David:

The key issue for you is that you plan to permanently import the motorcycle... you are not temporarily visiting the country as a tourist. I know you mentioned '3 years', but there are only 2 categories that exist: Temporary tourists passing through (for never longer than 6 months at the most), and permanent importation, which is anything that requires a local licence plate.

That means that there are a whole bunch of different rules and regulations to consider that would not apply to a tourist who is temporarily visiting a country on a short-term basis.

If you are honest when you present yourself upon entering the new country, you will declare that you are importing the motorcycle. Generally speaking, because you are re-settling in a new country, the moto will be allowed in free of duty and tax, because it will be considered "settlers' effects", same as your furniture and clothing.

But, it is very unlikely you will then be allowed to ride the moto at all with the foreign plates on it. Not even for one day.

You will probably need to have a safety inspection carried out on the moto to ensure that it complies with the vehicle requirements for your new country. For example, in the USA, an amber reflector at the front and red reflector at the rear are required on the sides of motorcycles. In Europe, there are regulations governing front turn signal operation that are different than those in North America. You might need to comply with emission regulations as well (let's hope not).

Once all the safety and environmental regulations have been complied with and the vehicle approved for use in your new country (and new state, in the case of the USA), you would then register it locally and get a local licence plate. Only then could you drive it.

Your driver's licence is a totally different matter - typically, immigrants are permitted to use their home driver licence for a limited period of time, but this depends on what the new country thinks of the licencing standards of the old country. Here in Canada, an immigrant from Western Europe can use their European driver licence for a month or so before it is obligatory to get a Canadian (provincial) licence, but the driver licence of an immigrant from most African countries is not accepted for use in Canada (even though it would be accepted for temporary use of a tourist from that same country).

Generally speaking, it is near impossible to import a vehicle (car or motorcycle) from a distant country (meaning, another continent) into your new country. It is usually the emissions regulations that present the barrier to entry. For this reason, I suggest you very carefully research the US vehicle import regulations as soon as possible, because I think it is most likely you will discover that your bike won't pass the safety or emission checks without modifications that exceed the value of the bike. In that case, your best course of action will be to sell it before you leave the home country.

Michael