Documentation For Un-licensed Motorcycle?

[jaideeguy]

I have a good deal on a Japan import un-licensed motorcycle and know from some reading of past posts that some doccumentation goes with bike...but EXACTLY what should i look for. I assume that there are some import papers that have bike frame and engine #'s.

Not worrying about the cops too much, as it will be mostly used in the moo ban and no trips into town. i just don't want to own a stolen bike and when i sell it, i'll need documentaion to pass on to the new buyer.

any other outlaws out there that know??

[Meridian007]

Sorry, I can't help you with any info, but please let all of us know how it goes with the purchase and registration. Inquiring minds want to know!

[jaideeguy]

Well, I did the deal and ended up with a batch of papers [15pages] and was able to find the engine doccuments and serial number, but the frame numbers were not in the batch. It was raining and we were in a rush and i trusted the guy and i won't go into town with the bike and the bike was too good to pass on....so I went for it and will give them a call on monday to try to get frame number forms.

wish me luck!!

will post results.......

[PeaceBlondie]

To paraphrase Hotel California, You can buy it but you can never own it.....

[deckx]

Well, I did the deal and ended up with a batch of papers [15pages] and was able to find the engine doccuments and serial number, but the frame numbers were not in the batch. It was raining and we were in a rush and i trusted the guy and i won't go into town with the bike and the bike was too good to pass on....so I went for it and will give them a call on monday to try to get frame number forms.

wish me luck!!

will post results.......

Hiya, so there is no actual signing over involved ?? is it just a case of him giving you the papers/invoice ??

Also I assume you can register the at a later date if you want ?

My wife will be doing a similiar deal for me next week ....

BTW, what bike did you buy ?

Edited February 2, 2008 by deckx

[apetley]

It's a sad fact that alot of these so called Jap imports are in fact stolen Jap bikes, crated over here and flogged on.

You can get a dubious registration for them that will involve the big jap bike being registered in a smaller Thai bike green book.

I had a friend who's bike was confiscated by the Police when he went this route.

I hope that your bike is legit and not stolen in Japan but I still think you will have problems getting a genuine green book.

As for trusting the guy who sold it I knew a used car salesman back in the UK.

Nicest guy to know socially. In business he would sell any old heap of siht, ringers you name it.

Looking forward to hearing about the frame number docs.

Maybe they have not had time to print them off for you yet!!!!

[mikethevigoman]

I have a good deal on a Japan import un-licensed motorcycle and know from some reading of past posts that some doccumentation goes with bike...but EXACTLY what should i look for. I assume that there are some import papers that have bike frame and engine #'s.

Not worrying about the cops too much, as it will be mostly used in the moo ban and no trips into town. i just don't want to own a stolen bike and when i sell it, i'll need documentaion to pass on to the new buyer.

any other outlaws out there that know??

Well in my case i received a list of a containers contents which had my frame and engine in it, this is to show it came in legally and taxes were paid on those 2 items, that some bike shop bought the frame and engine and bolted another lot of spares onto it seems to be all you need, ive ridden unregistered bikes here for 10 years and never had a problem beyond the normal liquid refreshment,.one of my bikes has a recycled book as they call it and in 7 trips to cambodia i can say that there is a lot of scare mongering but i know of not one person that has had a problem, and in one enduro i did there were about 200 bikes with no plates and the police set up a route for us and were requesting wheelies ! amazing thailand indeed ,. Edited February 2, 2008 by mikethevigoman

[submaniac]

Mikethevigoman and/or Jaidee, could you explain to me what is involved with registering and obtaining a green book on a bike that has been disassembled into parts and legally shipped into the country. Thailand has one exception that a citizen (which I am) returning to Thailand from abroad may import one cargo container without paying taxes and duties on it. If I could disassemble the Harley and ship the bike in a cargo container, with documentation that the parts were lawfully imported, could I obtain the green book? Thanks.

