buy a bike in SA, sell in UK?
 

Hi everyone,

I am in California and trying to get an idea of the most feasible way of doing a trans-Africa trip. How about buying a bike in SA ride to UK and sell it there - anyone have any experience with this? It seems like most people travel the other direction so there may be a possibility of picking one up from someone who has come down. Is there any reason that it would be better to go UK to london and sell the bike in SA?

I have seen a couple of threads on this subject, but I would appreciate any additional information that folks could provide.

why not
 

Hi Stormridr,

my bikes normaly come from Germany so you could get south african registration and german papers to avoid paying customs when entering the EU. South african carnet normaly don´t cover the EU as far as I know.

regards Thomas

www.600.xt.ms - WEB.DE MyPage

South African carnet may not cover all countries
 

I was recently in SA and talking to people with SA registered vehicles some thought that the carnet did not allow entry to some african countries, bare this in mind when buying. I have imported a bike into the UK and registered it, this was not difficult although I am a UK citizen. Try advertising for a European registered bike for sale in South Africa.
Mark Manley

I would suggest that you get a bike that is over 10 years old as it does not need SVA approval.