if you intend to buy a bike and ride it in the USA, obviously you will need it to be registered. if you pay registration in almost all, ifnot all states you will also have to pay tax in that state much like we have to pay GST, and whatever we call that tax you pay when you register here, based on declared purchase price... this can be expensive, and it all adds into the price of the bike when you get it home.
what you can do in the Majority of US states though is get what is known as temporary tags. this will cost you about $20 and will get you a paper numberplate in a plastic slip that expires in 30 days from the date you request it. the perpose of these tags is for the likes of a Californian, who buys a bike in Florida.. it gives him the time to ride home and then properly register his bike in the state in which he lives (which is what your supposed to do)
i pre ordered mine for the date i was picking up the trike, and that gave us the 30 days to get from Dalton Georgia to longbeach California. According to google maps thats a 31 hour drive , or an easy 5 day ride. 30 days gives you the chance to see quite a lot of the USA without the rego and tax expense..
With staying a few nights in some places we still managed over 12,000ks traveled
hope this helps someone
Thanks oneup, I'm also thinking of going to the US next year, did you pre-arrange the bike purchase & I'm guessing you then sold it ?? I'll PM you if you wish to give more details. Alan
For Anyone wanting to import a bike yourself from the USA:
Each State has their own unique rules and regulations regarding taxes and temporary vehicle registration tags. There are 5 states that do not have sales tax, Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. Oregon dealers can provide temporary vehicle registration tags for up to 30 days from date of purchase. Expect the other states to provide temporary registration for between 7 and 90 days.
US Harley dealers are NOT ALLOWED to sell NEW 2014 models to anyone that does not have a US address and a US driver license. However, they are allowed to sell any PRE-OWNED model to any-one any-where.
The process of buying a pre-owned bike in the USA is easy. Locate the bike you want by using eBay and / or CycleTrader.com and refine your search by searching only in the aforementioned states. You will need to purchase a bike from a dealer that can provide you with a temporary registration. Private party sellers can not provide this service. When you call the dealer, make sure you ask them for the OUT THE DOOR price which is similar to the ON THE ROAD price in Australia. Also, get the exact details of their temporary registration process.
It is easy to get a US based address by renting a post office box from a nearby UPS store. There are thousands of UPS stores all over the country. Post office boxes are rented by the 3 month period and the cost is minimal, around $75 to setup an account that is good for 3 months. (TheUPSstore.com)
The next requirement is insurance. The previous posting from Coxy mentions insurance but there was no mention of how and where he got insurance. I own a motorcycle rental company, our cost for minimum insurance is $15 per day, full coverage insurance is $35 per day.
We have a process for selling new bikes. Our company is based in Oregon where there is no sales tax, registration fees are $500. We register the new bike in our name then sell it back to you as a pre-owned bike. The Australian Government will not allow a new bike which comes with what is called a Manufacturer Certificate of Origin (MCO) to be imported. They only allow pre-owned bikes with a US title to be imported. The titling in the USA is a requirement if you want to purchase / import a new bike.
The last step is getting the bike home. Most flights coming from Australia land at LAX airport in Los Angeles. Our export agent is conveniently located close to LAX airport and the Long Beach sea freight harbor. We have over 10 years of experience exporting motorcycles to international destinations.
Most of the problems importing motorcycles reported in this forum relates to two main issues. 1. The bike gets damaged during shipment or 2. The bike has too many modifications from stock and the costs to correct the issues becomes extensive and eliminates any potential savings.
We overcome these problems by adhering to a process we know is proven and reliable. 1. We always crate our bikes and keep them separate for all other bikes and other cargo, it’s a little more expensive but it eliminates a ton of headaches and is money well spent. 2. We make sure the bike is back to stock condition before we ship it. Many times used bikes have aftermarket exhaust systems, many have custom handle bars, mirrors, tail light, license plate frames or turn signal modifications.
If the bike you want to import has these modifications, do your best to find inexpensive used parts on eBay and Craigslist. First and foremost the exhaust system should be nice and quiet like the original stock exhaust. It’s a good idea to replace any and all of the items mentioned above if they are not stock.
We cover these original aftermarket parts in protective bubble wrap and put them in boxes we secure inside the crate. That way the bike will pass the Australian Design Rules (ADR) conversion without any problems when the bike arrives in Australia. Once the bike is in your garage, you can put the cool aftermarket stuff back on.
Expect to pay $750 for crating and loading and between $800 and $1100 sea freight to Australia depending on the port (Sydney to Fremantle).
I have added a couple of pictures of our crating process…
Call, IM or email me for more information. Michael@USmotorcycleSales.com or +1 925 890 0691.
Hope this helps someone 2!
Hi Michael, Thanks for all your helpful tips and images. I might have to have a chat with you closer to date. I wanted to check out your website for more info but it appears your domain name has expired. Might want to renew before some low life registers it. I'm keen on CVO Breakout (USD$27K) or if all sold out by the time I get to the states, maybe Indian Chief Vintage (USD$23K) or a standard Breakout. What sort of fees am I looking at to bring the bike into the country? Can you arrange the whole RAWS compliance and ready for me to pick up and take home? Can you use these two bikes mentioned to give me a pricing based on current exchange rate? Thanks!
