Topic: Importing a motor bike from France

[Mayhem]

I have a 4 year old BMW motor bike which i bought when I was in England, I now live in New Brunswick & wish to bring my pride & joy over but the customs at Halifax have said I cant because the lights are different and they wont allow me to change them!. Does anyone have any idea`s (There must be a way). I dont want to sell it and buy again unless I really have to. Any advice please

[tpl]

get in touch with the motorcycle div of BMW Canada and ask them would be one thing. You should have the exact make and model and ideally serial #   It may be ( I really don't know) that the rules are the same as for cars... BMW would have to do and approve any changes... on the other hand it may be impossible.
get the Halifax customs people to point you to web sites that give the rules for import of 2nd hand motorcycles.

[ktm525]

I was under the impression that bikes were much more in Europe. If indeed that is still the case wouldn't you much further ahead selling the current bike and picking one up in North America (esp. for the USA).

[blur911]

You might be SOL according to the RIV and Transport Canada
http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act and Regulations require that all vehicles imported into Canada comply, at the time of importation, with the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured. Vehicles manufactured for sale in countries other than Canada and the United States do not comply with the requirements of the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Act, CANNOT be altered to comply and CANNOT be imported into Canada. The only exceptions to this rule are vehicles fifteen (15) years old or older as determined by the month and year in which the vehicle was manufactured and buses manufactured before January 1, 1971.