Importing a Bike

Grant,

This is very timely for me. I am about to ship my Jota and Stelvio to Australia from South Africa. The bikes will be crated and go into a shipping container with the rest of our stuff. I have sorted the relevant permits etc but have one question. Wooden crates made up by the shippers or metal ones that were used to ship new bikes from the factory to the South African dealer? I put the Jota into a Ducati metal frame when I imported it from Australia and there was no damage at all.

Thanks in advance

Bottler
 
Bottler, the wood used by the shipper has to comply with certain regulations.

"Packing:
Australian MAFF inspectors are very strict on the type of packing materials arriving into Australia. As such all of our packing materials are ISPM-15 compliant to ensure no problems are encountered on arrival. "


This is on top of cleaning the bike and possibly fumigation.

By the way, any bikes I transport to Shippio from Spain are thoroughly cleaned by me as part of the transport cost.
 
Thanks Grant, no problems with cleaning etc, and assuming the correct wood is used to meet quarantine rules. My question was more about the structural integrity of the crate, what would you recommend,  ie wood or steel?

Thanks
 
No idea really.
I would think that a steel crate would give less issues with he Australian authorities but would it be heavier, don't know.
Does weight matter compared to the weight of the bike? Don't know.

I was involved in crating up a triple I sold to California some years back and I was given (FOC) a delivery packing crate for a Honda from the dealer.
I cut it to fit the triple and then plated the sides in lightweight plywood. No consideration was given to ISPM-15 compliance but it was several years ago and maybe that norm did not apply then.
Basically it was a mild steel skeleton that only had strength when bolted together. Even the thin plywood sheets reinforced it.

Find a local shipper in your country and ask his advice. Maybe he can only supply one type of crate.
 
The info Grant has provided re timber into AUS is correct.
What-ever you do, ensure it is compliant if a timber or timber and plywood crate is used.

Some bike manufacturers use a metal frame and cardboard sides and top.  Not sure how they get away with this as corrugated cardboard is a nightmare for greeblies investing themselves in there.

Cam, a more than liberal application of a steam cleaner will melt just about anything rubber or plastic, especially if set to maximum heat and held 5mm away.  A steam cleaner was used.  Not a cold/hot water high pressure cleaner such as a Karcher.
50-60 year old rubber on LAV's is not the same as 30-40 year old 'modern' LAV rubber, take my word, it literally melted. 

Our experience has been that the companies that advertise bike shipping in motorcycle magazines generally know how to fix the bikes in place so they do not move.  Some use timber baulks strategically placed, others use single or multi use strapping,

The greatest problem we encountered after AQIS here in AUS, is having something dropped onto our crate during transhipping.
Even tho it may cost you extra, we insist on direct shipment and timber framed crates.  The totally original 69S was saved by 4"x2" and 2' x 2" being used as the framing. Bent handlebars and smashed horn/dipswitch could be replaced.  The soya sauce from above had a very corrosive effect however on bare alloy!   

 
Here's a typical crate as used by Shippio's preferred packers in London...

 

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Not so many problems coming form Oz to Europe.

Had a bike sent in an ex-Harley crate.
Steel frome with cardboard walls.

No problems at all.

Dale
 
And the Australian Government states that they will assess the value of the bike and decide  the value for themselves if the stated value looks too dodgy. Always remember that the Customs department does have computers and can quickly assess and compare values of similar recent imports.
 
This is an interesting thread on importing bikes. I have done this quite a bit for vintage MX bikes from the USA, so documentation isn't really a problem. The bikes are loaded into a container.

My question is: If I wanted to import a registered motorcycle from the US would I be liable to the taxes if I asked the seller to dismantle it - so that it became a CKD kit (completely knocked down).

A few years' ago I worked for an automotive company in the UK and we sent vehicles (partially dismantled) as CKD's to the US to avoid taxes/duty...etc. All legal of course.

Andy
 
Andy, a few Laverdas ended up in the US that way (as 'spares') in order to get them in the country/state as well as reduce taxes.
Others have claimed different ages of bikes imported to the US to bypass age limits and so on.

Some things are better left off an open forum though...
 
Bottler said:
Thanks Grant, no problems with cleaning etc, and assuming the correct wood is used to meet quarantine rules. My question was more about the structural integrity of the crate, what would you recommend,  ie wood or steel?

Thanks


I work in Export Packaging .

For Australia or China,

Use a plywood case, make the framing from plywood and the bearers from composite particle type board. Use hold down D rings and ratchet straps to hold the bike down to the base. Screw the sides and ends and lid on with decent screws.

Here is some information from AU Govt site.:-

"What wood packaging material does ISPM 15 apply to?"

ISPM 15 can be applied to any solid wood packaging material. The following products are exempt: wood packaging made wholly of wood-based products such as plywood and veneer, reconstituted wood products (particle board, chipboard, hardboard (masonite) oriented strand board, high density fibre board, and medium density fibre board) or products created using glue, heat and pressure or a combination of these.

If I was shipping a bike to Australia I would remove the Wheels and mudguard and steam clean them off the bike until they gleam .I would ensure they are very dry and  I would leave them bagged and off the bike in transit inside the case. I would not want Government operatives  causing massive damage to a bike for the sake of a couple of hours work. The case would also be smaller which may save on shipping costs .


Joe
 
markQLD said:
my best advice for Australia, is having a mate work in customs, who has a mate work in quarantine !!

back in '85, ...

... and no farken goods & services tax.  :D

Could well be because "back in '85" there was no farken GST. Was brought in by the Teflon Kid in 2000, after having told the electorate we would never have one.
 
Laverdaton said:
My question is: If I wanted to import a registered motorcycle from the US would I be liable to the taxes if I asked the seller to dismantle it - so that it became a CKD kit (completely knocked down)

Andy

Yes

www.customs.gov.au/site/content2304.asp
 
I thought I would bring this back to the top of the page in case anyone hadn't seen it.
Since it was written maybe the rules have changed, I'm thinking of Australia here and asbestos removal, but it is still agood guide nd cuts through a lot of the BS often spoken about importing.
 
Brought two 850 Guzzi?s into Australia recently, major paranoia over asbestos - they can detain at my expense but supporting evidence helped get them through.

Over 5 grand in fees set me on my arse.

Be worth it when I get one on the road 😬
 
oldorange said:
Bumping this one up. Has anyone imported a bike from Canada to the US recently?

I have sent several bikes to the USA from Canada in the past couple years and had bikes shipped from the USA into Canada.

If the bike is at least 15 years old its not too difficult. New regulations require that you must use the services of a customs broker to submit the export / import papers to the CDN and USA customs agents. This service is usually around $150.00. To send a bike from Canada into the USA the CDN bike must be currently registered for road use and have a Bill of Sale. Canada does not issue titles on vehicles like the USA. Last year I sold a Moto Guzzi 1000S to a gent in the USA and I had to provide a copy of the registration and Bill of Sale plus a copy of my drivers licence and Passport.

I have used these folks for years for all my Canada ~ USA shipping, door to door service, no pallet required. I have sent / received at least a half dozen bikes and never had any damage,

https://www.1aamotorcycles.com/

They will quote you a fixed fee door to door and they can provide the broker contact if you don't have one. Americans have to deal with their DMV to get a new title assigned to the bike imported from Canada. It took a couple purchasers a few phone calls but in each case the CDN registration and Bill of Sale was all that was required.

Good luck

Jim

 
Canuck750 is a bold nick: As far as US/CA Export and Import you just may have a hand on it - I've given up on it long ago  ;o)
 
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