Timeframe/difficulties involved with German transit plates
 

Hi all, I am thinking very seriously about buying a bike in Germany and driving down eventually to Bamako, where I would sell for what I can get. The idea buy is to buy something cheap and if it breaks, i'll just ditch it and hitchhike the rest of the way. I will have basicaly an open legged trip from Germany to Bamako. Questions, it seems from what I know the best solution is to get export plates. How hard is that process seeing that my german is at phrasebook level? How long should I plan on being in Germany? I have Norwegian citizenship if that makes a difference. Is it a big process? If I buy a bike on ebay.de from a private person is that going to be harder to get liscensed for some reason I am not thinking of? Hope someone can give me some tips.! Other legal issues I am not thinking of in africa?

Why not buy a cheap bike in Norway instead? It'll be a lot easier, plus you will have time to try it out before leaving and iron out any problems that invariably crop up. Plus, with ebay, you are buying a bike unseen...

Getting German export plates is not hard at all. From the owner you get the bike, two registration documents (if the bike is still registered) or one (if it's not). Check that the chassis numbers match with the bike. Go to an insurance and get a cover card specific for the export plates. Take all that and your passport to the nearest rego office. You may get by with speaking English, but if in doubt, try to contact another local biker who can help you. Perhaps the vendor would be willing to help...