Important information
Thanks for the great article about registering imported bikes. Just let me add some extra points to consider. I bought a Bonnie USA import, which came with a NOVA certificate. I had an invoice from an ‘ebay seller’. Sent off the DVLA forms and NOVA requesting an age-related plate.
My first attempt was rejected, for the following two reasons. I had downloaded the bike’s date from frame and engine numbers which were widely available on the web – but the DVLA would only accept credible sources, so they pointed me to Triumph Owners Club. The DVLA also wanted to know the original destination/dealer in the USA – possibly difficult!
So, on to my second attempt. The Triumph OC were mega-efficient
and verified the date of manufacture, and where the bike would have gone into ‘the broad dealer network’ in 1971 in the USA. I re-sent the application with a V55 and the Triumph OC verification. Bingo! Three weeks later, I got a new V5 with an age-related plate.
I guess it’s all in the detail. Colin Love, via email
Re: the article in the latest Classic Bike on US import dealers, I recently imported a T140V from the US via an online seller. I’d researched UK models for sale via ebay, etc, and all the ones I went to see – I actually visited the sellers to inspect the bikes, which is unusual, it seems – were rubbish or way overpriced. The US one seemed reasonable. I was sent a video of it running and lots of detail photos and info.
When it arrived, the brakes were totally shot, the electrics were incomplete, the drive-side main bearing was knackered, the clutch was locked solid, the rear wheel was incorrect, the gearbox sprocket was worn out, the carbs were full of dust and muck, the tyres were scrap, etc, etc. It was not exactly what I was expecting to receive.
After a year of work, it’s now a pretty decent bike – but the list of replacement parts fitted and the works carried out is lengthy. In value, it is now worth a bit less than the actual monetary outlay – not including my time (which amounts to hundreds of hours).
I enjoyed the project, so that’s fine, but is it worth importing unseen? I’d say no. Buy something you can inspect and assess yourself. Paul Barfoot, Old Windsor