Hi guys, I've been offered what could be a very good deal on a 2012 KLR 650 in Colombia and I am wondering if I should go for it or not. Here is the deal:

The bike is on Californian license plates. The guy who is selling (supposedly) got here in a tourist visa and brought the bike with him. He is now on a work visa. When his permit expired in August and he tried to renew at DIAN office he was told that because he was now registered on a work visa and could therefore not renew the permit. They told him he had five days to get the bike of of the country and pay the fines for overstaying the permit. That was in August. As far as I know no fines have been paid and bike is in Colombia illegally.

With my little knowledge on the subject I guess there are at least two problems.
1. How to get bike out of the country
2. Will I be able to bring the bike back into the country and will I be able to travel with it?

1. Would it be feasible to try to get out of the country without declaring the bike? I.e. Just crossing the border from Colombia to Ecuador with bike but only giving documentation for myself and not the bike. Then register it as usual in Ecuador?

2. Seing that the bike is registered in California I would not be able to register the bke in my name, just a signed contract of sale (or transfer of title on back of documents from California). Will that suffice to be able to travel with the bike in South America, or even just bring it back to Colombia?


To me it almost seems to good to be true. He is selling 2012 KLR 650 in good condition for 1500USD.

Any tips/points/help will be greatly appreciated, as I'd love to go traveling by bike again and I'm prepared for a little mission if that is what it takes

Kind regards Rubin

I would never consider it. Research "overstayed my TVIP". There is more than one report of riders overstaying the permit of the motorcycle they owned, only to have it confiscated as they tried to exit the country.


Buy yourself a 250cc or 125cc SA titled moto for $2000 US, and do your trip on something that is not a spoiler for your trip

I'd say it is way too good to be true and ticks none of the boxes that need to be ticked.

You can't cross borders unless either all the paperwork is in your name or you have authorisation that explains the difference. Having a title all filled out and dated may in fact give customes proof that the vehicle was sold illegally.
Columbian Aduana will be out for their pound of flesh anyway and someone will end up paying the fine.
Even if you get a PODER, it is claimed by some that peru often/sometimes/once refuses to accept it.
You will never be the legal owner of the bike and so any insurance you might be able to get will likely be declared void if you have an accident.

However, it is possible for a foreigner to buy a vehicle from another foreigner and get away with it, and in a couple of countries it may be even easy, but that expired TIP is going to be the first hurdle.
BTW The police checks along the highway concentrate very heavily on checking motorbikers' paperwork, although I imagine foreigners might get waves through most of the time just as we did in a truck.

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Smells fishier than the fish markets

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My memory is becoming that good, I should be able to organise my own surprise party soon

At the very least, have him take it across the border into a neighboring country! If he can't get it out of the country, you certainly won't be able to.
I assume you would have a (relatively) easier time in a country where the TVIP wasn't already expired.

How valuable is that 1500 US to you?

Thanks so much for your imput guys. It does seem a bit fishy to me as well, but those 1500 bucks don't mean that much to me and it will be a fun adventure for sure. Haha. Does anybody know about shipping bike to either Panama or Ecuador? What kind of documentation would I need?
Another solution would be to fly back to the U.S and register the bike in my name. Then surely it would be a good bet?

This bike is valueless because it is illegal. Both you and the seller will be seriously in the sh1t if you are caught. Why else is he selling it for $1500?

Personally, i wouldn't touch this with a barge pole, but if you go for it, let us know how you get on. I can't think of many countries where fraud and tax evasion attract simply a slap on the wrist.....

Missing the point of ALL the advice so far. First you have to get it out of the country. Do you have a plan for achieving that. If not your adventure might be disappointingly short

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Well either boat or just driving across border. Found other bike now, headed to punto arenas instead thanks a or and happy New Years!