Hi, I'm arriving in Bogota May 29 2025 and plan to buy a motorbike to explore Colombia, Peru, Bolivia During June and July. I'm keen on some company if anyone is nearby.

James 54 year old kiwi with plenty of adventure riding experience.

Hey, I'm living near Medellin with my wife and son. We are only hear for another 6 months until we move to Canada.

My recommendation on a bike to buy is the Suzuki V-strom 250 sx. They sell for 20 million COP which is roughly $3800 USD. You want to buy a new motorcycle in Colombia, because it is a real crap shoot trying to buy a used bike in Colombia and not get screwed. There are too many dishonest Colombians selling used bikes. The other problem with buying a used motorcycle in Colombia is that the used motorcycles have incredible resale value in Colombia. The foreign motorcycle and car brands have 50% tariffs so the prices for vehicles in Colombia suck.

If you need bigger than a 250cc than I recommend getting CF Moto 450 MT. I'm pretty sure it will be available here when you get here and that it will be your best bang for the buck. Another option is an AKT Voge 300 for 20 million COP. I have a AKT 200 TT Rally and like the bike, but it only has 13 hp and is carbeurated. Think the Voge 300 has 27 hp, is fuel injected, and water cooled.

The Honda XRE 300 is also a good bike, but it is hard to buy new right now because the police are ordering them all. You will pay way over market for it here new or used because it has huge cult following. Again, don't buy used from a Colombian here. Literally every guy that buys a used bike here, ends up having a horror story where they have to rebuild the engine.

Have you been to Colombia before? If you have, than starting in Bogota probably isn't a big deal. If you haven't been to Colombia before than I recommend flying into Medellin to buy the bike, because Medellin is a way safer and easier city to navigate than Bogota. Bogota has 20 to 30 million people and half of the city is kind of sketchy. Medellin has 4 million people and is way safer in general than Bogota.

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http://www.journeyrider.net Latin America blog (07-8)

Thanks heaps for the detailed advice. I was thinking of a Honda XRE 300 but probably not if I was to buy it brand new. I'm planning to ride through Peru and Bolivia and possibly Ecuador and the top of Chile. Which of the bikes you've suggested would be easiest to get repaired/parts in those other countries?
Cheers,
James