Hey - Trying to buy a motorcycle in Europe
 

Hey

Ive never used a forum before - where would I post my message below? I Posted it in the buy/sell section but I think im still trying to gather information/research at the moment.

I am hoping to buy a motorcycle in Europe and preferably Spain. I am based in Barcelona but I would be open to travelling if there was a good bike available. I am looking to spend under 1500 Euro. What country would be the best place to buy a motorcycle from?

I have a bike in NZ which is a 600cc Suzuki and has been great for touring. Is there a bike in Europe to be of similar quality (but on the cheaper side)? Or maybe something a bit different but that is good for longer trips?

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you :)

Plenty of cheap bikes für less then 1000 available. Just check http://www.mobile.de

1500 euros should easily get you an older Suzuki Bandit, which is perfectly fine for touring. Or its perennial rival the Honda Hornet. A friend of mine rode her '98 Hornet from Estonia to the UK with no worries at all.

For long distance travel, and in your budget, I would suggest you look at the late-90s Suzuki Katana (GSX600F). Their ugly front headlight makes them unsexy and therefore underpriced for what is otherwise, I gather, a very competent bike.

Well, that depends on what your residence status in Spain is, and how difficult the paperwork would be. Some countries make it really easy for foreigners to buy a bike, others don't. Here in Estonia you can do it with no problem, as long as you can put the name of a local in the paperwork as an authorized user. Here is what your budget would buy you. Plenty of half-faired Bandits and Katanas, even the occasional TDM.

A foreign national ( non Euroepan) without a permanent address in Europe ( or the country where you want to buy a bike), will find it very difficult to register a vehicle in their name , and subsequently will not be able to get insurance. It can be done, but it's a real headache, and some European countries are more difficult than others. Spain is one of the most difficult, followed by Italy and then France. The U.K. can be easier, because the authorities only really want an address where you can be contacted, HOWEVER it is damn difficult to get insurance cover to ride outside the u.k. if you are not a permanent resident. You might do better ( and be more legal) to find someone who does a sell and buy back scheme. They will get the bike you want, and register it for you in your name at an authorsied accommodation address, and you can then get full European insurance cover. Two names comes to mind who might be able to help you. Wheatwacker ( on this site) who operates in Ireland, and Laurent Dozias of Ride in Tours in central france. Motorcycle tours & rental in France ( he speaks fluent English). Good luck

Check also this guy: https://motofeirme.com/buying-and-selling/. He is a regular HUBB member.

He is from Ireland but maybe he can assist.

Did you put everything down to see if buying is better than renting?

This is generally true, but there is a cheap and easy insurance option from Motocampbg which I used when I bought my UK bike (US citizen). This was before Brexit though... not sure if anything has changed.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...241#post565231