Thread: Buy a motorcycle in Panama - Brand New vs. Used.

Hi everyone,

I'm living in Panama City starting Jan 15th, and want to buy a motorcycle. I will be on a normal tourist visa for the first year until the company pays for my residency status.

What's the easiest way to buy a motorcycle and have it registered and legal? I heard that buying brand new can take some hassle away from getting the bike registered, as it comes already registered. Is this true?

Buying used, what are the legal hoops I have to jump through to get it registered and legal?

Thanks,

Mike

I can't speak for buying a used motorcycle. I just recently bought a Yamaha BMS 125 new in PC. It was much cheaper than the US version, at 2600 dollars out the door, tax, tags, and helmet. They do the paperwork. I live in the interiour and this little scooter is extremely useful and dependable. For city use, I also believe it would be extremely useful. Top end on this scoot is around 50 MPH. Not many opportunities to ride faster than that anyway here. For traveling long distance, the bus is easy and cheap. The scooter would solve most of your city transportation issues. A bigger motor cycle for city use would be a personal preference thing.

Thanks for the info! Do they take credit cards with multiple payments or does that involve a big credit-score thing?

Or is it easiest just to pay 100%?

you would have to pay for it before you get it , they dont do pay as you go , and buy new if you can , it is easy to register used , but finding one that is not beat to death is hard , maintance here is not really good , most things are driven until they break and then fix it , i would think if you are going to live in the city a scooter would be a good answer , but buy a real good locking cable up in the states and bring it , i am not sure about how bad crime is up there but it might be best to lock it to a pole or something , remember they are small ,light and fit easy into the back of a truck ,quickly

Your credit card will work in Panama. I don't know about the Yamaha dealer. It could affect the price you pay for the bike because there is a cost to use credit, I don't know. You will have to do your own homework on the price of other models. You have to negotiate. 2600 was the cheapest I could get on the little scoot, and there is another forum member who received the same price. Only 2 years ago those same scooters were only 2000 bucks. The dealer is on Calle 50. Right near the Yamaha dealer is a Vespa dealer. Those scooters start at about 3500. That would be your judgement whether they would be worth that extra money or not.

Thanks for the information, I appreciate it a lot.

a note on the vespa , i owed one of the last 2 vespa 2 strokes that made in into canada , it was a px200 , beautiful bike , the ones here are 4 stroke , much nicer in that department , they are a 4 speed shifter with the clutch lever and shifter in one , pull the leveler and twist your wrist , floor rear break and right side front brake/ throttle , another nice thing is the leggings , keeps the wind and more so the rain off your pants , also they carry there own spare tire , which if you have ever done any hiway driving , you know how that sucks out there on a normal bike with a flat , it carried my 200 lbs at almost 70 mph , if you can swing the extra cost i believe you would be very happy , and in canada they work as chick magnets , no guarantee here LOL and yes they will pull the front wheel in 1st

Vespa's are very attractive and stylish. And, much more expensive. The Yamaha's are at least as dependable if not more and built like tanks. Maybe not as stylish. Just an opinion.

I'm gonna go for a dual sport bike probably a Suzuki DRZ400 so I can get around the city but explore the countryside / beaches on the weekends.

Just remember that Suzuki's in Panama are mainland China made. And, mainland China quality. The Police use them here. I wouldn't buy one myself. But, they are cheap.

I didn't know that Suzuki's in Panama are made in China. Suzuki's in the States are made where?

Anyway when you say cheap, how much for one of those typical police bikes you see everywhere?

Thanks for the information, much appreciated.

You have to do your homework. Some of Suzuki's models are made in Taiwan like the Bergmans. They don't sell the Bergman in Panama. Suzuki's most popular bike is the 125 cc model here. I think they can be had for around 2 thousand still or less. They sell new 100 cc Suzuki standard shift motor cycles for 1000 bucks here in Las Tablas. They also have the Suzuki 125 AN scooter for 1800 dollars out the door here. All made in China. Whatever bike you buy, make sure you find out where it is made. It is possible that they don't sell the exact model you want. The Police use 650's. You would have to find out where they are made but I believe they are made in China also. You want a Taiwan made bike. Otherwize you are buying junk. The motorcycle market is global. They market different qualities of bikes for different markets. For example, Suzuki doesn't sell the 125 motorcycle in the US. They are extremely popular here. You are better off with a Yamaha. The quality difference is worth the extra money. You will find though, that maintenance is much cheaper here, making bikes much more affordable to ride. I had the oil changed the other day on the scooter and it cost me a quart of oil and 2 dollars. Having a tire changed in the US on a motorcycle is expensive. Here, it is cheap.

