Istanbul - Lisbon
 

So, I just discovered this site while doing preliminary research for an upcoming motorcycling trip and wanted to see what input I could get to see if I'm overlooking anything glaringly obvious given that I'm not a seasoned European traveler or motorcyclist at that.

Firstly, will a motorcycle qualified license in the United States allow me to ride in the EU zone?

I'm also planning on picking up a motorcycle in Turkey and selling it in Portugal - any holes in this plan? I saw a post in a thread about purchasing a bike in Turkey which mentioned that you can't bring a Turkish-purchased bike out of the country - anyone know more about this situation?

I'm budgeting about 8 weeks for the trip this summer (July/August or so), and the trip is roughly 4500km/2750mi (straight from Istanbul to Lisbon). Is this a bit aggressive? On a daily basis, this only means 80km/50mi per day, but I do know how time runs quickly especially when you come across a place you want to spend more than a few days in. Also, I plan to ride along the Mediterranean as much as possible (down Italy, down Greece), which means the distance will be significantly greater than 4500km in the end.

That's the general idea - if you guys could provide some input, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

I'm not 100% certain about this but I believe that only Turkish citizens and foreigners holding a Residence Permit can take Turkish registered vehicles out of the country. A driver / rider with just a Tourist Visa in their passport will be stopped at the border and refused exit.

You might find it easier to purchase a vehicle in an EU country and then enter Turkey for your trip.

However, don't go thinking that selling a foreign registered vehicle in Turkey is an easy option either. There's a lot of time, bureaucracy and money involved.

50 miles a day should very easy pace. That's my commute to work.

Are you Turkish? 5 minutes on Google reveal this! I would go to the relevant government department and see what they say.

Those are the documentation and procedures to import a vehicle into Turkey:

* CUSTOMER MUST BE PRESENT FOR CUSTOMS CLEARANCE OF ANY VEHICLE

* Vehicle must arrive within three months before or three months after customer's passport is stamped for entry into Turkey
* Turkish citizens must obtain a labor permit for importation of a motor vehicle
* New vehicles are relatively problem free, but there are restrictions on vehicles over three years old
* A non-Turkish National may avoid taxes and import duty when importing a vehicle in Turkey if a Letter of Guarantee is provided
* If vehicle is included in container with household goods, household goods will not be released until vehicle is cleared
* No minibuses allowed
* Documents required:
o "Carnet de Passage"
o Owner's Passport
o Residence Permit
o Purchase Invoice
o Black Book (motor and chassis number)
o Letter of Guarantee from Customer

agree with KayaKoyuOldBoy. you can only buy/sell motorbike if you are holding a turkish passport (that means you are turkish) or if you are not turkish you have to have resident permit. except that forget to buy a bike from turkiye. greece might be your option other option. however, i am not sure how the things works in greece.
best of luck