MC air transport options between NA and Chile
 

Hi all,
I've read as much as I can find related, not finding the specifics I need and would like to ask for some thoughts please.

Trip Plan

• Fly the bike into Santiago (I live in southern Colorado area)
• Ride south from Santiago, cross to Argentina (provided the land borders open), then back into southern Chile
• Fly out of Punta Arenas area ~month later

Possible Air Transport Options , but not sure they are correct / inclusive

• James Cargo (supposedly anywhere)
• MotoFreight (supposedly anywhere)
• DakarMotors (Argentina area)

Possible Alternates if I can't get out of Punta Arenas area

• Backtrack to Santiago to return (not ideal)
• Semi backtrack and reroute out of Buenos Aires

I'd appreciate thoughts on possible carriers and if the best fly in / fly out locations. Thanks!

Given the cost of airfreight two ways, you would be MUCH better off buying a bike locally in Santiago.

A brand-new Honda XRE300 is ~5600 euros in Chile, and that's roughly as much as you would be paying for two way freight. Sell it in Punta Arenas for half the price at the end of your trip, and you're in the black.

I had considered that, but I'm looking for greater luggage capacity / possible pillion and something that I am comfortable with servicing / riding while there. But thanks for the thought.

Couple of structural problems with your plan. For one, a month is not long enough to justify shipping both directions--not even close, whether in time, effort, or money. Second, a month is not even long enough for the trip you propose, although it'll be find if nothing goes wrong and you like to race around at high speed without, as they say, sniffing the roses.

A month isn't long enough to justify buying a bike either, so I think you're safe ignoring that suggestion--you'd spend too much of your limited time setting up a purchase and later a sale, only to end up with an unfamiliar and unsuitable bike which you don't know how to fix. What you want is to hit the ground running, and ride directly to the airport you're flying home from (or very nearby). To me, this strongly suggests renting.

As an alternative, take two or three months...or longer. Yeah, I know this isn't very practical for a lot of folks. Or....go somewhere where short tours are better supported, like Colombia, Peru, or Ecuador...and rent. Torres del Paine and the Caraterra Austral will still be there in one, five, or twenty years. I think.

Hope that's helpful. If it's not, please just discard without a backward glance.

Mark

about your request. (I am Chilean by the way)
I agree that 1 month is a short period to do your trip.
To buy a new bike may not be a good idea since the offer is very tight because of the Covid 19 and you may not find units available. Renting could be a good choice. If you ship your bike you may contact Julio Harboe who has lots of experience shipping bikes from Chile to other countries. +56 9 7845 6232

Your trip IS possible, including shipping your bike round trip - ASSUMING money is NO object. And you want to RIDE, not sight-see much.

The shippers you've listed are the main known quantities. Julio as suggested above we don't know, but worth checking out. Reports appreciated!
For MOST people, renting is a GREAT option for a one month trip. Even at $100 a day, it's only 3000 for the month, less than shipping by far.

I would suggest connecting with Javier at Dakar Motos, and see if they can set you up somehow with something they have that will suit. Rent, temporary buy, who knows - explore the options with them. Flying in and out of BA where they're located is a good option.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide and how it works out, to help the next person along :)

Thanks for the ideas. Looking at rentals I'm finding them at ~$150/day USD and that is most likely a pickup / return from the same location (which mine is not with Santiago on one end and Puerto Arenas on the other). So if I rough $175 / day USD for that I would be looking at a rough total of $5250, which seemed to make the air transport option a comparable possibility.

Unfortunately I'm having a hard time getting air transport costs with everything that is going on, so I can't really compare where my 'break even' would be in days of renting vs shipping my bike given the above. Any thoughts?

VERY tough - you're at that point where it could go either way - comfort of your own bike vs the aggro of shipping it, against the ease of flying in and renting vs "it's not your bike".
I'd plan for either option at this time and just keep an eye on things, work closely with a chosen renter etc. Also be sure to keep an eye on the Bikes wanted / for sale - the right deal might come up and you fly down and buy it and fly it home - bit of both - and you have another bike! Just get a US registered one, OR you can also plan a sale ahead of time with someone else via the HUBB! :)

Update on what I'm finding, complicated by the pandemic.

Air Transport

1. Under normal conditions: Roundtrip from $3600-$4600
2. Under the pandemic: One ways from $3500, many carriers not even quoting now

Purchasing / Selling

1. Santiago carries at 19-20% VAT tax on top of the retail price
2. Punta Arenas is a VAT free zone
3. Purchasing in Santiago to sell in Punta Arenas would be costly as buyers would be paying an unnecessary premium given the VAT tax from Santiago.
4. You're not allowed to purchase in a VAT free zone like Punta Arenas to then sell in a Santiago with VAT taxes to dissuade profit mongering on the VAT tax
5. Purchasing and selling in general is complicated if attempting to do before hand / via consignment after leaving if a non resident / citizen
6. Purchasing / selling while there is possible, but would require additional time and risk of not being able to sell prior to leaving

Rental

1. Looking at 500-800cc range, rental prices for a month range from $4500 - $5500 depending on what's included (accessories/ taxes / insurance / etc)
2. Most have pickup / drop off fees of $300 for a non site location included in the above.

So at this point I'm having to lean towards renting unless the air carriers get back to their pre-pandemic rates prior to my trip.

That's where most people end up.

I'd expect that unless there is something strange going on in Chilean tourism there should be deals available on extended rentals right now. And I'll add that the $300 drop-off fee sounds quite cheap, considering the distance and border crossings. To me, that makes your one month limit sound much more feasible.

I didn't see a planned departure date in your posts. If you're looking a year or two ahead, it's likely that lots will change.

Mark

Did you find any shippers that said they could take your bike from the USA to South America? If so, please post the contact info.
Thanks!

Short answer: No, but I haven't looked since my March posting. Please feel free to add anything you find. From understanding Chile is still mired in heavy quarantine currently.

Details to my March 4 Posting, at that time:

1. James Cargo: Did not bother to answer any of my requests
2. Moto Freight: Nothing from US to Chile, Punta Arenas to US $3500
3. Dakar Motors: Nothing from US to Chile, Only from Buenos Aires Argentina to US $2350 (pre-pandemic rate was $1800)

I just emailed Dakar, although it appears from your post that they only ship TO the USA? I'll see what they say.

Moto freight referred me to Schumacher. Waiting for a reply from them.

Also from your post it also appears that Davis only ships TO the USA also?
We'll see what they say. Still waiting to hear from them.

Will update.

Well, I finally got a lead for shipping to Chile from Seattle. They would truck the bike crated down to LAX, then air freight from there with an expeditor in Valparaiso that they would hook me up with for the retrieval.

VANTAGE POINT SERVICES, LLC.
2251 Marine View Dr. So. Ste. 200, Des Moines (Seattle), WA 98198, United States
Phone No.: (206) 878 8884 Fax No.: (206) 878 9001
Email: sea@vantagept.com URL: Vantage Point Services – Freight Forwarder and Customs Brokerage Firm