Worried Pom shipping 1956 Matchless to Auckland

[Robhj]

I'm moving from London to Auckland in August and will be shipping my 500 Matchless single for later arrival. Given that it's my Pride and Joy, and will cost 650 quid to ship here, I'm a bit worried about NZ stories of bikes robbed at gunpoint by gang members who like the look of it, and the lengths taken to steal from lock-ups e.g. deadlocks, ground anchors, alarms no problem. I'm not saying it's worse than Blighty, as I had a bike stolen from a lock-up 2 years ago, but would be grateful for opinions or advice. Also, advice on shipping, as I haven't chosen the company yet. Thanks Rob

[YellowDog]

OK - So I moved to NZ a few years back so I may be able to give you some perspective on this issue.

I would say that if you want to compare crime in London and Auckland, if you look at London as 100%, Auckland is around 15% on the same scale.

On this scale I am comparing Shepheard's Bush with Manurewa.

The not so nice parts of Auckland are nowhere near as bad as London and in general there is very little crime.

Where in Auckland are you moving?

Great to hear you are bringing a Matchless to Auckland. A great addition however not the sort of bike that gets stolen. The sort of bikes that get taken tend to be off-roaders and modern sports bikes. And if you have an Hardly Davidson then you are going to attract a specific kind of crim looking to add to the herd.

Good luck, and don't worry about this risk which is comparatively minimal.

[Dodgyiti]

Agree, the Matchie will not attract undesirable attention- only train spotters at classic meets:rolleyes:

[Grubber]

I'm moving from London to Auckland in August and will be shipping my 500 Matchless single for later arrival. Given that it's my Pride and Joy, and will cost 650 quid to ship here, I'm a bit worried about NZ stories of bikes robbed at gunpoint by gang members who like the look of it, and the lengths taken to steal from lock-ups e.g. deadlocks, ground anchors, alarms no problem. I'm not saying it's worse than Blighty, as I had a bike stolen from a lock-up 2 years ago, but would be grateful for opinions or advice. Also, advice on shipping, as I haven't chosen the company yet. Thanks Rob

Got it sorted....you could just ship it to my place if ya like. I will take care of it till you arrive.
My shipping address is "Warehouse number 5' down at the docks, Resplendent Ave, Somewhere in Auckland.

Yup...send it on over.

[Voltaire]

I shipped a couple of bikes back from the UK over the years, and more recently a Kombi in 2004, used a firm in Nth London...they advertise in the Kiwi mags there...can't recall the name. If there are any issues its gonna be this end, mainly MAF ( agriculture) and customs.
With these guys the more paperwork you have the better.
Make sure its very very clean....everywhere and be prepared for getting it cleaned again.
Bring a book along and your Ipod as they like to keep you waiting :lol:
You will need your rego docs for registering here and it will have to be 'vinned' like a in depth MOT....easy enough if you go to right place.
Good news is that if its over 40 under $100 a year in Rego...and join the Vintage Car Club and get insurance for about $120.
Easy peasy....then you can do battle with the great Kiwi drivers.......

[CookMySock]

Yer not many people will watch to steal your matchless. More like stop and have a cuppa and talk to you about it.

It's the high-end harleys and motocrossers that go missing.

Steve

[jim.cox]

Yer not many people will watch to steal your matchless. More like stop and have a cuppa and talk to you about it.

Yeah - what he said

I'd still chain it down though...

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

I moved to NZ, from the UK, about 5 years ago now. I can honestly tell you that there is far less crime than in the UK. Yellow dogs figures sound about right to me. Best thing is that the perception of crime is really low in NZ - in other words the majority of people don't live in fear of it.

Not heard of "bike jacking" going on in NZ, someone might be pulling your leg with those kind of stories. If it did really happen then it is extremely rare.

Way I see it is that there is no perfect country. All countries contain gits (for want of a better word), there seems to be a lower proportion of gits in NZ - but there are still gits here. Don't expect to be bike jacked but also don't expect everyone to be as pure as the driven snow.

I've also just read that there are approximately 225,000 British adults living in NZ now. That's about 5% of the population - there goes the neighbourhood!

