WOF USA? DMV Transit Plates? Ride with Kiwi Plates ?

**GoNasty** · 2nd January 2011, 17:43

when you think you have covered your bases looked at everything up side down backwards left no stone unturned, how wrong can I be?

We are off to the States mid May for a riding holiday so why not bring a couple of bikes back with us to enjoy. Looked into insurance, thought I had the temporary plates sorted for when we were ready to buy bikes.

One bike brought, storage sorted, with the most awesome guys in Milwaukee. Phoned to organise temporary plates and came across Dragon woman on the other end of the phone at the DMV Milwaukee. No matter how polite you can possiby be,this woman breaths fire. "You will have to pay 5% sales tax to get plates in Wisconsin, there are no such thing as transit plates, you have to be a resident of Wisconsin to get temporary plates" blah blah blah.

The first bike has been brought in New Jersey and the now second from Virgina.

Phoned up to get the second bike insured at motorcycle express to find out that though US$780 has been paid on the first bike for insurance it is not acutally insured until we have it in our possesion mid May OMG

I know there has been other threads about importing bikes. But we really would love to hear from some that have been there done this. Should we ride on our kiwi bike plates? But then would the bike be insured? Do bikes in the states require a WOF? if so what do they call it there and will we have to look into that as well.

We just want to sort and ride, does it all really have to be so dam hard ?

Should we perhaps look at contacting the New Jersey and Virgina DMV's as that is where we have brought them to see if they do transit plates ?

Help Please, this is our big OE lol lol lol

**jafar** · 2nd January 2011, 20:42

Originally Posted by GoNasty

when you think you have covered your bases looked at everything up side down backwards left no stone unturned, how wrong can I be?

We are off to the States mid May for a riding holiday so why not bring a couple of bikes back with us to enjoy. Looked into insurance, thought I had the temporary plates sorted for when we were ready to buy bikes.

One bike brought, storage sorted, with the most awesome guys in Milwaukee. Phoned to organise temporary plates and came across Dragon woman on the other end of the phone at the DMV Milwaukee. No matter how polite you can possiby be,this woman breaths fire. "You will have to pay 5% sales tax to get plates in Wisconsin, there are no such thing as transit plates, you have to be a resident of Wisconsin to get temporary plates" blah blah blah.

The first bike has been brought in New Jersey and the now second from Virgina.

Phoned up to get the second bike insured at motorcycle express to find out that though US$780 has been paid on the first bike for insurance it is not acutally insured until we have it in our possesion mid May OMG

I know there has been other threads about importing bikes. But we really would love to hear from some that have been there done this. Should we ride on our kiwi bike plates? But then would the bike be insured? Do bikes in the states require a WOF? if so what do they call it there and will we have to look into that as well.

We just want to sort and ride, does it all really have to be so dam hard ?

Should we perhaps look at contacting the New Jersey and Virgina DMV's as that is where we have brought them to see if they do transit plates ?

Help Please, this is our big OE lol lol lol

The 'dragon' was right there are no transit plates, the New Jersey & Virginia DMV's won't help you either as you are not a resident of either state.

Temporary plates are issued by a dealership when you buy from one & are vaild for 4 to 6 weeks from the time of purchase, this is to allow time for your new plates to be made & shipped to your home address by the DMT. I assume your not a U.S citizen so you don't have an address for them to ship to. They will not ship them to NZ as you can only register in your home state.

NZ plates are valid if you ship a bike from here to the U.S. .... I am unsure if you can just take a plate from here & bolt it on however . I'd guess not as @ the end of the day you want to export the bikes from the U.S & a bike with NZ plates should have a carnet.....

$780 is excessive, I had a bike insured there through progressive for 3 months, the cost was $140.00 fo ra $ 6,000 cover.

You have brought bikes from New Jersey & Virginia, so why are you storing them in the midwest ?????

**GoNasty** · 3rd January 2011, 09:48

I thought I started a thread on this last night but cannot find it so please excuse me if it is there somewhere as I am a total newbie to here

I thought I have left not stone unturned, you know the ususal things when wishing to do a buy bike off eBay ride it through the states ship it home. Clear title, shipping to a storage facility close to the airport you arrive at, insurance, looking at getting plates blah blah blah How wrong was I

Have brought the bikes, one in Virgina and one in New Jersey, no problems, shipped to a storage facility in Oak Creek Milwaukee no problems. Organised insurance through Motorcycle Express Arizona as suggested no problem until

I go to insure the second bike and find out that the first one I insured for US$780 is not actually covered until we take possesion of it in person mid May OMG !!!

But wait, there is more. I had been told to get a temporary or transit plate to be able to ride the bike to the shipping port in Los Angeles.

So I phone up the DMV to organise plates. I had emailed and asked them about plates before, only to be told to come in when we get there. Glad I phoned before hand and did not wait. Got "Dragon Woman" on the end of the phone, no matter how polite I tried she spat fire. There is no such things as temporary or transit plates for us kiwi's as we do not reside in Wisonsin, we would have to pay $69.50 to get plates plus 5% sales tax "thats it!"

