bying a bike in Australia(2010)
 

Hello.
No,I shipped my bike with Getrouted; www.getrouted.com.au from the UK to Melbourne,on Carnet de Passage. I give my Carnet to Dave of Getrouted,when I get my bike to Felixstowe,he did the Customs clearance in Australia. When the container arrives in Melbourne,Dave just gives me a call,to pick up the bike,reconnect the battery,and GO;
No problems at all.
Thanks.
Chris.

Great discussion for getting around Australia
 

I'm from Kiama near Sydney NSW Australia. I'm very impressed with the discussions and comments from both Australians, past visitors and potential new visitors.
A few summing up comment I would like to make with respect to buying a bike in Australia with Australian registration (Rego).
There are 6 states and 2 territories in Australia. Its a technical difference between a state and territory so think of it as 8 states. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory (Where the Federal government lives) Each state has its own state government which controls the registration requirements for that state.
The down side is that state registration requirements vary for state to state.
The up side is once you are registered in one state you can ride/drive in any state. Driving licenses are also state owned but you are allowed to drive in any state with the same license. Sorry I can help with international license requirements.

A word of advice
1. Always make sure your vehicle is registered. The cops have cameras that can take your licence number as you ride /drive past and before you have gone another 100 meters they will know if you vehicle is registered. Usually there is a police breathalyser unit (booze bus) just past the rego check camera and they'll know your unregistered before you even get to them.

2. To get a vehicle registered you will need to have prepaid a compulsory injury insurance. They wont register the vehicle without this. This is to cover injury to people in case of an accident. This insurance is transferable with the registration. i.e if you buy a vehicle you also get the balance of the registration and the compulsory injury insurance (fact in NSW, you'll need to confirm for other state.

3. In Australia we also have a vehicle insurance split into 3 categories
a) comprehensive insurance where if the accident was your fault the insurance will cover your vehicle as well as the other vehicle(s)
b) Third part property. If the accident was your fault your insurance will cover the other vehicle only. You vehicle will not be covered.
c) Third party Fire and Theft. As per b) but will also give you money for replacing your vehicle it was stolen and/or burnt out.

I each case the premiums would vary quite significantly. The option b) Third part property will cost about $140 to $200 per year. Your can probable get a cheaper premium to cover a shorter term. You are liable to be sued for damages if the accident was your fault and your insured (not good for a holiday)

A few hints
If you plan to visit Australia and buy a bike here. Look for a bike in the first state you plan to travel or buy a bike with enough rego that will cover the time you are in Australia. This will save you the hassle of registering on another state. It can be a real pain if you rego is in NSW and your in Western Australia when the rego runs out.
The Third Part property insurance belong to you as the licensed rider and IS NOT transferable with the registration of the bike.

Use the web google and type in the state name followed by "vehicle registration". This will give you the state government registration web site, they usually are identified with .gov somewhere in the address. This will give you all the registration details for that state.

I can assist anyone wanting help in understand information for New South Wales (NSW) but for other states it would be great if other HU members from that state could help.

Late note, There are heaps of speed camera systems in Australia and again the uses and type varies from state to state. a few are as follows
1. Marker and unmarked police car travelling towards you or up from behind
2. Stationary police car.
3. Camera cars (not police cars) take photographs from the side of the road, they move around the local area.
4. Fixed speed cameras on a pole
5. Red light cameras on a pole at traffic lights
6. Fixed speed and red light cameras on one unit on a pole at traffic lights (that the new one)
7. Point to Point cameras where the first camera takes the picture of every vehicle and if you reach the second camera 5 to 20 km away to quickly, the second camera will take you picture. Don't worry there is plenty of notice when you go through the first camera and when you come to the second camera.
8. Point to Point police monitoring from the air. This is usually on the big open roads in low populated areas. Again warning signs are usually notifying a police aerial patrol area
Again ask you state HU members for help in understanding how the police in that state operate.

On a brighter note http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ilies/clap.gif Australia is a great place to visit. It upsets me when I hear Australians think they have to go overseas to see something when they have never looked in their own backyard.

Regards Hesso http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...es/mchappy.gif

Thanks Hesso for such comprehensive info.
It sure is great to know about the eccentricities of the different states.

