Want a free motorbike roadtrip to Malta?

[Bernardg]

Hello,

I'm moving to Malta beginning 2022 for work and I want to have my 2001 BMW R850GS with me.
I don't have the time to ride the bike from Amsterdam (where I live) to Malta and the shippers I requested a quote all charging me €3000 :-(

So i'm was wondering if there are any people out there who want to drive my bike from Amsterdam to Malta? I'll pay all expenses like fuel, customs, tax overnights and any fees associated with the import to Malta.

I like to have the bike there end of February 2022.

Looking forward hearing from you!

Bernard Grapperhaus

[Homers GSA]

Damn that would be fun.

I’m in the wrong hemisphere though

[AnTyx]

That's a 30-hour drive, so... 4-5 days? Let's say 4 nights in a cheapish hotel at 50 euros each, that's 200 euros.

About 300 euros in fuel.

The direct route takes you across Switzerland and North Italy, which I think is not advisable on two wheels in the winter. Even ignoring that, it adds 50 euros for a Swiss vignette.

So maybe a better way would be to go straight south via Lyon to the Mediterranean coast, and then via Monaco, Genoa, Florence and Naples down to Sicily. Of course Italian highways are not the most fun environments even in a car...

70 euros in ferry costs from Catania to Malta.

You'd probably have to buy them a plane ticket back to Amsterdam.

I think it would be a thousand euros in just travel costs at a minimum. And it's not a super fun trip unless you do it over a few weeks with lots of detours.

Plus... as much as I remember of Malta, you wouldn't really have much use for a big old GS there.

[Jay_Benson]

Originally Posted by AnTyx

Plus... as much as I remember of Malta, you wouldn't really have much use for a big old GS there.

There were a few larger bikes in Malta when I was there a couple of weeks ago - mainly Harleys and only on a Sunday. Given the state of many Maltese roads I would say a GS would be ideal…..

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by Jay_Benson

Given the state of many Maltese roads I would say a GS would be ideal…..

I asked locals why Malta had no scooters, although they are so popular in nearby Italy, and Malta has massive traffic problems.

Apparently the quality of the tarmac is very 2-wheel-hostile - very slippery and unsafe with the constant up-and-downs.

[Tomkat]

Originally Posted by AnTyx

I asked locals why Malta had no scooters, although they are so popular in nearby Italy, and Malta has massive traffic problems.

Apparently the quality of the tarmac is very 2-wheel-hostile - very slippery and unsafe with the constant up-and-downs.

Not so much hostile as Maltese drivers who have not progressed beyond ox carts and can't cope with the speed of modern vehicles. The roads are OK in summer but of course any rain brings out all the oil and rubber in the surface - especially cobbles. I lived over there for a short time and would happily get a bike, but it would be a small one. There are very few roads where you can use a bigger bike.

[brclarke]

I stayed in Malta for about 3 weeks a couple of years ago. I quite like this little country, but a 250cc would be plenty of bike for Malta.

[sushi2831]

Hello

If someone other than you rides your bike you have some traps to look for.
For example, I as a swiss could not just ride your Dutch registred bike through Switzerland. ->Custom regulations ->heavy fine.
Maybe the same for other nationalities and the countries on the route.

When and how do you have to start the import process in Malta?
If the bike has to be declared direct when riding off the ferry, it may be better if you would do the ferry trip by yourself and the handover of the bike would be in Italy.

This are just a few things to check, not for certain legal advice. ;-)

Originally Posted by Bernardg

…. and I want to have my 2001 BMW R850GS with me.

I don't understand the discussion about the size of the bike, he already has the bike and wants to take it.


sushi

[Turbofurball]

Originally Posted by sushi2831

I don't understand the discussion about the size of the bike, he already has the bike and wants to take it.

Because sometimes people don't think these things through.

I was once one of those people, when I moved from the UK to Catalunya I brought all my bikes with me along with a suitcase load of assumptions. I would have been better off selling them all in the UK, buying a crappy £500 car, driving it here with only my essential possessions, scrapping it, and then buying bikes and a car that are suited to life here ... hindsight is 20-20, and sometimes people want to help others avoid costly mistakes.

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by sushi2831

For example, I as a swiss could not just ride your Dutch registred bike through Switzerland. ->Custom regulations ->heavy fine.

Are you sure about that? It ought to only apply if you, as a Swiss citizen, bought a bike in the Netherlands, then rode the bike you own into Switzerland without registering it for a local plate.

It is rather preposterous for your customs to say that you are flat-out not allowed to operate a non-Swiss plated, insured, tech-inspected vehicle within Switzerland, even if you have the permission of the vehicle's owner.

Maybe the same for other nationalities and the countries on the route.

When and how do you have to start the import process in Malta?

Both the Netherlands and Malta are part of the EU single market. He would probably need to pass a Maltese tech inspection to get a local plate (e.g. the headlight might need to be adjusted for LHD traffic), but there shouldn't be an *import* process as such.

[sushi2831]

Originally Posted by AnTyx

Are you sure about that?

Switzerland is not in the EU custom union.

Crossing of the border with a vehicule by a driver that is not registered in the same country as the vehicule is a problem.
Not just for swiss, also for EU drivers.

No need to discuss the sence of this, one just needs to know about it.

Originally Posted by AnTyx

He would probably need to...

The tread starter can get the info from the officials in Malta.

And tell us, if he posts again here.

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by sushi2831

Crossing of the border with a vehicule by a driver that is not registered in the same country as the vehicule is a problem.
Not just for swiss, also for EU drivers.

So if I fly into Stuttgart or Milan, and rent a car at the airport, then drive that car into Switzerland, the Swiss customs will want an import tax?

[sushi2831]

@AnTyx
https://www.tcs.ch/de/camping-reisen...s-fahrzeug.php
try googletranslate ?

[Toyark]

@ BernardG
Allow me to make a suggestion which may well be cheaper (and safer than a third party riding your pride and joy with all the complications that would entail).

If you are not pushed for time, consider telephoning Home Removal companies. They might take your moto to top up an existing shipment and drop it off at a customs office in Malta.
You'll just have to disconnect your battery and empty your fuel tank before hand-over.
My 2pence. Good luck.

[Rognv]

@AnTyx

When someone buys a vehicle in another country and want to bring it to his country of residence he has to registrate the vehicle and get local numberplates in the country of residence. It varies by country when it must be done.
Registrating a vehicle is very expensive, you have to pay vehicle-related taxes. Also in between EU countries.

With open borders it is not possible to know when the vehicle came into the country of residence. Most people don´t want to pay all that money so they could lie about when the vehicle came into the country and say ¨I will registrate it ¨ but don´t do it.

Therefore in many countries residents are not allowed to drive a foreign registrated car. I think a rental car could be an exception because you then have the rental agreement to prove it is not your car.