motorbike registration

[Photographer]

Hi everyone.  Can anyone give me help on re-registering a motorbike in France from the UK.  I have heard that is is easier if it is registered after 1996 in the uk??

 

[Sunday Driver]

What's the make, model, Kw power rating, and date of first registration?

[Krill]

I have loked into this in the past and as far as I can make out if the bike as supplied is over 100 BHP then it wont be worth trying to register it in France, they have this stupid 100 BHP limit and to restrict a more powerful bike is not practical both in cost and and what you would have to do to satisfy the authorities, as far as I could find out it's not such a problem with bikes under the 100

[Photographer]

Hi sunday driver,

 

It's a Yamaha Thundercat sports tourer, 600cc  73Kw at11500rpm, first registered in Aug 1997

[Sunday Driver]

Photographer

Thanks for providing the additional information. It was necessary in order to give you an authoritative answer based upon your actual situation, rather than mention irrelevant technical issues or potential obstacles that would'nt actually apply to you.

Firstly, you need to obtain a VAT paid import certificate (quittus fiscale) from your local Hotel des Impots. You'll need to produce your V5C registration document, original invoice/receipt (although given the age of the bike they probably won't ask for this) and a utility bill.  The certificate is free and acts as a quasi French registration document and provides your authority to ride the bike on it's foreign plates whilst you complete the import process.

Next, it's the question of type approval.

Your bike does not meet EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval for motorcycles - this Pan European harmonisation came into effect in June 2003 and as your bike was manufactured before that date, it doesn't qualify for a certificate of conformity.  So, in your case, you need to prove that the bike complies with French national type approval (ie, the system in place before the EU legislated for common type approval standards).

To do this, you need to contact Yamaha France and ask them for an attestation d'identite. Their address is:

Yamaha Motors

1 Avenue de Fief

ZA Les Bethunes

95310 ST OUEN L'AUMONE

Telephone number:  01 34 30 31 00 (ask for service homologation moto).  

Include a copy of your V5C so they can check your frame number against their database and if the YZF600 Thundercat was originally type approved for commercial sale in France, then they'll issue the attestation for which they'll charge you around 120 euros.  As it's a UK bike, it'll be a partial attestation which will note some exceptions such as MPH speedo and RHD headlamp and in some cases, emissions.  You'll need to get these items sorted - and get garage receipts as proof.  Alternatively, Yamaha might note on the attestation that the exceptions have to be verified under a single vehicle approval inspection - reception de titre isole - by the DRIRE (they handle all type approval issues).  You can find the address of your local DRIRE from their [url=http://www.drire.gouv.fr] WEBSITE[/url]. The RTI costs 86 euros and they'll issue a proces-verbal de titre isole (conformity certificate).

Motorbikes are not subject to controle technique (MOT type) tests, so that's all you need to get it registered.

Once you've received your Yamaha attestation (or in the case of a DRIRE inspection, your proces-verbal certificate), go to your local prefecture and complete a demande de certificat d'immatriculation.  Take it to the counter together with your quittus fiscale and attestation/proces-verbal, passport and utility bill.  They'll process the forms and give you a receipt to take to the caisse where you pay the registration fee based on your bike's CV rating.  I paid 81 euros for a 1992 Honda ST1100 but bikes over 10 years old pay half price, so as your Thundercat is not quite old enough, I reckon it'll cost you about 120 euros, but there again, there's no road tax to pay in France.

Come away from the prefecture with a big grin on your face clutching your new carte grise, then take it to your local cordonnier shop (sells handbags and the like) to buy your rear number plate. 

Take the plate home and rivet it on the back.  Then get out and enjoy the bike[:D]