Hello,

Three of us heading to South America in late January for a 3+ month motorbike trip, hoping to hit north of Chile/Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

We would prefer to start in Buenos Aires, but it appears purchasing bikes will be much more difficult there for foreigners (and more expensive?) than if we were to start out in Santiago.

Is there a massive difference? Any advice on contacts/websites for bikes in Buenos Aires? Should we consider other options (e.g. Uruguay) for purchasing bikes?

Thanks for responses.
Will

Hey will. I'm in Argentina now and am about to do a 1 year ride around south America. I was going to buy a motorbike here but found they are way cheaper in the uk including the costs to fly it in.. I hear it is also easier to cross borders with a foreign bike.. I guess I'll find that out soon.
Hope that helps .. I'm staying with an Argentinan family in Buenos Aires before I start the ride so if you need anything let me know

Will,
If you would like to know how to purchase a new or used motorcycle in Argentina,
simply go to our web site - advertised on the HUBB - www.Xfiltrate.com - Professional Motorcycle Parking
and click on "Buying a Motorcycle in Argentina." All information is free - in English and in Spanish....

Costs of new bikes in Argentina are dependent upon whether you buy an "imported" (BMW etc) new bike or one that was manufactured/assembled in a Mercosur country. The best deals are available by purchasing a new Honda manufactured in Brazil by Honda. These would include NX400 Falcon and XR250 Tornado. Photos of these bikes are on our web site.

Buying a Honda manufactured in Brazil assures you will not have problems sourcing parts or accessories. Parts for "imported" bikes such as BMW are very expensive and remember it is illegal to have second hand motorcycle parts shipped into Argentina. They will be confiscated by customs.

There is a down side. As a foreign tourist it is easy and legal to purchase a new or used motorcycle in Argentina, unless you co-own that motorcycle with an Argentine or a permanent foreign resident of Argentina, it is illegal for you to ride that motorcycle out of Argentina. If you have a co-owner as explained, the co-owner can cross the bike out of Argentina and after that you will have no problems with other South American borders and you will have no problem reentering the bike into Argentina.

Crossing into Uruguay with your co-owner via the ferry is an easy option. Then you can go to Brazil- traveling through Brazil to another country is quite a trip. If you want to travel other SA countries it will be easier for you and your co-owner to exit Argentina into Bolivia or Chile.

Hope this helps. See our ad at "Travelers Advisory". Please ask questions here.

xfiltrate, Eat, Drink, and Buy Insurance

PS many who have posted here and on AVRider wonder why Argentina and most other Mercosur countries prohibit tourists from exiting the country with vehicles legally purchased in country. The answer is simple. The reason is to protect the vehicle dealers in more expensive countries from losing business to the vehicle dealers in less expensive countries. This is a mutual Mercosur agreement, some countries do prosecute or confiscate, others less so. And, there is the complicated issue of nationalizing a foreign registered bike in a South American country. There are very strict rules and heavy import duties equaling about 75% of whatever value customs declares the bike is worth.
For example, I nationalized a foreign registered motorcycle in Argentina and paid 3X the actual US value of the bike to customs. First I had to be a permanent foreign resident - this took three years of documented residency in Argentina , MANY Interpol checks, health checks, and financial checks to make sure I had the required monthly income - from abroad.... and thousands of dollars in fees. Then, and only then I was permitted to nationalize one vehicle within 6 months of the finalization of my permanent resident status. This process of nationalizing my motorcyle took 3 additional months after the three years required to obtain my permanent foreign residence status in Argentina.

Will, Peru is the best for easy purchase and flexible border crossings. PM me for the details.

Toby

Thanks for your response. We only plan to be in Argentina for 10-20% of our bike trip, so we definitely need to take bikes out of country. Good to see that not much has changed compared to older posts we read. So we will start elsewhere. Cheers.

Cheers. Messaging you.