My Experience Buying A Bike in Chile

[Willsmall]

“My Experience Buying a Bike in Chile”

5 years ago, I traveled to Asia with two of my best childhood friends. When we got to Vietnam we were introduced to the idea of experiencing the country via motorcycle. We were told bikes were cheap, easy to buy, maintained a high resell value, and allowed you to experience the country in its truest form... all were true. We spent $250 on Chinese knock-offs called Honda Wins, filed zero legal documents or insurance, had the greatest three weeks of our lives, and sold the bikes after 3,000km or so for about $30 less than we bought them for. It was a dream come true.

Fast forward 5 years later, and I am in Chile looking at the Andes and fantasizing about riding a bike thru the territories unreached by Turbus and the other bus lines- that are the main vein of public transportation in the country. So, again I decided “let’s get a bike and relive the thrills of experiencing a country by moto”. After some research, I found a list of the steps needed to be completed in order to purchase a bike in Chile and quickly realized that $250 bikes and zero-documentation was not how the rest of the world operated. If you are like me, my Spanish is barely sufficient in ordering myself a Pisco Sour, let alone finding a sponsor, getting a RUT, buying insurance, etc. etc. Instead of spending who-knows-how-long stumbling thru this process, I chose to work with a company by the name of Suzi Santiago. Their M.O. is exactly this- helping gringos with this lengthy and complicated process, so it doesn’t have to be lengthy and complicated! They charge a fee (it is a business after all) but it makes the experience SO much less of a headache. They help you with all of the legal documentation, negotiating prices with the seller, garage inspections, how to plan your trip, and much much more.

Without their help I would not have gotten a bike in Chile. They made the daunting experience very manageable. I now am riding this sweet thing thru the Andes (see picture below) and could not be happier. Thanks Daniel and Co. cannot thank you enough.

Will