Santiago to Rio via Patagonia: possible in 4 weeks?
 

Hi all - my name is Jake and I'm planning on spending 5 or 6 months on a motorcycle tour of South America, mostly in Brazil. I am planning on leaving in late november, and I need to be in rio january 6th for a Portuguese intensive. From what I have read, it is very difficult to buy a bike in Brazil, so I was planning on flying into Santiago and buying a bike, then driving it down the pan-american highway to tierra del fuego, winding my way back up through Argentina to Buenos Aires, and then hustling to Rio.
A few questions:
Is this doable in this time frame? It is about 9,000 km I think. Is there a shorter route that you would recommend that would allow me to spend some time in Patagonia before heading north?

Bike: I was planning on getting a KLR. Do you think its possible/practical to do this on a smaller bike?

Any advice is much appreciated!

paperwork
 

I suspect you will spend more time buying the bike and getting all the paperwork, then you hope.

How much time would you budget for getting the bike? Any shorter routes from Santiago to rio that you would recommend?

Thanks!

Buying a Bike in Chile , it takes around 10+ days to have the papers and registration ready to go.
Buying a decent stock KLR 650 , 2nd gen 2008- 2009 is about $6,000 , old gen perhaps in the $3,000-$4000.
Bikes are not cheap in Chile and not everywhere else in S.A.
I know what I am talking about, I was there this year.

Contact info@samericaxplorer.net They are offering their well equipped bikes in Chile (KLR-650) or nearby country for about 1.5- 2 or 3 months on a monthly basis rental, not expensive compare with buying.
The (2)bikes are coming from the U.S. on temporary basis and the ride must be done with them as friendly open group . Of course you propose are the one to propose the itinerary . They do recommend the best routes.