Leaving bike in England
 

Hi
Does anyone know what the rules are for leaving a bike tempory in england? I am riding from cape town to england and want to leave the bike there for 6 months or so. Plan is to leave and return to australia to work and gain more funds before returning and continuing the RTW.

Is the bike stamped into my Australian passport when I arrive and questions asked when I try to fly out again without it? I will have a current carnet for the bike from africa - just not sure what the rules and regs are.

regards ben.

Hey,

I don't know the rules sorry, but I do have a garage I rent out with space if you're looking for somewhere to store your bike,

Lemme me know,

Charlie :thumbup1:

Renting space
 

Charlie,
thanks for the offer, but will be leaving the bike with friends. Was just curious about rules for leaving it there.

regards ben

It's supposed to be registered in the UK if it's here for more than 6 months and if you do fall foul of the authorities the burden of proof will be on you to prove it has been less than 6 months since it arrived. There are lots of people who get away with ignoring this rule but unfortunately the authorities are starting to clamp down on it. They even use ANPR technology to record number plates as they arrive at the ports.

Leaving bike in England
 

Which authority should I check with? I have friends in Ireland as well - would over there be easier to have it stored than England? If it turns out being too big of a problem, what do you think of leaving the bike in France or such? European union - no checking at borders etc.

Cheers Ben.

This guy should be able to help you out (Knopf Tours), he stores bikes in Germany and should be familiar with EU rules:

Welcome

I can't speak for Ireland. France have similar rules to the UK but probably not as easily enforced. fwiw I have had a UK registered bike in France for nearly 4 years. One advantage (or possibly disadvantage depending on the circumstances) of bikes is that they can be transported across borders in vans or in/on trailers with no records being kept.

Thanks for the info guys. I have sent Stefan an email asking him about his storage costs in Germany. It may be a safer (legally) to use a service like his than risk problems in england.

regards ben.

Last time I checked Stefan's services were very reasonable and he can set you up with insurance and have your bike ready to go. I think it was something like $200-$300 a year USD. I could be wrong it has been awhile. I am seriously think about storing one over there for summer riding, my norge should serve me well over there. Later...Mike

Stefan replied to my email with this quote:

hello


Each month are 25 Euro and it is no proplem to leave youre gear here and you can use the workshop and for the beginning and the end we have Camping or B&B here .


Let me know befor you come and it is no proplem even if you just show up


We also have greencard and roadasistance


Stefan

25 Euro is currently about $AUD43.00 a month which is not bad when he will start and maintain the battery - being able to leave the bike gear/luggage is good as well. Unless I find someone cheaper between now and when I want to return to Oz then I will use him.

Regards Ben

...Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Now if I can my bike from Denver to Frankfurt I will use Stefan for 10 months a year.

Great info, thanks Ben

Ben,
if you've friends to store it with in Ireland, that'll be much easier than the UK.
The rules are much more relaxed in Ireland than in the UK and no one will question you on leaving the country.

I'm Irish, living in London and I've kept Irish reg vehicles in the UK and UK reg vehicles in Ireland.

In any country that you store the bike, just make sure to check if your insurance is still valid for theft or damage.