USA vs UK vs Europe Exchange Value!!!!

I buy bikes & parts worldwide just for a hobby & not as a business
I have been reading a few threads recently about how expensive bikes are to buy in Europe compared to the prices that you guys pay in the USA.
Here am I sitting in the UK & supposedly part of the European Union but thankfully we still have our own currency although the pound sterling is knackered against the euro at the moment.
It is stiil a good deal for me to buy from the USA although shipping costs have risen a bit. The dollar is now about 1.6 to the pound (glory days about a year ago when it was 2:1 and I was having a ball). The pound is about 1:1 with the euro near as dammit and I can't believe the price of bikes & parts in the EU. Not my market anymore unless I want to sell.
Check out my earlier post on buying a Moto Guzzi V11 Sport that I bought for 2,300 pounds, yes a great deal but Ebay France & Germany advertise them at twice the price & twice the mileage.
Maybe I should buy UK & sell to Europe???
Tommotbird

I don't have any idea how hard it is to move titles across borders in Europe...it can be a paperwork pain, for example, transferring a Canadian bike to the US. Certainly it may be easier to move bikes into Europe from the US (the great Zed drain back in the 1980's and 90's)...or at least worth the hassle.

Mcdroid wrote:

I don't have any idea how hard it is to move titles across borders in Europe...it can be a paperwork pain, for example, transferring a Canadian bike to the US. Certainly it may be easier to move bikes into Europe from the US (the great Zed drain back in the 1980's and 90's)...or at least worth the hassle.

I need help getting an RD400, Canadian bike, titled and registered here in the U.S. (California) -- what kind of paperworks issues will I run up against? Really need to get this done! Thanks for any ideas you have!

Tommotbird wrote:

I buy bikes & parts worldwide just for a hobby & not as a business
I have been reading a few threads recently about how expensive bikes are to buy in Europe compared to the prices that you guys pay in the USA.
Here am I sitting in the UK & supposedly part of the European Union but thankfully we still have our own currency although the pound sterling is knackered against the euro at the moment.
It is stiil a good deal for me to buy from the USA although shipping costs have risen a bit. The dollar is now about 1.6 to the pound (glory days about a year ago when it was 2:1 and I was having a ball). The pound is about 1:1 with the euro near as dammit and I can't believe the price of bikes & parts in the EU. Not my market anymore unless I want to sell.
Check out my earlier post on buying a Moto Guzzi V11 Sport that I bought for 2,300 pounds, yes a great deal but Ebay France & Germany advertise them at twice the price & twice the mileage.
Maybe I should buy UK & sell to Europe???
Tommotbird

I think it depends on the popularity factor too.
I see bikes sell on 'eBay UK' for much less than stateside, but the shipping makes it un-workable.

It reminds me of the Lotus Esprit, very popular in the U.S., but when I mention 'Hethel' and 'Colin Chapman' or 'ground effects' or 'Lotus' most folks I've met from England are either unaware or just faintly aware.

The popularity issue must play a role in pricing, not just currency exchange rates I'd reckon...?

newOld_kz1000 wrote:

Mcdroid wrote:

I don't have any idea how hard it is to move titles across borders in Europe...it can be a paperwork pain, for example, transferring a Canadian bike to the US. Certainly it may be easier to move bikes into Europe from the US (the great Zed drain back in the 1980's and 90's)...or at least worth the hassle.

I need help getting an RD400, Canadian bike, titled and registered here in the U.S. (California) -- what kind of paperworks issues will I run up against? Really need to get this done! Thanks for any ideas you have!

Jeff at www.z1enterprises.com has done this. Why don't you PM him to see if he can give you any advice? He is a stand-up fellow.

It is fairly straightforward to ship a bike from the USA to the UK but it necessitates using a shipping agent which cost about 500 pounds.
You need co-operation from the seller who has to arrange for the bike to be crated and all liquids removed, the agent will then collect from their home. Obviously the nerarer the bike is to a shipping terminal the cheaper it will be. Also it is a good idea to get the seller to give you two invoices or bills of sale, one for the bike itself (as low as possible) and the other a "finders fee". This works with old and classic bikes but not so easy with a new bike. There is import duty and Vat to pay in the UK and delivery to your home. Total figure coul be a grand.
I have been looking to buy a BSA A65 Lightning from the USA and this would work quite well economically as that bike would sell over here for 6000 pounds plus in VGC.
Registering the bike once it is in the UK is no problem at all if all paperwork is good from shipping agent etc.

When I buy used KZ parts from the USA sometimes I get a Customs Vat charge and sometimes I don't- very hit & miss and sometimes I get lucky!