I was using this guy's experience below as a guideline. A dealer I contacted said we also need Victorian motorcycle licenses as well which would kill the guy's idea for us even though it worked out for him at the time. Maybe Australian laws have changed since he posted and noone corrected the thread. Hope there's a way round this. Last resort is rent one. If anyone has any ideas, including financial remuneration, but would rather not discuss them publicly my address is kurereyo at cox dot net. Appreciate any ideas at all. Really want 2 new, same bikes to have warranty and cut down on tools and spares. I bought a bike in India using a total stranger and it worked out fine. So here's hoping.


bmwroadrider bmwroadrider is offline
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Buying a Motorcycle In Australia (2010)
This Post is meant to give one person's experience buying a motorcycle in Australia for the sole purpose of riding around the country and then selling it at the end of the journey. I rode from the end of May through July, 2010
Rider: I am an American. My USA motorcycle license was valid for my entire time there and from what I was told by the the NSW "Road and Traffic Authority" (RTA) is valid indefinitely. One only has to get an Australian license (issued by the state of residence) if they plan to reside permanently in Australia. Furthermore I was not limited by the tiered licensing requirements that apply to Australians, meaning that my non-tiered California license allowed me to ride any size or type of bike. I was under the impression that this is true for most English speaking countries
Bike: I was looking for a Dual Sport bike, in the mold of a KLE 500 or DR 650. I found, and was told, that these bikes are not very common in Australia. They also, not unexpectedly, carry a premium over more road oriented bikes. I wanted to spend no more than what it would have cost me to ship my own bike, there and back, from California ($3500-$4000 USD). I settled on a 1996 VFR750. Not the best choice for Australia's roads, but given where I planned to ride, and that I had less than two months, it made sense (see attached map).
Buying Process: I paid $3900 AUD from a dealer, and sold to a private seller for $2200 AUD. I took a bigger hit than I would have liked, but buying from a dealer, one will always pay more, and I did not want to spend weeks at the end of my trip trying to sell the bike. The dealer I went with in Sydney, "Bikebiz" (Bikebiz - New & Used Motorcycles, Motorcycle Parts & Motorbike Accessories), were helpful and their inventory of used bikes seemed well maintained. I would recommend them over the other dealers I visited (I had not a single mechanical problem with the VFR in over 12000 miles). There are number websites to look for bikes and to try to sell on after. I used primarily Trading Post - Online and Mobile Classifieds, and Used Motorbike For Sale - Buy and Sell Motorbikes Australia - bikepoint.com.au, while searching for motorcycles.
Paper work: The paper work process is surprisingly easy in Australia. Every motorcycle that is up to date has what is called "Rego" (registration). This paper serves to show who is the registered owner, that the fees are up to date, that the bike is road worthy. It also serves as insurance paperwork, as personal liability insurance goes with the motorcycle. Therefor ones does not "have to buy" insurance when buying a bike. The Process is listed below:
1) Find desired bike and pay seller
2) Have seller fill out the sale portion of the "Rego" paperwork
3) Take this to any state RTA office
4) Be able to produce proof of residence within that state (I used my Hostel accommodation address and all I needed was a copy of a receipt showing that I stayed/was staying there, signed by an employee)
5) Passport and drivers License from home country
6) pay 3% of sale price of motorcycle, for taxes and fees.
That was about it. I was then off for two months. The main thing I learned while over there is that, in comparison to the USA, motorcycle parts and labor are 30%-40% more expensive, even when exchange rates are taking into account (A rear Michelin Pilot road cost me $300 AUD in Perth, and I was told that was a deal). While I paid more than I had expected for the VFR 750, knowing it came from a dealer, who gave me a three month warranty, New tires, and that the bike had gone through a complete service, was worth the piece of mind knowing I was less likely to break down in the outback, or need to use the services of an expensive repair shop (hourly rates were often in excess of $100 AUD/hr)
All that being said, buying and selling a bike is a very easy process in Australia, and unless you are greatly attached to your own bike (yes big BMWs and KTMs are readily available, just expensive), it is far easier and cheaper to buy a bike and then re-sell it when your tour is over, either to a third party or back to the dealer you bought it from (albeit taking a bigger hit)
Also, Sydney and Melbourne are by far the two best places to buy motorcycles. Everything in WA is more expensive. Bring your own gear as well, as helmets, gloves, luggage etc. is extremely expensive.

Bmwroadrider's info is still current. A vehicle licence is NOT needed to purchase and register any vehicle in Victoria (i.e. It is legal to be the unlicenced registered owner of a vehicle and allow any other licenced person to drive/ride that vehicle). In addition, providing you have a current motorcycle licence in your own country, and have a valid visitor's visa for Australia, you do not need to obtain a local licence to drive here.

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

Thank you, thank you Farqhuar. Hopefully you have a law quote ready for me to copy/paste to the dealer. Thanks again.

Farquar, I'd like to address #4 in his post about using a hostel for an address. This is the part that has me worried. Maybe it works for used bikes but will any dealer be willing to do that for a new bike purchase? I can use my friend's address in Melbourne but don't want to get her in any trouble. For purposes of address how long would a dealer expect you to be staying there to accept it as an address?

I have a question..

You keep saying you need a licence from your own country. I live in France, but UK citizen. I have a French licence.. would this be a problem? hope one day to visit my brother in OZ and ride around the island.

Looks like Oz accepts International Drivers Licenses but not necessary for Americans and some other countries. We can just bring our regular, current Drivers License that states we are ok to drive motorcycles. Otherwise I believe you must have an International. This is especially true for licenses not written in English or that have no picture ID. So your French one is probably in French so you would need an International I believe.

Thanks, there are pictures of the categories and codes which are pretty much the same for most European licences. So probably ok.

driving-with-an-overseas-licence | australia.gov.au says it all

Thank you for clarifying, Farqhuar and Bmwroadrider re license. I will be purchasing in Sydney in a couple of weeks. Any advice on best practice regarding transfer of funds from bank (Canada) to either dealer, or private sale? My bank does not have any affiliation with Australian bank, and was pretty vague, other than providing a wire form. Any experience on length of time for transfer of funds?

why not ask the seller if they accept PayPal

Because PayPal give you a shit rate of exchange!!!!
I have used XE Money Transfer for my travel and bike purchase money, once you have an account set up with them, you can make payments direct to the recipient's account in local currency in less than a day.

2 days? That was a transfer from Australia to UK.

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The International Drivers Permit (not Licence) is a translation of your home licence into various languages. It is handy to have as a translation if your home licence is not in the same language of where your going.
Having an IDP does not replace your home licence and a local police officer can require your original home licence as well as the IDP. So you need both.

Some countries do not require an IDP - they will accept your home licence, usually these are places that use the same language as your home.