UK Customs duty

[tommym]

My Triumph Bonneville arrived into Tilbury docks this week.
After 14 months on the road from Canada to Argentina.
I'm from the uk - but bought the bike up in Seattle.

I have just recieved the breakdown of import charges I'm being asked to pay up. It is all beginning to add up. As a student I'm used to financial woes but this is gonna be hurt for a while.

I was wondering if anyones knows anyway of avoiding the import tax for her magisty - possibly with the notice 999 form C104A - with proof that you have owned the vehicle for more than 12 months.

I've spent all morning speaking with customs and exise, and managed to locate the commodity code for motorcycles being 8711400000 (theres 86000 codes)

Theres also the C285 form - Repayments and revisions.
I was wondering how safe it would be to pay the duties, get my bike and try to claim it back afterwards.
Has anyone used this? And fought and won against the system?
(It's just that I'll have to pay for customs storage if I was to run the C104A forms as my bike came into port this week)

I'm sure it makes sense to somebody? right?

Any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated.
Ta.
Tom.