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Buying or selling a used motorbike with MotoDreamer is a safe option when planning your next Motorbike Adventure Tour in South America.
| Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes Are you planning your next motorcycle touring trip in South America and want to know the rules regarding buying and selling a used motorbike? This is MotoDreamer´s Guide on buying and selling motorbikes in South America. 1. MotoDreamer is a trustworthy option. 2. Things to consider beforehand. 3. Can I bring my registered foreign bike to Colombia? 4. Purchasing a pre-owned motorcycle in Colombia. 5. One more vital step – registering with RUNT. 6. Once the motorbike is under your name, you have the freedom to cross international South American borders. 7. MotoDreamer´s Morbike buy-back Scheme. 8. Buying a Motorbike elsewhere in South America? |
If you’re contemplating a long-haul motorcycle journey through South America, you’re inevitably going to want a set of wheels of your own.
Provided you’re not hell-bent on bringing your own wheels from home, buying a used motorcycle on arrival is generally the most cost-effective way to country-hopping through the continent.
If your first question was; “can I, as a foreign tourist, legally purchase a motorcycle in South America” we’ve already given you the answer:
YES, Buying or selling a used Motorbike with MotoDreamer is a trustworthy option AVAILABLE TO ALL Adventure Motorcycle Touring Riders!
However, buying a vehicle in a South American country is a little more complicated than just answering a Craigslist ad and handing over a stack of cash.
Furthermore, legalities around non-citizens buying, registering, and selling vehicles vary significantly from country to country.
So, for the purposes of this blog, we’re going to focus mainly on what we know best. That is buying and selling pre-owned bikes in Colombia. Fortunately, Colombia is a great place to kick off a South American adventure from a geographical standpoint. In addition, it’s also one of the most accessible places to buy your own motorbike as a foreigner.
Things to Consider Beforehand when buying or selling a used motorbike.
Whether you decide to buy a new or a used bike in Colombia or another South American country, you’ll need to do some research up-front.
Some of the most important questions to ask yourself are:
- Can I register a bike in my name as a foreigner, without a permanent local address?
- Do I need any kind of special insurance?
- What additional paperwork will I need to allow me to cross international borders legally?
- Will I be able to sell the motorcycle relatively easily afterward?
And, if you’re buying a used motorbike:
- How do I make sure I’m buying a bike that’s not a complete hunk of caca?
Often it’s that the last point that turns out to be the most frustrating. Generally, finding pre-owned motorbikes in good condition can be difficult and time-consuming without the right connections. And even if you buy direct from a dealership, service standards aren’t always as stringent as what you might be used to.
Seriously. Make sure your bike is up to the task. If anything is troubling you, get a second opinion from a reputable mechanic even after you’ve made your purchase. A remote mountain pass in the Andes or a muddy trail in the Amazon is just about the last place on earth you want your “new” set of wheels to give out on you.
Can I Bring My Foreign Registered Bike to Colombia?
Can I Sell It There Too?
Since opening MotoDreamer, we’ve received countless questions on importing, buying, and selling motorcycles in Colombia.
Being at that halfway point between the US and the rest of South America, Colombia is sort of a chokepoint for travelers. Some are at the end of their journey and desperate to sell their US and EU registered bikes before returning home.
There’s just one problem with that:
Selling a registered foreign motorbike in Colombia is illegal!
Now, plenty of people do bring foreign-registered bikes to Colombia, but this is only legal if the purpose of your visit is “tourism.” If you are indeed a tourist, Customs will issue you with a TTIP (Temporary Tourism Import Permit).
As a tourist, you are allowed to operate a foreign-registered vehicle in Colombia for three months. The TTIP also lets you leave Colombia with your bike and get a renewed three-month stay upon returning.
Occasionally, we do hear of the odd tourist in Colombia selling their foreign-registered bike to another foreigner. The problem with this is the original vehicle title cannot be legally transferred to a new owner.
This makes it:
- Impossible to obtain mandatory drivers’ insurance
- Extremely awkward when the new owner tries to take the bike out of Colombia.
