Bit of a specific question, but I am moving to Dubai next month and looking to buy a bike for the desert. Should I:

A- buy a bike in Dubai or
B- should I buy it in the UK and import it?

If A, is it actually cheaper in Dubai? It doesnt seem so from the small number of websites i have looked at. Any recommended dealers?
If B, how difficult/costly is it to import and register?

Any advice gladly taken- i want to get onto those dunes! (so thinking about CRF, KTM 450 etc)

I’m fairly sure vehicles of all kinds are cheaper in the UAE. Vehicles which come here, especially cars but also, for example, BMW bikes also tend to get high-end specs like ABS.

That’s not so relevant for an off-road bike but anyway, you can check out a sample price. The current list price for a CRF450X is 27,500 dirhams. I asked on Thursday because my XR has been stolen. With the usual discount it would be around 25,000-25,500. That’s something around 4,000 pounds.

There are also lots of cheaper secondhand bikes around of all types.

Normally, importation of personal goods doesn’t attract any duty. They’ve got enough cash here at the moment. Registration would probably be much the same as if you bought locally.

I strongly recommend Trading Enterprises who are the Honda dealer in Dubai. Not only do they sell Hondas but they also care about their customers and organize training and desert rides for all abilities.

The other main dealer is the KTM distributor. They were called Gorica but I think they might be Tristar now. They have lots of funky looking KTMs on display right now.

There are also a few independent workshops which sell secondhand bikes and sometimes new stock too. The main two are Motorcycle City & Sandstorm in Dubai.

Feel free to ask for further info about phone numbers or GPS coordinates.
Stephan

Thanks!
CRF450X for 25,500 dirhams seems about right.

Guess I will avoid the hassle and buy the bike in Dubai. To be honest I'm not sure what bike I need yet (I'm leaving my XT600 in the UK though- a bit heavy for dunes).

Found those dealers...
Trading Enterprises http://www.afhonda.com/
Tristar for KTMs http://www.tristaruae.com/
And will find look out for Sandstorm too

Maybe I once I have the bike its OK to ask you for a few more tips?

For example, do you ride out in June-August or is it just too hot?

JFL
Sandstorm recently moved and shut down their web site.
It had been “www dot sandstormgroup dot com”.

Phone number: +971 4 3395608
Fax: +971 4 883407
Map Ref: N25 09.195 E55 14.075

If you look at the location of Tri-Star…
http://www.tristaruae.com/location.asp

Motorcycle City is just next door.

Motorcycle City
Phone number: +971 (4) 3338336
Fax: +971 (4) 3338337
Map Ref: N25 11.093 E55 21.207

I’m never here from the end of June (see you in Ripley?) till late August and I don’t rush back out to the desert straight after a European summer. It can be really brutal while the humidity lasts. [Right now, the weather is brilliant with spots of rain for the last two days.]

I usually ride as much as possible but as the summer approaches, people tend to start early (e.g. 7 a.m. and finish by 10 or 11 a.m.) or just go out for a short ride before dusk. Early is better though for the heat (less) and light (more).

If you need any equipment, get as much as you can before you come here. Vehicles might be reasonably priced but helmets, boots, sprockets, whatever, aren’t. Mainly because there is so little competition here; just a few shops selling bike gear.

The best way, if you need anything pricey is to buy it with a tax refund form and get the VAT back at the airport (you might have to prove residence outside the EU though).

Stephan