A small group of Texans wish to motorcycle to South America from Texas. We are at a starting point of information gathering. Can folks who have done this recommend on where to start are planning? Should we bypass Mexico? Ship our bikes to Panama? Hire a guide who speaks fluent Spanish and can work on our GS's? In effect, we want to do this trip and have outlayed about 3-5 months in 2013 to do this. We would like to go all the way to Tierra del Fuego, Punta Arenas and then ship bikes back from say Buenos Aires. All info is appreciated.
Regards,
Paul Violand
Austin, TX
tthousesaustin@gmail.com

I have lived in Mexico for over 30 years and don't think you should miss it. Although things are not as safe as they used to be it is unlikely anything bad will happen if you use common sense.
Shipping to Panama doesn't make a lot of sense as you will then have to ship again to South America.
How many people are in your group?
I think you should do it without a guide but if you all feel too nervous about it there are organized tours.
Good luck.

PS If you pay me enough I might be able to be your guide. I am fluent in Spanish and have travelled to a few places by motorcycle.

shipping to Panama will make no sens since you will need to then ship to south america , you can ride from Texas across Central america then south america or ship the bikes to Argentina and drive back home. As far as guide you do not really need one but speaking a bit of spanish will help , as far as bike I am a beleiver that you guys should know the basic maintenance .

At least you find the perfect site to start the prep .
PS go to the HUBB meets and you will learn a lot about prep.

Hendi

Come to the California HU Meeting in October! You'll pick up a ton of tips and inspiration.

And of course spend a lot of time reading the website, especially the Travellers Stories that have done that part of the world.

I'd ride all the way myself, but take more time to do it.

If you have a definite time limit, you first have to decide if you're out for a RIDE and you just want to GET THERE to say you've done it- OR you really want to see the places you're passing through and take your time.

If it's a ride and notch, then ride all the way - you can do it in a few weeks if you go hard! )

If you want to see things and meet people, then I'd ship to Bogota and ride from there - and take my time and stop along the way and really see the country and meet some great people. Mexico and Central America are wonderful, and I highly recommend them - but you can't do it all in 3-5 months and do any of it justice.

Either way is fine, but you - and all your buddies - need to be very clear on what kind of a ride they want - I've seen many groups break up part way along because they discover that everyone has a different idea of what the trip is all about and the pace they want to travel at.

BIG TIP: Everyone should be self-sufficient - no sharing tents / cooking gear / tools etc - and agree up front that you will split up and go alone or in two's or whatever at various times along the way and meet up down the road. Planning and agreeing to that in advance can keep old buddies buddies - not bitter enemies because of disagreement about travel style.

hope that helps!

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Grant Johnson
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I agree with everything both Grant and Garry say above. I loved Mexico and bush camped through Baja and Copper Canyon late last year before going 5* in Mexico City (Cheers Garry ). The three months I spent there wasn't long enough.

You'll pick up some Spanish along the way, just get the basics down before you leave...''Una cerveza por favor'' should do you just fine.

I'm sure I've read about shipping between Houston and Cartagena but I'm afraid I can't remember where. There's certainly a shipping route from Miami to Cartagena - just make sure your bike's title isn't in your wife's name if you want GastonUSA to help with the shipping

As for planning, there WAS a sticky at the top of this forum entitled 'Best roads in South America'. Grant says he's going to reinstate it but don't hold your breath (eh Grant!!!)

Anyway, highlight those recommended roads on your maps and try to link as many together as you can. I've ridden most of them and you'll be in for an AWESOME time.

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It would be a shame to skip Mexico. It's a wonderful country with an incredible variety of people, landscapes, climactic zones and roads. If you're considering skipping it due to US media hype, suffice it to say that the US media is famous for sensationalizing events in a manner not as often encountered with the media of other countries. The problems in Mexico are real but they are blown way out of proportion and they're very unlikely to affect tourists and travellers, unless they happen to be very unlucky. My experience in Mexico a bit over a year ago was 100% positive.

Central America has many lovely places and people to visit. The border crossings are a bit of a pain in the ass but I did them all without any help on my solo trip in the spring of 2010. In fact I had to cross most of them twice since it was a return trip to Panama from Victoria, BC ...I speak passable Spanish. You could simply hire a "helper" at the border crossings (except Mexico which is very modern and corruption free). Just make sure you agree on a price beforehand and make sure they understand that not one penny more will be paid. Also do not give them your documents, have them guide you through while you follow them around. Most are honest but it only takes one dishonest one in possession of your papers and you'll soon find yourself paying exorbitant "fees" to get the papers back. If you search my posts you'll find one about all the borders I crossed and approximately what the costs were in 2010.

Do pick up some Spanish since it will be very helpful along the way. I'm not a fan of "guides" but everyone has their own comfort level. A guide is truly not necessary in Central America or Mexico. There are plenty of travellers with no knowledge of Spanish who've done the trip without too many problems. Just remember that you're in someone else's backyard and the rules are different. Politeness, respect, lots of smiles and even more patience should get you through if you leave our North American sense of entitlement and superiority at home.

3 to 5 months seems skimpy to ride all the way. The only reason I can see to ship to Colombia or somewhere in South America would be to be able to spend lots of time exploring rather than racing through. But Mexico and Central America are lovely and filled with wonderful people and places.

Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

This post is right on the money. With the limited amount of time you have, ship to Bogota and go from there. South America is a huge freaking continent with so much to see. Take your time and see things instead of just blasting through.

I spent over a year in South America alone, visited every country including the Guianas, and it still was not enough time. I will go back in the future.

Sure Mexico and Central America are nice, but you guys being from Texas can do that trip quite easily any time you want with minimal expense and really explore Mexico on another trip instead of blasting through there as well to get to SA.

All the really good stuff starts in SA and I would highly recommend to spend the entire 3 to 5 months there. You will still wish you had more time in SA at the end of 5 months. Stay off the Pan American, stay on the back roads routes, explore and really get to see the people and experience the awesome Latin culture of South America. Its a gigantic continent so you will for sure see many amazing things and not get bored, I promise that.

Its also good advice to be prepared to split up along the way. I rode over 2 years solo and couldnt imagine doing it any other way. Everyone is different and those differences will take a toll on the group at some point. Get it out up front to make sure you are still buddies in the end if you split up mid-trip, because it is very likely that you will split up at some point.

No need to hire a guide. You can do this on your own. Start now with some Rosetta Stone Spanish an hour a day for some months, and get the basics down. That little bit of Spanish knowledge will be extremely valuable and is by far the best and most important prep you can do for your trip.

Research blogs here and ride reports on adv to get a rough idea of what you absolutely must see/ride and make a rough, very rough, route plan. That way nothing is set in stone and you can improvise the route when you get down there. That's the only way to fly IMO.

mi dos centavos.

Suerte, Vince

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