- Impossible to ignore when stopped and checked out by police or customs at any random control point.
- Even more awkward when the owner is asked to hand over the vehicle registration card. Which will, of course, be invalid and will usually result in the offending vehicle’s immediate confiscation.
- Extremely risky and costly should you be involved in an accident with injuries occurring as you will have no 3rd party coverage. And remember, nor will you be covered yourself. This will likely result in you taking the full blame no matter the fault and ending with jail time in severe cases.
Purchasing a Pre-Owned Motorbike in Colombia
Before You Buy
As a foreigner, you can legally purchase a Colombian registered motorbike, have the vehicle title transferred into your name, and acquire mandatory insurance without requiring a permanent address in Colombia.
Before you start negotiations, make sure the seller has all the motorbike’s papers in order.
The documents required to sell a vehicle in Colombia are:
- Registration Card
- Technico Mechanica – a document from an authorized test center (valid for 12 months) verifying that the motorbike is currently roadworthy
- SOAT – Basic, third-party insurance. Compulsory for all vehicles while in Colombian territory. While the insurance is about USD 150/year for smaller vehicles, the “SOAT” is valid only in Colombia. You will have to purchase a new SOAT each time you enter a new country in South America. Please note buying one month at a timeis acceptable.
Then, there’s one more vital step when buying or selling a motorbike in Colombia:
RUNT (Registro Único Nacional de Tránsito) is a national database for all drivers and owners of vehicles in Colombia. Registering with RUNT is free and essential. A valid passport and a finger for fingerprint registration will do nicely.
Transferring the Registration
Finally, it’s time for you and the seller to head to the Transport Office where the motorbike is currently registered. Bring your driver’s license and passport.
There’s quite a lot of paperwork to be filled out during this process, and you must understand everything you sign.
By purchasing your motorbike from a dealership rather than a private party, the dealer should ensure that all procedures are followed correctly.
Remember, though, there aren’t too many second-hand motorbike dealers in Colombia who are expert at dealing with tourists.
Buying a Pre-Owned Motorbike with MotoDreamer
Helping tourists get on the road is all we do, so buy a motorbike with us, and we’ll help take care of everything.
If you want to ride independently through South America, a rental is fine should you only plan to spend a couple of weeks, up to about a month on the road.
However, suppose your South American adventure is a long-term kind of thing. In that case, that per-day rental fee eventually becomes cost-prohibitive, and a pre-owned purchase ends up as the most sensible/affordable option.
Also, motorbike rented in Colombia is prohibited from traversing any border crossing into Ecuador.
At MotoDreamer, we have a small but highly maintained fleet of pre-owned motorbikes available for sale.
If you’re looking for something dirt cheap (and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that – provided your ‘bush mechanic’ skills are rock solid), you’ll need to search elsewhere, as we only deal in relatively late-model mid-to-high-end machines.
We know you just want to start riding as fast as possible instead of getting bogged down in paperwork. Part of our service is making sure you and your new motorbike are 100% road legal.
Once the motorbike is under your name, you have the freedom to cross international borders and explore South America as you please.
Altogether, from choosing your motorbike and having us set it up to your liking. You can be confident in knowing we will be sorting the paperwork and wheeling the bike out of the shop and into the world in the shortest time available. Our entire process usually takes between two and five days.
And, at the end of it all, we can even repurchase your motorbike! Yes, we can make the massively annoying headache of selling a used bike in a foreign country disappear entirely. Instead of you having to hang around and ruining the end of your holiday of a lifetime!
How Does MotoDreamer’s Motorbike Buy-Back Scheme Work?
Riding from the Caribbean to Tierra del Fuego and back is awesome. What’s not awesome is your trip ending, and you realize that the motorbike that brought you so much joy now needs to get rid of pronto.
After hearing from so many riders who ended up with issues selling their motorbikes before going home, we introduced the MotoDreamer Motorbike Buy-Back Guarantee. It’s the only motorbike buy-back scheme of its kind in South America.
We guarantee to repurchase the motorbike from you up to six months after the initial purchase for a pre-arranged value. There’s no obligation to return it to us in the end, however, should your motorbike find another buyer, or perhaps even another purpose.
