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Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Old May 8th 2006, 11:55 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by galloping gaijin
...and you need a trailer to move the bike around from office to office...if you don't have that you'll need to pay someone to do it...so it is maybe not as straightforward as bloofox makes out.

The logistics is a pain in the ar$e and maybe not what you need when settling into a new country.
I hope I didn't make any of this sound straightforward, I didn't mean to, but you can rent trailers like renting a car from plenty of places, and I'd say more than half of the cars here have towbars...timed correctly you can do the whole show in one day...it depends on how much time and effort you're willing to put in to run your own bike....

You might actually find you want a different bike once you get here, My brother's gone all off-road lately and he's lovin it..., some people go for the Harley/Cruiser option ( probably more HD's out here than you'd expect and it's a great place to have them...) and some just crack on with what they've always ridden...

Sentiments run deep with bikes for some, others are happy to Chopper and change....
You'll know if you can be arsed with it or not......
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Old May 9th 2006, 12:04 am
  #32  
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by janet66
Thanks for the advice, I hope to bring my beloved and much enhanced 2004 R1200GS with me (I'm the husband, Jan hasn't taken her bike test yet), it already has a daytime running headlight and dual mph/kph speedo plus good mirrors so I expect as a current worldwide model it should pass inspection no problem. All I need now is a set of knobbly tyres for the unmade roads and some auxiliary lights to illuminate the 'roos at night and I'll be sorted once I get that paperwork over and done with.

Would I be able to transport the bike within my sea container or do I need a dedicated wooden crate? If I need a crate I will try my local BMW dealer, they normally send them back to Germany on the delivery lorrys return journey but they may be able to 'lose' one if I ask nicely.
In the container, in a crate....you can make one yourself but use clean wood...Come to think of it you could just ride one of those BMW's across ! Send the wife on 1st class Quantas and tell her you'll catch up later....
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Old May 9th 2006, 6:11 am
  #33  
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Red face Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

hi bloofox looks like hubby will be selling the bike and buying a new one there with the type of visa we are applying on.
great to hear coolum beach mentioned though, our son and family are already settled there and we are hoping to join them.
thanks for all your help.
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Old May 9th 2006, 6:37 am
  #34  
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by bloofox
In the container, in a crate....you can make one yourself but use clean wood...Come to think of it you could just ride one of those BMW's across ! Send the wife on 1st class Quantas and tell her you'll catch up later....
dont worry hes thought of that already and i wouldnt put it past him!!!
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Old May 9th 2006, 9:09 pm
  #35  
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Thanks Bloo, I'm worried that if I sell my bike here the missus won't let me have one as good when I get there, and as the ZX10R is the fastest thing I've ever rode (190 mph so far) I would hate too see it go.
I do quite a few trackdays in UK but only know of Phillip Island & Eastern Creek in Oz, is there many smaller racetracks in NSW & South Queensland that do trackdays?(I think they're called ride days in Oz)
Does your brother live on Sunshine Coast and how far does he have to travel to ride off road?
One last question, do have to tell DVLA you are exporting bike or does Oz customs sort that out?
Cheers Sim.
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Old May 10th 2006, 12:15 am
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by simnmax
Thanks Bloo, I'm worried that if I sell my bike here the missus won't let me have one as good when I get there, and as the ZX10R is the fastest thing I've ever rode (190 mph so far) I would hate too see it go.
I do quite a few trackdays in UK but only know of Phillip Island & Eastern Creek in Oz, is there many smaller racetracks in NSW & South Queensland that do trackdays?(I think they're called ride days in Oz)
Does your brother live on Sunshine Coast and how far does he have to travel to ride off road?
One last question, do have to tell DVLA you are exporting bike or does Oz customs sort that out?
Cheers Sim.
The ZX10R is available here too...check redbook.com.au prices to see if importing a Jap is worth it, S1 Buells are harder to find so it made sense for me to bring mine....also check Aussie e-bay...you'd be surprised at what sells and it's a reasonable indication of what things are going for....

Not sure about trackdays outside Phillip's and Eastern, there does seem to be a gap in the market that way ,but the off-road scene is massive, no-one travels far to run the Crossers...My brother lives south of the Gold Coast, a few minutes drive into NSW and he has plenty of places to take the bike..

