Exporting a bike to Oz, what a bummer...

[Oggy]

Just when I thought I'd start to crate up my GSXR1000 K1 to ship to Oz, the DOTARS tell me I can't do it because I've not had it road registered in my name during the last 12 months in the UK, 4'kinell.....

It's so very easy to buy a bike from overseas and bring it in to the UK.

Any possibility of shipping it in as parts and buying a used chassis in WA I wonder? Really feel hard at leaving/selling it here, cost me a fortune to replace it in Oz.

[Billywhizz]

leave it with a family friend and bring it out after the time is up

just make sure you inform customs you have other items to come out

[shmoo]

yep what BW said. I've got a mate (well a distant mate) who is doing exactly this. Had his bike for approximately 4 months and is moving to Melbourne from Munich. He will just couch up 12 months rego and leave it sitting in his brothers garage all crated up and ready to go, then when the time is up he'll arrange a courier to pick it up and take to the docks.

Its not that bad really, especially because when you move to a new country, those first few months will fly by so quickly. Sure would be a pain not having a bike in Perth in summer but you could always buy a piece of shit to get you around until yours arrives...

[Oggy]

Sounds like a good idea, although I asked DOTARS if I could do that at the time they refused me, they said no because I'd not have been in my original country of residence to use it during the 12 month period.
Another problem is it's not been road registered since 2002 and has been used as a race bike, but I had planned to re-register it when I got it to Perth. Bring it in as spares maybe and re-assemble?
Amazingly bikes built before 1989 are a relatively easy import, just looking for an '88 RC30 now...

[rover]

Could you import it and keep here it as a race bike only?

On an unrelated note...
How does the DPI know whether a bike which has never been registered before is imported or bought locally?

[shmoo]

Sounds like a good idea, although I asked DOTARS if I could do that at the time they refused me, they said no because I'd not have been in my original country of residence to use it during the 12 month period.
Another problem is it's not been road registered since 2002 and has been used as a race bike, but I had planned to re-register it when I got it to Perth. Bring it in as spares maybe and re-assemble?
Amazingly bikes built before 1989 are a relatively easy import, just looking for an '88 RC30 now...

Ahhh well i shall have to tell my mate in Germany to double check things before he go through all the effort of getting it here. I gather they check your passport and that would tell then that you had already left Pommy Land and thus weren't using the bike. Sneaky bastards.

I suppose the only other hope would be if you can get it through as a "race only bike". I believe that is usually only possible when the bike is not readily available in Australia, and thats the point you may struggle with. nevertheless it might be worth checking into that option.

Edit - beaten to it by rover.
But Rover, DPI is the relatively easy part, getting permission to bring it into the country is the hard bit and thats a federal DOTARS matter.

[Oggy]

Could you import it and keep here it as a race bike only?

On an unrelated note...
How does the DPI know whether a bike which has never been registered before is imported or bought locally?

Well, my bike was originally road registered in 2001 and involved in a minor RTA in 2002. The guy handed the Reg Book back to the DOT but it was not a Catagorised Insurance Write-off, so it can be legally re-tested and registered for road use again.

I don't know if a database exists that may show the country of original registration, but I did have some hasstle when I bought an RC45 and the local plod traced it to the original dealer in France at the click of a finger...

[Drach]

i know someone who bought the brand new Corvette ZO6, and just left it in the states for a year. They don't have to know the details of you living overseas. If they ask for proof "Sorry, i didn't keep any"

[Oggy]

As Shmoo said:

"I gather they check your passport and that would tell then that you had already left Pommy Land and thus weren't using the bike. Sneaky bastards"

So it could be a problem if they insist on seeing your passport as proof of location and dates...

[esquire]

Ride/trailer it to France and export from there?

[Drach]

Just say you got a new passport Happens all the time. I'm on my 2nd one and I'm only 21. Though we do have a FTA with the US, so maybe thats why this corvette guy didn't have to show proof he lived in the US.

[shmoo]

i know someone who bought the brand new Corvette ZO6, and just left it in the states for a year. They don't have to know the details of you living overseas. If they ask for proof "Sorry, i didn't keep any"

wouldnt they just look up your passport records to see what country you were in. If you came back to Australia but never left again it would be pretty obvious you were living here.


edit - that'l teach me to reply without reading the rest of the posts in a thread.

[Ajax]

Depending on the cost of shipping it over. Wouldnt it be cheaper to just take all the trick bits off your bike and bring that over and fit to another bike over here? Or bring it in as a race only bike ... then swap the bits over to a road registered bike (cheap one with busted engine). Cut and Shut.

[Gryphen]

Ummm how do they know you haven't owned it all these years?

[Oggy]

The import procedure for Oz is pretty strict for bikes built after 1989, seemingly it's all to do with protecting the Oz business interests. Here in the UK the Parallel and Gray bike market is massive. If I wanted to buy and import a bike of any age from any country it's a fairly straight forward thing to do.
There is a concession for migrants to bring in a bike and/or car but you have to prove ownership for 12 months by way of road registration in the country it's coming from, so I'm bolloxed on that one.
The cost of shipping is surprisingly cheap, a 2 cm3 box by sea freight from the UK to Freo costs approx £125 + insurance + landing/customs fees, so from an economical point of view it's ok.
I've asked the question about shipping it as spares and buying a chassis in Oz, seems like it's possible, but I'm waiting on a reply to the following info from the Dept. of Customs, pretty odd thing they seem to allow though, read it and see what you make of it!

Precedent No. 15439900 relates to parts of motorcycles for the purposes of subheading 8714.19.90. For these goods to be considered as parts of motorcycles they must be imported with at least the front forks, steering and wheels removed and these components must not be shipped on the same vessel.

I'm still trying to find 'subheading 8714.19.90.' to see what it's specifically talking about, but to me it looks like if you take out the forks and wheels you can ship a bike, then send the forks and wheels at a later date

I'm loathed to leave the bike here as it's had a lot of money spent on the motor internals and has a host of other goodies fitted to it. Last time on the Dyno of Slick Bass who did all the work (ex Foggy mechanic) it gave over 173 at the rear wheel, and even then the back wheel was slipping.

The race bike concession is very specific too, you have to prove it's not a readily available bike in Oz, and also have to prove you're near as damn it a professional racer, plus support the use of it with events and race results.

Cut n shut sounds good don't it?