Would it be road legal if I was to borrow an Oz mate's bike and use my commonwealth (malaysian) driving license, to ride around Oz for a month? I was thinking of either beg/borrow or steal a mate's bike or to maybe buy 1 (also under his name) and park it in Melbourne ~ thereby giving me a reason to pop into Oz every year :-)

Appreciate any input.
Cheers.

Hey hurricanemax joko
I am no expert on international licenses but I believe you can drive any registered car/bike as long as the license permits that vehicle type.

You may just need to consider if your mates bike insurance will cover you if he has it. You might need to get your name on the policy.

Maybe someone with international license experience can help here

As long as you have your driver's licence and an International driver's permit you'll be covered - the IDP should be available from the Malaysion motoring club. Third party injury insurance will be covered by the bike's registration. Insurance for the bike and any damage it may cause maybe a different matter - your mate will have to check his insurance policy to see if it covers you. Most insurance companies will either increase the excess or demand more dollars for cover. Just remember that the ownner of the vehicle is liable for damages not the rider/driver, so its best to make sure you are covered in case you have an accident and hit a Rolls Royce and leave your mate with a $50k bill!!

I can add a little bit here.

In most states besides NSW you pay the compulsory injury insurance as part of your "rego" fee. NSW and ACT is I think the only states where you go and buy your own "green slip" compulsory insurance seperately before you pay your "rego".

Most insurance policies will cover you while riding a bike insured in your mates name provided you are over 25. However the excess paid on an at-fault crash may be much higher (eg: $1500 instead of $500) and you will screw up your mate's no claim bonus. :(

Another gotcha is the Roadworthy test. In NSW they are annual (pink slip). If the bike/car has been unregistered for more than three months you need the more thorough Blue Slip test. In most other states you need a Roadworthy only when a regsitered vehicle changes hands or an unregistered one is put back on the road. There is no annual test. In South Australia and maybe Tasmania and NT you dont need a Roadworthy at all.


The fees for Rego and Roadworthy also differ wildly. NSW used to be the most expensive and Victoria or South Australia the cheapest.
But, as already said, best to check with the authority where you inted to register the bike.

Cheers,
Brett.

Some good information here. Rusty Max, I checked out the bikesales website and saw a bike I thought would be ideal - Kawasaki KLR650 which at AUD6990 looked a good deal. That included panniers, rear rack and tank bags. Tried to contact the dealer via the site but couldn't as I didn't have an Australian postcode or telephone number. Any ideas how I may be able to contact them? The bike seemed ideal for circumnavigating your great country (Dec to May/June hopefully), if you think differently let me know!

My wife and I travelled Cairns to Perth in 2007 in a camper van. Saw some wonderful sights, met some very friendly people (and a few colourful characters) and had a fantastic time. Sadly, she lost her fight with the big C so I'm on my own - hence the decision to ride. Anyone with any ideas about the best place to start and finish (taking the weather into account) please get in touch.

Cheers, Oldrider

Put in a dummy phone number like 03 9898 8888 and a dummy postcode like 3000 (Melbourne CBD). :)

Thanks for that bnicho. Will try again tomorrow.

Try ADV Australia market place:
OZ Flea Market ***** PLEASE-READ THE RULES in FIRST POST ****** - ADVrider

Plenty of good deals to be had. Suzuki DL's are always popular here. As for where to start-you mean to buy or to tour?

Hi Squily,

Thanks for the link. I've had a quick look and will check it fully over the next few days. My intention is to buy a bike, tour Australia and then sell the bike when I'm done (I may export it back to the UK if I really get on with it - depends on costs). Was initially thinking of a camper van but a bike is so much more fun! Any tips/advice welcome. Maybe get to meet up in Esperance, was there in 2007 and it's on my list to revisit.

If you decide to come to Esperance- let me know. Have plenty of room and and good workshop if you're interested.

Being here before- you probably know the sites and conditions, so no point in informing you of that. Personnaly- I think buying from an inmate on ADV is a good way to go. There's always a few bargains to be had and the guys are really helpful in assistance and organising- I've been helped out of the jam a few times.