[tattoodrob]

yeh tell us what bike it is and how much you paid.......just being nosey as to what sort of deal you got or how cheap you can buy an unlicenced bike for

[mikethevigoman]

Mikethevigoman and/or Jaidee, could you explain to me what is involved with registering and obtaining a green book on a bike that has been disassembled into parts and legally shipped into the country. Thailand has one exception that a citizen (which I am) returning to Thailand from abroad may import one cargo container without paying taxes and duties on it. If I could disassemble the Harley and ship the bike in a cargo container, with documentation that the parts were lawfully imported, could I obtain the green book? Thanks.

Well i wont advise on sending in a bike from overseas as i havent done it, however im reliably informed its a nightmare ! ,. in my case with this last bike i registered only as i wanted to ride it across borders, i paid 28000 for a book, (although the bike is registered as a 150cc ! when its a 225 ) ,. i dont do any paperwork in thailand myself, the bike shop i use took care of all this and i had the book in 2 weeks,. i have been into cambodia and back on many occasions with this bike and book and have had no problems,.,To answer rob at the same time, it will vary what you save on a bike ,but from 30000 on a bike in the 50-80k region up to 80k for a more expensive one,. HOWEVER, .who knows if and when the thais will get serious as to registration and bikes having "dodgy " paperwork, ( which if registered in this manner it WILL be ) so my advise is dont spend more than you can afford to lose, to pay 300.000+ for a bike with no book would seem a trifle silly ,its a lot to lose if it goes pear shaped,,..nearly all the rental bikes in pattaya do not have books, however a blind eye is turned as liquid refreshments are handed out on a regular basis to those men we love to hate !!!

[mikethevigoman]

Mikethevigoman and/or Jaidee, could you explain to me what is involved with registering and obtaining a green book on a bike that has been disassembled into parts and legally shipped into the country. Thailand has one exception that a citizen (which I am) returning to Thailand from abroad may import one cargo container without paying taxes and duties on it. If I could disassemble the Harley and ship the bike in a cargo container, with documentation that the parts were lawfully imported, could I obtain the green book? Thanks.

I forgot to add, im fairly sure if bringing a vehicle into thailand as returning settlers effects it has to have been in the THAI citizens name for a minimum of 12 months,.

[jaideeguy]

The unregistered bike that i bought is a Yamaha TW200, 2003 model in excellent condition. I have no intention of registering it as from what I've heard, it would cost 40kbhatt and i paid 50kbaht for the bike and will only ride it in the mooban....not into CM, altho i see lots of unregistered bikes all over CM. lots of rentals are unregistered and falangs riding them all over.

i did learn a little in my search for my bike...the re-assemble shops often have fotos of the bike, taken in Japan and you 'order' the bike by foto and it arrives in a week. found that amazing in that you can get a whole bike all the way from japan in a week and it will sometimes take 2 weeks for a part to arrive from BKK.

[bangkokeddy]

Just food for thought, If someone stole the bike and you wanted it back, how would you prove to the police (or insurance company) that the bike actually belonged to you? They would ask for a green book straight away. If the guy who sold it to you comes round with a spare key while you are out and takes the bike back, what can you do (legally) to get it back?

Personally I would not want to run the risk of getting caught with a stolen bike, losing the bike, a large fine, a criminal record in Thailand, losing my job etc etc. I always buy bikes with a green book, otherwise they are only good for spare parts.

A quick search found plenty of TW200s on www.mocyc.com, all for less than the price you paid and all and legal too.

[jaideeguy]

BKKeddy....

just tried that site and was first greeted by a virus that luckily i chucked into the vault, then couldn't find any TWs. In fact they only had 6 bikes that were far from TW's.

What's the trick with that site??

not gonna loose any sleep about my bike being stolen as my large german sheppard is chained to it, and i don't live in the big city.

[Meridian007]

There is a trick to mocyc, I couldn't find the "real" classifieds either for a while. Try this:

http://www.mocyc.com/store/alltopic.php?CAT=3

Scroll down the page a bit to see the ads (they're all in Thai).