[YellowDog]

I've also just read that there are approximately 225,000 British adults living in NZ now. That's about 5% of the population - there goes the neighbourhood!

Ah that's where the crims have come from :rofl:

[firefighter]

I'm a bit worried about NZ stories of bikes robbed at gunpoint by gang members who like the look of it,

I've never, ever heard of that here! In Aussie yes but not here, maybe once? I would'nt forget hearing about something like that! This of-course could possibly have happened generations before me....

[UNNA]

Someone has been feeding you a load of malicious fiction. Some selected bikes in some areas are stolen to joyride, spare parts or a quick flick to pay for drugs. No crims would ever steal a Matchy because a. they would know how to start it b. there is no market for them outside the classic enthusiasts and c. parts are plentiful anyway. Ride it, enjoy it, and relax about it. Love to see you out and about on it. Has there ever been a Matchy stolen in the history of NZ? Well not in the past 40 years anyway.

[Paul in NZ]

Man - If I was a gang member and was going to steal a bike to do a quick get away.... um.... well speaking as an ex AJS 500 owner, your matchless might not be first choice...

Decades ago - there was a real shortage of bikes and yes, Triumph twins, commandos etc 'sometimes' had a short life in the hands of the honest BUT thats ancient history...

[pete376403]

What model Matchie? I used to have a G9. (the "break-a-crank-a-day" model, even though my one never did)

[Paul in NZ]

Oh - you need to join up with these dudes - they have an awesome annual rally and organisation

http://www.jampot.co.nz/

Erm - your bikes going to get very dirty on some of their rides ;-)

[jellywrestler]

funny how runours get around, we heard over here that your prime ministers a bigot!

[Robhj]

Thanks to all for advice on crime etc. The panic was from reading a post about a CR450 Honda that was stolen in under 10 minutes despite deadlocks, alarm etc. I thought that if they go to those lengths, they'd be even more interested in a rare bike. Great that there's not much of a market for ancient British bikes or stripping it for parts.. The 'jacking' story came from talking to a Kiwi about Auckland gangs - maybe he'd decided there's enough Poms in the country.... I did nearly have my Honda XR600 stolen when going for a stroll near Hokianga, when last in NZ. A van full of very large blokes pulled up with the rear doors open, which was a bit of a clue, and they drove off sharpish when I ran back. I shipped it to the UK, and I'm thinking of taking it back to NZ, along with my Yamaha IT465, if the shipping is reasonable.

[Robhj]

Thanks to all for advice on crime etc. The panic was from reading a post about a CR450 Honda that was stolen in under 10 minutes despite deadlocks, alarm etc. I thought that if they go to those lengths, they'd be even more interested in a rare bike. Great that there's not much of a market for ancient British bikes or stripping it for parts.. The 'jacking' story came from talking to a Kiwi about Auckland gangs - maybe he'd decided there's enough Poms in the country.... I did nearly have my Honda XR600 stolen when going for a stroll near Hokianga, when last in NZ. A van full of very large blokes pulled up with the rear doors open, which was a bit of a clue, and they drove off sharpish when I ran back. I shipped it to the UK, and I'm thinking of taking it back to NZ, along with my Yamaha IT465, if the shipping is reasonable. For any doubters, though I'm very fond of both, The Matchless is by far the most enjoyable to ride

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

Thanks to all for advice on crime etc. The panic was from reading a post about a CR450 Honda that was stolen in under 10 minutes despite deadlocks, alarm etc. I thought that if they go to those lengths, they'd be even more interested in a rare bike. Great that there's not much of a market for ancient British bikes or stripping it for parts.. The 'jacking' story came from talking to a Kiwi about Auckland gangs - maybe he'd decided there's enough Poms in the country.... I did nearly have my Honda XR600 stolen when going for a stroll near Hokianga, when last in NZ. A van full of very large blokes pulled up with the rear doors open, which was a bit of a clue, and they drove off sharpish when I ran back. I shipped it to the UK, and I'm thinking of taking it back to NZ, along with my Yamaha IT465, if the shipping is reasonable.

Sounds like the kiwi you were talking to likes to embellish his stories for shock value.

