Extended tour. Should I ship a bike to the US from the UK, or buy?

orestesdjc

orestesdjc

Premier Member
#1
#1
I'm in the very early stages of planning a two month tour in the US. As I have friends in Minneapolis it makes a certain amount of sense to see the start of the IBR ( I did think about waiting and hope for a place in 2019), so that would be the start or end of the trip.

Renting a bike for two months is probably too expensive which leaves me two options.

I can ship my own BMW GSA and find a firm that is willing to insure foreign citizens.

or

Purchase a reasonable, low mileage used machine for around $10,000 and either sell at the end of the tour or find someone willing to store the bike ready for future trips. I would need help registering (licensing?) and insuring the bike as I think I would need a US address.

It seems to me that the IBA NPT makes a good basis for the trip.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be gratefully received.
 
scooterboy

scooterboy

IBA Member
#2
#2
Thought number one Dave is if you are out there for two months is go and get yourself a social security card (marked not valid for employment). This will take about 4 days and you need to provide an address for this to be processed (friends in Minneapolis for instance). When you get the card you can go along and take your driving/riding test which usually consists of twenty questions on road signage, etc in multiple choice format, followed by another twenty questions on road law, again multiple choice...sort of questions like is it a felony or misdemeanour to leave the scene of an accident where you believe damage costs exceed 50 bucks, etc. Each of those tests you can fail and keep resitting till you pass, then a quick eye test, a ride round the block and hey presto license plonked in your hand.
All in a morning or afternoon.
With the SS number and DL you'll have no problem taking out minimum liability insurance on bike you ride and you can then add I the extra cover you feel you need. Also, great to have US id as makes life a lot easier when id is required. Also in state issued there may be other benefits. I did all above when in Fla 30 years ago and there Fla residents got 70% off theme parks like Disney or universal.

Talk more at next rte if you are attending.

Be lucky, Iain
 
IBRX3

IBRX3

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#3
#3
If you are shipping then you will want to use something like THIS for Insurance purposes although its quite expensive. If you are happy to be without your bike for an extended period before and after the trip then seafreight is usually cheapest.
Air Canada was doing a VERY VERY good airfreight deal up until recently where it was from around £600 one way. But I'm sure this offer has ended last September and its back to standard freight charges now.

IMO having foreign Driving licence and ID documents is a bonus. If you are unfortunate to be stopped for some misdemeanour either on or off bike ( experience of both !) then you are FAR more likely to be "talked" to and sent on your way. A UK driving licence number doesn't fit the format on their standard forms so it causes them grief and even your address format messes up their standard forms. Plus the foreign documents marks you as a silly tourist who doesn't know better, is on a vacation and deserves a break. If you had local documentation then...hey...you should know better than to cross a double yellow.

To buy you WILL absolutely need to have a US address to use. Progressive will insure your USA bike . When you get a quote you can even tick a box to say you have a foreign licence. If you sell at the end of the trip you should be able to recoup a big proportion of the cost of the bike. If you buy a bike with a reasonably high mileage to start with, adding another 20,000 miles will hardly make a huge difference in value. You could pick up a very good touring bike for much less than $10,000.
I got my FJR for $3500 and its serving me well. Have a look on ebay motors to give you an idea of prices. Of course, if you buy from a dealer you could always try to negotiate a buy back figure after your trip to save lots of hassle. Give them an expected mileage for your return in two months and see if they would like to buy it back. It might work out for both parties.
 
FazerPhil

FazerPhil

President IBA UK
Staff member
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#4
#4
Dave I agree with Chris in the last post. We can talk in Penrith next weekend if you are there.
 
Megabuck

Megabuck

IBAUK Verifier
IBA Member
#6
#6
Hi Dave,

It depends on how accommodating your Minneapolis friends are prepared to be, and whether this is likely to be a one-off! I have a friend who lives on Long Island, NY; he's said that if I want to buy and keep a bike there he will register it, find space to keep it (he has the luxury of quite a large property) and put it on his insurance. I'm rather tempted to take him up on his offer; pick up an old, but decent condition bike for maybe $5,000, and go over there for a week or two every year.

Having US friends deal with registration and insurance gets rid of a lot of the hassle; I agree with Chris about the benefit of having a UK driving license. Over several trips, it saved me from three or four speeding tickets.

Regards,
Martin
 
jaybee

jaybee

Latvian rider transport!!!!!!
Premier Member
#8
#8
Hi,
I did Prudhoe Bay to Ushuaia in 2012 and used my own bike to me, this added to the trip because it was my bike that I was going to keep and I wanted to have the memories......all a bit gushy but hey.
Couple of things: I can heartily recommend James Cargo. They were reasonably priced and they took great care of my bike plus we're very helpful on the 'how to' aspects.
Secondly, flying your bike to the US in significantly cheaper that flying it back so maybe consider 'air' out and 'sea' back. I expect that of the £2000 you have been quoted that £1400 is the return leg. On this note, James Cargo can probably recommend better places to fly your bike into. I used Anchorage and it was great. It is a small place and the customs import office was 2 minutes from arrivals and there was no queue meaning I had my bike in less than 30 minutes which included to the 0.25 mile walk to the storage hangar. Huge cities like NY, Boston or Chicago will be more expensive and possibly take longer so maybe land further away and smell some flowers on your way to Minnesota. James Cargo will steer you right.
Thirdly, before you can send your bike to the US, you need permission from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This seems to be nothing more than a formality but you need the 'temporary import' paperwork that they will send you to release your bike at your chosen destination.
You basically send them a letter (scan by email) detailing who you are, what the bike is (make, model, registration, VIN and engine numbers) how long you intend to go for and the purpose of the trip (I can email you what I sent if you like). Assuming the paradigm is unchanged, you will be granted a year's temporary import which gives you options after this trip to store your bike at your friend's house and maybe squeeze in another one within the year.
Fourthly, insurance. I can try and dig out who I used, but 2 months cover including breakdown was only about $100 for a foreigner on his own imported bike......it's not that unusual.
Lastly, I assume that you will be booking your personal return flight attached to the outbound leg. If so, you won't need a proper visa - just the on-line ESTA Visa Waiver Programme thing. If you can't tell and show immigration that you have a flight out booked, then you may need to show a visa. If you wanted to keep your plans open, it may be simpler just to book a long dated return flight (must be within 3 months) and amend it as getting a visa adds costs and although not difficult does involve quite a bit of admin.

Anyway - enjoy.
 
jaybee

jaybee

Latvian rider transport!!!!!!
Premier Member
#9
#9
Ok - I dug out the insurance stuff. It was more expensive than I remembered.
$300 for 3 months of fully comp plus roadside assistance.
www.fernet.com
Click on the 'Overseas Visitors' option on the left hand side.

I also forgot, you will need an insurance ID card......the broker you settle on will send it free of charge but it is a legal requirement to carry it.
 
orestesdjc

orestesdjc

Premier Member
#10
#10
Thanks Jonathan, all very useful and confirms things I have heard from others, especially fly out, sea back. Good to know that the insurance would include roadside assistance. Is there a particular department within the EPA I need to contact or is it easily found on their website?
 
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