[tr4ever]

Mikethevigoman and/or Jaidee, could you explain to me what is involved with registering and obtaining a green book on a bike that has been disassembled into parts and legally shipped into the country. Thailand has one exception that a citizen (which I am) returning to Thailand from abroad may import one cargo container without paying taxes and duties on it. If I could disassemble the Harley and ship the bike in a cargo container, with documentation that the parts were lawfully imported, could I obtain the green book? Thanks.

submaniac,

How did your repatriation go? My wife and I are very possibly moving to Thailand this year. She is thai citizen, but I am not. We have been living overseas for the past three years, and are very interested in understanding the rules associated with her repatriation. She has a CJ 750 motorcycle that she would like to bring with her but I am seriously concerned about the costs of importing a large motporcycle.

Any comments from any one?

Thank you

[LivinLOS]

I have been told the returning citizens import of a motor vehicle is not going to work.. there was a rule, possibly a long time ago, but unless your uber connected its not happening.

I would like to hear different.

[KhunAussie52]

I have been told the returning citizens import of a motor vehicle is not going to work.. there was a rule, possibly a long time ago, but unless your uber connected its not happening.

I would like to hear different.

There is a sliding scale applied to the import of second hand bikes.From New-10 years old,By 10% a year,so when the bike is 11 years old,no import duty applies,you must be able to prove,length of ownership,sale price when purchased,old registration papers and all relevant documents for the importation.plus country of origin.

There is a bike customs agent in Bangkok that advertises there services on the internet.they also sell bikes for export.

[LivinLOS]

I have been told the returning citizens import of a motor vehicle is not going to work.. there was a rule, possibly a long time ago, but unless your uber connected its not happening.

I would like to hear different.

There is a sliding scale applied to the import of second hand bikes.From New-10 years old,By 10% a year,so when the bike is 11 years old,no import duty applies,you must be able to prove,length of ownership,sale price when purchased,old registration papers and all relevant documents for the importation.plus country of origin.

There is a bike customs agent in Bangkok that advertises there services on the internet.they also sell bikes for export.

Have you ever actually tried to import a bike.. I know many people who have had massive problems with older bikes for import.

I even remember the case where a person on Phuket was importing a antique bike, mounted as an artwork, that didnt run, and wasnt to go on the road.. It didnt work and the customs wanted huge money.. That was from a bike from the 20's or 30's !!

[HDRIDER]

I have been told the returning citizens import of a motor vehicle is not going to work.. there was a rule, possibly a long time ago, but unless your uber connected its not happening.

I would like to hear different.

There is a sliding scale applied to the import of second hand bikes.From New-10 years old,By 10% a year,so when the bike is 11 years old,no import duty applies,you must be able to prove,length of ownership,sale price when purchased,old registration papers and all relevant documents for the importation.plus country of origin.

There is a bike customs agent in Bangkok that advertises there services on the internet.they also sell bikes for export.

Hi

Sorry to say this, but dream on, try and then see what will happen, i have a HD from 87 in another country, they want big money for that bike.

[Sojourner]

Mikethevigoman and/or Jaidee, could you explain to me what is involved with registering and obtaining a green book on a bike that has been disassembled into parts and legally shipped into the country. Thailand has one exception that a citizen (which I am) returning to Thailand from abroad may import one cargo container without paying taxes and duties on it. If I could disassemble the Harley and ship the bike in a cargo container, with documentation that the parts were lawfully imported, could I obtain the green book? Thanks.