Of course, there are terms and conditions:
- The buyer must return the motorbike to MotoDreamer in the same condition as originally received in, accepting normal wear and tear
- A full before and after workshop report is issued to bring to light any damage or unauthorized modifications
- If we do discover any issues, they will be itemized and deducted from the return payment. Alternatively, the buyer has the option to fix the issues elsewhere before returning the motorbike.
- The buyer is responsible for maintaining the motorbike in roadworthy condition and following the maintenance plan issued by the manufacturer.
What if you Want to Buy a Motorbike Elsewhere in South America?
Anything outside of Colombia is beyond our expertise. The rules in Colombia change often enough – we simply can’t keep up with them and all the other countries!
Motorcycle travelers – Colombia is an excellent place to buy a motorbike in South America, not just because of its strategic position but also because tourists can legally register vehicles in their own name.
In several other South American countries, the process is far more complicated, with all kinds of additional hoops to jump through, such as requiring sponsorship or acquiring a special permit.
In the case of Argentina. Now considered the worst country to buy a vehicle in as a foreigner in South America. Any vehicles that have Argentinian papers but, are registered to a foreign driver are prohibited from leaving the country!
If you’ve dreamt of exploring South America by motorbike, we urge you to get out there and do it.
Written by: Fiona Davies (extreme pillion rider and adventure travel writer)
Edited for SEO optimization by Mike Bowley at www.mikedbowley.com
Are you someone who is an avid Adventure Motorcycle Touring Rider and want to discover South America.
Then contact Mike at MotoDreamer, tell him your story, and seek his knowledge on building your experience safely.
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Mike, my name is Jim Herbert. I have spent most of the last decade riding in Southeast Asia doing my photography and creating short documentaries. I now want to ride South America and do the same. I would like to purchase another bike upon entering South America and have read the content on the Motodreamer web site. Being familiar with the whole “legal ” thing, I want to do it right! I will be looking for a bike in the 400 to 500 cc range. My last bike I sold prior to leaving Thailand was a Royal Enfield Hymalayan in May 2022. I want a bike I can get parts for. Please email me, thanks Jim
Hi James thanks for your message and email. I have responded to your email. Regards, Mike
Good afternoon i am planning on an long trip to South America
I have been to many countries there but on a bus
I also rent a motorcycle in bogota before
But now i want to buy
You guys seem to be the best option
I was wondering of your inventory
In the best case i would like a bmw bike
But anything will also work
I am from Canada
Hi Rene thanks for you comment. I have responded to your email.
Mike
hey Mike! American adventurer looking to traverse south America on two wheels. motorcycle mechanic by hobby and looking for something to ride and buy from you, email me when you get a second!
Hi Michael PM sent.
hey mike, so glad to have found your website and service. i am going to be in south america for 6-12 month and would love to buy a bike and get all the extras done with you. I would be very happy if you could help me out
hey mike, so glad to have found your website and service. i am going to be in south america for 6-12 month and would love to buy a bike and get all the extras done with you. I would be very happy if you could help me out
Hi John
I’m sorry to inform that we have not restarted the buy-back program post-covid, but we are of course happy to help sell you a bike (new or used). Vi now operate an official Honda dealership in Cali and we also occasionally have different used bikes for sale.
Let me know how we can help? You can catch me on whatsapp +57 312 850 47 70
I cam across your website and I’m just calling to see if you would be k terested in buying my bike.
Sorry we don’t buy bikes. We sell bikes!
Hi, I am a Norwegian citizen who wants to come to South America in the end of August/beginning of September for a motorcycle trip in South America and up to North America, I have investigated to ship my Motorcycle from Norway to South America, but this is quite costly.. I currently own a Suzuki V-Strom 1000, and would like to investigate the possibility to buy a bike from you. Can you get me a quote? Thank you
Hi Henrik
Thanks for your message. I currently only have a couple used 2021 manual gear Honda Africa Twin 1100 and a couple 2022 Honda CB500X available for sale in Colombia. Prices prices are $72 million pesos for the AT’s and $42 million pesos for the CB500X’s.
