Motorcycling in Brazil

Abutre’s MC, which translates in English to Vulture’s MC is big in Sao Paulo.
There are many clubs which ride big bikes. Mostly little Hondas in Brazil due to price and gas prices
Never ride the countryside alone.
Hopefully, someone will jump in and help

Thanks Texas,  I'm actually looking for an Enduro 250cc+ size, so I can take off down that dirt road I happen to see.  Appreciate the heads up on not riding alone in the countryside.  Kent

Kentth1,
I am a USA native in the process of setting up a second residence in Bahia.  I have driven rental cars extensively and own a 150 cc scooter that Ive ridden a little bit.
Around Bahia there are more bikes than cars.  Its very rare to see anything, though, larger than 150 cc.  I've never seen any place to rent a bike, although I suppose its possible. 
You must have a valid motorcycle permit in your own country on a tourist VISA to Brazil to operate a motorcycle there temporarily.  The motorcycle must be tagged and owned by a permanent resident or citizen of Brazil and it must be insured.
In the towns and cities, motorcycles are a more common form of transportation than cars.  Its also quite common to find moto-taxis, where you can ride on the back, typically the fare is around 5 reais to go a few miles.
However out in the highway in the countryside it is very rare to see motorcycles.  I can guess the reason is that if you get into any sort of difficulty you are going to have a very hard time getting someone to come out and help.  Breakdowns, flats, falls, crashes, or even the occasional hold-up are all going to be extremely difficult for a foreigner to negotiate.  Cell phone coverage is not ubiquitous at all.
I have never seen people going out riding in the country in groups on tour, I suppose its done occasionally but its rare.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/167129605 … 6329494977

Kentth1 wrote:

Thanks Texas,  I'm actually looking for an Enduro 250cc+ size, so I can take off down that dirt road I happen to see.  Appreciate the heads up on not riding alone in the countryside.  Kent

Well, you should get better responses. My BIL rides motocross and travels all around off-roading. Always can find him and his buds riding around Itaipu Lake.

Inubia,

This is good scoop.  It's looking like I'm overly optimistic regarding riding the Brazilian countryside.  I'll keep looking but keep my expectations in check. Kent

I know two Honda sales people i would trust, at two different dealers, in SP,  if that's of any help.

New bike prices are very dependent on their country of manufacture.
Bikes built in Brasil are surprisingly cheaper in Brasil, than the same bike purchased in the USA.
Registration costs are a flat 2%. Insurance here is not very expensive. 
A big word of caution on buying either a car or motorcycle used though. The buyer is responsible for any and all outstanding tickets, from parking to speeding.  So, be 100% sure the seller goes with you when you transfer title/ownership.

Thanks.  This is more good info.  I was planning on coming down for a few weeks to explore on a motorcycle, so I'd be renting.  But so far, it seems like riding out in the countryside is not as common as in SE Asia.

Very rare to just ride around the countryside on a motorcycle. As mention, no help will come, not many paved roads, and depending on the area many robberies.
Just driving from here to Curitiba is "shacky" at night and highways are full of trucks on 2 lane roads. Trucking is the major shipping way in Brasil.
With all the state to state covid regulations and curfews, who knows what Feb would be like. Also considering health insurance costs you may find it will not cover accidents on a "rental".

I'm guessing that a person that has done rides in Thailand is probably aware of the huge dangers, especially agressive automobile drivers, that we have here. In my interior city, in the period 24-27 of December, there were 758 motorcycle accident patients seeking assistance at the local trauma center. 92 of these required surgery. I can cite the accident if necessay.

I used to live on top of two wheels back in the states. It was my plan to continue that here when I arrived to stay 12 years ago. Back in the USA I did just about every motocycle adventure one can imagine, on and off road, 4 seasons long including the brisk Wisconsin winters.

Nothing prepared me for what I experienced in my first months living here. I saw/witnessed a number of deaths due to reckless drivers (not limited to motorciclists). And it continued. It was something that left me speechless and I dove into the stats and saw that it wasn't simply my occassional observations.

I did a poll once while in therapy for bad knees (from my reckless days of past and bad genes) and of the group of patients in my sessions 80% were moto accident people trying to recover and 20% were weekend soccer players.

If you ride here you have accidents. I suppose that the same goes in the USA but here the results (and remedies) are quite different.

