Importing and registering a US bike

[Guillermo]

Hey all, I don´t know if this is the right place to post this question but here goes! I´d like to first say that I have both a Spanish and US citizenship so my situation might be a little different than others. I recently got my motorcycle drivers license and am looking at buying a new bike. So in comparing the price of bikes over here and in the States I noticed that there is a tremendous difference!! I won´t go into detail but even if the euro:dollar was 1:1 bikes would still be more expensive over here. So I started thinking about shipping and registering a bike over here and am getting stuck when it comes to finding information on this subject.

Lets say that if I bought a bike in the US I would save about 4.5k euros or $6200 (:eek: - thats what I said) so to make this worth while the cost of shipping and registering would have to come to 2k euros or lower... Here is where I think charges would come in (please correct me if I´m wrong)

-charge to convert euro to dollar to purchase motorcycle
-shipping charges +insurance
-import tax into spain
-ITV charges to inspect vehicle
-vehicle registration for public roads
-license plate costs
-limiting of motorcycle power (on paper) due to being a "conductor novel" - yes I want a big motorcycle :D

Thats all I can think of and if anybody has any information or similar experience I would greatly appreciate the info. Thanks all!

[Ben]

I have no idea about costs but your list looks about right. All I can say is that you better enjoy queuing nightmares and papeleo because you have a big task ahead to go through all those steps! Personally, I would contact a gestor and find out how much they will charge to get all the paperwork sorted for you (including official fees/import tax etc...) Sorry not to be more helpful. And go on, tell us what bike you are after :)

[eldeano]

And go on, tell us what bike you are after :)

image removed can be looked at here (http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:sJsNFpnuU7l02M:http://www.electricscooteroutlet.com/images/Electric_Scooter.jpg)

[Guillermo]

Well currently I'm driving a 2005 FZ6
But I'm already looking at what I want to switch to early 2008. Before I tell you what bike I want I'll tell you what I plan on doing with it... which is touring Europe. I'm planning a trip to Holland early/mid 2008 and I want to take 2 weeks off work to just travel around Europe. So having said that here is what I want to buy!

I know I know... Its the exact opposite of a touring bike. But riding my FZ6 with is "touring like" seating position I've realized that it's just not my style of bike. I had a YZF600R in the states and I just can't accustom myself to the upright seating position of the FZ6. I might come to my senses and just end up getting a bigger touring bike (one with a real windscreen) but as of now I'm stuck on my love of the R1 and just trying to research and weigh my options.

Now your turn. What do you ride Ben?

[Ben]

Wow, an R1, not bad!

I ride a Vespa! Recently toured Andalusia on a BMW GS650, which was actually pretty uncomfortable, and spent a couple of weeks in India on a Royal Enfield. I actually like the upright position as it stops me going too fast... Spent the last three years reading bike magazines non-stop though and still no idea what I'd like to buy! Ducati, Triumph, Honda? For now the Vespa is plenty for life in Madrid!

[Ben]

P.S. you may find a few people who know about your import problem in a great Spanish motos forum (http://debates.motos.coches.net/forumdisplay.php?f=2) I pop into occasionaly...

[Guillermo]

cool! I check motos.net almost every day to see new bike posts but never actually looked at their forums. I'll see what they have to say about importing and registering. What I'm scared of is the possibility of there being much more hassle/work (or even an impossibility) in registering the bike that comes from America. I heard registering vehicles from other EU countries isn't that difficult. I went to a Yamaha dealer here in Barcelona and the guy told me it wouldn't be worth it, but that response was kind of expected coming from a salesman. I keep wanting to bite the bullet and just buy a moto in Spain when the time comes but I always remember how crazy the price difference is (the US dollar is low and getting lower) I don't want to spend the equivalent of 16k on an R1 when i could buy it for 10grand in the States. I could buy a whole other bike for 6 thousand. I also do this comparison when it comes to electronics and I end up not spending a dime from the guilt of having to pay so "much".

BTW those Royals look nice!! ;D ;D

[ValenciaSon]

What about taking a hog to Spain?http://www.roadcarvin.com/sites/www.roadcarvin.com/files/images/08_FXCWC_Rocker%20C.large%20thumbnail.jpg

[Ben]

Guillermo - yes, that is a constant annoyance, seeing everything cheaper and more readily available in the states... not much to be done about it really. I am after a new podcasting device called the Zoom H2 - 180 dollars in the US and available now but the only place I have found to ship it to Spain adds another 80 dollars on top, plus I'm too paranoid to make the purchase in case it breaks and needs sending back. Same device in the UK costs 150 pounds (i.e. 300 bucks), and in Spain I've seen it for 235 euros but it isn't even available until the end of this month... drives you mad sometimes...