As to what bike- Hmmm... How long is a piece of string? Guess it depends on where you want to go. If you stick to major routes, any DP would do. If you plan to be more adventurous and do things like the Canning and Simpson- probably trail bike is better. All a compromise as you know- but whatever you choose- choose something reliable. Personally, I'd stay clear of KLR's. Seen enough guys "going around Aus" with KLR's (bought new) falling apart halfway through the trip to make me wonder about them. But that's me...

As to advice:

1. Reliability is key
2. Comfort is important, but not as important as reliability- try crossing 2000km between towns with no support
3. If you're going off the bitume- keep it as light as possible. Aus has sand, sand and more sand
4. Buy something you'll get support for everywhere- Even the most out of the place places support things like DR's, but KTM dealers are spread wide and few
5. Servicing costs in Aus are expensive- oil is around the $80 mark (don't use car oil as they have additives here that bugger up a wet clutch)- so something that needs servicing every 1000km it going to cost you and it's impractical (you'll need to suervice it twince before you reach the other end of the Nullarbor :)). That includes technological marvels- most of Aus is remote and can you fix it with some ducktape?
6. Highly tuned angines will probably give you grief. Some of the remote areas have some pretty crap fuel and low-octane at that. Best to stick to a low-compression machine
7. Plan to break down and you'll be ok (e.g. how will you deal with it and can you survive on your own for a few days
8. But mostly- have fun

But scan the forums - there are some pretty good ride reports of Aussies as well as international travellers and you can learn a lot by seeing what they struggled with and so forth. If you're more visually orientated- look into the Motorbikin' DVD series. Phil is a well-experienced traveller that goes to some amazing places He uses several machines (KTM, DR, Tiger, postie bike etc) and you can see what worked and what didn't (e.g. on one of their unsupported desert crsiings, they destroyed all their tires on the big KTM's halfway thorugh the trip and had to 'pack it in' and go home cause theree was no replacements to be found in the middle of Northern Teratory

Lastly- there is a system called the 'red book' in Aus. That indicates the 2nd hand value of vehicles. When you you see bikes on offer- compare it to the red book and you'll see whether it's above or below market value. Another way is to go to one of the on-line insurance quote engines like Insure-my-ride and typing in the details of the bike there- it'll automatically tell you what they think it's worth.

And expect to take a knock on the resale (especially if you're in a hurry to sell afterwards). If you plan on getting back 50% of what you pay, you know you won't be disappointed and anything more is a bargain.

And finally, finally: where you buy the bike will impact on registration costs as not all States use the same system. E.g. NSW and Victoria are probably the most expensive, whilst WA and NT is the cheapest (ranging from $200-$1000/annum). And some of teh States may require you to do a road-worthy if you sell/buy or even annually. Here in WA it's relatively cheap, and as long as you pay your rego, you never need to take the bike back over the pits.

Thanks Squily, I've been giving it a lot of thought over the last few days and have just about come to the decision on what to get. I'm flying into Cairns or Brisbane and will pick up the bike there, I figure I'll be able to shake down any potential major problems in a fairly populated area. I'll hopefully get to chat with you over a beer in a few months, I'm planning on being around Esperance February time if all goes to plan and will, no doubt, see you musing on the HUBB.

John :thumbup1:

Good luck with your trip oldrider.

One small addition to the advice above regarding servicing costs. There is nothing to stop you buying your own oil and giving that to the mechanic to use when you have your bike serviced. You will find most auto parts stores (Super Cheap Auto, Autobarn, Bursons, Repco etc) sell wet-clutch bike oils considerably cheaper than what the mechanic will charge you for the same oil. (But don't buy the cheap oil filters from Super Cheap Auto. They are total crap.)

Cheers,
Brett.

Thanks for that info Brett, I will definitely remember that one. As a matter of interest, do you have the same system of service record that is used in the UK and Europe where the dealer stamps the record book and annotates the date and mileage? And, is this reflected in the resale value of the vehicle? I assume it is the case but not having any experience of buying and selling in your fair country.......

I really appreciate the advice and help that is on offer on these threads, it is a reminder of the warmth and friendliness we received when we were in Oz in 2007

Thanks again,

bier

John