Still, I went through the trouble of getting relicensed here (Brazilian law allows one to transfer a license but only one class and I opted first for cars - obviously. I had to go back to "driver's school " to get the moto license again.

And I a-l-m-o-s-t bought a bike but then reconsidered. It has been most troubling because I really like to be on two wheels STILL I opted not to become a Brazilian motorcycle accident statistic.

What I searched up:
https://alugueldemoto.com.br/precos/  In Rio
https://www.triumphexperience.com.br/  São Paulo
https://www.roxmoto.com.br/aluguel-de-motos/ São Paulo
https://motorentals.com.br/site/en/  Rio - seems that they have trail bikes too - not just bigger bikes

There are many more. I have no experience with what their requirements or costs are.

Good luck. Keep the rubber side down.............

Ouch - my fingers and brain were misaligned. Where I said:
"I can cite the accident if necessay" I meant - I can provide the site with this info if necessary.

You guys are talking me out of riding in Brazil.  If you look at the world stats, Thailand has more accidents per capita than Brazil but from driving in Thailand, accidents usually occur because everyone is so laid back and traffic laws are somewhat voluntary.  So when you ride there, it was reasonably safe as long as you were conservative, alert and sober.  But in Brazil, the dangers seem to be aggressive drivers, lack of communications, isolated roads and criminals.

Kentth1 wrote:

But in Brazil, the dangers seem to be aggressive drivers, lack of communications, isolated roads and criminals.

I would call that a fair and realistic summary.

Agree also, Tack on all testing and TRAVELER PUBLIC HEALTH DECLARATION on each airline and entry, I would rent a bike in vegas and meander the national parks and mountains
l

Try looking on www.advrider.com you'll get info from actual motorcyclists that ride in and through Brazil and all of south America

Kentth1 wrote:

Hello all, 

I've traveled a great deal but have never been to Brazil and see that it can be visited during Covid.  I enjoyed riding motorcycles both on road and off road in Northern Thailand and wanted to see if there are any riding groups or specific areas where its easy to rent a bike and ride the countryside.

I'm looking at flying down to Brazil in February.  I welcome any ideas for riding area or if you want someone to ride with, please reach out to me.  Kent

Thanks for asking the question here in this forum, I'm in very similar situation. I've been riding my Honda 100cc 1971 in Vietnam and Cambodia the last few years, and unfortunately had to leave the country just before it closed its borders (and have been waiting since). Now instead I'll be arriving in Salvador next Wednesday, and after reading through the answers here, I'm not sure if it's even worth packing my helmet and jacket. I think I could probably handle the traffic, obviously by choosing the trajectory wisely, but robberies and breakdowns is something I never had to worry about before (there are shops that have parts for little Hondas literally everywhere in Vietnam).

@rraypo please could you assist. We are planning on renting or buying 2 small bikes for a month december January. What would you suggest. Plan on riding slowly SP to Rio and back

Regards Adrian

***

@sales22

Hey there. The ride between SP and Rio is easy, by bike or car. If you are going to buy any vehicle and have no experience with DETRAN, I highly recommend you to go through a dealer, for a variety of reasons. Most motorcycle dealers in Brazil do not have a large inventory of motorcycles, especially new ones. However, I have been told by at least two Honda dealers they will order a new bike for you over the phone, even from out of the country. If I can find his card, I do know of one salesperson in SP who's very nice and speaks English at a Honda dealer.

I do not know of anyone or any place that rents bikes.

If I can help, feel free to message me

@Kentth1 If I am reading this right you are actually not in Brazil right now.

Let me tell you what you are in for. First of all Motorcycles outnumber cars about 10 to 1. Motorcycles are considerably cheaper, so you are wasting your money renting instead of buying.

i live in a small village in the Northeast in Ceara, so things might be a little different in the popular big cities, but here there is no age limit, or safety restrictions on people riding a motorcycle. I often see kids, I mean like 6, 7, 8 etc. riding on the back or between adults or teenagers. The only one wearing a helmet is usually the one in control of the bike. The kids could be holding onto groceries, school back packs or toys.

i have to admit I rarely see accident's, motorcycles or cars in my area, but it just does not look safe. I don't drive, my brazilin wife has our Man Friday drive for us. I still have trouble with the "their is no AAA, in Brazil to call in case of an accident". At least my guy knows what to do. I would be stupid terrified, dialing 911 in panic if we got into an accident.

Good Luck!

Roddie in Retirement