If you like off roading you're comming to the right place...

On your logbook there is a purple tear-off to advise DVLC of permanent export...just check the Aussie prices before you bring it.....

See you out there...


P.S 190mph will get you in the papers out here...and the Morgue. You'll see what I mean soon enough....
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Old May 10th 2006, 4:03 pm
  #37  
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by bloofox
The ZX10R is available here too...check redbook.com.au prices to see if importing a Jap is worth it, S1 Buells are harder to find so it made sense for me to bring mine....also check Aussie e-bay...you'd be surprised at what sells and it's a reasonable indication of what things are going for....

Not sure about trackdays outside Phillip's and Eastern, there does seem to be a gap in the market that way ,but the off-road scene is massive, no-one travels far to run the Crossers...My brother lives south of the Gold Coast, a few minutes drive into NSW and he has plenty of places to take the bike..

If you like off roading you're comming to the right place...

On your logbook there is a purple tear-off to advise DVLC of permanent export...just check the Aussie prices before you bring it.....

See you out there...


P.S 190mph will get you in the papers out here...and the Morgue. You'll see what I mean soon enough....

Thanks Bloo, red book show bottom price of $12900 which is cheaper than uk, ebay aus have no zx10r at moment.
I've owned mine from new & modified it quite a bit, & I'm bringing a container anyway, worried that if I sold it here then did'nt get well paid work straight away the bike money would disapear into the house purchase.

Can you confirm what the previous poster with BMW asked, ie if the bike is going in my container with belongings does it need to be in a crate as well?

Off roading sounds mega I'll definitely be buying the biggest camelback that I can find.

190 was obviously on a closed circuit officer !!
I know what you mean about the driving as my brother was knocked off his Honda Dominator in Sydney by a u turning Lebanese uninsured taxi driver, his bollocks turned black & went the size of coconuts!!

Whats it like where you live and also how it compares to your brother as we are undecided where we should live, my brother lives in Manly nsw but we want a big house with land if poss and can't afford it there.

Btw thanks for previous replies, you are making me really jealous about not being there yet.
cheers Sim.
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Old May 10th 2006, 9:22 pm
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by simnmax
Thanks Bloo, red book show bottom price of $12900 which is cheaper than uk, ebay aus have no zx10r at moment.
I've owned mine from new & modified it quite a bit, & I'm bringing a container anyway, worried that if I sold it here then did'nt get well paid work straight away the bike money would disapear into the house purchase.

Can you confirm what the previous poster with BMW asked, ie if the bike is going in my container with belongings does it need to be in a crate as well?

Off roading sounds mega I'll definitely be buying the biggest camelback that I can find.



190 was obviously on a closed circuit officer !!
I know what you mean about the driving as my brother was knocked off his Honda Dominator in Sydney by a u turning Lebanese uninsured taxi driver, his bollocks turned black & went the size of coconuts!!

Whats it like where you live and also how it compares to your brother as we are undecided where we should live, my brother lives in Manly nsw but we want a big house with land if poss and can't afford it there.

Btw thanks for previous replies, you are making me really jealous about not being there yet.
cheers Sim.

The bike needs to be in a crate, surrounded by everything soft and cuddly that you own....clothes, bedding, soft toys, anything.... I made mine from new and treated timber, dead easy to do and worth every minute....3x2 batons and 4x1 planks, a saw and a screw-gun will see you knock it up in an hour. Loading it into a container takes a forklift though....once here it will be unloaded for inspection by Customs and Quarantine and if it's clean and the crate is new they'll be impressed...of course you can just stand it in the container on the side stand but they move around a lot and there's a lot of plastic to crunch on a ZX10 R......you could always bring the modifications across and sell the bike as standard...I wish I'd thought of that before I sold my Speed Triple over there....anyway...Don't land here and try to buy a house straight away...take 3 months at least to explore your chosen area and if there's only the two of you a bike is the best way( that'd be my angle anyway...).....Houses are easy to find here, homes are not so easy...

