buying a motorcycle in US or CA as tourist

N

nixwiefort

Joined
Jun 2, 2016
Messages
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Folks,

I am Austrian citizen, run a nice Norton Commando MKIII, but my request is as follows:

I plan to do a trip from Colorado all the Rockys up through Canada, up to Alaska, and from there down the West coast to California in summer 2020. The trip shall take 3-4 months, and I plan to buy a used motorcycle, and to sell it after the trip (no preference for a specific brand).
Can anyone give some hints how it works to get insurance and license without having a resident address (=tourist) in US, or CA ?

can anyone recommend any other alternative than buying a used bike ?
I found rental company eagle rider , which is pretty much expensive for long term rental.

best
Wolfgang
 
I would try and find more rental options , maybe smaller scale outfits ... or maybe a forward thinking dealer with a 2 year old demo taking up space on his showroom floor ....
 
Hi Craig,

Would you explain a Little more detailed:

what's a smaller scale Outfits rental ?

how could buying a demo bike of a dealer work to get it insured and licensed ?

I am not scared to buy a used bike, this will work, I am confident to find a suitable bike, that's not the Problem. My concern is how to get it insured and a license plate , without having a resident address in US or CA.
 
Thought maybe a dealer might rent you an unsold demo bike that has been sitting ..... smaller bike shops in area you heading for may have suggestions / options for you .... I have no experience with this just trying to help .... some independent shops maybe will too ...
 
Another option might be to have your own bike freight shipped to your starting point. I know Air Canada has a specific motorcycle shipping process for folks wanting to go far quickly then ride home.
 
Thanks for all the hints. Backcountrytravelcanada is a very informative blog with many many hints.

Seems, havin a resident address is the key to get license plate and insurance.

How do I get a resident address in US, CA ? If I stay for 1 week at an AirBnB Provider, and he will let me use this address, does this work ?
or do I have to Show up a a County Administration Office with a rental contract for a flat, and a working visa, etc. ?
 
I think maybe you should contact Provincial Gov. to get that type of info , each Province has slightly different rules , you may be able to provide your home address and work within the system to get what you want ... it is your trip you going to have to do some real research , not sure you can get this info here ... in Nova Scotia you would talk to someone at DMV located in “Access Nova Scotia” depots spread across Province ... other provinces would have something similar ... hope this helps .....
 
You might try contacting American Automobile Association know as AAA. They issue what's called an international drivers licence. They also sell insurance and register vehicles at least in some states. Call one of their offices in the state you intend to buy a bike in. I ran into a couple a few years ago from England on a GS 1200 that had done 30,000 miles in the US. They did have an English plate but I don't know if they shipped the whole bike or just the plate. As far as registration goes every state is different. In Vermont you can register any motorcycle from anywhere through the mail. They just want your money. Drivers licences used to be really easy in some states, they took your picture and it came out of a machine like buying a metro ticket. But since 911 they all have to go through the fed.
 
I think you would be better off asking where there is a good chance of people who have done what you asking replying based on first hand knowledge.

This would be one source.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/

I remember reading something but the opposite, non EU people were buying,storing and registering bikes in Ireland to ride in Europe.... I think liability insurance is the main hurdle.
 
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