Bike needing restricting

[Thebiga]

Hi people

Has anyone brought over a motorcycle from the uk which then needed restricting to get under the 106hp level. I have been looking at prices etc for bikes in france against the uk prices. As most of my earnings are in sterling here in france this makes uk prices far more appealing than french ones by thousands of pounds. So i would be looking towards buying one in the uk but I know that it will have to be restricted to come in on french power levels and I have no problem with that its just where do I start once I've got the bike here.

I have asked this question here as i know that a lot of knowledge is contained on this forum and someone must have gone through the process already. I look forward to your replies.

 

thankyou

 

[Bob T]

If you do buy a bike that needs restricting, you should not worry about how. To get a certificate of conformity from the French importers of that particular make of bike you will need to have a French dealer restrict it at your cost.

Should you get a Certificate of conformity from the UK importer and it is accepted by the Prefecture for registration, then no one is going to ask if it is restricted or not. Not sure how this stands legally, but I am led to believe that the 106 bhp limit is for the official importers of bikes and not individuals.

It would make sense to buy a bike that is below the 106 bhp limit or one that is post 2003 for which the UK importer will issue a C of C - mine were free from BMW UK.

[Sunday Driver]

If you are buying a bike which is older that 2002, then it will have to comply with French national type approval - which includes a 106bhp limit.  In that case, you'll need to request an attestation de conformité from the French importer and provide them with a dealer letter confirming that the bike's engine has been modified to fall within that power limit.

On the other hand, if you are buying a bike that was manufactured for the EU market after 2002 then it will have EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval (evidenced by the e* number on the manufacturer's plate).  If so, then an EU certificate of conformity issued by the UK manufacturer/importer will allow you to register it in France regardless of its power rating and without having to submit it for any additional inspection or modification.  The only limiting factor will be whether or not the bike appears on the database of your French insurer.

Code de la route Art R321-11:  Réception communautaire ou réception Mise en circulation

Tout véhicule dont le type a fait l'objet d'une réception CE et qui est muni d'un certificat de conformité valide peut être librement commercialisé et mis en circulation.

Edit:  Bob beat me to it.....

 

[Thebiga]

Thanks guys.

When you say about the limiting factor about it appearing on the insurers database, will they ask about power rating or not. I must of got the wrong end of the stick with the power limit of 106hp because I thought it was illegal in france to own a bike over this limit for the road.

Do some bikes not appear on the insurers database because of power as I have seen a fair few of the bikes I would like in france and for sale but it does look like they have been restricted. But if I can get a bike after 2002 which it would be as I want to by one brand new and get a eu certificate of conformity for it by the uk manufacturer/importer then I should have no problem registering the bike just maybe a insurance problem. As I said do you think the insurance companies have the power outputs alongside the bikes when they look them up and would they want to see papers with power outputs on? Sorry to ask so many questions its just the last thing i want is to get my head set on a certain model and then possibly buy it and have problems with the insurers.

Thanks guys for any more information.

cheers

 

[Sunday Driver]

When I refer to the limiting factor being insurance, that depends upon whether an insurer has taken the commercial decision to offer cover for higher rated imported bikes.  If so, then your Kawazuki Super Rocket will be listed on their system as a 99bhp version and a 199bhp version with the corresponding difference in premium, possibly an age restriction, additional excess, etc.

Simplest way is to contact your insurer in advance to verify that they will provide cover for the bike you are intending to buy.  The insurer will eventually want to see the carte grise in order to ensure the bike's correct details (reg, VIN, etc) are entered on the contract.

Finally, if you are buying new in the UK, have the dealer supply the bike VAT free for export as you will have to pay French VAT on it's arrival in France.

As always, research and planning .....[;-)]