finally on my way towards Mexico
Hi folks!
After some months of "detours" : ) all over BC, Yukon and Alaska I am now in Colorado and thinking about the further way towards South America. I would love to read all this thread about Mexico but I have to sleep sometimes : ).
My questions to you experienced fellows:
-which direction should I aim at, considering border crossing and places to go to?
-the TVIP: my bike is registred in Canada, using the adress of friends, but I am German. I do have the Canadian insurance papers with my name and the mentioned Canadian adress, but no title (maybe it is at my friends`place by now- I will ask). Could that be a problem?
-this insurance expires in december. Does that play any role considering that I want to get a Mexican one anyway?
any suggestions which one to take?

I am looking forward to any helpful answers!
Thanks a lot!

You need an official document listing your name as owner, with the VIN number, license plate, etc. included--we call that "registration," since a title is something else. You don't need a title. You do need a registration. In fact, you need a registration to drive in the States and Canada, since that's the first thing the police will ask to see if you're stopped for any reason whatsoever.

Canadian or US insurance will not be a problem. It means nothing once you leave the States.

Good luck.

Mark

Hi Mark!
Thought so, thank you!
I do have the paper from my insurance with what you mentioned.
Any suggestion about the insurance at the border?
From here I have got several options to cross the border: are there any that are
easier or "safer"?

As Mark already mentioned, registration papers are sufficient. In fact, we don't have "Titles" in Canada, at least not in my province (BC).

You mention that your insurance expires in December. Where is your bike registered? There is no such thing as a "Canadian" registration, only provincial registration. If it's registered in BC then your insurance papers are also your registration papers and you will be driving with expired registration papers if that's the case. This applies to BC for sure, but I can't speak for any other province. Just make sure that your registration papers don't have an expiry date. It could be a problem at some border crossing ...or not, depending on how closely they look at the papers.

If you are registered in BC then you could always just renew the insurance and later ask for a refund for the time you were out of the coverage area. Keep all border paperwork as proof.

...Michelle

Michelle,
it is registred in BC. It says that the insurance expires on the 26th of november but there is no date concerning the registration...
I guess I will just guve it a try. If it gets complicated I can still call the insurance and extend.

Your motorcycle license is from BC or Germany?

If from Germany, it will cease to be valid in BC after 3 months, presumably after which time your insurance will be invalid as well.

Just something to think about if you will be in North America within 3 months of taking out your insurance policy.

If you went to the bother of getting a BC license, not a problem. If you have left BC and US after 3 months, also not a problem but you may want to look into this if you want to ride through these countries again on that bike with ICBC coverage.

OK, I went over my ICBC papers with a fine tooth comb :confused1:

The papers are indeed broken down into sections, one for the insurance and one for the registration. The registration section does not show an expiry date.

I, for one, would not trust a non-English speaking cop or border official to be able to make sense of it, especially since it's all on the same page and the section with the expiry date also mentions "vehicle licence". On the other hand, many riders have gotten away with "expired" papers so it may not be an issue unless someone looks really closely and sees a date in the past.

On an unrelated subject, I think Photoshop is a wonderful software program.




...Michelle

Well, I was thinking more of the third party if he had an accident, actually. Responsibility to other people, that sort of thing.....

Sure some people don't give a toss about others, but we shouldn't be encouraging that, should we?

Hi BC insurance is no good once he leaves Canada and the States. Paying for it doesn't make it valid. Renewing doesn't make it valid. Wishing it were so doesn't make it valid.

Mark

Mark,

If you read my post(s) you will see that they refer to riding in North America. Personally, I couldn't give a toss if someone chooses to ride with no insurance in NA or anywhere else - that's a matter for them, the law and the poor bugger they may damage en route. However, if I can help someone make a better decision about doing that by being informed of the intricacies of being insured, or not, I try to do so. It seemed to me the OP thought he was insured in NA when in fact he may not be.

S.

It seems that my post wasn't clear enough, in spite of the mention of "non-English speaking cops and border officials".



Since "non-English speaking cops and border officials" are normally not found within the USA I assumed that everyone would know that I was referring to Mexico, and beyond, where ICBC insurance isn't valid anyway. I'm sorry if I misled anyone by not being clear enough.



Since ICBC insurance coverage ends at the Mexican border it's normal to let it expire after crossing the border and get Mexican insurance before crossing the border or at the border. Not mandatory in all Mexican states but highly recommended as a way to stay out of jail while things are sorted out by the authorities should an accident happen. The only concern I would have is what I mentioned earlier. A non-English speaking cop or border official seeing an "expiry" date and making an issue out of it since he or she won't be able to read the English language document and much less fully understand it.

Unfortunately there isn't much available, if anything, for some of the Central American countries except for Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama ...where it's mandatory and sold at the border crossings. Mexican insurance is readily available at the border crossings, in border towns on the US side and online, tailored to your date of arrival.

I would never suggest that anyone ride in the USA or Canada without insurance. It's a quick shortcut to bankruptcy if something should happen. Both for the rider and the innocent accident victim. I read the OP's post as asking for insurance for Mexico. If that was not his intent, then I misunderstood his request.

Buen viaje amigo. Espero que te disfrutes bien en Mexico y Centroamerica. Que te vayas bien.

Ich wuensch dir eine gute Reise. Hab viel Spass in Mexico und Zentralamerika.


...Michelle

Michelle, you understood completely right. Thank you!
I called the Canadian insurance today and they said I could an extension of validity for the license plate, which would cost about 19 or 29 $a year.
we will see what happens...

I'm learning a few useful things from this thread. I had no idea that a licence plate extension was available in BC. That might come in handy some day.


Thanks for sharing that info


...Michelle