Importing from USA

The biggest problem is seeing it through UK customs without being charged a fortune. You need a good agent and a friendly customs officer at Southampton. I brought an old Land Rover in from NZ and faced a huge bill to bring it throgh customes. The friendly customs man took one look at it and charged £50... You will have to pay import VAT so be careful to have a modest receipt for it from the vendor.

I seem to remember reading in one of the motorcycle magazines, that the overall cost (crating, shipping, tax etc.) of importing a bike from the USA translates dollars to pounds - ie. a $3000 bike will cost you £3000 by the time it's legal in the UK. You can't believe everything you read, of course, so hopefully someone will be along soon with a definitive answer!

UK Customs are now accepting applications for reduced VAT (5%) and 0% duty on a wide range of vehicles over 30 years old. Customs can charge you VAT on the price you declare, the shipping cost and the insurance for shipping of the bike. Try Golden Chariots on 01902 790797, or email info@goldenchariotsinternational.com Their web site is www.goldenchariotsinternational.com I have importedten bikes, and itan be a pain when you have to go and collect it, either from Cargo Villageat Heathrow, or from the port at the docks. The shipper can usually do it all for you. Getting a bike from the USA means you get a bike that would be different from the home market offerings, and allot of them are very low mileage, and not overly expensive. The only problem would be the £ to $ ratio, which can vary from day to day. This happend to me when i imported my Rickenbacker guitar from California, and it was a real pain at the time.

Ipurchaseda Norton P11 Ranger ((£1500)fromthe US about two years ago and had itshipped to my front door and the cost was around the £1500 mark including crating, shipping and customs. It's a lot of work, many telephone calls and time consuming but whenI consider what I have now for not a great ammount of money, it was well worth it as long as you use a reputable importer.

Regards, Paul.

Golden Chariots do every thing for you, and they will collect, and deliver to your door. You could also do it your self, and the seller at the other end could arrange the shipping for you. I bought my bikes via two dealers, who arranged the crating and shipping for me. I just had to go and collect them, and pay the customs and inport duty. There is still a huge amount of bikes out in North America. Have a look atWalridge Motors who are in Canada, theirweb site, www.walridge.com as Mike has some really nicely restored Commando that he will ship to England. He has a rare Commando SS for sale at the moment on his web site. He also puts the prices in Canada $'s and £'s. There are also some private adverts on his web site, for bikes for sale.

Previously wrote:

I wonder if anyone can advise on the approximate costs and pitfalls of importing a bike from the North America please? Thanks.

Patrick. Patrick,

I imported a bike from CNW in 2009, are you doing the same?

one important thing to consider is import duty, I have heard that certain companies mark the price down on the paper work. So as to reduce the duty paid, again this is what I have heard not what I have done. DVLA provide an import pack, and you will need all the Docs from the seller in the USA, USA registration proof of purchase etc. I imported through CH Robinson Europe they are excellent they arranged and assisted me with the correct documents. They will also collect the duty on behalf of HMRC. And deliver the Bike to your premises, remember do you need a tail lift delivery or do you have a fork truck handy?

If you can get the Bike numbers ( frame engine) you will need to pay the club (NOC) for a certificate that dates the bike correctly, This is important when registering with DVLA, the NOC cert is what the DVLA are looking for. I went to the DVLA and the lady then said I will need to come back on a certain date and have the bike tested by one of their chaps, I said no way as I was leaving the UK the next day so she issued the Reg no and then I could get the bike Mot.

I will have missed parts out as my memory is shot, but at least 70% is covered here.

Best luck,

Peter Cherry