importing from america

[andygt750m]

ive just been looking at this lovely gt380
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1975-Suz ... 0ace#v4-39
ive seen some very nice bikes for sale over there and prices always seem very reasonable , how easy would it be to buy on ebay and arange to have it shipped over ? are there companies over there who would take care of the collection / crateing / shipping ? what would it cost ? i know Dk motorcycles advertise that they will do it but i see a lot of their bikes coming out of the containers with damage so just wondered if there were other options ?

[andygt750m]

heres another example , must be around £3k at the moment , i see bikes like this here with £11-12k price tags , whether they actually get it i dont know , some lovely old bikes over there in the states !

[mark.read3]

Rick Brett.

[andygt750m]

Rick Brett.

ah yes , the kawaski guy , thanks i hadnt thought about him , i will buy a gt550 at some point and the bikes are just in so much better condition over there

[heathcliffe]

you can also look up Chas Mortimer who organizes importing bikes from the u.s. and deliveries european wide, but really Andy all you need do is buy an import from a more reputable seller at sensible money here, leave the hassle of organizing bringing it back to someone who does it for a living, as ive mentioned to you before they are all without exception going to require work,unfortunately you had a bad experience with a man who refuses to be Honest and tell the truth ,they are not all the same i know this chap quite well now Click-Attached link} after he imported one of my current restoration projects for me he doesent buy from scrap yards and is a lot more sensible with prices V condition of the thing also ,but id bat on with the one you have there is no such thing as a "ready to go" imported bike

Ive brought bikes in from the states in ones, since the early nineties its nothing new, but because of the increasing prices of vintage cars and bikes there are a LOT of opportunist sellers now "jumping on the bandwagon" so to speak, unfortunately as you have previously experienced many know nothing about the bikes they are bringing in,as they were not old enough at the time in many cases, its a "suck it and see" mentality with their prices ,yes for sure the bikes can be bought much cheaper in the first place, BUT you have to factor in bringing it back which will add an extra £1,000 to the price you pay if bringing in ONE ,thats why shopping around with sellers here who have alreay brought in a full container of bikes wont do any harm bringing in 20 all together reduces the shipping and transport costs and if the seller is being "fair" then that saving is passed on to you. take a look at Tonys site he gets all kinds of things in on a monthly basis good ones,resto projects,very good ones,very poor ones, priced accordingley etc, but he has worked in the motor trade for many years and carries out a full assessment on his bikes before offering them for sale and he WILL tell you of any issues with them BEFORE you buy....unlike some,!!
http://www.classicmotorcyclesearch.co.uk/
regards
Glenn

[andygt750m]

thanks Glenn that looks like a great site , pity there arent prices but as he says in the ad he waits until he inspects them before pricing them , sounds fair , im like a kid in a sweet shop with his current list i can tell you ! i could spent a fortune !