Riding Romania and beyond on a borrowed BMW?
 

Hey guys, long time member on advrider and new member to HU. In a awesome turn of events I have sold my motorcycle tour business in Hawaii and am going on a around the world trip (first section on motorcycle, then backbacking) starting in Romania. A friend ended his 10,000 mile ride through Africa and Europe LukeandNick.com on his 2009 BMW GS800 in Romania leaving the bike there and I am going to be flying in to pick up the bike and continue the adventure on his bike.

I plan to fly into the capitol Bucharest in August 2014 and then travel to the small village where the bike is located. I will need to source new tires and tubes as well as a battery as the bike has been sitting in a garage for 3 years. Any advice on the best place to find those would be appreciated.

My main question is that since the bike is not registered to me what other documentation will I need to travel between countries besides the registration and title? My tentative plans are to ride through Romania to Bulgaria,Istanbul, , greece, croatia and then who knows.

Will I need some sort of notarized letter from the bikes owner stating that I have permission to use the bike? How about borders crossings between EU countries compared to non EU? Thanks in advance for any tips on these matters.

-Chris

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Get an I International Certificate for Motor Vehicles | AA or RAC. Not a requirement for a lot of countries, but we found it invaluable. It contains the V5 info. The police etc could read the bike details in their language.

What we did was to get one and then make good laser copies and added in pages for countries we though might be usefull - China/India. Worked a treat, everywhere.

John

For Greece, Turkey and Albania make sure you have a valid authorized letter (translation?) by the owner that he allows you to ride with his motorcycle beyond the borders.
This is typical and most of the times it is not asked, yet it is something dependable on the person making the checks, my motorcycle is registered to my fathers name and I had problems in Greek borders (my country!) this year getting out (previous 4 years I traveled I was never asked for it), they would not let me go until I presented the paper! I lost around 2 hours in the borders making phone calls and having people run around Athens Saturday morning to find a police station and validate the letter.

Also for Serbia, the second you leave / enter the EU you have to have authorized letter, and it's highly suggestable to have it translated and verified.

Hey mendo

If you are gona need any help with route planning around croatia, slovenia or italy. Just ask :p

Thank you for the advice so far guys. I will be sure to get a notarized letter from the owner before I go.

Mendo, Be sure to call in at the Motocamp in Bulgaria - a great haven for Bike travellers in the Balkans

I am in Romania now and just got done riding the Transfagarasan Highway! Was so incredible, really loving Romania so far. Riding the Transalpina today and then heading south into Bulgaria. I have the original title for the bike and a expired green card from 2010 from the bike owners last trip here as well as a notarized (not translated) letter from the bike owner stating I have permission to take the bike across borders and such.

I am having trouble figuring out how to renew the green card or where to do it or if it is really even necessary. When I cross into Bulgaria will I be able to get a new green card at the border or will they be checking if I had one in the first place? A little worried about getting pulled over without one in Romania but I get mixed answers on if it is a necessary thing to have. Thanks!

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Hi Mendo:

It certainly would be in your best interest to have insurance coverage, if for no reason than to keep you out of jail if you are asked to produce proof of insurance by police, or (worse even still) you are involved in an accident.

I'm not sure which direction you are headed, and it is not clear from your prior posts which country your motorcycle is registered (plated) in. If you let us know what country the bike is registered in, perhaps one of us can suggest a quick and inexpensive way of obtaining 3rd party liability insurance.

Riding without insurance is kind of like riding without a helmet - 99.99% of the time, you won't make use if either one. But, for that .01% of the time you actually need insurance (or a helmet), it is awfully painful to be without.

Michael

The Bike is registered in Michigan, USA. I am in Sibiu, Romania now getting the bike serviced as it had been sitting in a barn for 3 years until I went and got it (old oil, dried up bushings, leaking fork seals) The plan is to head south from here to Bulgaria and then possibly turkey and then greece and Albania, Bosnia and Croatia. I agree that I need insurance and want to get it but honestly i'm having trouble finding it.

Finally got it figured out. Could not get it in person anywhere in Romania, could not get it at the border of Bulgaria. Tried 2 other insurance companies in Bulgaria and still a no go. Eventually went to the Capitol of Bulgaria Sofia to the Generalli Insurance Main Office and got it done there. Was about $150 for 2 months of coverage.

If anyone is looking to do this I would recommend just going through Mototouring GreenCard and paying the premium so you dont have to go through the hassle.

Hi Mendo:

The green card you got from Mototouring won't cover you in Albania or Bosnia, but you can buy about 2 weeks of coverage for each of those countries at the border crossing, for €10 per country. I have been through all the Balkan countries (meaning, all the countries not covered by the Mototouring green card) in the past 2 weeks, and have bought insurance at the border in every case.

I posted more information about the process for the various former Yugoslavian countries at this discussion: Insurance for a foreign biker and rider in Europe.

Michael

Got to love Sibiu , what a cracking city :funmeteryes:

Thanks for the Info Michael, I am in Greece now and heading to Albania next. 10 Euros is not bad, I had to pay 50 for the insurance just to go into Turkey!
The ride is going excellent, blew a fork seal and a couple flat tires so far but have been riding some absolutely incredible roads and non roads :mchappy:

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Hi Mendo,

If you're passing through Zagreb, get in touch for a beer or two, see the signature bier

And if you happen to be around in the Balkans region and need anything just send me a PM, and I will try to help you as quick as I can :welcome:

ride on
Dooby