Hello Campers
Have any of you ever imported a motorcycle from abroad??
After a recent trip to the USA I have noticed bikes are half price given the
current exchange rate USD to Sterling.
Anyone used one of these import companies or know what is involved?
Would be interesting to see if its cost effective, i.e savings are greater than cost of import and duty etc.
cheers
Rich :w00t:
Welcome back!Where it’s an intra-EEA import, I don’t think it is cost effective as taxation rates have been (broadly) harmonise to stop people taking “holidays” to the continent and driving a brand spanking new car back.
If you want to import from the States, you need to factor in the following:
Shipping costs. I guess shopping around will get you the best deal, but then you have to consider phone calls to the States 
Import duty/VAT. I think that the shipping company will normally be charged by Customs and Excise when the bike arrives, but they will recharge this to you along with a handling fee. I’m not sure of the 2007/8 rates, but these will be on HMCE’s website, I’m sure.
SVA tests. All privately imported vehicles coming into the UK have to have an SVA test and I think they cost a fair amount… poss up to £1,000. Doesn’t matter whether it’s a new bike or a second one either.
Links:
How to import your vehicle permanently into GB:
Registering an imported vehicle:
Not sure if these guys can help you, but they should be able to give you some answers with regards to the transport and clearance costs.
I looked into it once with a car from the Middle East (they’re very cheap there and we had a Jeep I’d got quite fond of and which we’d owned for >2yrs so it was fair game for a personal import). Aside from the fee for the SVA tests themselves (see post above), there were so many “little” (but really expensive) things that needed doing to get approval for the UK that it worked out uneconomical to do it.
Basically, any manufacturer worth their beans will sell for the biggest price in each market, whilst trying to make barriers which prevent you importing from a cheap market to an expensive market (grey imports). So, if the mftr is smart, they will engineer sufficient little details in their version of Bike A in Country A which are so expensive to amend/remove/replace that it acts as a disincentive for you to import it from Country A to Country B, rather than buy it in Country B in the first place at the Country B price. Why not ask your local UK dealer why he doesn’t do what you’re planning to do (apart from any franchise restrictions he’s signed up to)?
Hope that makes some sense.
As far as i was aware, you didnt need SVA (single type aproval) on a vehicle that already existed in the UK, say Suzuki Bandit 650, so long as the bike was SUBSTANTIALLY the same, eg - Only cosmetic differences…
I have to admit i have never looked at ‘grey/ paralel’ importing abike, but i know that the insurance companies like to screw you just because they can…
hi mate
i imported my bike from states
you are right its much cheaper over there
as far as SVA its not very expensive i think it was about 100 Quid
(including re-testing becouse of too small mirrors and lack of front parking light)
regarding taxes and shipping charges i kindda got away pretty cheap by shipping it to different country first before coming to uk but its a loooooong story…
2003 kawi z1000 $6700 (bought in 05 but brand spankin new)
shipping charges to poland $240
trucking to uk 100 quid
sva plus blah blah blah(registration, tax etc) 200 quid
comp insurance 370 quid a year
i think i did pretty good:)
For all the above there’s MasterCard
Lobbing it down the road - Free
Milo - forgive me, I couldn’t resist!
Using Milo’s import and shipping figures as a rough guide, the cost of buying a new Triumph Speed Triple from a dealer in the US and importing it is about £5500. To buy one new from a dealer here is £7800!
Exchange rates aside, ain’t it a strange world where you pay 40% more to buy a bike in the same country that it’s made in… :crazy:
