I'm looking for a KLR. Is that a reasonable price for an 04 with 2500 miles.
$3200+/-. Have you seen the bike you are referrring to?

eek!
 

:eek3:
Gosh Ted! Is that the same girl that the one who went off to Greece without you and had a bit of sex on the side?!!! I hope it's the same, otherwise you really are unlucky in love!

Your life has more twists and turns than an Episod of EastEnders! Maybe you should start a blog :biggrin3:

I wish you good luck for the future and maybe see you somewhere in South America!

yup..the very same !!

Never a dull moment in my life is there :biggrin: I always have fun storys for the camp fire though lol

I have not personally seen the bike but here is the dialog that goes on about it and a couple pics http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194682

hmmm you got me thinking now.

Would there be any trouble for me to buy a bike and register a bike in the US as a none US citizen and also be able to obtain (neccessary) 3rd party insurance for US and canada.

Im warming to the idea but still skeptical about not prepping my own bike. Savings are black and white though.. save £1500 in return shipping plus probably £1000 in bike cost and prep.

Iv never even seen a KLR in the flesh and am quite keen on my XT :eek2:

A mate from OZ did it like this. Bought a KLR sight unseen, had it dropped off at a local Kawi dealer for a general check up and service. He then went about ordering bits and had them shipped to the dealer. The dealer charged whatever their hourly rate is to install the rack, boxes, doohicky, sub frame upgrade and a few other little items.

For insurance and the registration, no problem he used the dealers addy.

The alternative is to find someone on this board or the advrider.com board or some such similar thing and have them assist. I would be happy to help for the short term, but I will actually be homeless by choice come the begining of March. Just bought a cheap DR650 outfitting now and off I go. Will be riding out to the west coast, jumping a plane to OZ for a couple months, then when I return its off for South America via Mexico and Central.

What are your plans? Time Frame?

If you buy in USA/Canada you also have to consider what you will do with the bike when you finish in SA. Selling it locally might not be easy/legal. Sending it home to sell will cost shipping and import taxes.

Hello from an ex-longtime-lurker
 

G'day...
I am interested in finding out a bit more about this topic as I am planning to head to Sth America in early 09 and had been thinking about selling my Aprilia road bike now so that i can start kitting out a ADV bike. I will be going with my wife (well she will be by then) so it needs to carry the two of us and gear so i had been thinking about a larger bike than a 650.
If i bought a bike in the US then can i register it without an address, ship it to Sth America and ride it around. Then what? Ship it back to the US for sale? or can i ship it to the UK and register it (as that is where we are heading to live after Sth Am).
Am i better off buying one in Sth America.. riding it around then selling it?

I'm confused... does anyone know someone that has done the above? :confused1:

Best do some research on these topics here. Lots of threads by riders coming to the USA buying a bike and heading south. Read Read Read.

Best to ride the bike from the USA to S. America. Shipping expensive. After that is anyone's guess. No idea about importing bike to the UK. Shouldn't be a problem, keep your US plate, bring it in as a tourist bike.

Yes, you can register the bike to you in the US but you will need an address.
Not a problem.

There are two Kiwi's I've helped out getting bikes. Contact them from their web site.
The Road to Rio.

Patrick:scooter:

Hi,

I`m not sure if people are still reading this thread but as I`m still getting hits on the website I think it`s worth contributing.

Purchasing a bike and registering in California was very easy. You just need an in-state address. I bought a 49 state bike but registered it in California without hassle. One DMV told me I had the incorrect emissions sticker, the next one down the road had no problem. I am confident I was in the right, as there`s no emissions check for motorcycles, the sticker shouldn´t be relevant. Anyway, pragmatism won on the day.

It cost us a lot of time looking for bikes that were suitable. A good reliable bike was for sale that I passed on price over a few hundred dollars which I would`ve earned back in lack of worry, hassle, costs etc.

Not sure how selling the bikes will get on, will be sure to report.

Buy one in Boise, Idaho. Have the seller leave it at Happy Trails and have them prep it for you. PO on my KLR did this and then rode to Baja. HT is great and has all you need to prep the bike.

BTW, since the release of the new '08 design KLRs are selling CHEAP. I routinely see '03 and '04 w/ decent upgrades for $3500. Since they're all the same though back to mid-96 get an older one for $2k or so, have it outfitted and RIDE. :scooter:

All the bikes you've listed sound like great bikes on paper BUT...
Personally, I would take bike that you are familiar with, do the necessary pre-trip maintenance on it before hand, and carry a few spare parts that experience normal wear and tear.
You can acquire the skills to handle rougher terrain if you're patient with that bike. THe converse unfortunately isn't always the case.
HTH...

PS Consider buying the bike in the US...its a lot cheaper considering the Xchange rate these days and the cost of NOT shipping a bike over...damn Euro!

Good point regards going with the bike you know well. Saves the learning curve time I guess.

Unfortuneatley his current ride is an XT600. The XT has not been imported to the US since 1990. I think Ted said he owned a XR-XR-L Honda as well, plenty of those for sale here, new or used. I'd go with the XR-L for its comfort, simplicity and better cargo carrying ability.

Patrick:scooter:

buy in the US
 

The exchange rate at the moment means anything in the US is a next to nowt.
XT600 would be good but if going through just the US then I'd get a HOG, perfect and no doubt in abundance 2nd hand.
If off road i'd go for the KLR - crap but there still popular over there, then again you need to spend the same again sorting it out to get to a level on par with anything else.

Translap- perfect bike just get one although shipping is expensive due to weight. get the 650 and yes you ca get large tanks for them. Dommie way too vibey, all i can say is just try one for 1 hour....

An example:

Suzuki v-Strom dl650 USA retail $6700 usd

UK retail $10,600 usd

from the USA & UK websites

I've found it to be similar with most bikes. That $5000 will get you a lot of mods and vacation money. I can't imagine buying in the UK & shipping to the states, unless you absolutely want something unavailable here like a transalp.