Bring my Harley or buy a Harley?

[Jonomo]

I'll be moving to SG from Seoul Korea at the end of this year. I have a 2009 Sportster that I bought for about US$10k. I don't know if I should sell it and buy another when I get to SG or try and ship it over and have it registered in SG.

Here's what I've figured so far.

I can only bring in bikes that are less than three years old. No problem here.
It will cost me about 30% in duty at market value not including COE, shipping, road tax.
I noticed Harleys are pretty damn expensive in SG. About SG$17k for the cheapest Sportster new. And used prices seem pretty high too, not to mention they are not easy to find. So I need to figure out which makes more financial sense.

My gut feeling is to sell and buy new bc I don't want to go through the hassle and second I don't know if my Korean motorcycle license will be converted to. Class 2 license easily. Would be stupid to bring it over and not be able to ride it.

Al in all it seems like the price would be about the same.

J
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[curiousgeorge]

You can read my very lengthy bike import story here: http://f800gsrider.blogspot.com/2009/04 ... uk-to.html

If all else being equal the price is the same, I say sell in Korea and buy locally.

The process is long and lots of paperwork.

One thing to note is that you will need the Certificate of Conformity (or CIC in Japan, don't know what it is called in Korea). This certificate shows the emissions tests for YOUR BIKE when it was tested in the factory. This is not type-approval, this is BIKE SPECIFIC results. Without this, you will have to go to Vicom Emission Test Lab, and pay a hefty price for testing...which if you don't pass...well you are stuck with a bike you can't use in Singapore. There is no test lab approved by LTA in Korea.

Finally, a self imported bike in Singapore is considered a "parallel import", which are not looked on kindly by authorised main dealers. Even BMW which prides itself in its worldwide dealer network will charge a $5000 "registration fee" to look at a parallel import bike at their authorised main dealer garage. Of course, if you are happy with 3rd party servicing, no problem. I don't know what the score is with HD, but I guess its pretty similar for any motorbike monopoly dealer.

Bikes here tend to keep their value, losing <10% a year. A bike two or three years old is likely to have a much lower COE too, meaning total cost is less than a new bike, as COE prices are pretty high right now.

[Strong Eagle]

http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/o ... rcycle.pdf

I've been riding a parallel import (Honda Valkyrie) for years. Screw the dealers that want to trash you for not having an 'official' import. I guarantee that you can find lots of local dealers for every brand and every need you may have.

I wouldn't go near a Honda stealer... I've got a great mechanic up in Ang Mo Kio.

[curiousgeorge]

I've been riding a parallel import (Honda Valkyrie) for years. Screw the dealers that want to trash you for not having an 'official' import. I guarantee that you can find lots of local dealers for every brand and every need you may have.

I wouldn't go near a Honda stealer... I've got a great mechanic up in Ang Mo Kio.

Agree, there are tons of competent mechanics, able to service any kind of bike...mostly.

However, modern BMWs have so much electrickery that they need the diagnostic computer to read faults and reset gauges, service reminders etc. There isn't a mechanic with a BMW diagnostic machine in Singapore, other than the Main Dealer. I've been to tons of dealers, all the specialist BMW mechanics and parallel importers and none of them are able to help.

This may not be an issue for HD bikes, they tend to be less electronic, I think?

The other issue is warranty. Even with a worldwide warranty, BMW for instance won't undertake warranty work or pay for the parts if not done through a Main Dealer. And given the number of service campaigns on a modern BMW this is pretty significant.

Parallel importers will offer their own warranty, sometimes referred to as an "agents warranty" with similar terms to the Manufacturer warranty...but these guys don't carry the same spares and won't help you out when the bikes goes kaput in KL or wherever. It boils down to the depth of your pockets and the confidence you have in the machine, the importer and your favourite mechanic.