Cool, thanks for the information. I already hunted down 3 motorcycle dealers in Panama City that I'm going to visit, one for Suzuki, one for Yamaha and one for Honda. I'm also looking at the Yamaha XT250 which I've read great reviews on.

Thanks and I'll be sure to check where the thing is made, I definitely don't want chinese-metal on my motorcycle.

You will be extremely happy you avoided the Commy moto. Honda's and Yamaha's are awesome.

Originally Posted by Pollerkeeper

You have to do your homework. Some of Suzuki's models are made in Taiwan like the Bergmans. They don't sell the Bergman in Panama. Suzuki's most popular bike is the 125 cc model here. I think they can be had for around 2 thousand still or less. They sell new 100 cc Suzuki standard shift motor cycles for 1000 bucks here in Las Tablas. They also have the Suzuki 125 AN scooter for 1800 dollars out the door here. All made in China. Whatever bike you buy, make sure you find out where it is made. It is possible that they don't sell the exact model you want. The Police use 650's. You would have to find out where they are made but I believe they are made in China also. You want a Taiwan made bike. Otherwize you are buying junk. The motorcycle market is global. They market different qualities of bikes for different markets. For example, Suzuki doesn't sell the 125 motorcycle in the US. They are extremely popular here. You are better off with a Yamaha. The quality difference is worth the extra money. You will find though, that maintenance is much cheaper here, making bikes much more affordable to ride. I had the oil changed the other day on the scooter and it cost me a quart of oil and 2 dollars. Having a tire changed in the US on a motorcycle is expensive. Here, it is cheap.

pollerkeeper , i bought a new 650 burger when they came to canada , , everything but the seat was great , so that year rode it down to holister CA and had corban build a real seat for it , it was the first burger seat they ever built and the biggest gunfighter style seat you have ever seen , it was like hevan on earth to travel on , rode it all over canada and the usa , and the best part , in sport mode , manual shift mode , i could beat any harley big twin that was a stock 1340 cc , and boy does that ever piss them off , being beat but a scooter , could never beat the sportster though , power to weight they got me everytime , i taked to the susy dealer at albrook mall and they told me no prolbem get one , just need 10 grand , for that kind of money i think my next sport will be power paragliding , safer i think that driving bike here , now about the china bikes , i bought 2 kotomi 200 dual purpose here a few years back , we put about 10,000 km on each one , the only prolbem , one flat front tire at 70 kph , ugly ,and the chrome was very poor , but ran well , and if you are going to beach run like i did lots it is a shame to rust up a good jap bike , driving along and in the ocean is like a acid bath on metal .

I've heard good reports about the bergmans. As far as the chino bikes go, I am sure that you can keep them running here. The Panamanians do. But, it sure is nice to have a dependable bike if that is what you depend on. I see a lot of the Kitomi's running around. I would still rather have a Yamaha. You can't leave them out doors if you want to keep them looking decent. But, you can put so many more worry free miles on a quality bike.

I am looking into buying a motorcycle in Panama and riding it back to California. Does anyone have any advice for this journey? After some research it seems I need to buy a motorcycle built up to American standards and have all the paperwork to get it across the border into the States. My California drivers license should suffice and I can buy insurance at each border crossing. Is this about right? Anything I am missing? Thanks for the help.

You only need insurance in Costa Rica and Mexico and you can buy Costa Rican insurance at the border. For Mexico I would buy it online before the trip. To bring the vehicle out of Panama you need an exit permit from aduana.

