Hello Every one,
I just got my Permanent Resident visa for Australia, and I plan to move to Sydney permanently very soon(by August end).

Now my question is , I have my 2003 Royal Enfield Bullet Electra here in India,
1) Can I import it Aus without paying customs as this is my personal belonging item , and morever it is not new its been registered since the past 2 years on my name. ( I am asking this since I heard from some ppl who migrated to Aus way back that they were allowed to bring in their personal stuff one time without paying Customs duties)

2) Is it worth the trouble ?? or should I rather buy another second hand bike(Enfield or a some other make perhaps) there in Australia?

3) If I have to pay full taxes / duties, can I get an Idea as to how much they would be ? Who are the persons I should contact to do the same

4) What is the best and the cheapest way to ship the bike from India to Australia? Any one has experience with good shipping companies?
Currently I plan to ship the bike to Sydney from Chennai(on the east cost

5) Any specific regulatory requirements (Pollution control certificate /noice levels etc when I import the bike there)

Thanks to please let me know your views on the above, Please also let me know if you need any more info from my side.
Regards,
Hari Iyer aka RED Bull

__________________
Red Bull
Ride safe, ride far, ride often,,,...
http://theroyalenfieldbullet.blogspot.com/
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hari_iyer_s/my_photos

http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/s...ting.aspx#6.01

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/motorcycles/aus-faq/part2/

__________________
Red Bull
Ride safe, ride far, ride often,,,...
http://theroyalenfieldbullet.blogspot.com/
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hari_iyer_s/my_photos

1) Can I import it Aus without paying customs as this is my personal belonging item , and morever it is not new its been registered since the past 2 years on my name. ( I am asking this since I heard from some ppl who migrated to Aus way back that they were allowed to bring in their personal stuff one time without paying Customs duties)

Yes you can import the vehicle as a personal import, you MUST obtain an Import Approval from DOTARS (see link in above reply). Check the Customs website www.customs.gov.au for import duty - I think that you will pay 10% duty on the value of the bike - but check and double check. You'll pay GST (a sales tax) on the landed value of the bike (shipping fees etc.).

2) Is it worth the trouble ?? or should I rather buy another second hand bike(Enfield or a some other make perhaps) there in Australia?

I'd say not, unless you have a strong emotional connection to the bike.

3) If I have to pay full taxes / duties, can I get an Idea as to how much they would be ? Who are the persons I should contact to do the same

I brought a vehicle in from Germany just recently and had to pay 10% import duty on the purchase price, then you add the shipping costs, then you add 10% GST to that. eg $1000 vehicle, + $100 duty = $1100, shipping costs $250, $1100 + $250 = $1350 + 10% = $135, total = $1485. It increases the cost of the bike by about 25%, not something tha will be reflected into the value of the bike at resale.

4) What is the best and the cheapest way to ship the bike from India to Australia? Any one has experience with good shipping companies?
Currently I plan to ship the bike to Sydney from Chennai(on the east cost

You need to check locally for the best price, you'll have to pay additional fees here - port charges, quarantine cleaning charges and inspection, maybe another $250 to $350.

5) Any specific regulatory requirements (Pollution control certificate /noice levels etc when I import the bike there)

Each State has slightly different processes for registering an imported vehicle, however you will need to have the bike inspected for compliance with Australian (vehicle) Design Rules - brakes, lights, mirrors, tyres, emissions, etc etc. Its not too easy as there are also noise restrictions which some bikes cannot pass. The DOTARS website has a link to the code of practice that each State is supposed to apply.

My advice buy a bike in Oz and save yourself a lot of hassles and costs.

I will indeed think over the same again in the mean while I'll try to get a quote from the Royal Enfield dealer in Melbourne :-)

__________________
Red Bull
Ride safe, ride far, ride often,,,...
http://theroyalenfieldbullet.blogspot.com/
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hari_iyer_s/my_photos

Hi Red Bull,
Remember to also factor in the costs of upgrading your Bullet to meet Australian emmissions and safety regulations. I'm not sure what those are but Indian market Bullets fall very short of EU rules and the export Bullet has many differences. The Royal Enfield dealer in Australia should be able to help you with that.
Again, the situation may be different in Aus but here in the UK Enfields have VERY low second hand value (people buy them then realise they are not man enough for such a beast and sell them to buy a meek, obedient little Jap/German bike) so you could probably get a second hand one extremely cheap.
To give you an example I recently valued my 2002, 350 classic in good condition with stainless exhaust and 'Stage 1' tune; Boyer Powerbox; trials bars; and various stainless fittings and other doodahs. About £350. Seriously.
However this means I have an excuse to keep it forever!

Good luck in Australia, it's a grand country, if a little unsophisticated.

Matt

PS: Ah, I just noted RogerM has mentioned the regs. issue. D'Oh!

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

The Royal Enfields imported to Australia are the special export variety which are produced at the factory to meet all Australian Design Rules so a compliance plate can be fitted (a prerequisite for registration to ride locally). These bikes come with 12 month warranty.

from http://www.royalenfieldaustralia.com/index.php

Thanks to your replies,
I have now decided to not take my bike to OZ,,,.. Will have to get myself anotehr bike there.
About my Bullet I still don't feel like selling it ,,,, Guess I'll store it to be used on rides during vacations :-)

Anyway guys thanks a lot for your replies !!!!!

__________________
Red Bull
Ride safe, ride far, ride often,,,...
http://theroyalenfieldbullet.blogspot.com/
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hari_iyer_s/my_photos

In Sydney the Royal Enfield dealer is Motociclo http://www.motociclo.com.au/. Good people, good service. The place to go if you're as fanatical about your bike as they are. BMW, Guzzi, Ducati, etc service + good British gear in stock.

BTW Matt from Scotland RE: "Good luck in Australia, it's a grand country, if a little unsophisticated." In Oz we like to think that that we are down-to-earth, honest, wysiwyg. The country isn't developed beyond recognition (yet). If this is what you mean by "unsophisticated", then I am glad to be unsophisticated!

prozac

I am now in Newcastle looking for work missing my bike.

My Bullet has been left at a friend's place in India for use till I ride it up to Ladakh some time next year or so and yeah I think Aus is a wonderful place to go biking. Just waiting to earn some dough and get myself a good bike here.

Thanks for yoru support one and all.

Red Bull

__________________
Red Bull
Ride safe, ride far, ride often,,,...
http://theroyalenfieldbullet.blogspot.com/
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hari_iyer_s/my_photos

hey am happy u did not get u r bullet to oz and torture yourself with it.u live in newcastle?cool.i used to live in bluemountains now in byron bay.i rode ladakh 3 years in a row on my rd350 in india. one in the end of october when the roads were closed.tell me when u get a bike, we might catch up.

__________________
ride, ride like the wind to be free.

Hi Red Bull
Just been catching up with some posts as I've been away for a while. Good luck with your move to Auz. I hope it all works out for you and you are soon back on 2 wheels.
Paul

__________________
If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

hey guys, i am nearly at the end of a monster mission. importing a royal enfield from india to melbourne by ship. let me know if anyone on this forum would like to hear more about this story as my lessons learned would certainly help others out there!!!

Hey cmcutchen, would definitely love to hear the process of your import since I'm planning to get my Duke 390 from India to Mel as well.

Bhai bta kaise mngvaai meri 2008 model khdi hai india mngvaani hai bhai madat ker 0457861074. Pls call

how did you go with shipping your bike?

thanx