anyone from europe?

[beechfront]

i am hoping to take a trip to europe sometime between now and next summer.


once there i would really like to travel by motorcycle. is this a realistic idea? are there places that rent them?


i supose my money would be better spent getting a europass or whatever they are called. would probably be a lot cheaper in the long run.

[MaximPhil]

Hi Beechfront,
I have heard good reports about this outfit
http://www.edelweissbiketravel.com/ they run a fleet of BMW's various models and lots of freedom to explore on your own. 2or 3 routes to choose from each day.
Maxim Phil

[beechfront]

great link - looks cool but too rich for my blood.

thanks though.

[ratbyk]

Europe

Cory, not sure how long you are planning on going over for but possibly one of my experiences would work for you.
In 1976 you could buy a new bike in England for export and pay absolutely no taxes on it. I bought a brand new 76 Goldwing in London for $2385.00 Cdn. At the time a new wing in Canada was around $3200.00. I bopped around Europe for 45 days. Had the bike put on a pallet and air freighted home to Toronto at the time at the end of the trip. I rode it for 2 more years and sold it for $3000.00.
I left home with $5000. in my pocket. Arrived home with $23.00. After selling the wing my trip to Europe (through 16 countries and principals ) Cost me less than $2000.00. I camped most of the time only checking into a hotel/whatever about every 3/4 nights.
If England is still offer this no tax deal and you are going over for an extended period a similar deal may work for you.
If you are only going over for a few weeks I would bet you could make a deal with dealer to purchase a used bike with a buy back agreement. You could contact dealers in London about such an arrangement and have it all firmed up before going over. That is if you have some lead time before going over.
I put my deal together over about 2 months using the post and a couple of telephone calls. With todays internet/E-mail such a deal could likely be put together in a couple of weeks. Even faster if you pushed.
Ken/Sooke
78E Ratbyk
82 FT500 "lilRat"

[uk1.1s]

European tour

Hi Beechfront

I'm based a little south on London in the UK.

Any help you need regarding touring the UK - give me a shout.

Quite a few bike rental places here - but pricey and may not be too used to someone taking off across Europe. The UK is in Europe - but pretty closed to the idea of a 'borderless federal European Union' - so bike rental people probably expect you to ride in the UK. I can do some research if you need details of anywhere renting bikes

There are a few interesting bike touring companies in the UK who rent classics for a week (or long weekend) and take you on guided tours of nice parts of the place. This means that you can share things like old BSa's, Norton , Triumphs etc. I guess it's life in the slow lane of a few days - but that sounds like a nice way to unwind

See these guys

http://www.motorbikescotland.co.uk/

http://www.classicbiketours.co.uk/bikes.html

I noticed on the internet the dropbears page for general European rental links. too

http://www.dropbears.com/bikelinks/motorcycle_tours_europe.htm

If your are coming to London give me a shout and we can go out for a couple of those warm foaming beers us Brits love

There's always the option of a loaned old XS11 - a bit unloved around the edges....but it runs!

Cheers - Graham

[uk1.1s]

The buying option

Beech,

Just read Kens post....... didn't before the message above.

I know a fair few bike dealers in the London area - if you want to go that route and want someone to check out the bike before you commit I can give you a hand.

There are another one or two XS11 owners who post here too who aren't too far away, so I may be able to draft in another pair of friendly eyes.

Friend of mine toured Oz "downunder" last year and did exactly this. Was well worth it and cheaper than renting as long as you have the capital up-front to buy a new / decent second-hand bike.

For an idea of prices have a look here:

http://shop.bonanzamotorcycles.co.uk/

or

http://www.bat-motorcycles.co.uk

[beechfront]

ken - i have talked to some people around the office here who tell me that buying things overseas and bringing them back is not as 'profitable' as it once was - due to the fact that the exchange rate is not nearly as favorable as it used to be. and looking at the prices of the bikes in Grahams links it looks like that may be true. but if not that would be a good option.


Graham - thanks for all of the links. how reasonable would it be to buy something and sell it back right away? i may be able to manage something like that.


what would be ideal is if i could get one of my XS's shipped there and back for a reasonable amount. or maybe just ship one over there and sell it when i was done. that's a thought.....


the smartest/cheapest route would probably be to just ride the trains. that just doesn't have as much appeal to me as riding a motorcycle.

