Peru, Arequipa, PeruMotors

Peru motors alto plano all inclusive tour:

the trip in itself was great. There were beautiful vistas, challenging street and dirt sections to ride and a full taste of the countries we visited. Specifically though, this trip was a bit long for me but, that i believe is a function of my age rather than the trip itself.

rating: a

accommodations: these ranged from the very best (cusco) to far too many that had seen its best day many many years ago. These were hotels that were just worn out with dilapidated bedding and down right unsafe bathroom facilities. When was the last time you saw the 220v breakers for the hot water heater inside the shower stall? One of the guys had a heck of a shock in one of these contraptions.

rating: c

the bikes: in general the maintenance quality of the bikes was deplorable. Most of the bikes had upwards of 40, 000 k and were beat. This is nothing had the maintenance been held even to a minimal standard. On the peru side we experienced brake calipers falling off on an bmw 800 and the triple tree loosing bolts on my suzuki 650. Many bikes had no tail lights and when we went attempted to find the cause most (like mine) had no bulb in the light socket and interestingly no spares on the chase truck. Basically, we were given the bike and told to ride. No pre-check, no inspection other than damage but then again who looks for a loose brake caliper?

once we got to bolivia and changed bikes problems arose again quickly. On the second day out 2 bikes died due to electrical problems. Once the batteries were replaced it was evident the failures were due to non-existent electrolyte although thru out the trip batteries would have to be replaced and recharged overnight. Each breakdown created delays that resulted in a continual bonzai charge to get to the next rest stop before sundown. In some instances and in freezing conditions & rain we did not make it.

rating: f

the guide: the best thing that can be said here is he should remain in the office, be put in charge of peru/bolivia motors maintenance program and not guide tours. It appeared to me the guide had lost all excitement and interest in the trip. His demeanor was to be curt and unapproachable. He took time to indicate to all he was not happy with the trip. He complained about the rain. He complained that he was missing his daughters birthday. He complained about the native people and had very little regard for any of their authority.

at the boarder crossing between peru and bolivia the guide's failings became even more painfully evident. First, guide finds his peruvian visa has expired & he, the guide may not be allowed into bolivia. That sets him into a tizzy. Compounding that, the three americans me included were having major problems getting thru. After some wrangling and many copies of bogus documents we finally made it. This took almost 4 hours. The point here is a. The guide who lives in peru should at least have his papers, etc. In order & b. Being the expert who makes this crossing regularly should know the legalities to smooth things along for his guests. The guide (who ownes the company) failed miserably on all points here

(a note for the future: for some unknown reason bolivian authorities do not like americans. Get your visa ahead of time because if you have no working knowledge of spanish it will become all but impossible to enter the country. )

as for driving style, the guide owner was almost impossible to follow thru the cities. He took on this bonzai style and would make an all out, take no prisoners assault on city traffic. On three separate occasions the guide owner got into physical altercations with other motorists, punching at them thru open windows. At one point he so irritated a fellow motorist the driver took out his frustration by sideswiping those in the entourage, me included.

the guide owner's only saving grace i guess was the way he treated his 2 guests from netherlands. There and with these people he was congenial but 50% of the time overall throughout the trip he only spoke dutch so all was lost on the rest of us.

rating: f

overall rating: c-

synopsis: if you are not looking for an aryan death camp environment ridden at blinding speed with sub par maintained motorcycles this trip is not for you. Beware!

Back from a self guided tour (2 weeks with rental bikes from PeruMotors, Arequipa) this evaluation should help people who intend to make similar trips with Peru Motors. We booked two bikes not cheap (100-150 USD each per day) and accommodation in one package.

Accommodation was ok, mostly mid class hotels. Evaluation of the Motorbikes (BMW, new model GS 650F) is difficult: Beginning of the tour: During hand over, one of the bikes could no be started, clutch lever was broken, Lars changed the bike (1st time). End of day one: battery low, electric problems, just managed to reach the hotel. Lars delivered spare parts, repaired the bike by myself. Replacement of bike was not possible due rock slide blocked the main road, 2nd day bike stopped due broken alterator in the desert 100km from Nasca. We managed to reach the hotel in Nasca after 4 hours, broken bike was parked in the desert. Spend half day with organization. 4th day Lars organized a the replacement of the broken bike. 6th day the replaced bike sputtered in high altitude and motor stopps several times, lost confidence. 8th day: another bike was offered. With this 3rd bike I end the tour. Lars had no ideas what are the reason for this special problem. I found in the internet that other guys had still the same problem with this type of BMW (high altitude, long distances, over heating of petrol pump?). We are very frustrated about Peru Motors due low maintenance and low knowledge about their own bikes. Lars offered no compensation: I can not recommend Peru Motors at all. FYI: have done a lot of self guided tours with rental bikes all over the world but never had this bad experience.

Perumotors is a motorcycle rental and guide service based in Arequipa, Peru. My son and I just finished a fantastic 6 day custom tour with them. We felt that they were an excellent guide service that provided top quality motorcycles. Our trip took us through remote areas of Peru far from most tourists and through astonishing terrain.