The paperwork and mandatory insurance is about $200 USD to get a bike into your name for continued travel. We’ll help with the entire process to make sure its done correctly.
To sell again you need to return to Colombia with the bike at the end of your trip or you will need to “import” it at your end destination.
PM me if you are interested in learning more about it.
– Mike
Hi Mike
I want to buy a small air cooled bike (125 to 650cc)
I am not going to insure it and I have been driving for 40 yrs w/o a license.
I just want an ownership document so the police don’t “steal” it from me.
I wont do any bureaucracy, only physical reality: bike, ownership papers payment to you. I wont Q anywhere or make phone calls
So can you sell me a bike?
I am from Ireland but absolutely not “Irish”
No sorry I have nothing that fit your needs at the moment.
Hi Mike, what bikes do you have available for the buy back scheme, rough schedule is arr. Nov ‘24 rtn. Mar ‘25? Can you email me prices too. Tks.
Hi Ruper
We have not restarted our buy-back program post-covid, but as the official Honda big-bike dealers in Cali, Colombia I can sell you a new Honda from 250cc and up and offer to help sell it again for you through the shop when you return to Colombia. This way you are able to leave the country and we will handle the sale for you and transfer the funds to your account as soon as it sells.
Feel free to get in touch directly at mike (ad) motodreamer.com
Hi Mike
I’m trying to plan a longer trip, about 6 months, around South America and want the freedom from a bike to do it.
But I’ll need some help with finding the right bike and paperwork for ownership and border crossing.
Hope you can help
Hi Jonathan
Happy to help. We own a honda dealership in Cali and can provide new and used Honda’s. If you are looking for other brands we can of course also help you in the right direction. So step one what bike are you looking of or what type, size or tour are you planning to do and I’m happy to give you some suggestion!
Mike
well it all depends on price, reliability, how easy it is to fix stuff on the way or find parts.
also how easy it will be to sell it again afterwards.
I’m thinking about starting in Columbia, drive to the worlds end and back. So will be looking for something, that can handle a variety of terrain.
Size wise, probably something between 125-600
There is no one answer to that. Each country in South America has different levels of service for each bike brand depending on how strong their representation is. But as a general rule the Japanese brands are the most reliable and has the best representation and simplest technology making it easier to get fixed by simple mechanics.
We have our buyback program if you plan to return the bike to Colombia within 6 month. And we can help sell for a commission as well if you are in no hurry to sell. Be aware its illegal to import used vehicles in most, if not all, South American countries, so where ever you buy one you most return to that country to sell it again.
Within the Honda lineup there are a few models within your mentioned range. There is the XRE300 and the NX500 that could be good options for a trip around SA. Do consider that its approx 15.000 kms from Colombia to Ushuaia and 15.000 kms back so you should expect 5-6 month for this round trip unless you plan to ride every day and the low cc machines makes that feel even longer!
Our dealership is an official Honda Dream shop and prices are decide on a national scale. You can find all options here: https://motos.honda.com.co/motos-honda
in the first stages of organising a South America trip of 3 to 4 months in January 2027. I’m interested in purchasing a small 250/300cc motorcycle in Bogota and riding through to Argentina? I understand the process is fairly easy in Columbia but disposal of the bike in another country is difficult. I’m happy to walk away from the bike in Argentina I am just want to do it legally. Can you suggest a solution? I live in Australia, to send my own bike across and back is extremely expensive thanks Russell
Hi Russell
YEs there are no legal way to sell a used bikes registered in a foreign country in Argentina, so you’d have to ditch it or try and find another traveler who could take the bike out of Argentina before the temporary import permit runs out. Any how we are located in Cali and we sell “big” bike” and mostly brand new from our Honda Dream dealership, so I’m afraid I can not help you with this one.
Hi Mike
I own a colombian plated vstrom 650 2016 which I want to sell, i read that you haven’t restarted the buyback programm. Do you still buy or help sell bikes? I would offer it at a discounted rate since I need to go back home.
Sorry Jan, we no longer offer this service.