Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

The black art of moving from A to B on foreign soil
Richard Simpson Mark II
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

This was in the 'trade' publication British Dealer News

Britain’s recently-founded National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has opened talks with the UK government after it emerged that the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) has a glaring gap in it threatening European motorcycle tourism.

There are concerns about two specific issues. Firstly, the ability to send road-registered motorcycles into the EU, via friends or commercial transport businesses, is now in doubt. Typically, this relates to owners commissioning transportation of their bikes to EU destinations, and then flying out to use them for a touring holiday. The second issue is the ability for riders to transport their own road-registered motorcycle by van or another vehicle into the EU.

As it stands, the EU/UK TCA does not address either unaccompanied movement of road-registered motorcycles or their transportation by owners. And the situation over customs treatment, compulsory paperwork and costs at EU borders, relating to what might be deemed “goods in transit”, is entirely unresolved.

The NMC is therefore seeking clarity on these subjects. To this end, it is currently discussing the matter with the Cabinet Office Border and Protocol Delivery Group and officials are escalating the matter within government, including Brexit minister Lord Frost’s EU negotiating team.

Commenting on this challenge, NMC chairperson Anna Zee added: “This is a problem which stands to seriously disadvantage touring motorcyclists and the businesses that support them.”
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by Snaf MKII »

More on their website, this is pretty much what the situation was before a customs union.
https://www.uknmc.org/news/action-neede ... nto-the-eu
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by daveuprite »

Yep, I think it's Brexit Disadvantage Number 857.

And not a single advantage thus far...
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by moto al »

WELL SAID , thank god im retired. AL
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by daveuprite »

Latest article in MCN:

There was no issue transporting bikes in and out of the continent via a third party, such as for fly-ride holidays, before Brexit but since the country left the EU it has become a problem.

The EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement does not deal with the matter of owner-unaccompanied movements of road registered vehicles, so the bikes would have tax and duty due on arrival on the continent. Companies that specialise in transporting road-going bikes for customers are struggling to see how they will continue trading.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is the uncertainty of non-commercial transportation of bikes – ie. two mates with bikes in the back of a van – as it appears that motorcycles may also have to be treated as goods in these circumstances.

The NMC is currently discussing the matter with the Cabinet Office Border and Protocol Delivery Group and officials are escalating the matter within Government, including Lord Frost’s EU negotiating team.

NMC Chair, Anna Zee said: "This was overlooked in all the trade negotiations but it stands to seriously disadvantage touring motorcyclists and the businesses that support them.

"We are pleased the Government is taking the matter seriously, though. But, given that negotiations with the EU will need to be involved, we are aware that agreeing new procedures may take some time."
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by johnnyboxer »

Accompanied road registered bikes in a van with the owners shouldn’t be a problem
I know people who have taken competition trials bikes via the Tunnel this week and had no issues in France
Similarly I have seen Adv bike riders returning from Santander, to Plymouth this week with just a passport check and passenger locator form
No Covid checks or tests, no quarantine

It’s all a bit of a myth
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by Snaf MKII »

johnnyboxer wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 8:43 am Accompanied road registered bikes in a van with the owners shouldn’t be a problem
I know people who have taken competition trials bikes via the Tunnel this week and had no issues in France
Similarly I have seen Adv bike riders returning from Santander, to Plymouth this week with just a passport check and passenger locator form
No Covid checks or tests, no quarantine

It’s all a bit of a myth
It's far from a myth, there is a customs border and goods are subject to tariffs and duties if the relevant authorities so wish to impose them.
Were the trials bikes registered and accompanied by owners?
Were the ADV bikes in a van or being ridden?
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Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by johnnyboxer »

Snaf MKII wrote: It's far from a myth, there is a customs border and goods are subject to tariffs and duties if the relevant authorities so wish to impose them.
Were the trials bikes registered and accompanied by owners?
Were the ADV bikes in a van or being ridden?
Read my post again

The Trials bikes were road registered (dunno if UK registered, but presume so - but they were factory bikes & manufacturer is French, but 99% they were uk Image registered via the uk importer)
Accompanied by their registered riders and in the back of the Van, travelling to a GP round, this weekend

Adv bikes were ridden on and off the ferry back from Spain by their owners and they just had usual passport checks, no vehicle documents checked
No vaccine certificate required, no health checks , no quarantine and had returned from a touring holiday in Portugal, back to uk via Santander, 2-3 days ago

As I said it’s a myth - these riders have tried the system, enjoyed their holidays and whilst prepared for extra Covid tests and quarantine on their return, there was none of it

At the Portuguese border post, it wasn’t manned and they went straight in and out to Spain

On their travels they saw police in towns etc and not one was interested in their uk plated bikes

No checks, nada

As I said it’s just a myth that we cannot travel

I would suggest that if you want to go, do it ...BUT be prepared for the extra costs and changes to rules etc
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by Snaf MKII »

johnnyboxer wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:59 am
Snaf MKII wrote: It's far from a myth, there is a customs border and goods are subject to tariffs and duties if the relevant authorities so wish to impose them.
Were the trials bikes registered and accompanied by owners?
Were the ADV bikes in a van or being ridden?
Read my post again

The Trials bikes were road registered (dunno if UK registered, but presume so - but they were factory bikes & manufacturer is French, but 99% they were uk Image registered via the uk importer)
Accompanied by their registered riders and in the back of the Van, travelling to a GP round, this weekend

Adv bikes were ridden on and off the ferry back from Spain by their owners and they just had usual passport checks, no vehicle documents checked
No vaccine certificate required, no health checks , no quarantine and had returned from a touring holiday in Portugal, back to uk via Santander, 2-3 days ago

As I said it’s a myth - these riders have tried the system, enjoyed their holidays and whilst prepared for extra Covid tests and quarantine on their return, there was none of it

At the Portuguese border post, it wasn’t manned and they went straight in and out to Spain

On their travels they saw police in towns etc and not one was interested in their uk plated bikes

No checks, nada

As I said it’s just a myth that we cannot travel

I would suggest that if you want to go, do it ...BUT be prepared for the extra costs and changes to rules etc
Thanks for clearing up my questions, I mis understood what you referred to as a myth. Yes of course we can all travel but the thread is about transporting bikes in vans and the relevant bureaucracy that goes with it.
Personal transport (ADV riders riding their own bike) are not goods so no hassle and as I'd expected
The info about the trials bikes transporting is positive if they didn't need any extra paperwork and is not as I'd expected. Keep us updated upon their return.
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Re: Transporting bikes to Europe in a Van

Post by daveuprite »

It's not a case of myth or not. It's a case of how the regs are implemented, or not. Obviously there's no border checks between Schengen EU countries so you wouldn't expect anything at the Portuguese/Spanish border. During the current covid crisis that could be different obviously depending on how the local police each side are checking for vaccinations/quarantine etc.

At the EU/non-EU border (e.g. France/UK) there is the right to check everything and the right to implement every regulation that applies to TCNs and goods from outside the EU - but that doesn't mean that they are always implemented. There's staffing and time resources to consider (brexit is costing EU neighbours a lot of money). But that doesn't make the whole issue a myth. It just means that those who say 'nothing happened to me when I went through' just got lucky that they weren't checked on that occasion.

Of course there might be a re-negotiation of the botched deal done last December which hopefully tackles what should have been sorted out back then. Let's wait and see.
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