A few people have asked about transporting the bike from Panama to Colombia. Originally, I wanted to take the 5 day cruise by sail boat, with the bike on the deck, but due to high winds, this wasn’t an option. My other choice was via air, so when I reached the freight terminal at the Panama International Airport, I stopped in at GIRAG. This company handles a lot of bike transport and offers more flights than COPA, the other air freight option.

The whole process was very easy. Luz, at GIRAG, spoke good English and asked for my custom papers and bike title. Then she said I should remove my mirrors and windscreen. After I got that done, I packed what I needed for a night or two and went back into the office to talk to Luz. She had finished the paperwork and told me the bike would be in Bogota tomorrow morning. I handed over $900 cash and was off to the passenger terminal; total time, about 1 1/2 hours.

The Beast ready for shipment in Panama

I had thought of spending the night in Panama and flying in the early morning, but flights were pretty full with the holidays, so I took the first opportunity and booked a flight for 6:00 p.m. (about $250) - stopping only for a sandwich and beer before boarding my flight to Colombia.

The next morning, I took a taxi to the airfreight terminal in Bogota, and again the process was easy. After picking up some documents at GIRAG, I was off to the Colombian customs. Within the hour, I was back at GIRAG to collect my bike.

The Beast in Colombia

That was it, very easy and trouble free.