Selling a CAD/USD motorcycle in Europe after a trip
 

Hello all,

How doable is it to sell a Canadian motorcycle in Europe at the end of a trip?

I am talking about a ~15 year old ~4000$ bike here.

This is simply as a cost savings measure to avoid having to deal with shipping a motorcycle home.

The bike would be ridden around a bunch of European countries, possibly Northern Africa and stans and then sold in Europe.

I am looking into the legality of this and the paperwork associated with this.

Also it has fallen into my ears that some of our low tech bikes are more desireable in Europe than here. Maybe I would pick a bike that is easily marketable in Europe to sell.

Are you talking about transfering the Candian ownership or registering it in Europe? The latter can be difficult due to different specifications but depending on how the Canadian registration system works, does the vehicle need to be present in Canada for an inspection for instance it might be easier to sell it to a fellow Canadian.

I am talking about seeling a Canadian bike in Europe to a European buyer who would "import" it and register it in Europe for his own use.

Selling it to another traveling Canadian would be very easy paperwork wise but in my previous experience(selling bike at end of a SA trip) finding a Canadian buyer in a short time slot is very very hard to do.

I don't think it is do-able.

First, you put yourself in a undesirable position by selling something that you imported on the understanding that it was a temporary import of a tourist vehicle.

Second, the buyer would have difficulty getting the motorcycle to pass a technical inspection because the lighting and emissions regulations in Europe are not the same as those in Canada, and a search of the VIN of the vehicle by the licensing authority would reveal that the bike was not manufactured for use in Europe.

I speak from experience here - I frequently flew my Canadian-plated motorcycle back and forth to Europe, and in the early 2000s, I made inquiries about re-plating it in Europe, or selling it in Europe, this because I was working in Europe for several years. All the answers came back "no" or "not possible".

I once loaned my moto to a European resident friend for a weekend - he was stopped by police, and wound up having to pay a €2,000 fine related to customs & import violations. The rationale behind the fine was that I (the Canadian tourist) had temporarily imported the motorcycle tax-free for touristic purposes, therefore my friend (the European resident) was possessing and using something in contravention of the laws governing temporary import of motor vehicles for touristic purposes.

Michael

In practice, it is possible since people do bring in North American motorcycles all the time. Getting one registered here requires a bit of extra paperwork (type certificate approval), but doable, especially if there was an equivalent EU-market model sold at the time. (You can also swap over that model's lights and turn signals, but IIRC Canada does use amber turn signals and shaped light beams, unlike the US?)

The thing about temporary import into the EU as a tourist is true, but easily circumventable if you're within reach of an external border, such as Russia/Ukraine/Serbia etc. You exit the EU/EEA territory, sell the bike, you and the new owner cross the border back into the EU together - you clear the non-EU country's exit paperwork, he clears the EU entry paperwork. It's also very possible that a dedicated motorcycle dealer will know how to do all this without the bike physically leaving the country.

Don't forget that the EU is NOT a homogenous legal environment. Different countries have VERY different bureaucracies. E.g. it is nearly impossible for me, as an EU citizen, to fly down to Italy, buy a used bike and put transit plates on it to ride back to Estonia - yet Italy is a huge exporter of used motorcycles to the rest of the EU, they literally advertise that they can ship you a truckful upon request if you are a local dealer. Similarly, for example, Lithuania makes it VERY easy to register all kinds of exotic vehicles (Japanese domestic market imports, American muscle cars etc.), while in many other countries it is almost impossible to register a right-hand-drive vehicle of any kind.

So yes, if your point is to avoid the cost of shipping a motorcycle back to Canada or worrying about the EU border guards stopping you in the future over an uncleared temporary import, then it can absolutely be done. Just don't expect your sale to be remotely profitable - your bike will be discounted by the cost of someone else's headache in getting it legalized.

You don't have to sell to a Canadian; you could find someone (from anywhere) who wants to buy, and use, a Canadian-registered bike, and who can then get a new carnet. That person does need to satisfy all of the requirements, in terms of temporary use with the intention of taking it "home" to Canada at some point, however this process (selling from one owner to the next) can go on endlessly.

Hi AnTyx:

The big issue for homogulation (that's the fancy word for a vehicle complying with national standards) is not so much lighting, which can be changed if necessary, but the label on the frame that indicates what emission control standard the vehicle complies with.

Emission control standards are not the same between Europe and Canada/USA. Even though the engine used might be identical, and the fumes coming out the tailpipe might be identical, the deciding factor is what the emission control placard says.

Manufacturers are more than delighted about the existence of these different standards & labelling - this because it makes gray marketing very difficult.

Apropos of lighting, Canada requires amber turn signals, but there are a couple of other differences: Most North American bikes run with the two front turn signals illuminated as running lights (they flash much brighter when the turn signal is active) - this is not permitted in Europe. Also, the beam pattern in Europe, either RHD or LHD, is very different than the North American beam pattern. Canada uses km/h, so instrument labelling is not an issue.

Michael

The placard is important, and for a grey-market import it is superceded by a type approval certificate and/or taking the bike through a local technical test (which has to be done every 1-3 years anyway) where it is proven to comply with the local emission standards, as set forth in law.

Again: importing US-market bikes into the EU is quite common. Mostly this is done for Harley-Davidsons/Indians, because they're expensive and the extra hassle and paperwork is worthwhile for the dealer in terms of profit margin. But there are also plenty of US-market Gold Wings and R1200GSes on EU plates out there.

Also see above what I said about the EU being *not* a homogenous legal space. Some EU countries make it much easier than others.

Hi Jfman,

It is possible, we in Croatia have been buying bikes from clients that are interesting for us, like Suzuki Dr 650/drz 400 or Honda xr.

Check my signature for more info, check our threads here on our services, PM me or email me at info@lobagola-mototours.com

Cheers

I'd say your only option is to sell it to another canadian if sale doesn't require physical inspection or selling it to eastern block countries like Ukraine.. I doubt it can be registered in EU unless it carries EU certification which it can if it is a european brand.

If canadian inspection required you could try to write him in title as co-owner with later possibility to remove yourself or perhaps power of attorney to travel with good luck

It is possible, but it depends on the country.

Some brought in the example of Harleys imported:
They are new and it is cheaper to bring them in by yourself.

But for an old motorcycle, clearing, doing the paperwork, tax and some other costs may be more expensive than shipping the bike back.

Here's an article that lists vehicle inspection requirements by Canadian province: What inspections do I need to buy or sell a used car in Canada?

Michael