I hope a few of you guys out there can help me on this one, because i've have got a little confused due too much info, I seem to have lost the plot a bit


I was first of all planning on buying a new bike when I arrive in Oz in August, but the bike that I have set my heart on is not available any more in Australia.(stopped at the end of 2006) I have been in contact with a number of owners in Oz and since 2002 there have only been 350 sold in Australia.

They are a little bit little bit finding rocking horse shit

I have decided to buy one here in Holland, and ship it out. (after posting myself that shipping a bike is a waste of money & time )

If I buy one here for export, I can save 40% with tax rebates if I dont get it registered in Holland. I know that when I get to Oz that I will be subject to import taxes and other costs,(+ plenty of aggro regarding rego etc) but has anybody done the same or similar, or can somebody shed a bit of light on this ?

Cant help but good luck - don't you have to own the vehicle for a year before you can import it though ?

thats my query really, I am sure that I can bring it with me if I pay full duty, but over here in Holland you pay 40% tax in total on a new bike, which I can claim before I leave, and then pay just the normal import tax (vat) in Oz.

Just make sure you don't ship it on the MSC Napoli!

Yeah youll pay full import duty on a new motorcycle. You would be best contacting your shipper in relation to the exact taxes which will apply.

Then you have all the crap of registering it and everything.

Were I to do it all over again - I'd have sold mine and bought another just to save the hassle. A complete nightmare.

Hi Centurion - can you give an insight into the 'crap' re registering n stuff. I guess my bikes will have to go 'back to standard' for that ?

Mate the rules are very strict - you must have owned the vehicle for at least 12 months (prior too shipping - so can not include the 5 weeks).

Can you buy and ship to NZ? and then bring across in 12 months?

Ok you have to first get permission to import the vehicle.
Then it has to be broken up from your other items that are shipped and treated seperately with its own costs.
When its cleared customs youll have to arrange to have it delivered to you since you cant drive on GB plates and it has no insurance.
Then make an appointment with (in my case Queensland) Transport for them to inspect it to make sure that its the vehicle in question to be registered. You'll have to arrange for that to be transported there and back home again. All they will do is stamp your docs so you can then send them off for an Australian compliance plate to be sent to you that needs to be affixed to your bike.
Few weeks later once you have that make another appt with the Transport Dept and go to actually register the thing. You can ride it there though on GB plates only if you do not deviate from home to there.
Finally your bike will be registered.

Oh - but thats assuming that you find people who dont scratch heads, shrug with that "dunno what to do mate" look and generally tell you do you something you needed bother with.

In hindisight I would not have done it and just bought one here. Although it did if nothing else stop me from making the mistake of buying a race bike again since I shipped my BMW GS as My Ducati (cry/sob) was under 12 months old and I couldnt ship it. With the state of the roads and the general driving ability of some of the chimps behind the wheel I'm happier with a on/off road tourer. Each to thier own of course.

Thanks Centurion.

I will still look into the exact laws if the bike hasn't actually been registered, how that works, but it looks like I might have to wait until i'm down under.

Is it feasable if I find one in Queensland or Brissy and then take a roadtrip back to Melbourne ?

How long would I be away from the wife & kids

I found this, which could be of interest to a few people.

I can't find anything yet about ownership must be longer than 12 months, but havent read it all yet. I'll keep you all informed.

danm...


Eligibility
Only a Registered Automotive Workshop can import a vehicle that is manufactured after 1988 and that is not a personal import.

If you wish to personally import a vehicle you must:

be of driving age
be an Australian citizen or a migrant holding permanent residency in Australia
have owned and used the vehicle while overseas for a period of not less than twelve consecutive calendar months
not have imported another vehicle into Australia in this category in the last 12 months

I'm going out on a 457 as well, so I dont have any chance at all.

I dont think all is lost on the visa front furkew, as i read something about that on the import site, i'll see if i can find it. And a mate of mine has 2 of his bikes on thier way out now, I know he's not on a perm visa. He's managed to import 2 as one is a race bike.


Cheers Centurian - are they really fussy with compliance ?

In a word, yes! Even vehicles/bikes etc that are re-registared here have to go through the same inspection and registration process, espcially if any modifications have been or need to be made.

Hmm well there may be a few 'modifications' I have to make then

I was almost giving up hope, and while surfing dealers, I have found one in the Dandenongs, where we are aiming to go, with a second hand black Yamaha road star warrior from 2005 !!!!

The price he is asking actually works out quite a bit cheaper than buying a new warrior (the one I have seen here is a 2005 showroom model) I think i'll ask if they can do something on the price, and get it put aside for a couple of months.