Good to know. Any recommendations on where the best place to buy a bike is in Panama? At the other border crosses do I just pay some fees, show the proper documentation, and I am on my way?

also make sure the states will let it into the country when you get there , i took a Whizzer from the states to canada one time and had a hell of a time , they finally let me bring it in , but for display only , could never put plates on it , now that was going into canada , i do not know if the states has the same BS laws , but it would suck to be standing at the border trying to sell it to someone headed south

I am guessing there would be some kind of import tax that would make it not worth it. That is if the bike was even allowed in.

In 1976 I was getting out of the Air Force at Howard AFB. Myself and two other guys had bought brand new Yamaha 650's from the Yamaha dealer in Panama City. Another bought a 750 from the Honda dealer. We all rode our motorcycles back to the US on the Inter-American Highway. Now, this was before all the wars and various trouble in Central America, and I remember the Military was telling us not to do something like that; "Get on the plane like everyone else does" they said. In those days Eastern Airlines came down every Tuesday and brought in the newbies, and left out with the short guys. We called it the Freedom Bird. Anyway, we had the time of our lives riding through Central America and Mexico. We had tents, so we camped out and would also say the night in little motels or whatever they called them along the rode. I remember when we entered Costa Rica there is a 12,000 ft volcano between Panama and San Jose. It was 95 degrees when we started up the mountain, hot as hell. This was April, so it was still the dry season. As we rode towards the top, it started to rain. Everything got wet, at 10,000 feet it started to snow. Now, I was in Panama for two years and the only snow I saw was on a hop to La Paz, Bolivia for Christmas. At the top was this little store/cabin, and it had a wood stove we used to warm-up before heading down towards San Jose. Of coarse it rained on us all the way down and into San Jose. We spent two days recovering from the ride up/down the volcano and the night after in the bars of San Jose. And that was just the beginning of the trip. An unbelievable adventure of a life time! Ride on!

I made three trips from Wisconsin through the US, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize in the early 2000s. I loved it. I never had nicer trips in my life. It is quite difficult to get insurance for a single bike. It is also relatively expensive. I get an International Driver's license from AAA for $20 and never show my US license (I don't want to lose it!) and it works great. As long as you have title and registration in your name and passport and license (I make copies in advance and put them in separate envelopes as sets), there shouldn't be any great problems. Customs on a bike is an adventure...please treat it as an adventure and don't expect it to take less than a couple hours. If it does, great; if not, be prepared. I doubt you will have problems with US customs as long as it has a Panama plate and you tell them you are visiting and will be heading back to Panama with it. I am also looking at the possibility of buying a bike in Panama and riding to the Yucatan and back. You are going to have a great time. I envy you.

Hi there, I am riding into Panama tomorrow morning on a Suzuki Bandit S, 600cc, 4 cylinders, year 2002, black, plates: California US. It will be for sale for USD 3000 if you are interested.

Originally Posted by Tor

Hi there, I am riding into Panama tomorrow morning on a Suzuki Bandit S, 600cc, 4 cylinders, year 2002, black, plates: California US. It will be for sale for USD 3000 if you are interested.

be careful , and good luck , a friend just emailed me as he is driving down , the police just robbed them in mexico , be sure to post here again if and when you make it here alive

Originally Posted by nakedguydb

be careful , and good luck , a friend just emailed me as he is driving down , the police just robbed them in mexico , be sure to post here again if and when you make it here alive

I think you misread me. I did the trip already and arrived in Panama today. Bike is for sale.

Import it first or it's useless to most people.

Originally Posted by Tor

I think you misread me. I did the trip already and arrived in Panama today. Bike is for sale.

hi , yes i misread your post , and pingun is correct , import it or you might just never sell it

Hello everyone,

I have my bike for sale, Yamaha SR250, year 2001. I bought it in Mexico City and gently drove it down to Panama City. I will import it and sell it. Please contact me if interested, I ask $1800 for it. Any help finding a buyer would be awesomly useful as well.

Thank you very much.

Sam

It will cost more than $1,800 in time and headaches to import it.

Originally Posted by Sam Wijnants

Hello everyone,

I have my bike for sale, Yamaha SR250, year 2001. I bought it in Mexico City and gently drove it down to Panama City. I will import it and sell it. Please contact me if interested, I ask $1800 for it. Any help finding a buyer would be awesomly useful as well.

Thank you very much.

Sam