sangiro 26 #1 August 24, 2001 Freinds in the UK,I'm thinking of shipping my motorcycle to the UK instead of selling it. Need some thoughts on owning a bike and riding in London and the UK in general. The good, the bad, and the ugly! I know there's the north of Italy, the south of France, Spain and the Alps - but that goes without saying if I take it! Safe swoopsSangiro Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stumpy 284 #2 August 24, 2001 Whats the bike? if it is something fairly conventional then accepted wisdom is you would be better off selling as shipping costs and the hassle of getting it re-registered, but if its a special then I understand why you'd want to bring it out.Good, bad and ugly? - Good is some of the roads over here - especially if you take a quick hop into france there are some long, bendy, well surfaced roads with fantastic scenery and police who don't really seem to care as you flash past them at well over the ton!The bad and the ugly are easier to come up with - insurance in the UK is a nightmare (not so bad if the bike is a cruiser) - weather (goes without saying), anal retentive traffic police and speed cameras. If you are riding in London good luck - nerves of steel and eyes in the back of your head make things easier, but you do get used to it.All that said though, don't let me put you off as the biking community out here is really good - some places like Matlock in Derbyshire regularly see hundreds of bikers turning up every weekend and riding the roads around there. (Obviously only when its not jumping weather of course!)If you want to ask any specific questions email me on the.livo@virgin.net and I'll do my best to help you out.Blue ones,Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RemiAndKaren 0 #3 August 24, 2001 Has a non brit UK resident, here's my view: Brits love their bikes.... and their leathers! I'd say 80% of all the people I see on bikes wear full leathers with racing boots..... and the crazy MFs ride when its rains too...That being said, lots or bikes here, mostly pocket rockets. You'll probably need to get the bike checked by the authorities and have a couple of mods to fit the local antiquated laws (WAIT!! I forgot, the US also uses antiquated measurments in miles).. it might be simpler then coming from Canada....RemiPS: I dont have a bike (with an engine that is...) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stumpy 284 #4 August 24, 2001 just remembered - try www.motorcyclenews.com - loads of useful stuff on there as well, probably some forums with that kind of query too Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rainman 0 #5 August 24, 2001 Well, at least with a bike you don't have the problem of the steering wheel being on the 'wrong' side of the vehicle! I tried cycling in a biggish city in the UK once, and I felt more scared than when I'm skydiving!!Ramon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites RemiAndKaren 0 #6 August 24, 2001 Takes about 2 to 3 days to get used to driving on the other side.. and in a couple month its second nature....At least with a car though, you "feel" that you need to be on the other side of the road, even if there is no traffic around you... I can easily imagine someone getting on a bike and forgetting he's in england! But that souldn't bother HH too much with his commonwealth origins!Remi, the guy from the commonwealth contry that drive on the normal side of the roadRemiMuff 914 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Dutchboy 0 #7 August 24, 2001 Having spent some time driving in the UK (that's pronounced uck), I wouldn't even think about riding a bike there. The fatality rate for bikers there is huge. They might also make you do stupid things to the bike like change some of the lenses so everything is the right color, etc.Not only is the shipping expensive, you should see how long it will take to ship the bike over there.The Dutchboyhttp://www.geocities.com/ppolstra Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bill2 0 #8 August 24, 2001 If I recall correctly from one of your earlier posts, you've got a BMW cruiser (I've got an 1150 GS). You should be ok to ship it over, check in motorcycle mag's for shippers that handle bikes. I was in Germany in the 70's and owned a bike. I went all over Europe, including England, and had a great time. Lots of riders, and in general I think European drivers actually notice motorcyclists before they run over them, as opposed to the US where they wonder if they hit a speed bump as you go under their wheels. I say ship it over and ride as much as you can. there are some great roads over there and you'll love it. Just bring the right clothes for the weather rain mainly. You're from the bay area aren't you? So am I and we get spoiled out here. Take the bike, enjoy the ride, and send back some pictures - your other ones have been great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wingnut 0 #9 August 25, 2001 HH,if ya do take it make sure ya make a trip to germany to ride. the mosel river valley is very nice with it's curvy roads, vinyards, and small gasthauses to stay at..... i was looking at prices and it would cost me like $600 to ship my bike back to the states if the gov. wasn't going to do it. shouldn't be much diffrent to england........ good luck!"if dreams are like movies, then memories are like films about ghosts"-counting crows Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
RemiAndKaren 0 #6 August 24, 2001 Takes about 2 to 3 days to get used to driving on the other side.. and in a couple month its second nature....At least with a car though, you "feel" that you need to be on the other side of the road, even if there is no traffic around you... I can easily imagine someone getting on a bike and forgetting he's in england! But that souldn't bother HH too much with his commonwealth origins!Remi, the guy from the commonwealth contry that drive on the normal side of the roadRemiMuff 914 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dutchboy 0 #7 August 24, 2001 Having spent some time driving in the UK (that's pronounced uck), I wouldn't even think about riding a bike there. The fatality rate for bikers there is huge. They might also make you do stupid things to the bike like change some of the lenses so everything is the right color, etc.Not only is the shipping expensive, you should see how long it will take to ship the bike over there.The Dutchboyhttp://www.geocities.com/ppolstra Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bill2 0 #8 August 24, 2001 If I recall correctly from one of your earlier posts, you've got a BMW cruiser (I've got an 1150 GS). You should be ok to ship it over, check in motorcycle mag's for shippers that handle bikes. I was in Germany in the 70's and owned a bike. I went all over Europe, including England, and had a great time. Lots of riders, and in general I think European drivers actually notice motorcyclists before they run over them, as opposed to the US where they wonder if they hit a speed bump as you go under their wheels. I say ship it over and ride as much as you can. there are some great roads over there and you'll love it. Just bring the right clothes for the weather rain mainly. You're from the bay area aren't you? So am I and we get spoiled out here. Take the bike, enjoy the ride, and send back some pictures - your other ones have been great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #9 August 25, 2001 HH,if ya do take it make sure ya make a trip to germany to ride. the mosel river valley is very nice with it's curvy roads, vinyards, and small gasthauses to stay at..... i was looking at prices and it would cost me like $600 to ship my bike back to the states if the gov. wasn't going to do it. shouldn't be much diffrent to england........ good luck!"if dreams are like movies, then memories are like films about ghosts"-counting crows Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
