Hi: I am not sure this is the proper forum to ask this question. If it isn't, please point me to the right one. I have a 5 year old VStrom that I keep in Germany although it is registered in the USA. I have ridden it all over Europe and have decided to sell it in Europe instead of shipping it home. My question is: Can I sell it to a European (or someone from, say, Australia), or do I have to sell it to another American? I can't get it figured out how the law works here in Europe. Thanks. Ron

Hi Ron:

There are two issues that you need to consider in this scenario:

1) Proper importation of the vehicle to the country in which you want to sell it; and,

2) Compliance of the vehicle with the safety standards of the country in which your purchaser wants to register it.

If you have kept the US registered motorcycle in Germany for longer than whatever time is permitted for temporary tourism (that being, probably, somewhere between 3 and 6 months), then it is not legally in Germany. So you will need to consider how to formally import it into Germany in order to legalize its presence there. That will probably involve paying duty and some taxes on the vehicle. That process will be relatively simple, in the sense that all you have to do is fill in some paperwork and pay the money.

The second item - safety compliance - might be a bit more complex and fraught with peril. Emission standards and lighting standards (to name just a couple of items) are different between North America and Europe. The German standards for vehicle regulation - in other words, ongoing inspection and approval of a vehicle necessary to permit it to be plated in Germany - are very high. You might find that it is simply not economical to try and bring the bike into compliance with the German standards, or perhaps it is impossible to do so (the latter problem likely arising from emissions standards).

So, what all that means is this: You can either sell the bike 'under the table' in its current 'illegal immigrant' status to someone else who is willing and able to keep the USA plate on the bike, or you can fly the thing back home.

Air Canada has some good deals this summer on one-way shipping of motorcycles from Europe to Canada, should you choose the latter option.

Michael

Thanks for the info. I am definitely going to try to sell the bike here in
Europe, probably through the Knapf Tours web site. I will also check the Air
Canada shipping.