And the CR450 is a popular farm bike. Very nickable to thieves. Think about how unpopulated NZ is and how sellable a stolen CR450 would be (i.e. it would never be seen in public places again). That is why that type of bike is stolen over here - rather than the road biased bikes.

Anyway, stop worrying about all the silly stuff. NZ is a lovely place with some of the best roads/ scenery you can ask for. That's all you need to worry about.

[GOONR]

.....On this scale I am comparing Shepheard's Bush with Manurewa....

I lived in 'The Bush' for years and years, only had my car stolen once and that made me laugh. C'mon, what kind of joy ride do you get in a old Humber Sceptre. Got offered all sorts of cheap goodies at the local boozer though.

[CookMySock]

The panic was from reading a post about a CR450 Honda that was stolen in under 10 minutes despite deadlocks, alarm etc. [....] I did nearly have my Honda XR600 stolen [....] Yamaha IT465Those are exactly the bikes crims want - something they can use to attend to their dope patch with.

No one would know what to do with a matchless, and those who did could afford to buy their own.


Steve

[YellowDog]

I lived in 'The Bush' for years and years, only had my car stolen once and that made me laugh. C'mon, what kind of joy ride do you get in a old Humber Sceptre. Got offered all sorts of cheap goodies at the local boozer though.

Oops, I forgot about you.

You must have been from the good part of Shepherd's Bush :(

Humber Scepter eh!

Looking at one of those at the moment as a project. Great cars.

[The Speedy Sparky]

We have been here nearly five years now, although we are way down south. From my experience, crime in NZ is virtually non existant. As a rough giude, in the UK when we left, it was said that only 7% of crime was reported and of that 7% only around 8-10% was ever solved, here I think its aound 98% gets reported, and around 90% gets solved. Its to small a country to be an ashole. But still people do it. As was said eariler in the thread no place is perfect, and this country certainly has its problems, and they are growing. The good thing is, people are prepared to get of their arse and do something about it.
there is a great motorcylcling scene here, and racing is cheap compared to UK standards. I dont know what you do for a job, but usually you have to take lots of exams, they like bits of paper here. Come here with open eyes, and look around you, also look at the big yellow thing up in the sky, its orange and hot. The colours here are amazing, I still think of the UK as Grey skys and grey people. When you come here, as the Nike slogan says, "Just do it", Tiger woods took that a bit far though. All the best with the move, thats the worst part, but once you have settled in its great. Look us up if you are ever down in Balclutha. Most Kiwis dont get sarcasm, so leave that in the UK, you might find yourself explaining a few of the more complicated jokes, so keep em simple, Racism, women and beer and She'll be right mate. P. S. Some Kiwis Dislike Pommes, Aussie Hate Pommes, Luckily I am a half breed so I can speak both tounges. Most people are very polite, more so than people are in the UK, and you better be able to drink, most stuff here revolves around alcohol, If you can't drink, start practicing. Dads from Belvedere, are we are ex Southampton, I used to work up in the big smoke a fair bit. One classic peace of advice, obey the speed limits. there is no leaway, very few let off's. 115kmph in a 100 zone will more than likely get you a ticket. A great revenue stream for the New Zealand government, especially from Pommes who are used to rushing everywhare. Oh and generally, speaking as a motorcyclist, the standard of car driving in this country is shocking, so if you are going to ride your bike on the road, be prepared to have an extra pair of eyes inplanted in the back of your head. Big wide open roads with lots of vision and space, and they still manage to rearend and crash into each other. Believe me, they won't see you. I find the track far safer, mind you I did in the UK also. I'd never go back.

[Robhj]

Hi Speedy, thanks for the info. I'll be a psychologist with the Ministry of Ed, which is the only way I could get in at age 51. I toured round both islands in '99 on the XR600, and have been itching to get back ever since. Agree with everything you said about the UK, which I refer to as the Septic Isle. I'll miss the beer though... I'll be in Auckland but will get to the South Island on a bike as soon as I can. Given my age I've decided to splash out on the Bike for Life. I love the old style oomph of my Matchless, so it's down to a Ducati or Buell. Cheers Rob