Official UK position for non UK residents here: https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicle...porary-imports



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I've heard that you're only allowed to leave a bike in the EU for 6 months, is that true? I'm in Spain and considering leaving my US registered bike here for a while (maybe a few years). If I left it in a garage uninsured for a year or two then came back, would I face any issues? I shipped it to Kazakhstan and rode from there and never actually bought European insurance, so I guess it's already here illegally.

I'm also considering leaving the bike with an American friend of mine who is living in Spain. Would there be any way for him to ride the bike legally and insure it until I return?

Any advice greatly appreciated

See the previous posts and the discussion therein.
No change since they were made except there is more to deal with than a few bikes over staying their "welcome to the EU".

Sell it to him, and buy it back later.

See the big threads in "Bike paperwork" about the insurance aspect.
Being without insurance is just dandy until you come to the attention of the relevant authorties; typically via a traffic accident.

Hi Graham, bold way to travel without being insured :innocent:

As for keeping your US plated bike, it also depends on what US state are you from. As far as I got the info, some US states allow to keep your bike overseas without checking back home with the bike for inspection. Sometimes if the inspection is needed ADAC is the one that can do that. In all of the above mentioned cases you need third party liability insurance to travel around Europe and being insured if you do any potential damage to third person/parties.
EU states do not have (yet!!!!!!) an effective network to check when did your bike entered any of the EU countries and how many time did you spent riding around.
For the third party liability insurance you can reach me via PM or check our website for more details (paypal payment coming soon): Lobagola - Border insurance

safe travels
Dooby

Thanks guys, unfortunately the cheapest option turned out to ship the bike back to the states which is what I've decided to do. I'm definitely never shipping my bike again though, way too expensive for what it's worth.

That is why I operate motofeirme