gammagoblin

Hello all!

I'm doing a motorcycle holiday in Europe for a few months. I started off in Ireland and headed south for good weather. I'm a biker from the states, so since I wanted to do a longer bike trip, renting was out of the question, and shipping bikes is expensive.

So buy & sell seemed like the best option. Now that I am getting towards the end of my trip I'm starting to try to figure out the 'sell' part. I bought in IRL since I had a friend there who bought it for me, though I'm on my own for selling it. I'd rather not drive back up there to try and sell in freezing December if I don't have to. So ideally I can ditch it in Spain, even if I get a little less for it.

Are there people here who would be interested? I don't mean on this forum, just in general, people willing to buy foreign bikes. Would dealers be an option? I speak a little Spanish but not very well. Is it worth trying to sell here?

If anyone cares, it's an 05 Honda VFR800 [vtec]. In good shape, by US/UK standards Fully legal/taxed in Ireland. Some searching has told me spanish don't take care of their bikes so much!

Lastly apologies if this is the wrong place, or if this feels too much like a classified. I'm just trying to see what my options are and you all are a pretty active group of English speakers!
Cheers

amideislas

Used vehicles of all types tend to be more expensive here than in the UK ( can't speak for Ireland. ). Probably due to the higher bureaucracy, taxes, and higher burden of ownership. So, you could probably sell it in Spain at a reasonable price.

The main problem you'll have is that it is Irish-plated. Whether it's legal or taxed in Ireland is irrelevant. People don't enjoy the expensive and complex process of Spanish-plating foreign vehicles, so the offers will be lower than if it were Spanish-plated already. A bike does has the advantage of no left- or right-hand drive, so the price you can get should be a lot better than if you were selling, say, a right-hand drive car.

I don't know if Spanish take care of their bikes better than anyone else, but the attitude about cars here is very different than in other places in Europe. People tend to view their cars (and presumably bikes) as "machines" rather than seeing them as a kind of "religion" (Harleys or other specialty bikes may be an exception), and therefore you'll see scratched and dented cars far more often than in other European countries.

If you were seriously considering selling it, I'd start advertising in local second-hand (segunda mano) websites at least a couple weeks before you plan to finish your tour. You'll get better results by writing the ad in Spanish.

missile

If you don't want the hassle of advertising and tyre kickers, I would suggest you try the local bike dealers, most will buy a bike for cash ........
provided you can prove it is yours to sell?

Pocaloca

It would have to be re-registered with Spanish plates, like a car - not a job for the faint-hearted.

How to register a motorbike in Spain

amideislas

It doesn't have to be Spanish-plated to buy it.

Many people buy foreign plated vehicles (around here anyway). It's just that the process of getting Spanish plates is an expensive pain the arse, so people won't pay as much for foreign-plated vehicles.

Rotor

I`d ride it to the UK and sell it there , UK dealers are used to dealing with imports and would not be fazed , alternatively put it on fleabay , someone may fancy a holiday and ride it to the UK , bad time of year to sell , I`d wait til spring .
Is it NI registered ?

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

gammagoblin

Thanks all! The bike is Irish registered, to me, and I have all the paperwork. I guess firstly I will ask around expat forums (since I doubt locals want to deal with import and I don't speak Spanish well), and see what dealers here will give me for it. Sounds like UK/Ireland dealers will buy it no problem, though I'd rather get rid of it here rather than ride back north if I can get a decent price. I still have about a month before I go home but I don't want to waste 2 weeks dealing with people on classifieds... plus I am generally moving around every few days.

VFR

Bike prices are low at the moment in Spain & some German dealers are taking advantage of this by buying here and shipping them back home.

German E-Bay site may be an option ?
UK as well as a buyer at the right price may well be prepared to ship it back to the UK., for an idea of what they are going for try www.bikersoracle.com/central

BTW any low speed/revs fueling issues with the V-Tec ?

gammagoblin

Not particularly any issues. The fi is a little snatch on those bikes but no worse than many earlier '00 bikes.