Can I really finance a Silk Road trip, from India to the UK, by importing and selling the motorcycle?
Recently I've heard a friend of mine talking about doing a silk route trip from South India all the way to the U.K. on a Royal Enfield motorcycle. The way he explained it, people purchase a brand new Enfield motorcycle in India for around 5K USD and ride the same motorcycle back home and sell it for somewhere close to 15K USD, essentially making their whole trip free of cost.
Is this a real scenario. If yes, are there other travel ideas, which would would cost a net of 0 or maybe even result in a profit?
Best Answer
Where this legend probably got started is if someone purchased a bike not available in the destination country, or had enough celebrity status that the bike can be auctioned as "This is the bike that < Famous Person > rode from Mumbai to Amsterdam". Globalization has all but eliminated the first case, and "it's been done" has eliminated the second.
In order to sell the bike at the destination, it needs to be acceptable at the destination. Are emissions / engine controls / signals standards etc. the same in both countries? In many cases no, even if the vehicle was made in the destination country. "Made IN " is not the same as "Made FOR ". I live in Japan, my bike is made in Taiwan. I can't ship it back to Taiwan and sell it there, although I can probably drive it there for a month or so.
So, assuming it's sellable you might get 50% of purchase for a late-model with 10,000km on it. And that's after you pay any import taxes, ferries, inspections etc. So you might recover 30% of the purchase price.
That's also assuming it arrives. There are only two possible routes between India and western Europe. South of the Caspian Sea goes through Iran, north goes through lots of places with -stan at the end. You will go through some rather rough parts, and some possible routes are through active war zones. You get nothing if you bend the frame after laying it down on what passes for a highway in a mountain pass somewhere, and less if it gets blown up.
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How much does it cost to import a motorcycle from India to UK?
For bikes over 250cc and under 30 years old, you need to pay 20% VAT and 6% duty. For bikes under 250cc and under 30 years old you need to pay 20% VAT and 8% duty. For bikes over 30 years old you need to pay 5% VAT and no duty.Can I import a motorcycle from India to UK?
The Indian model motorcycles cannot be registered in any other country other than India or SAARC nations as they do not meet the statutory norms prevailing there. All UK/EEC specification motorcycles comply with Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) and have VIN plates.Can we take bike from India to UK?
Can I send a bike from India to the UK? Yes. Just ship it as cargo. Your local international shipping agent can give you the details.How much does it cost to import a motorcycle from India?
Mostly, for new vehicles, you would have to pay import duty charges at around 60-100%. For used cars, this duty is even higher at 125%. CBUs with a price tag of over $40000 will draw Custom charges of 100%. However, if your car is worth under $40000, you can get away by paying just 60% as Import Duty fees.A bivvy, a phone and a drone: cycling home from China.
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