Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Shipping bike from USA to Europe

Hi. I plan to ship a bike from USA to Europe (probably Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain or Portugal), I intend to use this bike for a road trip in Europe and North Africa. The shipping company has mentioned that I'll have to pay import tax / VAT on the bike, which doesn't really make sense to me. I don't intend to import the bike to Europe, I'll use it for tourism, then bring it to Africa and sell/trade/give it away. (On the other hand, I realize that the European customs have no way to verify that I'll actually take the bike out of the continent.)

So I'm wondering, has anyone brought a vehicle from USA to Europe for tourism? If so, what's your experience? And any idea if import rules are the same in all EU countries, or if it makes more sense to choose one country over another? FYI, the bike is in my name and I am a US resident, Swedish citizen. Thanks!