What to do about a bike?
 

Hi all,

So I'm planning a trip to from Texas to Nicaragua with my dad in October. We plan to leave from Brownsville, Texas which is right on the border. My dad is riding his own bike and he plans to stay on in Nicaragua for a while. However, I would like to ride to Nicaragua and fly back because of time constraints. The countries we are riding through are Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

I'm wondering about a few options for a motorcycle:
option 1. Buy a bike in Texas and try to sell it in Nicaragua.
Problems: I don't know anything about selling a vehicle in a foreign country other than the import tax will be astronomical. Also, I don't think I will be able to leave the country until all the paperwork clears so I will be stuck if I can't sell the bike.

option 2. Ride my own bike. I live in San Francisco so I would have to ride to Texas to meet my dad, then we ride to Nicaragua together, then I would ride all the way back to San Francisco. This adds at least a week of riding time, and I have to ride through potentially dangerous areas by myself on the way back.

option 3. Find a rental company that allows me to take a motorcycle across international borders. The dream is that there is some type of 1-way rental service for Central America but I don't think anything like that exists.

I would love any and all suggestions on how to make this happen. This trip is super important to my dad and me so I will have to come up with something. We have pretty much everything in order other than what I will be riding.

Thanks!

I would gladly give my right ball to go for a ride with my father, who died 17 years ago.

Is your time really so tightly constrained that you cannot stay in Nic until your father decides it's time to ride home again?

Is there such a thing as a job that is more important than time with your father?

This is, of course, written from my perspective, but you are asking for people's input; here's mine.

First, forget about #3.

Second, it sounds like you've never done anything like this before. Don't back yourself into a corner by trying to sell in a hurry in Nicaragua. Maybe it works out (you should really read up on this) and maybe it takes a while.

Third, riding in Central America is as tame as you want it to be. Don't like "dangerous areas?" Don't go to any--same as if driving through Oakland, East LA, or Brownsville. By the time you get to Nicaragua, you'll probably have figured this out...and if you don't Managua might teach it to you. So my vote goes to #2, except I'd sure leave myself more than a week to get back; you might make it, but you won't be having much fun along the way. Better two weeks, and even then won't do much but ride.

In fact, if that's an example of how this trip has been planned, maybe think again.

You might consider turning back before Nicaragua when the timing tells you it's time to head north. There's nothing special about getting all the way there--it's not as if that's the end of the line. Besides, you'll find Guatemala (or even Mexico) exotic enough to satisfy, and you'll have stories for your envious friends.

Otherwise, maybe leave your bike there, fly home, then fly back and rejoin Dad for his return journey. Most countries allow this, but verify about Nicaragua.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

PS: Not everyone wants to spend infinite amounts of time with their fathers, pre or post-mortem. With mine, a week was always plenty, two weeks way excessive. YMMV.

How about riding your bike to your fathers place over a couple of weekends - you may know someone you can store the bike with en route or someone on here can help out. Ride to Nicaragua with your father and on the return trip leave the bike as per the penultimate paragraph in the following post from another thread:

This gives you 6 months to get back to the bike and ride it home - that way you make the most of your time with your father and you get a second trip in.

Just a suggestion.

You don't mention how attached you are to your bike in SF. If it is an older bike you wouldn't miss a whole lot, take it. If it is shiny and new, fly/drive to Texas and buy a used but decent beater bike there using your father's stateside address for insurance and registration.

Ride down to Nicaragua, have a great time, leave the old beater in Nicaragua, and fly home. The next time you visit Dad, you already have a bike there to ride around on.

You don't mention how time you have to do this. I suppose you could blitz through those countries in a few days, but that sounds like no fun at all. I would take weeks to do that ride, myself.

100% option 1

You will thank me later

You want either a KLR650 in Texas or a 650 V strom
I'm guessing the KLR650 might work better, because your dad is probably okay with just going 60 mph and taking things slow.

Your budget for the bike should be $1500 cash. Expect to fire sale it for $500 in Nicaragua.

The only problem I see with this plan is I do not know how picky California is about issuing motorcycle titles. Does the bike have to be inspected in California to get the title?

It might make more sense to buy the bike in California and ride it to Texas.

Don't take your own bike. I've never been one of these people who is sentimental about vehicles. It is there to do a job for you and nothing more.

Crossing the Latin American borders is something you will have no desire to do again in your life. Definitely don't take your own bike and then have to cross all those same borders again. You will want to shoot yourself on the way back if you do.

You are going to hit a bunch of "topes" speed bumps at 50-60 mph when you are in Latin America. They are unmarked in many places and it is unavoidable not to hit them at high speeds sometimes. Better to have an inexpensive bike that you hit with them with than your garage queen.

The other good thing about not having a fancy bike on this trip is you will feel a lot more freedom to leave your bikes unattended and go do fun stuff. The Latin Americans are mainly looking for shiny stuff to steal. They will likely pass on an old KLR or V-strom.

Funny. I took my own bike, then brought it back 8 months later. I did not shoot myself, or even indulge in orgies of self-blame or pity. Latin American borders are annoying, plus annoyingly frequent, but it’s not the end of the world. Basically, we have it remarkably easy, and usually only need wait around for an hour or two. Is that really so hard to take?

Even funnier. I never hit any topes at 50-60 mph. This is not unavoidable at all; it’s an optional activity in which you may choose to engage…or not.

I found them least annoying at around 30mph; at this speed, with most of my weight on the pegs, my (stock KLR) suspension would soak up the hit and stay firmly attached to the ground. This would allow me to shoot past all sorts of slow-moving traffic, consisting of almost everyone else on the road. That being the case, I found myself looking forward to the topes, not dreading them.

There were exceptions, of course. I learned to slow way down for the topes with steep approach and departure slopes combined with a long, flat top.

Mileage varies.

Mark

I think I read that land borders between the US are currently open for US and non US citizens.

What about land borders between Mexico and Panama? Anyone actually been that way in the past few weeks?

I agree with all of Mark's sentiments. Successfully dealing with border bureaucracy in Central America and elsewhere, as well as humans generally is often down to your own attitude. As is getting banned off internet forums or "robbed" in South America by the persons you choose to spend time with.

PS. A repeat of my question above: Are during these current C19 times land borders open in Central America?

I appreciate this is an old post but must second it.

My mom was 64 and in good health. Diagnosed with cancer. Died two weeks later. Time is precious and stops for no one.

beer