Hi I am travelling down to Argentina/Chile on a US registered KLR650 and was hoping to sell it in Argentina or Chile before returning home. I am a bit alarmed by what I have been reading about buying a bike in Argentina but does this only applyto Argentinian registred bikes?

How easy will it be to sell my bike down there?
What is the precedure for transfereing the tittle if it's US registered?
In the Central American countries there is such a high import tax you couldn't even give the bike away what about Argentina/Chile?

Thanks in advance Baz

Bazmataz, great question?

You might be able to sell your US registered bike in Argentina, but to do it legally it will be as costly and as difficult, or much more difficult, than doing it in Central America. I do not recommend trying to sell a foreign registered bike in Argentina.

If a foreign tourist purchases an Argentine registered bike in Argentina, the current law might be interpreted as making it illegal for the foreign tourist owner to leave Argentina with his/her Argentine registered bike.

Entering Argentina with a foreign registered bike is not problem, you have up to 8 months (if requested at border upon entering) for your *bike to be in Argentina legally, before having to exit. Upon exit you can reenter Argentina a ask for an additional 8 months in country.

For a new buyer to exit Argentina with a foreign registered bike might be very problematic.

*Don't forget, a tourist visa is issued for 3 months only, so you will need to extend your tourist visa if staying longer than 3 months. Keep us posted ... especially if you discover where to sell as foreign registered bike in South America? xfiltrate

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Motorcycle Parking Buenos Aires, Argentina
www.xfiltrate.com
Discover how to legally Buy, Tour and Sell a motorcycle in Argentina

lots of guys are flying into buenos aires looking for a bike ,either do the title transfer from the usa (harder) or get creative with a scanner and color copier eg scan it in change the name, copy it in colour and you have a title in there name this will keep any border guy more than happy ,then while they are riding north back to the states the real title transfer can take place well before they reach mexico,get it shipped to a DHL office in mexico and all's sweet for when they hit the border try selling on here or flea market in advrider

Thecanoeguy, there are foreign Tourists in Argentina who would like to purchase used motorcycles. This is true, but I have a couple questions regarding your plan that might enable one foreign tourist to sell a bike to another foreign tourist in Argentina, and then the foreign tourist (buyer) would be able to exit Argentina and ride to Mexico and the States.

Your answers are greatly appreciated, I do not recommend falsifying any official documents and please answer the following questions.

OK, I understand that you recommend falsifying the Title of the Foreign registered motorcycle by copying the name of the foreign tourist (buyer) onto the title after removing the foreign tourists (seller) name.

1. How do you falsify the Temporary Import Permit for the motorcycle. The foreign tourist seller's name is on this important document and it must be presented upon exiting Argentina. Not only is the owners name on the document, but there is also an identification number on the Temporary Import Permit... and this is checked by computer at almost all borders...and by the police at check points..... The name and the number must match, or the bike will be impounded. What do you recommend?

2. If the bike is registered in the USA, the majority of States, all but 3 or 4 demand the seller and the buyer be physically present at a motor vehicles dept in the State and both must provide legal identification for the title transfer to take place. What do you recommend?

3. If the motorcycle enters Mexico in the name of the buyer, with the falsified title, the bike will have to exit Mexico and be stamped out in the buyers name, obviously, the bike cannot enter the States with a false title as a computer check at the border will alert border officials to the *scam.

*even if a legal transfer is effected in the states or another country... and the new legal title is DHL to the buyer in Mexico, the title number will be different from the falsified title and the buyer, exiting Mexico on the falsified title, might have big, big problems entering the States on a title with a different title number.

Please advise. thanks xfiltrate

IMPORTANT DATA

EDITED NOTE: I knew I was forgetting one more question. I assume the foreign tourist buyer will purchase insurance by presenting the falsified title with his/her name on it? This would enable the foreign tourist buyer to have an insurance card to present to police, if asked. But, if an accident occurred or there was bodily injury caused by the foreign tourist buyer, the title would be checked/verified very carefully by attorneys working for the insurance company and possibly by attorneys working for the injured party.

