Motorcycle

[Troy&Kim]

Hi PIO,

 

Were hoping to move to Queensland in September and was thinking of Taking my Bike with me. It a Honda VFR VTEC 04 plate.

 

I've been looking on the net at bike prices in Aus, and to be honest there pretty pricey. They average at about $9000 to $13000 this equal to £6000 too £9000 for the same bike.

 

Has anyone brought there bike over, if so, what are the pro and cons?

 

any info will be aprecciated.

 

cheers, Troy

[Guest shusselmann]

Hi, We moved to Sydney just over a year ago and my husband imported his motorbike from the UK. His thinking was similar to yours, to get a like for like bike in Aus was going to be expensive.

To give you an idea of the costs involved;

Before bike left UK:

Jet wash before shipping: £10, Shipping: £900, Vehicle import approval: $50

Once bike was in Aus we paid around $2200 in order to make it road worthy, here’s a breakdown;

Quarantine Examination Fee: $220

Steam clean in Sydney & re-clearance: $385

Note: They asked him to get it cleaned again, even though he’d done a jet wash before leaving the UK (he wasn’t happy!).

Van Hire in Sydney (to get it from import terminal to our home): $95

Weighing (had to be done before registration): $25

Blue Slip (road worthy check by registered mechanic): $61

Green Slip (compulsory third party insurance, we found NRMA the cheapest): $477

Personal import plate (a barcode that you fix to bike - like a unique identifier that you need in addition to reg plate): $55 (+ $38 – to fast track plate, he was impatient!)

Insurance (addition cover for theft etc): $320

RTA Registration (Registration Fee, Motorvehicle tax, Cycle premium, Stamp Duty): $535

My husband uses his bike to get to work every day so, for us, importing it has been worth it as he saves the money he would pay on public transport, or running a car. He also loves having it; at a time when there are so many other drains on the finances he wouldn’t have been able to buy a new one as soon as we arrived.

My husband has a KTM and has found parts to be very expensive in Aus, he thinks you shouldn’t have this problem with a Honda but it might be worth doing a little research in this area before making your final decision.

Since being here my husband has needed a new exhaust header, clutch cable, starter motor and tyres! We used to live in London; the driving conditions here are quite different, this might be why wear and tear on the bike has increased – something else to consider...

All the best with your plans.

[furkew]

Hi PIO,

 

Were hoping to move to Queensland in September and was thinking of Taking my Bike with me. It a Honda VFR VTEC 04 plate.

 

I've been looking on the net at bike prices in Aus, and to be honest there pretty pricey. They average at about $9000 to $13000 this equal to £6000 too £9000 for the same bike.

 

Has anyone brought there bike over, if so, what are the pro and cons?

 

any info will be aprecciated.

 

cheers, Troy

 

Hi Troy.

 

There is a thread going in transport & shipping about importing a bike at the moment as well.

 

Shusselman also gives a very good indication of the real costs involved not just what a shipper will tell you.

 

I never say dont bring a bike (as you will see in the thread) just be a little cautious of the pitfalls/costs.

 

If you do decide to bring a bike, bringing spares/tyres/clothing etc is a very good idea. I buy everything from the states that isnt too cumbersome/heavy for shipping. Saves a LOT of money.

 

Helmets on the other hand, you need to be wary. I do/did use my European lids, but officially you do need an aussie sticker on them. I got away with an insurance claim with mine, but maybe I was lucky.