be so encouraging of new riders just a year or two after some miners happened along " who probably saved my life." Of course it's also true that lots of people crash, including many with plenty of experience.

Some of the posts in this thread strike me as excessively casual about the actual risks involved in learning to ride and the steep learning curve which most of us have left far behind. But the OP sounds like he's got his feet solidly on the ground.

Mark

Yeah wow interesting find Churchill. Good news is, Toby Shannon of Around the Block Moto Adventures in Peru is going to help me get rolling comfortably and safely. I also have plenty of time to spend here in SA (nearly 7 months), so I'm in absolutely no rush. I will be taking things VERY slowly at first, constantly honing my skills.

I did crash but had already been riding for six months on a range of different roads in Chile. Not sure if that makes any difference. All it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration and some bad luck. Solo rides across continents are inherently dangerous and skirt disaster, that's why they're adventures. To be fair I had relevant insurance, proper riding gear and helmet, full UK license and planned to have six months getting used to roads and bike (even learning Spanish) - not sure how much more I could have done given the circumstances. I have a totally differing approach to off-road riding now but everyone has to start somewhere and make those initial mistakes which teach us to become better riders.

Whoever said 70% of the roads in South America are paved is not riding in the same South America I am (Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru). Nevertheless, I think your biggest risks will be the cities, e.g. Lima. You need to be able to ride, break, swerve, accelerate automatically without thinking, in anticipation of some nutter pulling in front of you, reversing up a highway, going the wrong way up a one way street etc. If I were you I'd get plenty of practice somewhere quiet.

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