Hi All,

I am going to be touring Europe for a spell this Spring/Summer, and a mate that lives in England has offered to buy a bike for me, sell it when I am done, and I will pay him for the loss on resale. I have rented in the UK before and toured Europe, and this method will be cheaper than renting for this trip. If was going for longer I would perhaps ship my own bike over, but I am not going to be there long enough for it to pay, and this will hopefully be less expensive.

He has briefly checked into the insurance part of it, and has not yet been able to resolve how to have me (from Canada; Province of British Columbia) be insured on his bike. He is still checking though.

Would anyone be able to comment on possibilities? We are good mates, so if the bike could be purchased in my name, that would work too. As long as he could still ride it.

I understand I can (as I have) ride a UK registered rental bike, but how can I ride a privately owned and insured bike?

In summary, questions are;

1) Is it possible for him to buy the bike in my name and use his address?
2) Signature issues? Could he fax me anything to sign?
3) Is is possible for him to buy the bike in his name, and then when I am over in May, I buy it from him, using his address? Would we have to pay transfer taxes again?
4) Being from Canada, can I own a UK bike and just leave it there?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks to anyone in advance for any suggestions.

Kind regards,

Zarks

Quick answers
1) Yes
2) No Need
3)Yes - No transfer tax
4) Yes

Happy riding

Rory

The Long Answer.



1) Is it possible for him to buy the bike in my name and use his address?
Yes. You don’t need to be British to own a UK bike in the UK.
The British registration Doc (V5) is not proof of ownership, the name on it is the Registered Keeper and the Keepers UK address.
Your Bill of Sale is your proof of ownership.

2) Signature issues? Could he fax me anything to sign?
Faxed docs are therefore copies are not legal docs, anyway not an issue to worry about.


3) Is it possible for him to buy the bike in his name, and then when I am over in May, I buy it from him, using his address?
Same answer as no 1) above.
Would we have to pay transfer taxes again?
There is no vehicle transfer tax in the UK.

4) Being from Canada, can I own a UK bike and just leave it there?
Answer 1) + Leave yes, abandon no.

You have already got the most important thing – a UK address & storage for laying up the bike .
I would suggest you get an International Driving Permit.

UK motor vehicle law is very simple.
It is better to forget about how vehicles are registered in your country, It will lead to confusion.

You need three (3) separate docs to be legal on UK roads.
MoT Certificate- if the Vehicle is over three (3) years
Insurance – minimum third Party.
Road Fund license. – can be bought for six (6) months or twelve (12) months.

You need Insurance and MoT (if the vehicle over 3 years old) to buy Road Fund Livense (Tax)
Only when all three are current/ in date, is the vehicle road legal.

I hope this information is of use to you.

Rory 799

Hi Rory,

Thanks for all your information and help in this matter. One more thing, how does it work for my mate to ride the bike as well, as it will be in his garage all year long?

Or, if we made things the other way around - if it was his bike, would I be allowed to ride it by just having a Canadian Drivers License, and my International Drivers license?

Sorry for the bother, just wish to check all the options. You have been a great help - thanks so much!

Cheers,

Zarks

No problem, so long as you have insurance - either you add him to your insurance or the other way around.

Rory

Ah Shucks Rory, I wanted to answer that easy question!!

Zarks,
For background information you could take a look at the sticky thread in this Trip Paperwork forum where there is quite a bit of input about the machinations of the EU/UK insurance market.
Either way, it ain't a problem.

__________________
Dave

Jumped the gun again



Rory

If possible have your friend buy, tax insure and test the bike and, get you as a named second rider.... from there it should be easy, but I do not know if you can have a second named rider for a bike, it is easy for a car. Guess it depends on the company.

Guys,

I'm coming over (to the UK) from NZ in June, and am also looking to buy a bike. My plan however is to keep the bike i the UK for another trip next year aswell.

Despite being a UK Citizen I am having problems arranging insurance. It seems they only want to insure UK Residents, and apparently I no longer count!

I have a mate, with an address and a garage, but was reluctant to ask him to take on the hassle of buying, insuring and maintaining a bike for me.

I did think that if I bought it, he could insure it. But, I've been advised that having the V5 and insurance papers in different names will only cause problems when it comes to registering the bike each year and MoT's - does this sound like a genuine consideration?

I am open to solutions as I really thought this was going to be simple,
...but alas no... ...is anything these days?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

OV Lander

I understand that a korean national has managed to get an english reg bike insured with these guys Motorbike Insurance | Devitt Insurance

also

Motorbike Insurance | Save 10% on Motorcycle Insurance Online | Aviva

__________________
http://2wheelskeeponrolling.wordpress.com

As per an earlier thread, this is not complicated, just complex!

IMO, an issue lies with the insurance companies and their call centres/online quote systems which are expected to produce profits and targets for the operators in numbers of calls dealt with per hour etc etc.
So, many of them don't like dealing with out of the ordinary queries for which they don't know the answers; it affects the individuals' incentive pay!
In addition, the computers of the various insurance companies are talking with each other ever more closely, especially in order to reduce fraud. If you are straight with them then you should get cover, at a price.

In my understanding, it is best to have the Registered Keeper (RK) on the V5c and the insurance document person as one and the same, but it is not necessarily required in law. Possession of the V5c does not prove ownership which comes from a bill of sale/invoice. This generates permutations which are outside the everyday norm - as above, some insurance companies are not keen on answering such issues.

See the sticky threads in this forum for detailed discussion.

__________________
Dave

My brother is coming to visit me (he's on a Canadian licence) for a couple of weeks.

I have a UK bike and UK license and just want to get him insured to ride it for a short time.

My insurance company will not add him as an additional rider because he is not resident and no UK license.

Does anyone know if there is a company that will provide temporary insurance for a non-UK rider?

Thanks!