The Sunshine Coast is a different world from The Gold Coast or Sydney...I lived in Manley years ago and it's a great place....forget buying a big house there though...it'd be cheaper in London...The Gold Coast is a great place to go if your free from the delights of children...it's busy and there's work there at the moment but it's not a good place for kids...I'm sorry to say this but I have been there every year for the last 20 and it's getting worse each year, Imagine Costa del Sol,only with more drugs and you're getting there...apologies to all who are lovin' it on the Gold Coast at this moment but it's each to his own and this is just my opinion.....I don't want to worry anyone heading for The Gold Coast...

The Sunshine Coast is busy too , but not as busy....it's quieter in the off-peak season and a great place to bring up kids...there's drugs and stuff here too but the community spirit still exists...try and find that in Surfers Paradise or down at Tweed Heads....I suppose it's a bit too laid back for some on the Sunshine Coast..I personally haven't even started to look for a way to make money and I've been here for 7 months! We looked at over 50 houses before settling on one and we're still not in it until June 2...I did find another Speed Triple though....only took a month.

I'd say leave your money in England and watch the dollar move if you dare.

Anyway, I can only give an opinion and you can all do what you want, gotta go now, it's another perfect day and The Triumph is waiting.....unfortunately the Buell has developed either a dead coil, ECU or some other gremlin...Parts are expensive but the ECU just cost me 20 quid on e-bay UK...it's $340 out here.... I bet it's the friggin' coil !

For a little research on Houses try www.domain.com.au and you'll get the picture. Let me know how you get on...

P.S I think I've been on that closed circuit too...somewhere between Crainlarrich and Glencoe if I remember rightly.

Last edited by bloofox; May 10th 2006 at 9:26 pm. Reason: web spelling mistake
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Old Jan 23rd 2007, 5:52 pm
  #39  
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by bloofox
Hello from someone who's been there/done that with the bike import saga.. and now lives on the Sunshine Coast.....what more could you want?

Bringing a bike over is easy...but you need to have owned and used it for one year...no way round this bit....no legal way anyway , but if you haven't bought it yet and the person you buy the bike from puts the wrong date, by mistake, on the logbook date of sale/transfer section it will sail through Swanea's character recognition system without a hiccup...

As long as the bike is a model recognised over here ( or is more than 15 years old) it's a piece of cake...I brought my Buell and a 30 year old Lambretta ( mis-spent youth etc etc)...and if you have a fairly well known model it'll have been sold out here too, so it's no Problems...Aussie Compliance means a bike sold out here, more or less...they may want headlamps wired to be permanently on and a km/h set of dials but it's no big worry....

Here's the deal....
Round 1....apply on-line for import permission...if you don't do this you will end up in the poo....once you get it, with the photocopy of paperwork to confirm..drain the fuel, disconnect the battery,Clean it well....steam clean it and polish the hell out of it..pack it into a good wooden container and surround it with quilts, cuddly toys, pillows, bedding ( "it can all be washed but it's going in the same box so where's the drama love ?") anyway...use new and treated timber, not old crap lying around somewhere...

When you get here the Customs and Quarantine boys will look at it, they'll probably want to have it cleaned again...jobs for the boys... $100.00 from you...then you pay a little import duty, not much and you're off for round 2.

Round 2...Registration...Once you've cleared customs you need to send the import permission form off to Victoria giving your address in Australia ....they wil then send you an original of the import permission...it's a four part form for each bike..you send one part to the vehicle plate makers in Victoria and they send you a trendy sticker for your frame..then you take the bike, on a trailer, to a local Registration office....they'll look at your sticker, look at your import approval ( again) and stamp the form...then you go for a MoT, any bike shop will do it but they will find something wrong, guaranteed, just have it Mot'd in the Uk for an idea of any drama's to come at this end..then you go back to the Registration office with all the paperwork again( don't forget I.D, Address confirmation, permission to garage if you're renting, blah blah blah) and it's time to pay the Rego and off you go...

