I'm an American living and working in Moldova. I'm selling my bike in the US and buying one here. I don't have my living permits and such yet, so I can't put it in my name. I will put it in a friends name.

Does anyone know if I will have trouble with border crossings if I do this? What documents would I need in order to cross into EU countries or EE places like Ukraine?

Thanks!

Don't know specifically what requirements in Moldova might be but I can tell you that travelling on a bike registered in another person's name is not a problem in any of the western European countries and Morocco.
Technically you are riding a borrowed bike so you should carry the ownership /registration documents and have the green card for insurance which covers you for the EU and many other countries beyond that.
As a backup I wpould get the registered owner's and your own drivers license on a single photocopy page and have the owner write in by hand , and sign it, a short statement that you have the permission to ride his bike anywhwere you please. Maybe getting that notarized might be an advantage.
Having taken these precautions I have on a number of trips started off from the Netherlands on a bike bought there and registered to a resident of NL and have troamed all over the EU and non EU countries and into Morocco and I have never been questioned or challenged at any borders ( such as they still exist) or by any police .
You must remember that any infractions you commit as captured on photo radar speed traps will be sent back to the registered owner of the bike , so do not forget to repay him for those fines. Take it easy, he may not like the demerit points against his license. .

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