Shipping a motorcycle

[intrepid]

I've never shipped a motorcycle to the Philippines but have shipped a LOT of legal items.  After traveling here since the early 2000s and living here several years now, I have learned a few things.  Mostly in regards to wanting to ship a motorcycle, it can be done.  Is it worth it?  Well, Iike many things in life it seems government agencies give you two options,....do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?  Here the questions are if you want a vehicle, buy it here,(easy way).  Import,(hard way).  Time is on your side, research and plan as you are doing.  Maybe by the time you are ready to move you may decide your bike is no longer in the shape you hoped and decide to leave it behind and sell it many other of your belongings.  Good luck.  If you do decide to ship it please let us know your cost and experience,

[RDean62]

Good advice. Thanks.

[Gator]

My dream when I retire to the Phils was to bring one of my Harley’s  - probably my Sportster as it’s not too heavy and easy to maneuver in traffic. Once I looked into the hassles involved in importing it, I decided to just bite the bullet and get a new one there. 

When I looked at Harley’s at the dealer Cebu I was told the country of origin also comes into play, but I’m not sure if that only applies to new vehicles or used ones as well. For example the 750cc Harley Street model is made in India, so the import tax is substantially less then those imported from the USA (10% vs. 50 to 100%). 

I also have a 64’ kick/electric start Panhead - an old Tampa Police Dept bike that ’d hate to sell. It’s currently disassembled and in storage so I could easily crate it and ship it. Even in that condition it’s valued at 25-30K USD (or more). I was told by an agent for Maersk Shipping that it would run me well over 20K USD to ship that bike and a Sportster; and that I may run into issues as I only stay on  a tourist visa (he wasn’t certain about that). As much as I love my old Panhead I’ll likely sell it. Or maybe I could send it piecemeal, assemble it, put it the sala and stare at it (declare it as a work of art???, lol) as I’d never be able to register it there without all the proper documents. 

Bottom line = it’s probably not worth the hassle and expense to import a motorcycle. Besides, there’s not many roads there where you can really enjoy a big bike like yours. 

[RDean62]

I know my bike won’t blue book for that much, but if it is over 6k to ship it and register then it is not worth it. In Tacloban or Leyte there are longer open roads for riding but if I have to pay too much then I would just buy another smaller bike. I am 6.1 and 210 if I get something too small I look like a monkey f***ing a football.

 

[GeoffH]

I bought a small bike for use in the Philippipnes and honestly I don't regret that, I haven't found any realistic way to get use out of a big bike unless you join a local club and go for group rides.  And doing that has it's own set of challenges.

OTOH the small bike I can hop on, ride off down to the local shops or go for a ride a half hour up the highway to a beach and that's enough for me (it may not be for you).

And the small bike is easier in busy Philippines traffic and doesn't attract as much attention (lower profile and all that) but YMMV, some people are only happy on a big bike.  Me I've always enjoyed all sorts of motor bikes (albeit some more than others).

[Heeb]

I just sold my BMW R1200GSA to a friend last week, I'm still struggling with the loss, it was the best bike I ever had, I didn't want to store it not knowing how long we will be in the Philippines even though a friend offered. I see them pop up on OLX for sale and they want almost as much or more used as I paid for mine brand new. Quite frankly I don't think I would enjoy a big bike over there, It's going to be one of the hardest things about moving to P.I, I probably don't have that many more years to ride and I still have South America on my bucket list. I was thinking if I could find a KTM 690 or Honda I might be tempted to buy one over there, most of the bikes there are to small for me, I have really long legs and they don't bend that well anymore.

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, Heeb said:

I was thinking if I could find a KTM 690 or Honda I might be tempted to buy one over there, most of the bikes there are to small for me, I have really long legs and they don't bend that well anymore.

It might not be exactly the sort of bike you're looking for but the Kawasaki Versys 650 (which suits taller riders pretty well) is one of the more popular expat bikes (and popular with local big bike riders) around CDO and compared to most imported 'big bikes' the price is reasonable too (425,000 plus fees and registration) and there are plenty of Kawasaki dealers around.

Edited June 2, 2019 by GeoffH

[graham59]

My friend sent the Kawasaki 1000 he'd bought while working in Hong Kong back to the Phils in 3 Balikbayan boxes.

Then he had it reassembled, and correct paperwork for the Phils 'created'.  

Just saying... not suggesting. 

[Heeb]

9 hours ago, GeoffH said:

It might not be exactly the sort of bike you're looking for but the Kawasaki Versys 650 (which suits taller riders pretty well) is one of the more popular expat bikes (and popular with local big bike riders) around CDO and compared to most imported 'big bikes' the price is reasonable too (425,000 plus fees and registration) and there are plenty of Kawasaki dealers around.

I'll have to go to the local dealer here and have a sit on the Kawasaki Versys 650, I used to have a Kawasaki KLR650 and the Versys has double the horse power, I see some aftermarket tall rider seats as well, it looks like a good option.

 

 

[RDean62]

Honda has a 500 Rebel but is more Bobber style.