Exporting a bike... Anyone done it?

[G]

I've had a fair bit of interest in by bike from oversea. After sifting through the obvious scammers there are some that seem genuine enough that are just making the most of the crap exchange rate.

Does anyone know the process or what is required?

One person has asked for a copy of the V5 to see if it has all the details on it for the French registration process. I ruled out sending a copy straight away but said I could provide the type approval number and VIN number as there not a lot they can do with those numbers...

Any thoughts?

[maviczap]

Always a bit dodgy. If they came and collected it and paid with cold hard cash then no problem.

[dizzyblonde]

Ask Dirty Dog; he had an overseas buyer for his Benelli

[maviczap]

Yes, paid for it, then it stayed in DD's garage for about 6 months

Remember France is limited to 100bhp,one of the reasons they buy British bikes,but I would not send ANY information regarding registration details as not just scammers but nicked bikes can be made to look like legal imports.
Better safe than sorry and if the purchaser is genuine he would understand this

[G]

They hyper is only 100hp anyway.

They only way anyone will be buying it is by flying into east midlands airport and paying cash.

I'll resist sending anymore details for now. The overseas buyers are quite persistent... 99% of UK buyers have been complete time wasters. And I've heard quite a few people shipping bikes off outside the UK recently so I don't want to rule it out as I'm sure they are not all scammers.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

Remember France is limited to 100bhp,one of the reasons they buy British bikes,

106bhp, and provided its an all original bike. It must come with original can, original everything, right down to original indicator lenses, for a very simple export.

If theres anyone who wishes to export a bike themselves, it can be a long and drawn out process in 'some cases', especially when a classic bike, such as a 1977 Z1000. It took my best mate aproximately 4 years to source all the original parts before she finally got a full French plate. She was so peed off, she sold it not long after, and she'd had the thing for bleddy years over here!
A more modern bike is far simpler.

Well, I've exported over 30 bikes and never had a problem. In simple terms, bikes are often a lot cheaper, with lower mileage and in better condition than buyers can get in their own countries, even after factoring-in collection and costs and new country reg. So far as reg goes in the new country, the rules differ. Generally, some countries require entirely original parts, others don't. The biggest issue for them can be the headlight, as in some countries (eg Germany/Sweden) they will not accept beam deflectors as they do for the UK MOT. If registering bikes myself, I tend now to go with those with digital speedos that toggle between mph/kph and with 'flat' EU headlight beams (Versys/ER6/etc). I imported an sv650s a month ago and it had digi speedo but I managed to get an EU headlight unit for £60 off Ebay.
If they are in the EU, all they need is the conformity number (either on the newer V5C's or an actual certificate of conformity) BUT ONLY WHEN THEY GO TO REGISTER IT. They shouldn't need anything else other than what they can verbally confirm on the phone with you PRIOR to completing the deal.
So just be wary, but be aware that increasingly, buyers are from other countries and many are quite genuine.

I know that in the UK the prices can be quite different from what they are in the rest of UE and this can play a major role. This has been the situation for Romania and Italy for a long time. The bike market in Italy is far more active than that of Romania, so there are way more offerings and the prices are also a lot better. As a consequence, most of the expensive used bikes in Romania are brought in from either Italy or Germany and it's a full time business for some people around here.

What I'm trying to tell you is that there are lots of people searching for the lowest possible price for good bikes and UK is definitely on the list! So sure, it's worth it if you can avoid the scams and have only serious offers...

Oh, and while we're on the subject, you should check the bike prices in the US. There are some serious price differences and I'm pretty sure they'll be worth it for certain bikes