Honda C90, C110, CT90, CT110. I'm moving to Mexico. What's available in these Scoots?

Are any of these models available used in Mexico? Were they once available new? Are parts obtainable reasonably?

Failing these, what is the most bomb proof most fuel efficient motorcycle/scooter/trail/city bike available in Mexico? Thanks

Teach....

The streets here are full of 125's- Honda, Yamaha and tons of Chinese makes. Here's a link to see what Honda sells here
http://www.honda.mx/motos/

Sadly, because of import taxes and high prices they don't offer nearly the selection of bikes that they do in the US, and many Mexicans end up turning to the cheap (and poorly made) Chinese bikes. I often find myself on a major manufacturers website going "man that bike would be perfect for Mexico", but they don't sell them here. They only just introduced the KLR650 to Mexico a couple of years ago.

The ones you mentioned haven't been sold here in a few years, and are becoming scarcer. The ones you can find second hand have probably been ridden half to death as delivery bikes. A quick search on mercadolibre (Mexican ebay) didn't turn up any at all. I used to want one, but they are hard to find for sale.

I have a Yamaha XTZ125 that I use for city riding. I don't obsess over fuel economy but I fill it up about once every three weeks and ride it at least 5 days a week. I think thats pretty good. disclaimer- I'm about to try and sell it, but only because I want a Hypermotard.

If you can bring a bike from the US it'll be cheaper. Finding parts isn't usually a big deal, I order stuff from the US all the time, never had to pay any kind of customs duty or taxes or anything. For my BMW I find half the time I can get it cheaper from the US, half the time its the same or even sometimes cheaper from the dealer here.

The problem remains, as I obtain a permanent residents visa I am only allowed to bring one vehicle into Mexico per person. So between my wife and I that amounts to two!. How to choose? Unless I think I can find what I am looking for there? So I may end up buying an older used and beat up CT or C90 and rebuild it with new parts where needed. It will probably cost less than half of what it would cost to buy the same thing in good condition. With labor so cheap in Mexico, it might pay to buy something old and rebuild it yes?

Teach

Okay I did another quick search on a for sale website and found 8 c90's listed throughout the whole country, and a few look downright awesome. And the good news is the most expensive one is only 10,000 pesos (784 USD). You're in luck!

And yes labor costs are pretty low, but with that comes varying degrees of quality of labor. There's a running joke down here that all the good skilled laborers are in the US and we're left with the rest (my wife told me that joke, and she's Mexican so I don't wanna hear it from the PC crowd). As the saying goes, it's hard to find good help. It seems to be particularly hard to find a mechanic (for bike or car)) that I trust and like. I can go on for hours about that but I will spare you.

Link to the C90's http://www.segundamano.com.mx/mexico?ca=17_s&l=0&md=th&q=c90&cg=0&w=3

As for the bringing of one vehicle each, that does ring a bell, although there are always ways... For example, I bought a bike in the US once that a friend sold to me. The bike had Florida plates and registration, I picked it up in Laredo from a different mutual friend and crossed the border with it. Once in Nuevo Laredo I imported the bike in my wife's name (she was 2,000 miles away in Mexico City) and rode it home, where I went to the local DMV and registered and plated the bike in my name.

There are always ways. I could go to the US and ride your bike across, import it in my wife's name and deliver it to your home in Mexico, where you then go and register and plate it in your name again. Import price depends on cc size and make/model of bike. I paid 8,000 pesos (627USD) in 2010 to import a 1995 BMW 1100GS.

C90's are common here in DF, completely indestructable, and cheap. Not sold anymore, but there's a ton of them. I was told of one the other day being sold for 4500 pesos.

Once you get your FM visa, you can bring in a vehicle without any sort of check-in at the border. Since they don't check (they only ask if you have a visa, and then you pass without any import permit), you can hypothetically bring in more than one, on separate trips. Getting them nationalized while here is all about knowing the right people who know the right people to get the right papers.

what do you like? becuase there is a HOnda Cargo that a "an old guy on a motorcycle" rode for 45,000 km around south america and central and dominos delievers on them! yes it is a bullet proof 125 and now 150 cc bike standard, and then there are the 125 dp from honda and yamaha Bros 125 and xtz125 both are very equal and give you 30-33 km/lt (since you are from canada there is no need for tranlation, but that is like 70-74 mpg) and still will go 100 kn/hr with a 70 kg or rider.

when are you coming to mexico? wanna bring me a cbr125?

cheers from the OTHER BC! Baja California!

Damasovi

What is "DF"? And where is it located?

We will be settling at Lake Chapala, Jalisco. MX

DF = Distrito Federal = Mexico City

Welcome to the neighborhood. I'm about 2 and a half hours south of you on the coast. If I were in the market for a little runaround bike I'd get a Suzuki GN125. They're everywhere, they're cheap, and they're indestructible. There are the odd C90 and CT90s around, but all the replacement parts that are around are cheap chinese knockoffs for all the chinese scooters that use that same motor.

With an FM visa you absolutely need a TVIP. You can get it renewed anually fairly easily without going to the border but you do need one. One vehicle per person!

For the small amount you save, in my opinion it's too much of a hastle to bring in small motorcycle in on a TVIP or to legally import it. Just buy one in Mexico. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain. They look like fun in the city but dangerous out on the highway.

That Honda Cargo 150 looks like a decent bike for 22,000 pesos. 11.2 HP!

Suerte!

I would look at the Bajaj Pulsar. Available in a 135, 180, and 220cc. Made in India and sold all over Latin America. Honda CG125 is everywhere as well, but to me a 220 Pulsar is more bike for the money.

I've had a different experience. Crossing the border, with my FM3, I say "I have an FM3", and they say "ok, go ahead".

I've never been asked for a permit, and from what I've read from official documents, showing my FM3 with the same name that the vehicle is registered to is considered a permit to use the vehicle.

Well, you can always get lucky. Try getting pulled over by a Federal de Camino and show them your FM3 instead of a TVIP and see how that works out for you.

From what I hear you definitely DO need a TVIP to bring in a vehicle on your FM3. Where I've heard conflicting reports is how you get that TVIP 'tied' to your FM3 and whether or not you have to renew the TVIP annually or if it just remains valid as long as your FM3 is renewed yearly. To further complicate things they've been saying they're getting rid of FM3s and FM2s for a while now and replacing them with just one type of long term resident visa. We'll see if that type of visa still allows a vehicle per person..

Well the FM2's and FM3's are no longer being issued. They are coming up with a new residents visa. I'm sure the rules for vehicles will also be ammended. What is this TVIP mentioned earlier?

Teach

Kiko, as the first time down for the whole winter starting this November can I purchase one of the new Honda C-110's under a trourist vise, plate it with Mex plates, and leave it at the house we own in Chapala when we come back to Canada in the spring?

I was going to wait to apply for our residents visa until next year when we know more about how we feel about living for longer periods of time in Mexico. Would there be any benefit to getting the residents visa this year? Apparently the new permanent resident visa's don't have to be renewed annually and the temporary resident's visas do.

I think the C-110 would be perfect for the Chapala area and the odd trip to and from Guad via the back way.