Motorcycles in Tunisia?

[Brina]

Does anyone have information on where i can buy a 500cc+ motorcycle in Tunisia? Or any info on what it takes to import a motorcycle into tunisia...any info would be great help.

[Mandarax]

Buying a motocycle in Tunisia will be next to impossible because there is no market. During my last stay there (just a few weeks ago) we talked to a guy evying us because we were there with our DR-Zs.
He told us that to register a bike larger than a Motobecane (50cc) one needs a permission from the government which is rarely granted. There are next to none tunisian motorcycle riders and the two I saw had no plates mounted. So I suspect they rode without permission.

Cheers, Hans

[fabia12]

Must say this is so disheartening to know. All the places where I have been so far I have availed the services of the bike. Cant imagine being stranded in the middle of the road and waiting for a cab or any other public transport vehicle. Well as it looks I might well cancel my plans of visiting Tunisia I cant part with my bike at any cost.

[kevinrbeech]

Originally Posted by Brina

Does anyone have information on where i can buy a 500cc+ motorcycle in Tunisia? Or any info on what it takes to import a motorcycle into tunisia...any info would be great help.

If importing works the same as for a car you can take a vehicle in for 3 months, some apparently trip across the Lybian border after 3 months then bring it back in again. To permanently import a car into Tunisia it has to be less than five years old and the importer has to be a Tunisian national. I believe this to be pretty accurate, maybe there are other elements that I've not been told.

[Mandarax]

Originally Posted by fabia12

Must say this is so disheartening to know. All the places where I have been so far I have availed the services of the bike. Cant imagine being stranded in the middle of the road and waiting for a cab or any other public transport vehicle. Well as it looks I might well cancel my plans of visiting Tunisia I cant part with my bike at any cost.

Fabia, I don't understand what you want to say. Buying a motocycle in Tunisia is more or less impossible. But travelling to and through Tunisia by motorcycle is quite common for european riders who want to get into the Sahara sand as quick as possible and without much of an effort.

Cheers, Hans

[XBR-Robert]

During my trip through Tunisia last year, I only saw two local motorbikes:
a Harley V-Rod from a guy that was working in Switzerland and an old CB500 (>20 years) of a guy who brought it over from France.
So I can confirm that there are no large bikes on the streets.

Why don't you try to get a bike in Italy and crossby ferry from Genova or Naples?

br

Robert

[QuadsAcrossAfrica]

We are planning to be in Tunisia in about 3 weeks and our plan is to try to sell our bikes (well quads actually) there. I am not sure what the market is like or if we will even be able to. Worst case we will just take them to europe and sell them there.
Has anyone ever sold a bike in Tunisia????
Cheers,
Josh
Welcome to www.quadsacrossafrica.com

[kevinrbeech]

Your quad will be stamped into your passport on entry, you won't be able to leave without it, as I understand it anyway. On entry you do a temporary import on the vehicle, hence many countries still requiring a "carnet".

[Dave Norfolk]

last two years I been to Tunisia and your vehicle is stamped into your passport on entry with vehicle registration number write into your passport which has to be stamp out when you leave!!
You have to fill one of these forms in a (DEMANDE D'AUTORISATION DE CIRCULATION POUR UN VEHICULE AUTOMOBILE ) to temporary import the vehicle and with out this sign when you leave and handed it into the cabin to get your passport stamped you can't leave Tunisia .

[Brina]

Originally Posted by Dave Norfolk

last two years I been to Tunisia and your vehicle is stamped into your passport on entry with vehicle registration number write into your passport which has to be stamp out when you leave!!
You have to fill one of these forms in a (DEMANDE D'AUTORISATION DE CIRCULATION POUR UN VEHICULE AUTOMOBILE ) to temporary import the vehicle and with out this sign when you leave and handed it into the cabin to get your passport stamped you can't leave Tunisia .

okay so with all of this stamping talk.
if i import a bike (not ride it over) will i still have to get the stamp and will i be able to tag it in tunisia?
essentially: what will it take to keep a bike in Tunisia? one that is imported, one that i can tag, one i won't have to take on visa renewal trips, and one that i can eventually sell in tunisia?

[kevinrbeech]

Again, I believe, a vehicle can only be imported into Tunisia by a Tunisian National, also it cannot be more that five years old.

[Mandarax]

Originally Posted by Brina

okay so with all of this stamping talk.
if i import a bike (not ride it over) will i still have to get the stamp and will i be able to tag it in tunisia?
essentially: what will it take to keep a bike in Tunisia? one that is imported, one that i can tag, one i won't have to take on visa renewal trips, and one that i can eventually sell in tunisia?

Since you are in Tunisia, why don't you ask the authorities, maybe the next Gouvernorat? Since none of us has ever done this or knows a person who has it's moot to speculate about your chances.

[Brina]

i haven't been able to talk to the authorities. but i did find a KTM dealership in town that supplies both Tunisia and Libya. however, if you buy a bike direct from KTM @ this dealership there is a 104% import tax. i'll keep trying.

[silver G]

Don't know about bikes but 4x4s are over £800 a year road tax which they would probably insist on.

[tss118]

Brina, I'm bringing this back from the dead. I hope you are still around.

I am in the process of moving to Tunis for work and want my 990 to accompany me.

A couple of things:

1.) Did you have any luck bringing a large displacement bike into Tunisia? If so, can you provide some more details.

2.) Can you give the name/location of the KTM dealer you found in Tunisia? I have heard of a dealer in Tunis/La Marsa, but have not been there yet.

What I think I know on the subject is that as an ex-pat/foreigner, I can import my 990 Adventure and apply for RS plates. These plates would allow me to bring the motorcycle into the country and own it there. I would not have to pay the 104% tax on it, but I would not be able to sell the motorcycle in the country (not planning too).

I will be back in Tunis the later half of January and hope to clarify these points. If they come back positive I will be crating up my 990 in February to ship over.

Travis