Motorycle Touring

I think that to register any type of motor vehicle, you must be a resident of the country where you register the vehicle.

Try the Harley-Davidson web site. They have a dealer search icon that will bring you to any dealer they have in the world.

thanks Jeff....I was looking for info re: legalities of owning ,registering,insuring a bike...and also if anyone had 1st hand tips of touring...do's and dont's

What about leasing as you need it?

Do a google search for motorcycle tours europe.

Lots of companies that do the whole package.

They may be able to help you out, or even sell you a used bike.

To buy and store a motorcycle in Europe is possible but it isn’t easy. Firstly when you buy you need to have the documents registered to you and for that you’ll need an address in the country of purchase. This can be done through a good dealership. In the UK it is possible to register the motorcycle through the dealers address as a place from which you can always be contacted. Next you need insurance. This is even more tricky and you will probably have to talk direct to one of the motorcycle insurance specialist companies ( if you’re in the UK then purchase a weekly publication called Motor Cycle – the back pages are full of companies ). Road tax is straightforward once you have your documents and insurance . Any large dealership will be prepared to offer storage, at a cost ( naturally ). All of this comes on top of the actual cost of the motorcycle. Unless you’re seriously rich consider a rental and, unlike car rental, motorcycle rental is quite an expensive option.

thanks guys, ...lots of good ideas and info...renting is too expensive long term. I plan to spend 4-6 weeks /year and a rental would require more than I can afford, I think ( havent gotten around to storage costs yet ............any of my Euro friends offering free storage !! lol)

Al...can you reccommend a UK dealer that would handle this ??

You're going to need a big dealership so try:

Metropolis Motorcycles
Albert Embankment
Vauxhall
London

My brother used to work for Edelweiss Travel - and they specialize in tours using BMW Bikes - perhaps you can contact them (via web) and get a used bike from them in Austria/Germany. But if you want to buy one and leave it - perhaps you can have a friend/relative register and buy it then pay them to store it. Its not cheap - parking can be expensive, and the plates have to be turned in when not in use in many places. Pehaps you have a very low cost country and bike in mind - but I think even for a few weeks youre better off renting or leasing (like the rental-lease deals where you get a new one to lease for 21 days or more).