Buy BMW in Germany then bring it home

Ladies and Gents,
I've never used the Forum before so here goes.
First a little background. My Wife and I are living in Germany and work for the DoD. In the states I have a 78 R100/7 and over here I got a K75S but it is not to good for her touring. ie (seat and wind ) All though it is a hoot to ride.
I've been a MOA member for at least five years.
We test rode an 04 R1150 RT and really fell in love with it.(both of us).
BMW US and BMW Germany both hand me a corporate line on don't buy here and ship back to the US. I understand it used to be because of the emmissions, but with the bikes meeting Euro II standards, I can't locate the problems and BMW US and Germany are not giving me specifics.
We don't plan on leaving Germany or Europe for at least two more years, but I don't want to invest approx. $13,000 in a motorcycle and not be able to bring it back with me when we come back to live in the states.
I have looked for a US spec bike but there is not one at the moment to be had.
Hard specific information on this would be quite helpful.
'Thanks in advance for your time and patience
Sanders & Elizabeth Walker

Bike from Germany

The main factor with bringing in vehicles is age. The D.O.T. has enough information on their web site to make your head spin. Check it out and see what you find. It may be as simple as proving that your bike does meet the emission specs and you'll be fine. OR OR OR it could be a nightmare...

You have two hoops to clear, just so you know.

#1 U.S. Customs letting you bring it in to the country (again, I'm not a broker so check their web site for info)

#2 D.O.T. clearance so that you can register the thing

Good Luck

RW

Hello!

HI welcome to the forum. Thanks for serving our country in the DoD
It's weird for BMW to act that way as you still can pick up a cage in Europe and get it to the US as far as I know.
Good luck in your what seems to be a quest with BMW

BtDt... Sold There, Bought Here, Here's Why

BMW North America USED TO have a European Delivery program. You might inquire with them to see if they have such a program for folks in the armed forces. Call Montvale, NJ to find out. IF such a program exists, that is the way to go. Otherewise, there are many issues with what you want to do.

BMW AG does not give the warranty on the bike, the importer for the country of purchase does. If you were to obtain a USA0-spec bike in Germany from a German source, once you moved it to the USA, it would only have the same warranty as a European bike does in Germany.

In order to legitimately import any fairly new vehicle and register the it in the USA, you must have a customs release. In order to obtain a customs release, you must have the vehicle EPA certified. In order to get it EPA certified, you must take it to an EPA approved lab. In order for the lab to issue the approval, unless the Euro and USA versions are identical, you must give them enough money to homologate it. BMW AG will not give you a list of parts that need to be changed (EU approved lights, reflectors, stickers, instruments, etc. must be exchanged for DOT approved items). BMW NA will not give you a list of parts that need to be changed. No dealer on either side of the ocean will give you that list. Your "lab" will figure that out, test the emissions, and charge you about $5000 MINIMUM to issue the EPA certification letter.

The above does not hold true for older vehicles, consult the US Customs website for the rules.

Essentially, you will lose a WHOLE lot more by trying to legally bring any Euro-spec motorcycle to the USA that you can buy in the USA as compared to selling over there and repurchasing over here.

No, you cannot disassemble it and ship it as "motorcycle parts" with your household goods. As soon as customs officials see "Engine" on the list, they will look for the rest of the bike. All of your household goods can be hung up in customs for months. And you will be paying storage charges the whole time.

Yes, you can TRY to smuggle it in. Again, if it is found, your bike along with the rest of your household goods in the container will be seized and held until the matter is cleared up. Probably have a fine, too.

If you do manage to get your container to the USA and into your possession with a bike smuggled inside, you still have to register the bike. All states are SUPPOSED to require the US Customs release form along with your German title in order to title it in the USA. However... I once bought a bike from a guy who bought it in the UK while he lived there while he was in the Air Force. When he moved back, he stuck it in a container with the rest of his stuff. He encountered no problems at all when he went to register it in North Dakota. When I bought it, it had a legitimate ND title. I had no problems at all changing it to my name with a Colorado title.

So... there ARE ways to make it happen. But frankly... why bother? If you buy a bike today and ride it for five years and sell it in Europe and then buy the same model of the same age and comparable mileage in the USA when you return, you will come very close to paying the same money here that you'll get when you sell there. That's what I did when I returned from France just before the turn of the century. I think the difference was about $300 in the end. I would have lost more than $300 worth of sleep if I had tried any other method.

Oh... and as always, if you sell your bike in June or July and wait to buy one until October-February, you can come out ahead, sometimes WAY ahead.

