Any Europeans driving their motorcycle in London ?

[Didish]

Hi,

I'm a Belgian native but have been living for 4 years in London. Having a new job a bit outside the city, it would be ideal to commute with my motorcycle which is licensed and insured in Belgium.

I know that I'm not supposed to have a Motorcycle with a non-uk license plate in the UK for more than 6 months.

But does the police actually check it ?

Anyone had experience doing that ? Or had a bad experience doing that?

I wish I could buy a motorcycle in the UK but the insurance price are just insane .. and makes it impossible to afford.

PS: I'm aware of the theft problems in the city. My bike will be in a safe garage at night and equipped with a tracker.

Looking forward your answers.

JD

[Pete.]

Yes they check. Yes they will take your bike off you until you pay the import duty and/or get UK insurance. My neighbour had his car confiscated.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[grr666]

Can afford to rent house inside M25 with garage.
Can afford to have tracker subscription.
Can afford to import motorcycle.
Can't afford insurance for it.... How convenient.

I hope it gets stolen while you're at work. I have to pay insurance, and be accountable for things like riding in bus
lanes, parking and congestion charging by way of having a traceable number plate. Why shouldn't you? Are Belgians
somehow exempt from the rules? What you are planning to do is daily theft by avoiding charges, and riding illegally on
the roads by way of having no insurance or tax. What happens pray tell when you are involved in a collision?
Always tekkin the piss these foreigners. I know a Polish bloke who goes home every 6 months to get a "fresh"
car so he can avoid things little like the rules and charges for things like insurances and stuff. He drives like a complete
arse literally because he can get away with it. My company took his works van away for doing 104 on the M25. He will flog
a car til it's dead then go home and swap four potatoes and a copy of the Radio Times for another rolling MOT failure
to bring back with him onto our roads. He just scraps the old ones. I expect he represents the thinnest end of the wedge.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[Didish]

@Pete. Thank you for your reply
@grr666. What are you talking about ? I'm not trying to rob the system.

I don't know about your Polish "friend" by my Belgian plate is as traceable as yours and I'm not trying to escape any taxes. I'm as accountable as you are on the road. My fines, congestion and parking charges goes through my Belgian address (parents). If I have an unfortunate accident, I'll be as accountable and covered as you are.

I do not intend to import my vehicle in the UK, I would like to buy a motorcycle in the UK.

But paying 2500£ per year just for the insurance for a motorcycle valued 5000£ I found it a bit excessive from my point of view. Especially since it's for a private company.

So I'm trying to know how exposed I'm if I take the risk of driving my beloved Triumph for a longer period of time. That's it.

[grr666]

[syme]

[iooi]

[inline4]

[humbucker]

My Spanish insurance only covers my bike for no more than 30 days in any other country and reading the small print, not Comprehensive, that costs extra. I am fairly sure, speaking to other bikers here that the same applies to their policies from the rest of Europe. If you are resident in the UK then I am betting your policy doesn't cover you at all as you are not visiting.
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It was easy to ignore the voices in my head until they started making sense.

[-]

I think you’ll find London is in Europe and native U.K. citizens are European too.
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TZR250 2MA road, TZR250 1KT road, TZR250 2MA race, TDR250, YZF-750R Boost colours.
Jaguar S Type 3.0 V6 Sport R, VW Transporter T5 GP LWB Shuttle 140ps DSG.

[humbucker]

The OP is Belgium and has a Belgian policy. He is living in London, what is your point?
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It was easy to ignore the voices in my head until they started making sense.

[Polarbear]

He is quoting Herr Khan.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[humbucker]

Who?
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It was easy to ignore the voices in my head until they started making sense.

[grr666]

[Ste]

humbucker, where do your insurance company think that you live and where the vehicle is kept?

[humbucker]

My vehicle is in Spain, where I live. It is a Spanish registered vehicle, insured with a Spanish company. I pay an extra premium to keep my comprehensive cover when I travel to other countries. However, I cannot and would not, use this cover if I took up residence in the UK or any other country.

To clarify, the OP is using a Belgian policy and lives in the UK. I don't think this is legal, maybe I am mistaken and he has informed his company but aside from the insurance, isn't there a time limit that you can keep foreign registered vehicles in the UK?
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It was easy to ignore the voices in my head until they started making sense.

[-]

[humbucker]

Yes he did and yes there are few non European Belgians, point taken.

I commented on the rest of his post and what it could mean for him, I wasn't interested in his contextual use of the word European.

Doesn't seem that there is much more I can say in this topic.
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It was easy to ignore the voices in my head until they started making sense.

[-]

[Easy-X]

Mmmm.... when we leave the French get to blow up the Eurotunnel, didn'tchaknow?!
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Polarbear]

[Tankie]

[bhinso]

I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has. I would have thought it would be ideal fodder for snacks.

[suburban myth]

Admittedly a few years back - upwards of 8, but a colleague of mine ran a Polish registered and plated Smart for over two years with absolutely no consequence. This was way outside any congestion zones or whatever though, and never got pulled over.

If you get stopped riding a bike you 'forgot' to import, better hope you've got some bus fare to get home.

[grr666]