You can buy travellers used bikes who are already fitted for travelling at a fraction of this cost, and sell it when you are done to another traveller. For the paperwork, you need to get to an escribano with the seller who will allow you to ride the bike wherever needed if the bike is not from your country, or make the sale at home if it is.
You can also buy two local chinese bikes in most south american countries for a fraction of the price of a japanese bike if you are travelling by two (around 1500 dollars for a new chinese 250cc trail bike in Bolivia) and sell it back when you are done.
If you choose to send your bike, you can share a container with a car and pay the transport fee on the volume taken (i paid 200 Euros 4 years ago). You will have port fees once arrived, the best destination not being Argentina, cost and complexity wise.
Lots of options depending on your budget and tastes. Remember as well that in countries with high inflation, vehicles actually GAIN value in local currency, and the difference between new and used vehicles is fairly low, since local people prefer to save their cash in durable goods rather than in cash they dont trust.
my two centavos...
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