Hi I've just turned 20 and was planning on taking a trip with 4 friends in the summer to South America in which I wanted to travel most by motorbike. I have planned out a route which would start in Lima-Peru up to the foot of the Inca trail, then from there travel through the border of Bolivia untill we reach the Iguassu falls on the border of Brazil and carry on up to Rio.I have estimated the trip take about a month so I think renting a bike may be my only option but I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to cross borders etc. Although I have lots of experience on off road bikes, I only have a UK CAR licence...so was wandering what the laws are on that as well.

Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated
Cheers
Matt

I don't think you'll have a problem with the license. Renting is another issue though. It would be cheaper to buy a cheap bike in Peru and arrange to sell it on return...depending on how big a bike you HAVE to have !

Zig

Buying and selling a bike within a months' long trip is not going to work. Takes time to find a bike, buy it, get paperwork straight, then re-sell, which can be much harder and take even more time. Could take a month just to get a bike on the road. Selling? Never happen.

Renting from a commercial Moto business will be expensive and really no guarantess. Lots of hustlers out there. I recently read a RR from a American couple that rented two bikes out of Lima. The owner insisted on coming as a Paid Guide. The guy was the total crook, lied about everything. Despite this they still had a good but very expensive ride. Beware.

Probably between $50 to $100 a day, based on bike you get. So, at the low end figure $50 X 30 days =$1500 USD. High end = $3000 USD
This would be for a beat on KLR, XR or XT.

Probably your best option is to rent from a fellow traveler who plans on staying somewhere for a while. Have him/her arrange a notarized permission waiver to allow border crossings. Hopefully this would work. I'm can't be sure of this, things change constantly. But even rental bikes from commercial outfits may have problems at borders. These countries to not have reciprocity on import/export rules so each tries to bust the balls of the guy next store. No standard rules back and forth, every country different. The more convoluted and confusing it is the more petty tin pot dictators at the borders can extract bribes and enrich their fifedom.

For sure you could do at least ONE country. I would do Argentina and call yourselves Ewan & Charlie. Easily a month's worth exploring there with a fantastic and wide variety of everything to see. And of course, they love the British! !Los Malvinas son Nuestras! Seriously, Argentina is the best!

A month long trip is a bad idea. Why bother? Go to the South of France or Spain or Morocco ... or for real adventure, go to Belfast!

If you're paying the big air fare to Lima then make it worth your while. Minimum three to four months is the way to go. Save up, bide you time, do research.

There are plenty of travelers selling bikes there, I'm sure some would rent you their set up bikes cheaper than any commercial moto rental company.

IMHO, ideally you could spend your entire life in South America. If you only have a month, that's plenty of time to see a lot, if the bike buying/ selling/ renting is already sorted ahead of your visit. Search/Browse this site. There is a huge amount of relevant info here.

Probably not just my MHO: The South of France/ Spain/ Morocco references serve no purpose and the Belfast comment gives the poster a complete lack of credibility.
Chris

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Brighty's website: TheBrightStuffDotCom

CURRENT RR WITH REGULAR UPDATES: The Wife Takes on Chlamydia: A South American Retrospective

I agree 1 month isn't really enough time. But consider this, buy a cheap bike in Peru, get the plates in a week, drive it everywhere (slowly of course) and when you return "give it away" to the dealer for a few hundred bucks.

Or in Chile, buy a cheaper bike (they cost less here) get the plates in 3-4 days - do the same.

I'm here doing just that - bought another Euromot/Qingqi 200 (suzuki dr200 copy) - my second one(first one was in Costa Rica) - for 2,000 dollars. I got the RUT in Santiago in 15 minutes, dealer did all the paperwork including insurance, and got plates in 4 days.
For the "Padron" you either wait for 5-7 days after you get registration, and go to Registro Civil to get a copy printed from their records, or take off, drive around Chile a bit, and before you cross a border, stop at any Registro Civil that handles auto registration (some don't) and they will print it for you from their computer records...then you can cross border.

If I (one) drives it 1 month X 75$ a day rental thats more than I paid for it, I could just give it away, as an example.

If you want a big bike, it won't work, they are too expensive and takes a long time to sell. Better to buy used bike from other gringos and then arrange to sell it when done.

But, my 2cents is take 2 or more months.

The agency I bought my Euromot from is "MotosVision", Manuel Montt n.1041, Providencia, Santiago - they also sell Yamahas of course. Don Valentin Galvan speaks fair English and can help you out with everything.
email: vgalvan@motosvision.cl or motosvision.cl

Have not problem about Malvinas. The colonys are from XIX century. Today we can speak in HU and we are logicals. Come in to Buenos Aires and rent a bike. Call me if you are in difficulties, 02362 441154 (sorry my English is not very good). Welcome, Raul

Really? I did not see a bike rental category in planning column. But yes, I agree, if all set up ahead, then good deal.

Why? :confused1:

Hi Mickey
Just because there isn't a "bike rental category in planning column" on this website doesn't prevent somebody liasing informally with another traveller to rent/buy their bike or contact a local bike rental organisation to use their services (like you already said above: so why ask for clarification?).

IMHO, when a European asks about South America, telling him to stay in Europe is a bit disengenuous. Suggesting to a Brit that if he wants adventure he should go to Belfast is insulting to Brits in general and Northern Irish in particular. Have you ever been to Belfast? Lot's of cities/parts of cities, including Californian ones, have (had) a chequered reputation.

Imagine if you asked about touring South America on a motorcycle and I suggested you didn't bother (too far, too expensive, too little time etc etc) and went to the Watts neighbourhood of LA for adventure instead? What has visiting a neighbourhood with urban deprevation in the USA got to do with S.Am m/c travel? Nothing. QED

Please PM me (if you can be bothered) for further discussion on this topic.
HTH
Not bothered Chris

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Brighty's website: TheBrightStuffDotCom

CURRENT RR WITH REGULAR UPDATES: The Wife Takes on Chlamydia: A South American Retrospective

..and speaking of Belfast, I was there near the end of the troubles and it was still a very pretty place (or maybe it was the girlies ).
Buy a bike...ride it ....have fun....

Zig

Hi Waterfox,

If the above is your way to welcome a new member to the hubb then might I kindly suggest you try again.

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Brian

www.2uprtw.com

....geez better stay home and lock the doors man.

If we did a straw poll of all the moto riders in south america WITHOUT moto endorsements...waddya think...15 % or more....????

DON´T take any chances . Think for yourself.

der Zig auf zwei raedern

I know of riders that have ridden in foreign countries that have either ridden on forged or even no licence, forged or even no insurance paperwork, the thing is, like speeding, running red lights etc you know the risks that you are taking and will if it all goes 'tits up' you have to face the consequences, you don't need anyone reminding you of the risks.

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'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

Hi Waterfox,

Your edited response to the OPs question is great. I could not have put it better myself. Hopefully the original poster will come back (so far he has only posted once) and the ranks of mature, open-minded individuals on the Hubb will grow by one more.

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Brian

www.2uprtw.com