So questions I would love you guys to help me with are

Should I be contacting the DMV's in Virgina and New Jersery to see if they do transit plates?

Does anyone know if we can get a refund from the insurance company since we are insured for nothing on one of the bikes?

Could we take our plates from our NZ bikes and use them and still get insurance?

And do we need to get some type of WOF in the States for the bikes?

I know your have been over there Jafar, what did you do, I think you brought a bike?

The titles have been put into our names so we cannot leave them in the sellers names and the sellers have taken the plates off. So these things are not possible

Your advice would be so welcomed

**MrSkulls** · 3rd January 2011, 10:00

We are flying to Las Vegas catching up with friends from the HOG Chapter there for a week then taking a flight up to Milwaukee, view that Harley Museum as one must do lol. Then heading down through Indianapolis, Nashville Memphis Shreveport New Orleans Houston San Antonio Fort Stockton Mesilla Bisbee Phoenix back up to Los Angeles where the bikes shall be shipped home. The storage facilty is right next to the Milwaukee Internation Airport.

How do you find a thread you have started on here, I was starting to think I had gone mad, lost the plot, so pleased to see I had done it lol

I know there must be others that manage to buy and ride ?

**MrSkulls** · 3rd January 2011, 10:03

Incase you wonder, I am one of the others riding and the other one who brought a bike lol GoNasty jumped on here when I yelled she had posted a thread and it was just not the drink telling her lies

**scumdog** · 3rd January 2011, 10:22

Ah, just take two NZ plates over, glue them to the arse of your scoots when you pick them up and cruise off....

Chances are you won't get pulled over and if you do just say "I'm a dumb Kiwi and don't know what you're talking 'bout", show them the Bill of Sales to show you haven't actually stole the scoots and cross your fingers. (They probably will let you ride off, - 'course there's a slim chance you might end up in jail, it might pay to check the laws of the States you're planning on passing through)

Oh, insurance might be an issue with the above idea....

**jasonu** · 3rd January 2011, 13:38

Originally Posted by scumdog

Ah, just take two NZ plates over, glue them to the arse of your scoots when you pick them up and cruise off....

Chances are you won't get pulled over and if you do just say "I'm a dumb Kiwi and don't know what you're talking 'bout", show them the Bill of Sales to show you haven't actually stole the scoots and cross your fingers. (They probably will let you ride off, - 'course there's a slim chance you might end up in jail, it might pay to check the laws of the States you're planning on passing through)

Oh, insurance might be an issue with the above idea....

Good advice that. If you do get pulled over, the cops most likely will find it too much trouble to book you for any import export infringements you may have comitted. Be polite, have your bill of sale on hand and all will be apples.

Note, be sure to get a proper DMV 'bill of sale' from whoever you buy from. A hand written reciept won't do and you will need the proper bill of sale to give to customs (who can be right cunts if you piss them off) when you export your new cycles from the US

**scumdog** · 3rd January 2011, 14:46

Originally Posted by jasonu

Note, be sure to get a proper DMV 'bill of sale' from whoever you buy from. A hand written reciept won't do and you will need the proper bill of sale to give to customs (who can be right cunts if you piss them off) when you export your new cycles from the US

My 'Bill of Sale' for the Thunderbird was a hand-written one, done on some Best Western motel note-pad page, signed by me and seller, never had any issues with any authority in the US or NZ...

**sunhuntin** · 3rd January 2011, 15:31

join this forum http://thp.yuku.com/ mostly all american members and mostly ride harleys. they will be able to give you lots of info and may be able to help you with places to visit etc.

**GoNasty** · 3rd January 2011, 19:33

Don't mind paying the NZ GST but wish to avoid paying another 5% if I can help it. All help is so appreciated

You guys rock

All advice is so appreciated

**Blackflagged** · 3rd January 2011, 19:39

Could not see in your posts, but you have the titles in hand? You will need them, for export.Things are a bit stricter after 9/11. And yes they can be difficult sometimes.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/bas...or_vehicle.xml

The sales tax would only be on the plates (tags) price, just don`t buy your bikes in that state. Although there is some way around that in Wisconsin.

**scumdog** · 3rd January 2011, 19:41

Originally Posted by GoNasty

Don't mind paying the NZ GST but wish to avoid paying another 5% if I can help it. All help is so appreciated

You guys rock

All advice is so appreciated

Yep, GST on the purchase price - WTF, it wasn't bought in NZ!!

And THEN it's GST on all the services on arrival - i.e. duty, MAF inspection etc, what a rort.

It all added another two grand + (from memory)to the shipping cost for me.

**GoNasty** · 4th January 2011, 06:29

I should be able to share how I got on with bringing a bike back. I guess its another one of life's wee experiences. For the moment it feels more like one of lifes "challenges" lol

**Pixie** · 4th January 2011, 08:23

Originally Posted by GoNasty

One bike brought, storage sorted, with the most awesome guys in Milwaukee. Phoned to organise temporary plates and came across Dragon woman on the other end of the phone at the DMV Milwaukee.

Was her name Patty or Selma?