I have done this and did OK; broke even after buying a bike in the US, riding it all over North America and shipping to the UK; even after shipping and import taxes I sold it about ten years later for what I paid and spent, but that was also due to exchange rate movement over the period....

Possible? -Yes.

Easy? - No.

Predictable profit? - Definitely not.

It's not too likely to work OK within the Euro zone for a range of reasons related to the last post.

A few years ago bikes were flowing out of the UK as Europeans bought up stocks from UK based dealers - because of the low value of the UK £ to the Euro.
That has now reversed and second owner bikes are being sold into the UK market from Europe.
A guy I spoke with a few years ago involved in the trade told me that the key rate of exchange that fixes the direction of this is 1.25 Euro to the £ (now at around 1.42 as of today).

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Dave

Also, too many other variables - popular models in Europe are often not so desirable in the UK; I did OK as the bike I brought in was unique in the UK and somebody wanted it. Had it been a regular model I would have lost big time.

There are some sectors of the market where it's still possible to do this - some classic bikes (mainly Japanese stuff) that are virtually worthless in the US and seem to command high prices in the UK for example, but the way the £/$ rate is at the moment together with the relative market values it certainly wouldn't be viable to bring my US GoldWing over here.

Within the eurozone though there's bound to be some variability in vehicle values between countries but whether it's enough to make the effort of buying / selling one relatively low price motorcycle worthwhile is the question. Any potential profit could very easily be lost by "transactional" issues like paying too much / subsequently finding hidden faults etc - and that's before dealing with the paperwork. Most of the dealers I've known have said the profit is in the buying, not the selling. If there is a market there then you can pretty much guarantee traders will be dabbling in it already.

You have to be cautious in Eastern Europe when buying a bike.

There was a time (not so long ago) where one of the main entry points for US cars/bikes/boats/ATVs was Lithuania.

I personally know people that were in this business for years. Ship stuff by container loads. Many containers cars mainly went to former Soviet Union republics.

Anyway, to cut a long tory short, many bikes were imported with salvage title... either MVA, Dropped, flooded or whatever ... not all... but many would have been hurt in the process and that's how they became so cheap and attractive.

Often times ,even if damage is cosmetic , insurance companies would just write the bike off. You never know what happened to frame etc.

I am not saying you will pick up a dud, not very likely. But still, something worth keeping in mind.

That's the reason why bikes are so much cheaper there. Not because they make them for pennies on the dollar or anything

with that said, if i was in the market for a bike there... and knew seller , knew the damage (if there was any) and knew who repaired it.... it is rather attractive NOT to pay 50% extra

I also think this is an unrealistic idea.

The problem is customs and import taxes/ fees. Most countries try to protect their automobile industries by making it expensive to legally import vehicles from other countries.

The other main problem is "time." Have you ever tried to sell a foreign registered vehicle in another country? It is a nightmare! Every buyer is afraid to touch it with a 10 ft pole because of legalization issues. Think about the month of time that you will likely spend trying to sell the motorcycle. It is a much better idea to sell it for pennies on the dollar and spend that month of time working back at home.

In my opinion it is a much wiser idea to start out with an economic/ utilitarian motorcycle like a KLR or an air cooled DR 650 that you do not have to worry about losing much value on the sale.
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If you have any interest in exploring South America I have a good cost saving idea for you. Plenty of Hubb travelers end there motorcycle trips in Argentina and descide to sell their bike's for pennies on the dollar. If you flew to Argentina, you could kill some time by doing some bus tours and keep your eye on the Hub for sale section for a traveler selling their foreign motorcycle in Argentina. There is a way that you can avoid having to pay and customs/ import fees if the seller agrees to help you out and cross the border to Chile with you.

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http://www.journeyrider.net Latin America blog (07-8)