Thanks

I appreciate the replies and the welcome.
What is really interesting is that my K75S is German spec. and I have it registared on base (wuerzburg Germany). I can ship a bike whole not taken apart with our house hold goods either way.
I was thinking about buying in the states and riding for two to three weeks there this summer and then shipping it back, but I lose approx. two months of riding weather and the season over here is short enough.
Thanks again for the welcome and replies.
Sanders

I am currently in the process of importing a number of bikes and I'll second what Flash says with one caveat: $5000 is the MINIMUM for having an approved lab federalized and certify a vehicle. On a $250,000 Ferrari, it's worth it. Obviously not so on a $15K bike.

OTOH, If you're talking about buying a US spec bike and shipping it to Europe, any shipping company (ForwardAir has been getting good reports lately) could possibly help. I don't think it would be a problem. You'd just have to sign papers to the effect that you won't sell the bike in Europe. Also, there is a continuing article in ON by someone who's restoring a pair of /5s to take to Europe. He might be able to help.

And IIRC, I saw something in some Edleweiss promos re: Euro delivery if I'm not mistaken.

Lastly, You could always buy a Ducati. They offer Euro Delivery.

dlearl said:

Lastly, You could always buy a Ducati. They offer Euro Delivery.

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Plus, unlike BMW, they have well designed fuel injection systems that don't surge or stall and brakes that work even when ignition is off (or fails).

You could hand your US bike over to Stefan Knopf at Daytona Bike Week and in April your bike would be in Heidelberg. I did this 3 years ago for about $550, and have been riding each summer since then in Europe.

flash412 said:

Plus, unlike BMW, they have well designed fuel injection systems that don't surge or stall and brakes that work even when ignition is off (or fails).

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Ducatis are widely held in high regard for their ability to be ridden long distances without maintenance. Maintenance is cheap too.

KBasa said:

Ducatis are widely held in high regard for their ability to be ridden long distances without maintenance. Maintenance is cheap too.

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It is interesting how long old stereotypes hang around. Ducati retains that bad reputation for the same reason that BMW's remain widely held in high regard for their quality, ease of user maintenance and low running costs. Fortunately for buyers of new Ducatis, things have improved over the last decade or two. Unfortunately for buyers of new BMWs, only the marketing has remain unchanged while the product itself has become increasingly owner unfriendly. BMW afficionados have a well-known term for new model bikes... Beta Version, proving that it is well known among in the community that BMW releases products before they are really ready, depending on the buyers to find the problems and the fixes.

Did you read in the MOA Owners News how the new bikes use fasteners that rust away in a season? Have you tracked the broken transmissions and rear ends? BMW fuel injection error codes are verbotten to be accessed by the customer, something EVERY car owner can do. Surging and stalling "do not exist" or are "a characteristic" or "rider error." How about brakes that turn off in the middle of stopping? Installing fork boots on a DP bike will void your warranty. Considering recent BMW trends, it is surprising that BMW actually pushed back the release date of the new K-bike because it was breaking camshafts. The BMW warranty department panacea has been to tell customers, "You are riding it wrong."

My s.o. has about 85,000 miles on the 750SS she bought new. She doesn't really ride it very often. But most of her rides tend to be over 1000 miles, often 5000 miles. It has never broken down or left her stranded. Getting it serviced costs a less than getting a BMW serviced. When folks tell her, "You can't tour on a Ducati." she just smiles and nods her head.

Ignorance and prejudice have their own reward.

flash412 said:

It is interesting how long old stereotypes hang around. Ducati retains that bad reputation for the same reason that BMW's remain widely held in high regard for their quality, ease of user maintenance and low running costs. Fortunately for buyers of new Ducatis, things have improved over the last decade or two. Unfortunately for buyers of new BMWs, only the marketing has remain unchanged

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Well put Flash. I think Ducatis are fine bikes. My son bought a new Monster 600 in 2001, put 15,000 plus trouble free miles on it,then sold it to upgrade to a Ducati ST2. His maintenance expense? Other than the 600 mile dealer check was 4 or 5 oil changes, checking the valve clearance at 12,000 miles, and a set of tires. He also replaced the rubber belts which drive the cams, although they seemed to be in excellent condition. All easy, owner servicing.

Gary Eagan's record setting ride last year from Prudhoe Bay to Key West was done on a Multistrada. If I were in the market for a new bike, the Ducati dealer would definitely be on my list of places to visit.

