taking (and keeping) your bike abroad

[Keen]

In the summer (June/July) I'm planning on riding my bike down to the south of france, then staying there, probably for around a year. My question is, will I need to re-register the bike there with french plates? I'm hoping to just use it out there on UK plates (ahem... no tickets) especially since I intend to bring it back to the UK.
I was out there last year and just changing the registered owner on the french bike I bought involved a day off work spent in queue after queue in this nightmare orwellian temple of mindless bureaucracy, with a 90 euro 'administration fee' for the privledge. Don't fancy anymore of that. It was so soul-crushing I took a week to fully recover.

What does The Law say on this? is this gonna be a mountain of hassle for me or is it no problem?
I know I'll have to look into this in detail, just wondered if anyone else has had experience with this and could offer some advice
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[steveh]

Get a years travel insurance banged on your policy

Not really sure mate.


Steve.
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Current : 06 Zx10r, 07 Wr450f SM, 74 850 norton commando, 63 bsa b40, 1962 Triton 650, 67 Triumph Tr6r, 1955 Triton 750, 1978 TY250E.

[Keen]

yeah,

I'll find out from my insurance company if they cover me abroad, if not I guess I'll change to a policy that does and leave it at that, coppers will just assume I'm visiting/touring anyway, especially since my french is shit.
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[JonB]

I assume it won't be a problem, loads of the Bastard Polish and Portuguese have their cars over here on their plates and have been here well over a year. If they are insured or not is a completely different kettle of fish.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[feef]

[Adam_P]

A friend of mine has a villa and boat out in Spain and has aleft hand drive Discovery parked at the airport in secure parking to use while he's out there (quite regularly, as is his family) it's on UK plates. UK registered and insured in the UK (just has European cover on the policy).

The only thing you'll need to worry about is Tax and MOT. The reason I know this is because I've had the privilege of driving said vehicle back to the UK, twice, so that he can Tax and MOT it over here. (Yes, he has money )

I'm assuming (never a good thing) that France is the same.
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Colin McRae MBE 1968 - 2007 RIP
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[WATCHOUT!]

you'll be fine. If you get stopped, just say you brought it with you last week. They can't prove a thing. I would stay as far away from French bureaucracy as possible (speaking from experience). There's a reason the French invented that word.

[JeffT]

i guess checking with ya insurance company is the first step.
I have just got back from a week in France on the bike and when I phoned up my insurance company to check what level of european cover I had, they informed me same as in the UK except it is not valid for stays of more than 30days.

I guess this could well vary from company to company but worth checking.

As for the confiscation thing in France, a friend (tit) of mine got caught doing 153mph on the autoroute in France.
He got a 550 Euro fine and his bike confiscated for a week, as well as a weeks ban! This meant he had to go pillion for the whole holiday and then go back and collect his bike. SO this definatley happens, although as to what speed they start doing it as is another thing.

[EuropeanNC30R...]

I looked into this a little... think a big problem will be the 98bhp power limit to register on French plates. Apparently even on something like an SV you have to get the bike certified/dyno'd to prove that it's under the limit, the process costs quite a bit. That figure may be a crank figure too, so a Hornet might be over that = expensive restriction needed before you can even register. They're quite strict on this as well.

Most insurance companies only give you 30-45 days or so at a time, and bearing in mind you won't be living at your UK address it could well be proven invalid. I suppose you could always book a cheapo dover-calais daytrip every month to 'prove' you've been coming back home

If it was me I'd take the risk with insurance, or buy a bike while you're over there, said to be a lot less hassle than registering a plus 98bhp at the crank UK bike.

[fast_tzr]

I wouldn't worry too much, I know plenty of english and dutch people here in Spain with dutch and english plates still on there cars, a good few people I know have been here 2 years or so.

[Jazoli]

I live in spain and run my bike on uk plates, I have a uk address and my insurance covers me for 90 days per trip, with no limit on the amount of trips, they would have to prove that I hadn't arrived with it in the back of a van last week.

Mot's are a problem, so I haven't got one, I know the bike is in A1 shape, I have been pulled and never asked to produce it.

Tax? A photocopy works for me, I will get back to uk and tax/mot it at some point but 1600 miles = a very sore arse!
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[Keen]

cheers for all the advice

I asked some expats what the crack was as well... they say that french insurance companies will cover a bike with uk plates, so I might change my insurance when I get down there for peace of mind, depending on what my current policy says on the matter.

that was my main concern so it should be alright just gotta ride the bike down there now...
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson