Customs Duty & Cost Of Importing A Big Bike From Eu

[Kf6vci]

I love this bike, it has less than 21,000 km on the clock since 1993. But I had some bad experience importing a bike to California. It may not be worth the cost & hassle, starting with a 850 km trip to the harbor where the car exporters ship new cars world wide.

But I would love to hear from someone who imported a 1000 cc bike to Thailand.

Thanks a lot! Chris

[MarcoH]

I love this bike, it has less than 21,000 km on the clock since 1993. But I had some bad experience importing a bike to California. It may not be worth the cost & hassle, starting with a 850 km trip to the harbor where the car exporters ship new cars world wide.

But I would love to hear from someone who imported a 1000 cc bike to Thailand.

Thanks a lot! Chris

You dont wanna do it when you hearing how much they will charge you,,,i dont know exact ammount but some one knows here,, but in the mean while have a look on custom pages...

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Perso...Nme=PersonalPer

[mikethevigoman]

I love this bike, it has less than 21,000 km on the clock since 1993. But I had some bad experience importing a bike to California. It may not be worth the cost & hassle, starting with a 850 km trip to the harbor where the car exporters ship new cars world wide.

But I would love to hear from someone who imported a 1000 cc bike to Thailand.

Thanks a lot! Chris

Chris if you value your sanity, dont give it a second thought, beleive it, this topic has been discussed many times, and the advice and gemeral consensus is dont do it !,. many have tried,better to find one locally here,.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

Dont, just dont do it, the custom might say 15.000 US$ and when they see it it could be 25.000 US$

[xbusman]

I have imported big bikes into Thailand and its a certainty, DONT DO IT!

It would be cheaper for you to buy a new BMW in Thailand than what you might spend for the possibility of actually ever seeing your bike here.

[eljeque]

It is reall in your best interests to get a bike when here. Bikes are inexpensive enough, as they are brought in from Japan after being a few years old. The road tax in Japan is so high , that owners sell these bikes off pretty quickly. It is better to sell it back home, and buy on out here.

Listen to everyone who is telling you what not to do, they know of many pople who have made the mistake of trying to bring a motor vehicle here.

[raybkk]

Take the bike apart. Ship frame and engine seperate. No problems.

[Thanh-BKK]

Take the bike apart. Ship frame and engine seperate. No problems.

Hi

How much would it cost to import a frame and an engine (seperately)? I am talking about a 30-year old 50cc motorbike (not a "moped"!! I mean one that's speedwise legally unrestricted, type "Zundapp KS 50", see attached image). I want to get one such, to build it up and ride it here.

If i import it in parts, can i get it legally registered here?

Best regards.....

Thanh

Edited November 1, 2007 by Thanh-BKK

[HDRIDER]

Take the bike apart. Ship frame and engine seperate. No problems.

Ray

It could be a problem, a big one, had a friend there did it, together with a lot of house hold stuff in a container from Europe, was on the papers as spare part, the tax ended up being more than the bike was worth, some custom guy is driving around on it in BKK, I think..

A guy I heard about did not put anything on paper; they took the whole bike..

forgot to tell it came in in 2 containers

Edited November 1, 2007 by HDRIDER

[raybkk]

Ok,

My bike came through this company:

P.C.L. Alai Company Limited

Srinakarin Rd. Bangkok

02-3834511

I guess they have connections.

Maybe try them

[apetley]

I was quoted 150 percent import duty on the value customs put on your bike.

Have heard people bringing in bikes and cars by bringing in parts and reassembling them. The blue/green book is then 'dodgy' but may suffice.

I also know of someone who bought a Merc in this way and is now in some trouble.

Best to stay legit IMHO.

[PadThaiGuy]

Bendix imports stuff all the time and never ever had a problem. You guys are full of crap.

There is no corruption in Thailand.

[apetley]

Maybe Bendix is working undercover for Thai Customs, ever considered that?

Has anyone ever met him? Maybe he's just a figment of someones imagination.

Maybe he's Thai giving us an ever rosier image of the Kingdom.

Maybe Thai customs are squeeky clean.

Maybe there is no such thing as tea-money.

Next year all excise and import duty will disappear.

[Sateev]

Take the bike apart. Ship frame and engine seperate. No problems.

Hi

How much would it cost to import a frame and an engine (seperately)? I am talking about a 30-year old 50cc motorbike (not a "moped"!! I mean one that's speedwise legally unrestricted, type "Zundapp KS 50", see attached image). I want to get one such, to build it up and ride it here.

If i import it in parts, can i get it legally registered here?

Best regards.....

Thanh

I had a bike that was imported from Japan. It was imported as engine and frame separated, by a company in Pathumwan who apparently specailzed in the process.

I bought the bike from another farang, who was on his way out of the country to another assignment. He had paid 89,000 baht for a 200cc Yamaha, with NO registration or book!

I wondered why he happily accepted 40,000 for the bike, thinking there MUST be a way to get it registered. After all, this is Thailand...

Bottom line, I rode the bike for a few months, always looking over my shoulder because it had a bogus license plate, and I had no book.

The process for getting a 'rot pagop' registered consists of taking it to the Thai Institute of Standards in Samut Prakan, and paying 27,000 baht to have it thoroughly tested for emissions. You pay this money, pass or fail, and the test apparently takes 7-10 days. The engineer who certifies it is the ONLY one in Thailand who can do it. The local emissions test guys you see all around Bangkok can not perform the tests, nor issue the paperwork to get the bike registered.

When I called him, there was some talk of paying 30,000, instead of 27,000, which entitled you to a free re-test. This sounds fishy, and probably means that they actually tell you what is wrong with the bike, see that it is 'fixed', and give you the pass. I doubt this is 'official', and I'm sure you don't repeat the whole multi-day test sequence. Just a way for some one to make a quick 3000, and insure your passing the tests.

I have heard recently that the price for a shop to do the process has gone up; perhaps the re-test fee is steeper now...

At the end, I sold the bike to another farang, who didn't seem concerned about any of this (which I told him in detail, before selling him the bike).

There are/were alternatives to the strict by-the-book process, but I think they are getting tougher to do, and often result in a 'dodgy book'.

Riding with an invoice only is common, by Thais and farang alike. The difference is the incidental tea money paid to the local police box attendant. As a farang, you will pay more, although, if you have the tax documents that should come with the invoice, they will not confiscate it. Presumably, since your bike will stand out, you will be a target every time you see that cop or his friends.

50 or 100 baht a pop is OK, even for Thais, but 1000 can add up quickly.

Advice: buy a Wave 125 with book.

Sateev

[PeaceBlondie]

Advice: buy a Wave 125 with book.

Sateev

After a big BMW twin, a Wave 125 will disappoint the original poster.