I'm British. Sorry about that.

I'm riding my Australian XR650R home, I'll get there in February all being well. I have a Carnet, I'll get insurance through Knopftours and my rego in Oz will still be current.

Will I, as an Englishman, be able to ride in the UK on my foreign bike?

So what happens at the border? Do I just sail through and wave my passport, or do I have to fill in silly forms?

I wonder if anyone else has experience with this. I did scour the Hubb but couldn't seem to find what I was looking for.

I do this every summer using insurance arranged by Stefan Knopf.

You enter at your chosen port, on your vehicle of (good) choice and present your passport. You should get in without a second question.

Questions about registering the bike in the UK and any customs duty payable may come later. See the customs and excise web site for more info. on vehicle importation.

Stephan

Nice one dude.

I just got all worried there for a bit. I'm going to use Stefan at Knopftours for insurance, everyone seems to recomend him.

I'm not sure what to do with the bike, I'd like to use it in the UK for a couple of years, but I'll eventualy want to take it back to Oz. Do you know what the cost might be to import it properly? Maybe I'd be better off sending it to Oz and using another bike instead.

Skidder
Apart from the cost of inspecting the vehicle and paying the current UK registration fees, costs would be for insurance, meeting technical standards and possibly import duties.

Carol Nash will give you a quote for fully comprehensive insurance on the overseas plate as long as you change it to a UK plate within a week...

The technical costs will depend on the bike but they mainly involve speedometer (mph not kph) and headlamp changes. I have included some correspondence from the relevant UK authorities below.

There is a lot more information about the Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval Scheme here: http://www.dvtani.gov.uk/vehicletesting/msvafaqs.asp

I suggest you find out about the customs issue in advance by writing to them and describing your situation. My understanding is that if you have previously owned the vehicle for over 6 months and it is for personal use you won’t be liable but I might be wrong.

MSVA Correspondence:
"A cycle computer would be acceptable if it met the same criteria as a factory fitted speedo. It must be capable of showing the maximum design speed of the bike; 130mph should be fine if the bike hasn’t been tuned. It must be in the direct field of view of the rider and be able to be read at all times, day or night. This means that when in the normal riding position the speedo/cycle computer must be visible to the rider without moving more than the eyes and will need to be illuminated at night.

You will also need to show the examiner the operating means e.g. magnetic pick-up etc. and that the instrument is securely fitted. I would also suggest that the cycle computer is wired so that it switches on with the ignition, this would remove any doubt from the examiners mind about it being visible to the rider at all times.
The requirements for the speedo are that the speed is indicated in miles per hour and that the graduations are permanently marked on the dial face.
Adding stickers to the dial glass would not be acceptable. Anecdotal evidence shows that using a converter, either mechanical or electronic depending on how the speedo is driven, and then obliterating the k in "km/h” is a popular means of modifying the instrument. The graduations on the dial face would then be accurate for miles and we accept "m/h" as an alternative to "mph" on the dial face. Other alternatives would be to replace the speedo face or (usually expensively) replace the whole instrument.

Our examiners check the headlamp dipped beam pattern during the test. If the beam pattern shows a "kickup" to the left ( \_____ ) or a flat-topped beam ( ______ ) then the headlamp will be fine. If the beam pattern shows a "kickup" to the right ( ______/ ) or any other pattern that is likely to dazzle oncoming traffic it will fail. Please note that this part of the test does not check the beam "aim" (as will be tested during the MoT test) only the shape of the pattern. The use of masks or beam converters to meet the requirements is not acceptable.

Audible warning simply relates to the need for the machine to be fitted with a device to give other road users a warning i.e. in the vast majority of cases a horn.

With best regards
MSVA Technical Officer"

Hope that helps. Stephan

I've been searching the Hubb for more info about importing a bike in the UK and found this page on the HM Customs and Revenues website. Thought it might be helpful for others searching in the future.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...ent#P129_14432

Joey