Your first stop BEFORE doing anything with your motorcycle is to stop at the office of the Ministry Of Commerce in BKK and get a letter from them allowing you to import your used motorcycle. You need to show you've owned the bike in your country of residence for longer than 18 months and you have an International License that allowed you to drive it in said country. No reason to take the bike apart if you can get this "letter of permission". This exception to the law is for citizens of Thailand who have been going to school or working abroad to bring back a car or bike as part of their personal effects. The matter of paying taxes and how much is another matter that would need to be discussed with Customs using a clearing agent that knows how to grease the wheels. If the bike is allowed into Thailand using this exemption then the bike doesn't need to be broken down and smuggled in as spare parts. The bike can be registered then at the Department of Land Transportation and a brand new green book issued. No smog test required.

[LivinLOS]

Mikethevigoman and/or Jaidee, could you explain to me what is involved with registering and obtaining a green book on a bike that has been disassembled into parts and legally shipped into the country. Thailand has one exception that a citizen (which I am) returning to Thailand from abroad may import one cargo container without paying taxes and duties on it. If I could disassemble the Harley and ship the bike in a cargo container, with documentation that the parts were lawfully imported, could I obtain the green book? Thanks.

Your first stop BEFORE doing anything with your motorcycle is to stop at the office of the Ministry Of Commerce in BKK and get a letter from them allowing you to import your used motorcycle. You need to show you've owned the bike in your country of residence for longer than 18 months and you have an International License that allowed you to drive it in said country. No reason to take the bike apart if you can get this "letter of permission". This exception to the law is for citizens of Thailand who have been going to school or working abroad to bring back a car or bike as part of their personal effects. The matter of paying taxes and how much is another matter that would need to be discussed with Customs using a clearing agent that knows how to grease the wheels. If the bike is allowed into Thailand using this exemption then the bike doesn't need to be broken down and smuggled in as spare parts. The bike can be registered then at the Department of Land Transportation and a brand new green book issued. No smog test required.

And if you manage it (without paying large tax bills that make the whole thing a waste of time) you will be the first I have ever heard of.

[ray23]

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/indexEng.jsp

This would be good to review, but keep in mind this doesn't get yuo a book. Thats done at the land transportation office. A entire new set of hoops to jump through.

Emmision controls are a biggy. There are several places now where yuo can import new bikes, with a book and warranty. They seem to have been pulling there hair out over it and they are in the buisness and Thai. They can only bring the models that have been approved and that is actually down to the color of the bike.

Back to the original question. yes if it has imprt papaers yuo can find a place if yuo look around that will get yuo a book for about 70K. The relaity it will be a shadey book. Will it be rpobelm at time of resale may be I dont know.

Ridin without the bike rewgistred, guys have doene it fo years with nio prblem at all. On the other hand I wa in Duon with a gi uy a couple of weeks ago. We stopped mine is registerd no problem. Him he paid a two hunderd baht fine just like the Thai's were doing. But this is Udon we are treated just like the Thai's here. I haev heard horror tails of 10K in Chaing Mia or lose the bike. I wasn't there so I don't know.

But the reality it is the law and they can enforce it anytime they decide to. So in the end it's up yuo as Harry said do you feel lucky

[dotcom]

To answer the OP's question.

You need a motorcycle that is known as "invoice".

If you have that & the time patience & money you can register the motorcycle.

[Nickthegreek]

You need a motorcycle that is known as "invoice".

If you have that & the time patience & money you can register the motorcycle.

If you have said documents,any idea what the costs are for a 1200 cc bike..

[LivinLOS]

Plucking numbers from thin air.. guessing around 80 - 120 depending on what papers you have, with nothing at all at one end, and full import tax paid on frame and engine and the customs clearance license thingy (technical term that one )..

I have heard of harleys being done under 100 with nothing but assume theres some grease in that to solve problems, doing it without the contacts to nego grease I am guessing would put it in the upper end ?? of course if someone happened to have a grey book thats a cheaper solution.

I have only asked on smaller sizes to be honest so theres a lot of guesswork in my numbers there, hopefully someone with real knowledge can help.

[Nickthegreek]

Thanks for that,I saw a bike in need of reapir,that I liked the look of,but with no book I was nervous!

I will leave it well alone..

Cheers..unless I can find someone to do the book thingy...