[MaximPhil]

Hi beechfront,
Ah another cheap bastard like me then
Having spent June of this year in Europe i can tell you Europe is Reassuringly F...ing Expensive. How long are you planning to go for ? what countries do you want to visit?
I suggest Switzerland would be great on a Bike many wonderful twisty roads, also very accessable by train. I also enjoy train travel and would recomend the Eurostar from London to Paris. 300kph very impressive. ( buy a return ticket at least one week in advance, even if you are only going one way)
Camping in Switzerland and France is readily available and cheap.
($14 anight)
Maxim Phil

[uk1.1s]

Stuff - big post...sorry folks

Hi Beech....

Hmmm - what to do.

Buying here - selling here

Well, buying a bike, using it for a couple of months and selling it back probably wouldn't be too much of a problem.

The difficulty I guess you'd have is finding the right bike, buying it at the time you want it and then selling it quickly as you leave. That may lead you into buying and selling from a dealer. Of course they are in it to make as much cash as possible, so will sell to you for as much as possible and buy back for as low as possible. I guess you could email a dealer or two to sus out exactly how much that would cost you.

Looking through the bike links I sent I guess second-hand £3000 - £4000 (about $5400 to $7200) would get you something reasonable. You do get cheaper but I you've got to balance that with the risk of buying something unreliable. Thats the safe route I guess

If your a risk taking kind of guy one way may be to buy something through UK's ebay site just before you come over and sell it either the same way, or through a dealer as you leave. I can help if you need anything picked up or whatever.

Just trying to think of a rapid way for you to get some wheels without having something unsold as you leave. If you keep your eyes open on ebay some pretty decent looking XS1100 Specials (usually imprted from the USA - so left hand drive ). - turn up for between £1200 and £1800 ($2100 to $3200). Timing for buying may be a difficulty - but again if you need a hand I can help out where possible. If it had a problem we didn't know about we could always take some parts off my bike for your trip.

Shipping your bike over

...hmmm... cost you for shipping of course, US freight carrier can probably advise you on cost. If the bike is to go back home then you will not have to pay any import tax...but if you were to sell it here the government will tax you...works out as a percentage of the cost of the imported vehicle...maybe around 17-20%. (We have a local value added tax (VAT) levied on almost all goods in the UK which runs at 17.5% - importing tax I seem to remember may be 1- 2% more. XS11's over here don't make more than $3500 very often so that would be your ceiling price if you sold on.

Of course how they check you've sold a bike....and if you sell it in another European country to the one you entered Europe in the first place may be a way forward...not strictly a legal way forward..... There's a Dutch, German and French XS1100 site if you look on the web - maybe a note to them would give you an idea on local costs / taxes etc.

As for places to ride - see if you can include Andorra - a small country in the Pyrenees mountains on the French / Spain border. Get biking roads.

Cheers Graham

[beechfront]

phil - i hope to go for 3 weeks. if i stay that long it will likely be a late summer '05 trip. though i would like to go next spring. just have to see how finances go until then.


graham - if i could get even $2000 for mine over there (is that possible????) that would for sure be the way to go. I only paid $400.

i am going to look into shipping costs to see what i can find out. will post back here as soon as i find something.


you all have been a great help.


thanks.



Cory

[beechfront]

mad thoughts

at this point it is anyone's guess as to whether this trip will even happen.


but assuming it will - what i was thinking is this:

1 - prior to departure i would like to somehow find somebody overseas committed to buy (ebay, xs11.com??)

2 - ride my XS from nebraska to east coast (wherever i can ship it from). i figure i will have a good 5-7 days before it shows up at its destination. during which time i can hang out in shipping city for a day or so and/or travel a bit in europe.

3 - once i pick up my bike i will travel around that way for a week or two, working my way toward the home of whomever agreed to purchase. purchaser will have to give me a ride to wherever i can get on a train/plane. Time permitting i will travel around some more.

3 - fly back to omaha/chicago/kansas city/wherever is cheap that i can talk somebody into picking me up at.



or..... i could just fly to london and get on a train. but i've never really been one to do things the easy way.