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by Strong Eagle » Thu, 20 Jan 2005 9:09 am
First of all, if your bike is older than 3 years, you cannot bring it into the country at all (I don't know if there are exclusions for antiques but then again you mentioned this will be your primary form of transportation).
If your bike is less than 3 years old, then you will need to supply manufacturer's certifications that the bike meets noise and pollution standards at the time is was manufactured for the country in which it was sold.
Besides shipping, your bike will be subject to a 46 percent import tax (if memory serves - may be more), and that tax is based on shipping as well as the value of the bike. There are additional registration fees and you will have to get into an auction for a COE, which for January was $552. My take on the used bike market here is that a machine is about double the cost of a bike in the US, and by the time you get through with shipping, taxes, license, and fees, you'll be in the same position.
You really want to have a motorcycle endorsed license from an "acceptable" country... I believe the UK is one... before you get here. If not, you need to take 24 hours of theory 3 hours at a time and must pass all 8 modules. Of course, you can't take the test on the same day, and given the timing of the courses, expect to take two months to do this.
Then you must take the practical school which includes riding for an entire weekend. These are commercial schools and cost money. The practical test is performed by the government, is somewhat arbitrary, and if you fail it (which most people seem to do the first time), you must take the practical driving course again.
On the other hand, if you already have a motorcycle endorsed license from an approved country, you need only take a written test to demonstrate your knowledge of the laws.
I can't speak to insurance. Parking is not too bad, although it is still not cheap to park in the CBD. Riding here is whatever you want to make of it. Lane splitting is common, nay, an art form at every light, but if one avoids such dangerous practices, it seems safer here than in my hometown of Houston.