Hi All,

I am going to be touring Europe for a spell this Spring/Summer, and a mate that lives in England has offered to buy a bike for me, sell it when I am done, and I will pay him for the loss on resale. I have rented in the UK before and toured Europe, and this method will be cheaper than renting for this trip. If was going for longer I would perhaps ship my own bike over, but I am not going to be there long enough for it to pay, and this will hopefully be less expensive.

He has briefly checked into the insurance part of it, and has not yet been able to resolve how to have me (from Canada; Province of British Columbia) be insured on his bike. He is still checking though.

Would anyone be able to comment on possibilities? We are good mates, so if the bike could be purchased in my name, that would work too. As long as he could still ride it.

I understand I can (as I have) ride a UK registered rental bike, but how can I ride a privately owned and insured bike?

In summary, questions are;

1) Is it possible for him to buy the bike in my name and use his address?
2) Signature issues? Could he fax me anything to sign?
3) Is is possible for him to buy the bike in his name, and then when I am over in May, I buy it from him, using his address? Would we have to pay transfer taxes again?
4) Being from Canada, can I own a UK bike and just leave it there?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks to anyone in advance for any suggestions.

Kind regards,

Zarks

Quick answers
1) Yes
2) No Need
3)Yes - No transfer tax
4) Yes

Happy riding

Rory

The Long Answer.



1) Is it possible for him to buy the bike in my name and use his address?
Yes. You don’t need to be British to own a UK bike in the UK.
The British registration Doc (V5) is not proof of ownership, the name on it is the Registered Keeper and the Keepers UK address.
Your Bill of Sale is your proof of ownership.

2) Signature issues? Could he fax me anything to sign?
Faxed docs are therefore copies are not legal docs, anyway not an issue to worry about.


3) Is it possible for him to buy the bike in his name, and then when I am over in May, I buy it from him, using his address?
Same answer as no 1) above.
Would we have to pay transfer taxes again?
There is no vehicle transfer tax in the UK.

4) Being from Canada, can I own a UK bike and just leave it there?
Answer 1) + Leave yes, abandon no.

You have already got the most important thing – a UK address & storage for laying up the bike .
I would suggest you get an International Driving Permit.

UK motor vehicle law is very simple.
It is better to forget about how vehicles are registered in your country, It will lead to confusion.

You need three (3) separate docs to be legal on UK roads.
MoT Certificate- if the Vehicle is over three (3) years
Insurance – minimum third Party.
Road Fund license. – can be bought for six (6) months or twelve (12) months.

You need Insurance and MoT (if the vehicle over 3 years old) to buy Road Fund Livense (Tax)
Only when all three are current/ in date, is the vehicle road legal.

I hope this information is of use to you.

Rory 799

Hi Rory,

Thanks for all your information and help in this matter. One more thing, how does it work for my mate to ride the bike as well, as it will be in his garage all year long?

Or, if we made things the other way around - if it was his bike, would I be allowed to ride it by just having a Canadian Drivers License, and my International Drivers license?

Sorry for the bother, just wish to check all the options. You have been a great help - thanks so much!

Cheers,

Zarks

No problem, so long as you have insurance - either you add him to your insurance or the other way around.

Rory

Ah Shucks Rory, I wanted to answer that easy question!!

Zarks,
For background information you could take a look at the sticky thread in this Trip Paperwork forum where there is quite a bit of input about the machinations of the EU/UK insurance market.
Either way, it ain't a problem.

__________________
Dave