Once it was discovered that the title had been falsified, and a check of the vin # of the bike revealed that the bike was still owned by the foreign tourist (seller), then any liability caused by the foreign tourist (buyer) would also fall on the foreign tourist (seller). And, the foreign tourist (seller) insurance might have expired or been cancelled.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS, ONCE THE INSURANCE COMPANY DISCOVERS THE TITLE HAD BEEN FALSIFIED, THE INSURANCE IS INVALID AND THEREFORE, THE FOREIGN TOURIST (BUYER) WILL BE RIDING AT GREAT RISK WITH ABSOLUTELY NO REAL/ VALID INSURANCE COVERAGE.

4. Please advise how to handle the insurance problem?

If anyone needs to be convinced that insurance is an absolute necessity while riding in Mexico Central or South America, please read my post POST TO LUNAPIX COPIED BELOW:

"Hi Lunapix, it is true you might not be asked to prove you have insurance unless you have an accident.

But, I have lived in Mexico for 3 years and as recently as a couple years ago rode through Mexico. Sit down, my boy, and let me explain the facts of life.

If you are involved in an accident with substantial property damage or any injury that requires hospitalization, here are some facts to consider.

The Mexican police, on the streets, are not trained or allowed to determine fault. They generally arrest everyone involved in a serious accident, who does not have insurance. This is done to prevent anyone escaping responsibility for the accident. If you have insurance, the police will verify that insurance with the insurance company, and unless the accident involves, significant property damage, a death or possibility of death, you probably will not be detained.

If you are arrested, for not having insurance, or because the accident is very serious, you might be in a Mexican jail for weeks, even months, waiting for your turn to go before a judge, who is qualified to determine fault in the accident.

Without insurance, you stay in jail until the judge sorts out who was at fault.

If you have insurance, your insurance agent may be able to have you released from jail, while you wait your turn before the judge. I have known of foreign tourists being held for 6 months before their involvement in an accident could be sorted out by a judge.

Please consider these facts, before deciding to buy or not to buy insurance before entering Mexico."

Ride Free, Eat, Drink and Be Careful and buy insurance damit.

xfiltrate

__________________
Motorcycle Parking Buenos Aires, Argentina
www.xfiltrate.com
Discover how to legally Buy, Tour and Sell a motorcycle in Argentina

no one has ever checked my title on bike entering america as a tourist ,you dont have to be present to change a title you can do it by post ,when you leave mexico just use the fake one if your worried it must have worked to get you in maybe buenos argentina might be different ,i have done plenty of dodgy things at borders and got away with if but if you are a rule boy just send the title off and wait for the new one to be sent ,there are plenty have bought usa bikes on here and got out of argentina mnot saying this is the right way but it is a way

Xfiltrate, I'm not qualified (not yet, anyway) to comment on what it's like to use real or false documents in Argentina. However I do cross borders into and out of the USA quite a bit, with rented, borrowed and personally-owned vehicles of various descriptions--been doing it since I was a little boy riding on the rear shelf of my parents' '56 Plymouth--and I've never had anyone check my title or registration while doing so. They're immigration cops--and not very good at it, if you come right down to it. They're not looking for stolen goods being smuggled into the States! If you approach the border full of adrenaline and sweating heavily they might suspect you of carrying drugs, in which case they'll make a cursory search and have a dog sniff around. (The exception here would be if you've got brown skin and black hair, look vaguely arabic, carry a south Asian passport, or in any other way arouse their rather limitless paranoia....in which case I'd suggest making sure that all documents are genuine and all numbers match).

I've also bought and sold at least a couple of dozen new and used vehicles, including bikes, in at least a half-dozen states. I've never needed to have the seller present on any occasion. That's never. Ever.

The dissonance between your claims and my direct experience makes me wonder how seriously to take the rest of what you say. That doesn't mean I think you're necessarily wrong, but it does somewhat beg for clarification.

Safe journeys!

Mark