Bike options for a Trip back to Europe.
 

Hi there.

I have been living in Canada now for 6 years and I have decided that I want to bring my Girlfriend back home to Europe for a 2 month tour around the Continent starting in my homeland Ireland. I am weighing up my options on what to do about a bike.

Do I ship or fly my bike back home? Probably quite expensive.

Do I buy a bike in Ireland with the intent to sell it after? As I got my licence in Canada and not Ireland will this be even possible?

If I send money home and get my dad to buy, register and insure a bike could I ride it with a Canadian license?

Any info or opinions appreciated.

When I get home I'll have one of these in honor of your help
beer

.

I'm not sure on Irish licensing rules but I'd guess your Canada license will be fine if you are a legal resident of Canada??

I did a EU trip, went through similar options: ship own bike, Rental,
buy locally??

After a month of research I decided to buy a bike in the UK. I started reading UK Adverts on line, found a deal, contacted seller, discussed bike.

Arrived London, took train to sellers house to check out the 2 year old Triumph Tiger. It was as advertised, we agreed on a price and deal was done. So easy!

I had a local address in Oxford, so got my own Log Book and in 10 minutes on the phone with Bennett's had full cover insurance.

Did maintenance on the Tiger, new tires, chain, oil change, filters ... and took off! Bit of UK travel, then France, Spain, Portugal. 6 weeks! Great trip!

I left bike in France (friends house) for year and a half, returned and did a similar trip again. :thumbup1: Things got very expensive after that so had my UK friend sell off Tiger, forwarded me the money in the US. Done!

I would try to KEEP your bike after your tour if you can afford to store it ... maybe return again for another ride? Lots to see and do!

If you can't afford it maybe set up a BUY BACK scheme from a dealer?
More expensive, but at least you don't have to worry about selling off bike.

My trip ended up being super cheap as I did well buying the bike and did OK when selling ... even with the 22,000 miles I put on the bike during my two major EU tours. All up only about $1000 out of pocket for bike. (not counting tires, chain, sprocket, oil, filters) Very affordable!

Good luck! bier

Thank You Mollydog, that is some fantastic info.

As long as you have an international license you will be fine.
When you ring for insurance quotes, just don't tell them you don't have an EU license.

Mollydog, what do mean be "Log Book" in your post above?

It is an out of date, antiquated, name for the UK document that shows information about the vehicle.

Nowadays it is known by it's official document reference as the "V5c"
Which looks like this:-
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=V5...w=1367&bih=616
The V5c is commonly taken as showing ownership of a vehicle also, although that is not strictly so in the eyes of the law.

Its our version of a "title"

Great, thanks!

Can anyone buy a bike in uk n get it registered in his name Mollydog ? Am from India.

I don't know for sure ... I bought my bike in 2003 and had no problems getting the "title" (V5) in my name, but I bought my bike from a London Police officer and he took care of everything for me. :D

I am pretty sure you do need a local address so that the DVLA can post your new paperwork to you.
Local address also needed to obtain insurance cover.

But by now ... who knows what sort of security hysteria may be in place regards vehicles sold to foreign nationals? :nuke:
I've no idea on current scene ... but certainly worth a look see.
Good luck! bier

Take a look at the service that Wheatwhacker offers, via the links contained in his posts in here.

Hey!
I'm from Germany...
You might suggest shipping your own bike to Europe, it's not THAT expensive and it will do you more good than odd....
I did the same shipping my bike (from Hamburg) to Toronto and back.
These shipping companys did well for me... Canada: Branson / Toronto
http://www.shipbranson.com
and Germany :
InTime
http://www.intime-ham.com
They'll sure make an offer and will give needfull information and support.
Cheers!

Check out Air Canada. They offer very affordable (like $700) air shipping from Canada to London (if you also buy an Air Canada passenger ticket for yourself).

Air Canada issued the following new release in February 2015:

* * *
Did you know that Air Canada can also ship your motorcycle?

This convenient service is available from Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver to multiple destinations around the world.

When your travel is booked with Air Canada, you'll benefit from a special rate for your motorcycle.

For more information on shipping your motorcycle with Air Canada Cargo, please contact us:

MONTRÉAL: 1-800-361-2159 yulff.lcacc@aircanada.ca
TORONTO: 1-800-387-4865 yyzff.acconnect@aircanada.ca