GS Tom said:

Well put Flash. I think Ducatis are fine bikes. My son bought a new Monster 600 in 2001, put 15,000 plus trouble free miles on it,then sold it to upgrade to a Ducati ST2. His maintenance expense? Other than the 600 mile dealer check was 4 or 5 oil changes, checking the valve clearance at 12,000 miles, and a set of tires. He also replaced the rubber belts which drive the cams, although they seemed to be in excellent condition. All easy, owner servicing.

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Hey Tom, don't change the belts on the ST2 yet.....Sue did them at 12K with the fuel filter!

Also, to dlearl, I just shipped a K75 to Italy and didn't have to sign anything saying I would not sell it. Just had to supply the original title for US Customs.

flash412 said:

My s.o. has about 85,000 miles on the 750SS she bought new. She doesn't really ride it very often. But most of her rides tend to be over 1000 miles, often 5000 miles. It has never broken down or left her stranded. Getting it serviced costs a less than getting a BMW serviced. When folks tell her, "You can't tour on a Ducati." she just smiles and nods her head.

Ignorance and prejudice have their own reward.

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Beth's 750ss needed the cylinder heads rebuilt at 60K miles IIRC. If your F650 had required such a repair, we'd STILL be hearing about it.

Hey "Bocelli Dude" howz it going in Italy??? Miss ya at the CRBMWOA meetings. How 'bout some photo's of "Spaghetti Land" !!!!!
Andews cutting more job's.

No brakes?

flash412 said:

Plus, unlike BMW, they have well designed fuel injection systems that don't surge or stall and brakes that work even when ignition is off (or fails).

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The brakes on BMW's DO WORK WITHOUT electrical power!! On my RT and LT I have had full functioning brakes when the ignition is turned OFF. I don't think the DOT would approve any vehicle without redundant/ residual braking power to be used in the US. Besides that, the TUV in Germany would not even think of approving these bikes either. When applying the brakes without the assistance of electrical power the brakelever needs to be squeezed harder just like on a regular bike without powerbrakes.
Just my 0.02 cts.

jdiaz said:

Beth's 750ss needed the cylinder heads rebuilt at 60K miles IIRC. If your F650 had required such a repair, we'd STILL be hearing about it.

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Mostly it just needed to be de-coked. Might as well freshen it while in there. Are you saying that no BMW has coked up and required attention in 60k miles? I seem to recall a problem with many oilheads doing something like that. Then again, early "lead-free gas" BMWs were known for valve seat recession. Some of them dropped a valve before 60k miles, destroying a cylinder. My point is... does BMW deserve to maintain a reputation for quality and reliability and Ducati deserve to maintain a reputation for high cost and unreliability? I think not. Maybe in the 1960's and '70's it was true. But not any more.

I've split the cases on my F650 to replace transmission bits a few times now, before 50k miles. Unlike most BMWs, there is only one ($23) special tool required to do the job on my Aprilia-built bike. I've saved about $2500 or more in labor charges by replacing a $50 part myself, twice. Why twice? Good question. The second gear shift fork is on its fourth, or perhaps fifth, design/manufacture iteration.

I leave the head mated to the cylinder when I pull the jug to split the cases. So I've never looked inside the combustion chamber. If you want to watch the job, get the (nearly) free F650 service and maintenance DVDs and watch disk number two.

rider1150RT said:

The brakes on BMW's DO WORK WITHOUT electrical power!! ... When applying the brakes without the assistance of electrical power the brakelever needs to be squeezed harder just like on a regular bike without powerbrakes.

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Sorry. My mistake. I guess to someone who doesn't own the bike and hasn't read the manual before riding it, the brakes just FEEL like they have quit working. Seems to me that a sudden large reduction in braking power (unless you squeeze the lever a LOT harder than you had been squeezing it when the brakes FELT like they simply quit) might be interpreted as brake failure to someone who was not properly trained. In BMW parlance, that is called "rider error."

Be SURE to explain how that works before you EVER swap bikes with someone. They might make the "defective rider" error of thinking that the brakes quit and crash your bike into something because they didn't know that they had to double or triple the effort to actually make the brakes work again.

YBMV (randomly)

BMWRich58 said:

Hey "Bocelli Dude" howz it going in Italy??? Miss ya at the CRBMWOA meetings. How 'bout some photo's of "Spaghetti Land" !!!!!

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Ah, its just Europe. No big deal.

How Long?

jdiaz said:

Ah, its just Europe. No big deal.

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Hey Jon,

My wife is draging me to Venice at the end of June. Will you still be there?

tb

Bullit 7801 said:

My wife is draging me to Venice at the end of June.

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As soon as you arrive, as soon as it gets dark, go for a ride in a water taxi. If you do it before you really understand Venice, it is THE single most surrealistic experience you can have without hallucinogens.