My experience - importing a used bike from the USA

[longwayfromhome]

So, here is my experience....I moved back to NZ from the US recently and brought back my 2000 BMW K1200LT. Some relevant starting facts:
1. The bike has been owned by me from new. This is important in determining how much GST is payable and if GST is to be paid at all.
2. I was coming to NZ to live here, not as a visitor. This is important in determining what is required to get the bike on the road.
3. The bike was unpacked from its container in Dunedin and I live in Auckland.

Here is what I had to do to get the bike on the road legally/permanently.
1. Get the bike to the shipping agent in suburban LA. The bike took some 6 weeks to get to NZ from drop-off in LA.
2. Have an original title in my name, my passport and current registration in my name available for the agent. I also found the original bill of sale which proved to be necessary later in NZ. The shipper kept the original title and took a copy of my passport and rego (I am not sure the rego was absolutely necessary).
3. NOTE: I didn't get the bike insured for the trip. It would not have been covered by my normal US bike insurance.
4. On arrival in NZ, the agent arranged Customs and MAF clearance. Here “arranged” means that he contacted them, they came to where the bike was sitting and he facilitated email exchanges between me and Customs. This included:
a. Customs: Ownership – confirmed with the CA Title and the rego.
b. Customs: Length of Ownership – confirmed with original Bill of Sale and Finance Release letter from BMW Finance.
c. Customs: Determination of amount of GST to pay (more about this below).
d. MAF: Inspection and possible cleaning. As it was, the bike was clean enough and didn’t need a subsequent (expensive) MAF-arranged cleanup.
5. I had been led to understand that after the bike has been yours for a given number of years, then no GST is payable on an import. My experience is that they do in fact value the bike at current value, calculate what GST would be on this then, if you are over the # years, make you sign a deed that states if the bike is resold in NZ within a certain period (mine is 18 months I think), then the GST is due. This is a bit different to advice given by others. In the end I signed an undertaking that if I sold the bike within 18 months of my return, then I would have to pay approx $1800 in GST (I don’t have the exact amount with me as I write). I went into Customs in Auckland and signed the form, they faxed to Dunedin (where the bike was) and this released the bike from MAF and Customs.
6. I had hoped to pick up the bike from the agent in Dunedin, but this was thwarted by the following: If you are a visitor to the country you can ride the bike away (there is some paperwork I am sure, but I don’t know what it is), but if you are a resident, then the bike has to be Rego’ed and WOF’ed before riding on public roads. In order to get that you have to undertake Compliance which is added work as well. All three of these are done at a DMV and Inspection Station (not all inspection stations are capable of motorcycle inspections evidently).
7. What stopped me doing all this in Dunedin was that the headlight had to be changed (so it dips the other way) and their being no BMW dealer in Dunedin etc etc I decided in the end to have it shipped to the BMW dealer in Auckland. He undertook to arrange the shipping, change of headlight, and getting the bike thru Compliance/Rego/WOF. This he did most competently.
8. Eventually, I picked up the bike from the Auckland BMW dealer, fully road-ready and legal some 9 weeks after I dropped the bike off in LA.

Costs to do this (incl GST/taxes) were:
Shipping LA-to-Dunedin, including all clearances at both ends: US$ 700./ NZ$1220
Shipping Dunedin-to-AKL: NZ$ 650
New headlight: NZ$ 930
Compliance/WOF: NZ$ 200
Rego + initial paperwork NZ$ 330
Dealer Labour to do all aspects of the above: NZ$ 270
Total NZ$ NZ$ 3600

Who I dealt with:

USA-Dunedin Shipping: Contact= Robert Stevens at imperialfreight@msn.com
Robbie is well known to many travelers bringing bikes to NZ. He was SO easy to deal with and everything went exactly as he described. The drop off in LA was amazingly easy, quick and straightforward. Mine is a large touring bike…regular sports bikes are about US$500 for the trip. He only brings them into Dunedin, no other port. The container actually comes in via Auckland, but it doesn’t get unpacked until Dunedin, so no other options. Most highly recommended. Thanks Robbie.

Experience BMW Motorcycles: Contact= Sebastian at +64 9 8455950.
Sebastian, their Service Manager, was excellent to deal with, took it all in hand, knew the ins-and-outs and got everything done as and when promised. As well he is an experienced LT mechanic himself, so the extra confidence that gave me was a plus. This was a good start to an important relationship since there is only one BMW Dealer in NZ these days. Thanks Sebastian.

