Traveling Europe on Motorcycles coming from US

[rdf5046]

I just started searching around the forums and across the internet trying to figure out the best way a US citizen can travel around Europe on motorcycles for about a month or so.

I have found that most information is not very specific and very outdated.

Can anyone on here help me out? Can I get a bike here in the states and ship it over or should I buy one in Europe?

Also, how does registration, insurance, license, etc. work to travel legally throughout Europe being a US citizen?

Thanks, in advance

[motoreiter]

Originally Posted by rdf5046

...trying to figure out the best way a US citizen can travel around Europe on motorcycles for about a month or so.

I have found that most information is not very specific and very outdated.

Can anyone on here help me out? Can I get a bike here in the states and ship it over or should I buy one in Europe?

Also, how does registration, insurance, license, etc. work to travel legally throughout Europe being a US citizen?

Europe's a big place, did you have anywhere particular in mind?

From what I understand, it is generally a huge pain for a US citizen to buy a bike in Europe and in fact can't be done without someone from Europe putting the bike in their name...someone please correct me if I am wrong.

So probably best if you ship your own bike to Europe or rent, both of which can be expensive. Search on this site and the "Trip Planning" subforum on ADVRider for more info on these options.

Paperwork is easy--get international license from AAA (easy), get insurance in europe (easy), maintain US registration while the bike is in Europe (generally easy).

I have had a US registered bike in the europe for the last year and a half or so, no problems.

[Catweasel]

I'm doing it the other way around. Planning to fly my bike from Munich to Toronto (apparantly it's easier, cheaper, more reliable).

I asked several companies to quote and they all came back around the $2k mark one way.

Shipping by boat is a lot cheaper but takes a long time and isn't as reliable so for a vacation, for me, not an option.

FYI I'm using motorcycleexpress.com but I got a lot of info on companies from BMW Motorcycle Owners of America

hope that helps..time to make my own post and stop hijacking yours

[Joe C90]

"www.AlpineRoads.com - The Best Biking Roads In The Alps" is a good source of info

[John Ferris]

Look at knopf tours.
They can help in buying, renting or shipping you own bike.

Hello

[kyrnos]

Hi,
regarding your travel plan, it really depends how long you've planned to stay in Europe and which country your want to visit. Shipping a bike from the US for one month period is quiet expensive.. It is also depending when it is planned.
I have a spare bike that I can rent for limited budget, all that needs to be done is to insured the bike. let me know if your are interested..
I live in Centre of France so it's quiet convenient to reach most european country.
Take care

[alpinerider]

I will also be in Europe this summer. Specifically for some climbing in France then possibly Italy or Spain. I had similar plans to use a bike to get around, then got frustrated by the costs and logistics of the whole thing. So if none of these gentlemen are interested I certainly am. Any ideas on how difficult it would be to insure as a Canadian citizen?

[kyrnos]

Hi
We are not in a climbing region as we live in touraine (Tours) and have unfortunately no moutain. but if y'ou re passing around we help it out to find a bike.
I actually have a spare CBR R honda (I now have a 1200 GS) and sometimes I want to keep it and sometimes to sell it. So I can garantee i will still have it this summer if I change my mind. But I can help out locally to find you a bike if you are interested. insurance is another stoy, finding is not a problem, it's more a question of cost.. you also have to have a adress in france (but we can sort this out..)
We'll keep in touch.
see you

[racer196]

I'm an American living in Belgium. Short version... in '08 I bought a Harley in Alaska, rode for a month in Canada and the U.S. and then shipped it over here. NO PROBLEMS...until Belgium Customs got involved. But that's another story. Berkley Air Freight was $1425 from N.Y.C. to Brussels. That was less than a boat, and months quicker. The Bike was on a dedicated pallet and arrived unscathed. Highly recommended. Insurance here was not a problem, even with the Alaska plate. To buy a bike, at least in Belgium is an expensive proposition. If you want/need more info, I'm in the Westerlo community.........steve

[trumpetski]

Hello RDF,

I've just shipped my bike back from Spain to Boston with Chris.

chris@eurousa.co.uk

He will give you a quote based on crate volume so the smaller the crate, the cheaper it will be.

The bike was shipped door to door so I paid extra for that.

It was picked up in southern Spain Dec 2nd arrived at my house in Boston Feb 8th.

Cost was £1,300.00 AND I had to crate it. If I had arranged it to be shipped from UK, it would have been around £1,000.00 and even cheaper if I had not had it delivered to my house. You also might get a deal if you plan a round trip for you bike and you could use the same crate!

If you're only going for a month, there is a company in Long Island NY I used that provided motorcycle travel insurance as long as you have a valid registration...I can find out the name of the company if you need it. Would involve digging out some old paper work.

Your US driving license is valid over there. Also, any tickets you may pick up will not be processed due to international complications...at least in the UK which is speed camera central. Not that you'll be going over the limit of course! :>)

best of luck with your trip

Richard

[PatPL]

I’m looking for the exact same information. Here is what I have found out so far.

You’ll need Green Card Insurance. Its insurance for your bike in Europe most port customs offices sell it. For one month it runs around $120 - $150. But that’s only one way coverage. I’m still looking for full coverage. As soon as I find something I’ll let you know. I found one company here in the US but they won’t have any pricing for another month. They are finalizing the contracts with the main insurance company. I would like to have that in hand before I leave the US.

You don’t need any special driver license in Europe. You can ride on your regular US license.

You need to bring your registration and title with you.

I have a company that can sea fright the bike from NYC to German for $350. But when I called the company from whom I would be picking up the bike in German from they told me that I’ll have to leave a 25% of the value of the bike as a deposit. It’s a deposit of VAT and other government taxes in case I sell the bike. Once I send it back to US they refund it. This I have not yet confirmed. I have heard that this deposit is not required. I’ also looking into air fright. I just came across this site Warren Motorcycle Transport www.gate.net. I’m considering spending the extra money and shipping it by air. Also I’m still researching shipping options and cost of the return trip back to the US.

This is all the info I have gathered so far, hope its a little helpful.

Patryk