VS - Plenty of hogs in Spain!

[ValenciaSon]

VS - Plenty of hogs in Spain! Do you mean the pata negra variety or the harley variety?:rolleyes: I jsut saw the Harley web site for Spain. Don't I feel silly! How common are they in Spain. In the US you see more japanese and german bikes than harleys.

[ribeirasacra]

Is the hassle of importation really worth it? First you have to see the bike (travel costs?) or get a friend to do that. Never purchase a bike without riding and trying it-
Then you have to wait for the bike, say 10 weeks or more. Don't forget you can not use the bike until you have obtained plates, so this waiting time will be longer. You can only import something that is not your possession if you have a NIE, and we assume you have that.
In your list you have not included the costs for a shipping agent or for a Gestroia (sp?)to help you with the paperwork.
To have the bike restricted do you need any sort of engineers report? If so more costs!
We imported an American bike from The Netherlands. You cannot have those orange day lamps (what are they called?) glowing all the time so they have to be disconnected. They are legal in The Netherlands, so we are not one Europe!

As a thought have you thought about purchasing a bike in another EU country? it would save on exchange rates (in most countries).

One other thought make sure you can obtain insurance to use the bike here in SPain. It can prove very costly, as we have learnt.

Good luck and let us know how you get on if you do import something.

[tomc52]

What about a bike that is registered to my U.S. address to use when I'm in spain. Do I have to modify it if it's not registered in Spain? Are there any other issues besides lights? Is there a limit to how long I can leave it there? Please tell me if anyone knows.

[ribeirasacra]

What about a bike that is registered to my U.S. address to use when I'm in spain. Do I have to modify it if it's not registered in Spain? Are there any other issues besides lights? Is there a limit to how long I can leave it there? Please tell me if anyone knows.


Tomc52, sorry but we don’t fully understand your posting.
Where is ‘there’? Is the bike here in Spain or in the USA?
Are you a resident here, i.e. have you got a NIE? If not will you be applying for one?
How long do you intended on staying in Spain?

Hopefully the answers you post will help us, or others to clarify the situation for you.

[tomc52]

Sorry about the confusion,
I'm a U.S citizen living in the U.S. My wife is a Spanish citizen and we visit Spain often. Eventually we plan to spend as much as half of the year in spain, but still retain legal residence in the U.S. I was thinking of shipping one of my motorcycles over to Spain to ride when I am there but leave it registered in the U.S. and leave it in spain all of the time. I was wondering if I would encounter any problems and what, if any, modifications I would have to perform.

[ValenciaSon]

Are catalytic converters used in Spain? They are required in the US in automobiles. I'm not sure if they are used in motorcycles at all, I imagine they are because we're still talking about 4-stroke cycle engines.

[greytop]

Sorry about the confusion,
I'm a U.S citizen living in the U.S. My wife is a Spanish citizen and we visit Spain often. Eventually we plan to spend as much as half of the year in spain, but still retain legal residence in the U.S. I was thinking of shipping one of my motorcycles over to Spain to ride when I am there but leave it registered in the U.S. and leave it in spain all of the time. I was wondering if I would encounter any problems and what, if any, modifications I would have to perform.
Have a look at this discussion (http://my.expatica.com/c:es/forum/viewtopic.php?p=740728&sid=4b5c20845c0ef243b2f2878b1d5552bd) - may help.

[ribeirasacra]

Tom you have not confirmed if you have a NIE? If not then importing anything will prove difficult. You may need it to get the imported goods realised from the dockside. Any vehicle with foreign plates, even from another EU country, has to be registered in the country of stay after 6 months. For you that will mean you will have to register the bike after six months.
We have been reading other forums where some Brits have not met this legal requirement and had their cars impounded. Is that a risk you would want to take?

Valenciason…Yes all cars have Cats these days but sorry to say we did not really understand the rest of your posting. All car engines are based upon the Otto cycle, i.e. 4 stroke engines, as two stokes are deemed to be too dirty, just look at a Wartburg or Trabant! Some newer bikes do use two stoke engines, maybe because they are of a small cc size. (Await confirmation of this).

Greaytop has found a good link for you all to study… well done

[tomc52]

I was interested in leaving the bike registered in the U.S. and only using it when I was visiting Spain. I haven't thought about an NIE but my wife is a Spanish citizen so I don't think I would have a problem staying months at a time, but if I have to register the bike in Spain after six months then that changes everything.

In the U.S. motorcycles don't have catalytic converters but I hear that they soon will.
And of course we say "Loud pipes save lives".