Buying A Bike In The Us As A Tourist

[mmakhanko]

Couple of my friends from Moscow, Russia are planing to visit US as tourists for 4 weeks in Feb-March this year. They plan on buying bikes in The US (don't know what state they will buy them in yet) They want to ship them to California unless they buy them in California and then ride from California to Florida. What are the procedures to transfer ownership, getting temporary license (for how long is it valid) and were and how do they get insurance for this bikes to cover them through their stay in US. Is there an easy way of solving all this problems. I know that in US every state might has it's own rules?

[scouse]

Hi

I'm British & I bought a bike in Houston in Sept 07 at half the price in the UK and have ridden it to Colombia so far.

Registration
In Texas the registration process takes about 3 weeks, but in the meantime you can get a paper plate (bike registration plate) which is valid to ride around the state. To register, you have to pay the sales tax which can be pricey, depending on the state.

In Texas I surfed & found an insurance company that insures foreign nationals for a one month minimum, so this wasn't a problem although it is more expensive for short periods as opposed to a year.

I've also read that the state of Oregon does not charge sales tax, so this makes buying a bike there even cheaper.

If you're buying from a dealer then they should be able to help you with these questions beforehand, although I got very little help from a suzuki dealership as they were only interested in selling the bike. When I arrived I found a bike with a small dealer & he was very helpful, sorting out the paperwork.

I got an international license from the UK before I left, which validates my UK license anywhere in the world; this might be an option for you.

Good luck
Graham

[mmakhanko]

Thank you for you information, but the thing is we are trying to find out specific uinsruance companies that work with foreign tourist, the companies that will be willing to sell the motorcycle insurance to foreing tourist for a bout a month. The price is a factor, but considering our situation we willing to pay higher premiun. Guys if somebody can tell us specific companies that sell insurance, and maybe companies that can help in buying (title transfer and so on) We would really appreciate your help.

[Simon D]

Progressive Auto Insurance Co insure foreigners with foreign licences in the US, and then upon your cancellation will refund the remaining premium pro-rata (whatever amount is unused) less a cancellation fee of USD30 or so. I believe that rate to be competitive, as i paid $USD400ish for 1yr for a KTM 640 Adv.

[ozzie]

Try these companies:

info@fernet.com
sunrisegroup@cfl.rr.com

You could also contact Gail Goodman at Motorcycle Express. Her email is gailg@motorcycleservices.com

There are many others but I am confident these companies will provide the required insurance.

Cheers

Ozzie

[Nomade]

I can also recomend Gail Goodman from Motorcycle Express.
Excellent service.

Good luck shopping around.

[thomasjames]

Have been trying create my own thread but unable, new to HU. So, a few questions. First, I am a Canadian and would like to by a bike in Florida, to ride across the states, as a Canadian I can get a license there for a year do I need residency? An address? Would I need a validiting bit of paper say from my bank with the Florida address on it? Insurance, is residency also a must? And if choose to roll on my Canadian license, do I need an address to register the bike?
This should be the fun question: Which bike? Either a Victory, really only good for the states; or if I decide to go further a Honda Transalp or a BMW?

Broad questions I know but if anyone as some advice or tips I'd be greatly appreciative.

[Nomade]

I had a florida license for ten years now even though i am not resident there and every time i am there i renew it. Very, very easy it must have something to do with all the elderly, retired people down there.
You do need to pass a computer test and possibly a driving test depending on where you come from, both can be done in a day when you make an appointment. No need to be resident in FL but they require a mailing address which is not a P.O. Box.

After 9/11 they only let you have the license for the duration of your allowed stay in U.S. so you need to bring your Canadian license, passport and any immigration papers you have.

You can find information, make an appointment or download a handbook online on Florida Division of Driver Licenses.

For insurance see messages above, no insurance requirement in Florida.

[discoenduro]

I've taken driving tests in several countries and hold licenses for Australia, New Zealand and California, as well as my original UK one.

The day after i flew into New Zealand i took and passed their theory test. And in California, from what i can recall, I used my UK license for about a week and then took the Cal practical and theory tests, which were dead easy to pass. The cost of taking the tests is recovered by the lower insurance premium. If you're only riding in a foreign country for a month or so, then it's probably not worth it, but for an extended period of time, it makes financial sense and having local ID has advantages.

[pogromca]

mmakhanko can you write how did you manage to get bikes registered as a turist? Me and a friend want to go for almost the same trip except that we are going to go to Mexico too. I've read that it takes 4-6 weeks to get a permanent title for the bike in California, and we need to do our paperwork in less then 2 weeks.

Did you get permanent title? If so how long it took and in what state? Please share your expieriance... or mabey someone could help.