Motorcycle import/export + adding aftermarket parts

[p6x]

On 9/20/2023 at 8:07 AM, audiomick said:

Yeah, I'd have it for that if it wasn't so far away from me.

I brought all my stuff from France to Houston via groupage, albeit before the so-called supply chain collapse.

It was a 20ft container, I only paid 2000 USD including packing. That is if you accept to let the freight forwarder decide when to ship your stuff. Usually, when a ship has some non booked space. It took about 5 months before mine sailed.

I am aware that today, available space is nonexistent because of all the turmoil still happening. But I recommend you check with freight forwarders directly. Do not use the various companies that propose that service to bring vehicles from abroad at your door. They are a lot more expensive. If you don't mind taking care of the few administrative issues, then you can get it for cheap(er).

You may want to check the German requirements to register a motorcycle imported from outside the EU...

[audiomick]

4 hours ago, p6x said:

You may want to check the German requirements to register a motorcycle imported from outside the EU...

I've already had stress getting my V35 Imola registered after fixing it up. It was from Italy, and had been taken off the road there. The rego office reckoned I would have to get new papers from Italy, or permission from Italy for the German office to issue new papers. The easy way was to buy an empty frame with German papers and swap the rest into that frame. Not going down that road again...

[p6x]

On 9/21/2023 at 6:41 PM, audiomick said:

I've already had stress getting my V35 Imola registered after fixing it up. It was from Italy, and had been taken off the road there. The rego office reckoned I would have to get new papers from Italy, or permission from Italy for the German office to issue new papers. The easy way was to buy an empty frame with German papers and swap the rest into that frame. Not going down that road again...

Indeed! it sounds like a nightmarish experience.

The procedure you described was one of those used by motorcycle thieves in France in the 70's in order to resell stolen bikes. They purchased a frame from a wrecking company with the registration certificate and used it to legitimize the stolen motorcycle. The 70's documentation was easily forged. Basically a piece of grey reinforced paper with typewritten numbers. As the years went by, authorities started to be more suspicious of damaged documentation that had become undecipherable. Then engine numbers started to be recorded too.

[audiomick]

12 minutes ago, p6x said:

Then engine numbers started to be recorded too.

That's something that gets me here.

In Melbourne, the engine number is recorded in the rego papers. Seems logical to me. Here in Germany, the country that invented inflexible bureaucracy, the engine number is not recorded.

 

Doors wide open for exactly what you described: buy an empty frame with legit papers, fill it up with stolen parts, and flog it off as a "legal" bike.

I know that would work here. Apart from the fact that the parts actually weren't stolen but rather the parts from the bike that I bought, that is exactly what I did. And the registration office didn't bat an eyelid.

[p6x]

23 hours ago, audiomick said:

Doors wide open for exactly what you described: buy an empty frame with legit papers, fill it up with stolen parts, and flog it off as a "legal" bike.

The wreckers are not supposed to give away the registration document without double crossing them, so the administration knows this document was not for a complete motorcycle, but just for the frame with the identifier. This was indeed the procedure to prevent fraud. Obviously, wreckers found they could get additional benefits from that, and they would request more money to not cross the document, contributing to the fraud.

However, this kind of fraud is now obsolete.

They now collect the bikes, and transfer them to countries that are not so stringent on origin. Normally, they do that with luxurious vehicles. Since everything is now wireless, some people have found way to hack cars that are supposed to be fortresses.

This is why I love my Le Mans. No electronics, nothing can go wrong! (almost nothing....)

[Lucky Phil]

On 9/26/2023 at 8:33 AM, audiomick said:

That's something that gets me here.

In Melbourne, the engine number is recorded in the rego papers. Seems logical to me. Here in Germany, the country that invented inflexible bureaucracy, the engine number is not recorded.

 

Doors wide open for exactly what you described: buy an empty frame with legit papers, fill it up with stolen parts, and flog it off as a "legal" bike.

I know that would work here. Apart from the fact that the parts actually weren't stolen but rather the parts from the bike that I bought, that is exactly what I did. And the registration office didn't bat an eyelid.

Yes Mick very odd that. I found out about this years ago from Paul Minnaert. 

Phil

[docc]

Interesting international topic . . .