Can I leave alone my French number plate motorbike in USA for 6 months?
 

Hi,

I am doing a world tour with a BMW R1150 GS Adventure since 2014, see www.worldbees.com

I am in Baja California in Mexico and I am planning to enter for the first time in USA at Tecate border check point on the 1st of August 2013 (i already have my online ETSA visa). My questions:

1. Some small border check point doesn’t care about your bike and stamp nothing, but I want to be legal. Do you know if I can do the bike paper work in Tecate or do I have to go to the hell Tijuana? I have the EPA exemption letter and the form 3250-1 ready.

2. I am planning to leave my motorbike on the West coast of USA from mid-September 2013 to mid-April 2014 and go by plane to Europe to see my family. I asked by email the EPA block if it is possible, he answer was:

"NO, you can not leave the vehicle here when you return to Europe. The Terms and Conditions of the exemption state the vehicle must leave the US when you do, for any reason and any length of time. It must return to Europe and you must send export documents to us. And, you can not send it to Canada or Mexico to be considered exported"

But I heard that some non-resident US have left their bike for a while without problem (specially when no bike info is on your passport, as it is for USA). So where is the trick?

I really have to leave USA mid-September but I don't want to take my bike with me on the plane to Europe. I want to finish my 10 years round the world tour by visiting Canada and Alaska from April to July 2014! Please help me not shorten my trip...

For your prompt answers in advance thank you :-)

Gilles RATIA
gilles@apiservices.com
Mobile: +33 6 07 68 49 39

bonsoir
ce peut être plus facile de laisser votre moto au Mexique, durée max de 6 mois, pour cela il vous faudra entrer aux USA puis revenir
aux USA il semble possible de laisser son véhicule jusqu'à un an, au pire il est possible de le déclarer en panne/réparation et de faire part d'une nécessité impérieuse de rentrer type parent malade
2 de mes contacts ont procédé ainsi laissant leurs suz650 4 mois à Las Vegas, dans une concession, il y a 2 ans
cordialement

YES you can leave it.

Officially as EPA said No, but they do not check. What they care about is that the motorcycle leaves the country.

We brought our bikes in last year and left them in a storage locker in Las Vegas for 6 months. On this trip we have been in and out of the US several times visiting Canada and each time the only question we get is are the bikes staying.

We will be exporting the bikes before the 12 months is up.

The only time we needed the paperwork you mentioned is when we air shipped them in last year. No one ever asked for it at all the border crossings. We did have to show our UK registration docs going into Alaska

Hope this helps,
Lilian

Thank you
 

I will see...

I have a friend who has had his Australian registered bike in the US for 7 years. He comes here for a few months every other year and rides it, He's gone back and forth across the US Canada border many times with zero issues.

Your temp import is good for 12 months, if that were to expire you could have problems if you actually run into someone who knows what the rules are. Last I knew you could restart the 12 months by going into Mexico and back.

I have a place you can store your bike in Washington if that fits your plans send me a PM.
Bob:scooter: