Buying in Germany

[shakawe]

This is my first post. I am looking to buy a low mileage @ in Germany and then importing to the UK. Has anyone done this and what are the pitfalls particularly at the German end.

[Meat]

This is my first post. I am looking to buy a low mileage @ in Germany and then importing to the UK. Has anyone done this and what are the pitfalls particularly at the German end.

Welcome Shakawe,

I imported my AT from Germany last year. To Norway, but I believe the German pitfalls will be more or less the same.

The first obstacle is to find a German who speaks English. Not easy. Some of the Bike shops do, but the best purchase will of course be direct from the owner. Use www.mobile.de and/or www.autoscout24.de to find a good prospect.

In Germany there are lots of "grey-import" bikes, i.e. bikes coming from outside Germany (mostly from east). Some of them have a "dodgy" history, and I have been told that the quality and specifications are not the same as the original German bikes. This can be easily sorted out if the seller send you the copy of the "Fahrzeugbrief" . This fahrzeugbrief gives you the history of the bike; who imported the bike- should preferably be Honda Deutschland gmbh, and number of previous owners.

You must have the document that shows that the bike is "Abgemeldet", i.e. licence plate has been delivered to the TUV office.

For import to Norway, it is also important to have a ECE conformity certificate. Can be purchased at the TUV office for about €80,-

Use the "official" contract: TUV's "Kaufertrag fur eines gebrauchtes Motorrad". It is in German, but all aspects are covered.

When I did the import, all of the above had been discussed with the owner, and he was prepared. The bike was fast, black, mint and above my expectations , so the purchase was done in less than 30 minutes. Cash payment.

I loaded the bike in a van and drove back to Norway. Paid VAT to customs on arrival and tax on registration date.

However, there are quite a few Germans on this site who should be able to add some more specific advises.

Good luck!

[shakawe]

Thanks for the info. Might be a little daunting. Is the system the same as here i.e If the bike is taxed and has a valid MOT, can it hen be ridden back,providing there is insurance in place. I presume? there would not be any VAT payable when bringing into the UK.

[Meat]

Thanks for the info. Might be a little daunting. Is the system the same as here i.e If the bike is taxed and has a valid MOT, can it hen be ridden back,providing there is insurance in place. I presume? there would not be any VAT payable when bringing into the UK.

If you can find an AT from "erste hand", one owner, with low milage, it is probably good taken care of and a good purchase. Ask for additional pictures on e-mail. Not scary at all if you get some coordination help from the owner. The bikes are most expensive in the north, and considerably cheaper in the south (but the grey-import possibilty is also higher). My -99 model had only about 6000 miles on the clock.

It is possible to ride the bike back. Some more time consuming paper works for sure. Unfortunately, I can not help you with details on that topic.

[Shep]

Shakawe

I used to import sportscars from Japan we did about 3000 of them and Motorhomes from Germany so i know a bit about this.

You will need the Fahrenschein and Fahrenbrief which is the German equivalent of our V55 registration certificate. You will have to go with the previous owner and the bike to there equivalent of the Vehicle Registration Office, the prevuous owner will have to come with you so he will know where it is. They will remove the old German number plates, you will then need to purchase export number plates, with these comes insurance that lasts for i believe 1 week, it is valid in any country in the EU. You can then ride home. If you are going to put it any van you may not need export plates but you will need to check in the office. You will not need these plates for registration in Britain only the Fahrenschein and Fahrenbrief.

When you get here you will need to get an MOT, and insurance on the frame number. You then take the FahrenSchein and Fahrenbrief, the MOT and Insurance certificate to the VRO they will then give you a numberplate number and you will have to buy 6 or 12 months tax. It is also a good idea to take the original receipt for the bike. They may ask you for a physical inspection of the bike to check engine and frame numbers.

You will not need to pay any VAT or Import Duties as the bike originated within the EU. However you will have to pay and this is approximate about 150 Euros for a German export plate, £25 registration fee, cost of making a new British numberplate, and all your travelling costs

hope this helps

[shakawe]

Thanks Shep,very helpful. I'm onto a low mileage AT in this country, so it might all come to nought. My son intends going overland to OZ, hence the need for low mileage (maybe less to go wrong).

[fergus1964]

i bought an early rd03 from germany last year, ex swiss. language no problem used one of these translation sites, you just put in your block of english, and follow with the translation. just keep the sentences short. the replies were fine. you get the sense of what is being said, even if it reads oddly. most germans will know someone who can speak english, anyway. for pick up, i paid a bloke who collects/delivers bikes in europe all the time. he picked it up and delivered to my door for £400 cash, on one of his return trips with 5 bikes in his van. older bikes are no interest to customs. registration was easy, just take the equivalent of the log book from germany, plus an mot on the chassis from uk, and you have a plate. my biggest worry was that the money sent electronically would just disappear, or that the bike itself would be junk. turned out the bike just needed a mild restoration (had not been used for many years). in my view you are more likely to get a mint rd03 for reasonable money in europe. i paid equivalent of £1,200 for a 28k kms mileage.

[shakawe]

Thanks Fergus
The bike I was onto here is a 2000@ with 1800 miles on clock. Unfortunately vendor changed the price and I was not prepared to deal. Anyone interested, it is listed on Bike Trader

[raigo]

Thanks Fergus
The bike I was onto here is a 2000@ with 1800 miles on clock. Unfortunately vendor changed the price and I was not prepared to deal. Anyone interested, it is listed on Bike Trader

if you want, you can even look a new bike from italy (www.moto.it) = loads of XRV-s and other bikes. Only transport and doing the paperwork can become difficult.

btw, i bought my bike from germany too, you can also visit www.africatwin.de -> click "Anzeige" -> then click "Africa Twin" . "Biete" means for sale , "Suche" stands for "want to buy" and there is an extra market place on the forum area,but i requiers registration
I found my twin from that place

good luck