Simple enough ? Here's the up-side...Bikes are more expensive here in Queensland...Old 80's and 90's bikes are still good enough for people to pay silly money, mileage is not concidered an issue ( Triumph Speed Triple ? How about 87,000 km on a 1997...yours for 8,000 Dollars...1990 Kawasaki ZZR11, 74,000km? $9,000 to you Sir..Dear God ! ) and number of previous owners is a pointless question....the attitude is more "if it's a good one, it's a good one"...and quite right they are too...but if you have a reasonable bike that you're attached to, or even a Buell, bring it....I sold my 99 Speed Triple for 2,600 quid in England and it took me three months to find one the same...for $9,300 ! Not Good......Fireblades are cheaper though, if that's your cup of tea.

Down-side? Time consuming...it's usually miles to go see a "local" bike for sale, shops are incredibly poor at sales and service attitude ( you think it's bad enough in the UK ?...wait and see) and there will always be some drama that is totally unecessary at the Registration office...

BUT....Right now , as we slide into Winter on The Coast, I am not covering my bike up for 5 months to avoid salt or ice, I am not thinking about trying to defeat nature with heated grips and 6 layers of clothes, and I am certainly not worrying about wasted road tax and insurance for a bike that sits bolted to the floor hiding from thieves....It's actually the best time of year for slipping on the Leathers and sliding out the side door for a couple of hours around the Glasshouse Mountains....you're going to love it!!

Remember to bring all Insurance history for reasonable quotes and if you get stuck with anything at that end, or this, bung me a reply for what it's worth..

Oh, and get on with that paperwork by e-mail, they take a few weeks to get the permission to you..

See you in the Sun !
Can I please, please just get this straight as I am extremely confused...To take my 02 Africa Twin, no mods etc to Australia, all I have to do is complete the form http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/s...VSB10_Form.doc and enclose $50 and await confirmation that I have permission to import my bike. When my bike arrives in Australia, I can either arrange for my bike to be inspected by customs etc. on my behalf by the shipping company or be there myself. After it has been steam cleaned I pay a little import duty (10% of the value of the bike???? I don't understand why I need to pay tax twice? However...) Then I can take the bike home and arrange the registration etc by sending docs to Victoria etc????

There is also a matter of a ‘letter of Compliance.’ What is this and do I really need one? If I do, is it needed before my bike lands in Australia?

Oh yeah, one last thing! If I apply for import approval now, is there a time limit on how long I have to ship my bike over before the approval expires?

Sorry if I sound a little slow on the uptake but this sounds more confusing than completing the Visa Application!!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Paul
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Old Jan 24th 2007, 9:11 am
  #40  
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Red face Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

hi paul
glad i wasn't the only one who found it all confusing. apart from the fact that i have no knowledge of bikes in the first place, the bike is hubbys but i get the lovely job of the paperwork! ha ha!
yes, you do just fill in the form and send your 50 dollars to dotars. they are very helpful if you email them by the way. when you get your approval it is just a piece of paper saying import approval. i thought is this it then, and emailed them to ask about if that was all that was needed to be done in the uk. they replied promptly and told me yes. the rest is done in oz the compliance etc. hope this helps you as it is so stressful all this form filling i know.
regards
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Old Jan 24th 2007, 6:34 pm
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Default Re: Shipping motorcycle to Australia Question

Originally Posted by lorraine111
hi paul
glad i wasn't the only one who found it all confusing. apart from the fact that i have no knowledge of bikes in the first place, the bike is hubbys but i get the lovely job of the paperwork! ha ha!
yes, you do just fill in the form and send your 50 dollars to dotars. they are very helpful if you email them by the way. when you get your approval it is just a piece of paper saying import approval. i thought is this it then, and emailed them to ask about if that was all that was needed to be done in the uk. they replied promptly and told me yes. the rest is done in oz the compliance etc. hope this helps you as it is so stressful all this form filling i know.
regards
lorraine
Lorraine,

Thanks for the reply, makes me feel a lot happier hearing it from someone else.

I also found a booklet that explains the application form mention earlier, it appears that when sending the application form and $50, you also have to send an number of supporting documents which need to be enclosed with the application and countersigned by a solicitor or similar. Sounds like a load of hassle but it is worth it!!! Hope this helps everyone else. I believe that section 5 applies to the likes of me who owns a road bike and would like to import it for personal use!

Thanks again

Paul

http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/s.../doc/VSB10.doc
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