Would I do anything different…..
1. People have suggested its not worthwhile bringing in a “different” bike like an LT, especially with over 200k km on it. But as I would have got very little in the US for the bike…lets say US$3k in a forced sale….I am reckoning I have a nice tidy bike here, on the road for about NZ9,000, one I know the full working history of, running beautifully and one that is fitted out with all the extras (like Wilbers suspension etc) that would cost a packet to do here. So, I think I at least broke even on the project.
2. I could perhaps have gotten dealers plates on the bike and ridden up from Dunedin….I didn’t explore this as I forgot to for some reason after someone made the suggestion, but I am wondering if a dealer who I had no transactional history with would have been willing to do this anyway.
3. I should have got my speedo which reads 5mph high converted to be dead accurate before I came over…its tricky doing maths (mph-to-km + overage) in your head as you are leant over in a corner with an eye out for cops.

Timings:
1. USA-Dunedin: 6 weeks, but this can vary on voyages.
2. Dunedin-Auckland: 1 week
3. Auckland tech/paperwork: 1-2 weeks
I would say 2 months would be an absolute minimum you should allow.

Anyway, that’s my experience and I am happy to take any questions or a PM offline. Good luck to you US/Canadian importers.

[shafty]

Good write up Mate - cheers. Jeezthat headlight was expensive!

Welcome! I have a soft spot for LT's, tho have never ridden one, enjoy

[jafar]

I brought over a bmw from the states earlier this year, the main difference for me was that I was hit with the GST & not given an option for with holding for 18 months. I also made sure before i brought the bike that it would land in Auckland. Costings were similar though.

[howdamnhard]

Thanks for the info,ouch expensive headlights.

[vtec]

What a mission. I hate bureaucracy. I'd definitely sell there and buy here if it was me. You don't value your time (and sanity) enough.

[longwayfromhome]

Oh, I knew it was going to Dunedin, the problem was I thought I would be able to ride it to Auckland before I got it fully registered. Thats where the extra $650 came in.

What model BMW? Who did you ship with to get a price of US$500-$700?

[longwayfromhome]

I know what you mean, but in elapsed time I would say:
1. 1 day to ride to LA and fly back.
2. 1/2 day of buggering around in NZ, being a trip to the dealer and a trip into central Auckland to get the Deed signed (I could have posted this but I wanted it done quickly).
3. The dealer and the shipper did all the running around with the bureaucrats.
...plus I got a familiar old friend back with me in NZ. The bike is in excellent nick and some of the upgrades are worth a bit as well, for instance the fully adjustable Wilbers suspension are probably worth NZ$3,000 installed alone.

[slimjim]

thank's for all of that...good infor..

[raftn]

That was an interesting read, was wondering how you got on. Glad you are reunited with you ride!

[NOWOOL]

That's why I sold my bike in the states before moving to NZ. I checked out all the requirements for importation and the hurdles seemed not worth the bother. I've got 2 years to bring down posessions from the states gst free, but other than my gun collection (which is worth the trouble: $700 for a AR-15 in the states, $4000 in NZ, etc) it's not worth the effort.

My biggest mistake was not transferring my motorcycle endorsement to NZ (living in Auckland at the time and didn't think I'd buy a bike). I'm now working my way slowly up the bike licence scheme.

[vgcspares]

there's an interesting shortcut on the headlight thingy that involves rotating the bulb clockwise by about 10 degrees ....

[longwayfromhome]

On the LT its not the bulb but the entire reflector assembly. Worst thing was I had ridden for 8 years with no probs and 2 months before I moved back I broke the headlight, so I had two headlight replacements in 2 months...I could buy a 2nd hand bike just for that cost alone.

[longwayfromhome]

Yes, I had to have two years on a US licence, but it was a direct swap to a full NZ licence.

[klingon]

Interesting. My brother in law has just brought his Harley back from the USA. I have yet to see it and/or ask him how it all went, but I will be interested to hear the similarities and differences between your story and his.

Thanks for the write-up. Hopefully it will help a lot of people in the future.

[Reckless]

there's an interesting shortcut on the headlight thingy that involves rotating the bulb clockwise by about 10 degrees ....

My VTR1000 was an import and after several NZ warrants by others I took it for my first warrant and got failed on the pattern being wrong for riding on our side of the road. I did what has been suggested here. Cut the lugs off the bulb and turned it so it complied.