Hello, I am a U.S. citizen who will be studying abroad in the
Netherlands from September 2005 to December 2005.  During this time, I
would like to have motorcycle transportation.  As I see it, I have two
options: (1) Buy a motorcycle in the Netherlands and sell it before
returning to the United States; (2) Lease/rent a motorcycle for the
four months I will be there.  I already have a motorcycle license in
the United States.

I am looking for the information that will allow me to choose between
these two options.  Specifically, I need to know whether it will be
possible to purchase and register the motorcycle on a student visa as
an American.  If so, what are the steps or actions that are required
and the associated registration costs, etc.  Additionally, I would
like to know whether I would be able to obtain a four month
lease/rental and if so, again what steps would be required and what
the estimated costs would be.

Please let me know if this question requires any sort of clarification.

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Clarification of Question by thomasj3-ga on 26 Apr 2005 17:24 PDT

On the leasing/rental front, I am looking for the names and contact
information of the companies from which I could lease the motorcycle,
along with the costs.

Additionally, I am interested in understanding what the insurance
costs would be or at least what companies are able to provide this
service.

Thank you.

HI Thomas,
Sometimes it helps get more and better info if someone posts a comment.
I cannot give you the detailed info you want, but can explain that as
a US citizen you can buy a motorcycle or car in Europe (probably not
get financing, however)and register it.
Lots of tourists buy vehicles and drive them long enough to be able to
import them to the States as used vehicles.  That raises questions
about US specifications (lights, exhaust, etc.)
If you buy a vehicle for export outside the European Union, I think
you can avoid Value Added Tax in the country in which you purchase it.
 But you can drive/ride it using export license plates  - but for how
long?  I found one Dutch site that said that such plates were valid
only for 15 days, but a German site said that they could be valid as
long as the insurance coverage applied (or max. till the next
inspection, I believe, but this is not important in your situation)
and this is certainly true  - maybe a more liberal system for a
country with a large auto industry.

Renting a bike?  Sorry, no help.

License:  I would suggest you get an international driver's license
that show that you can ride a bike.  This would not be necessary for a
driving a car, and maybe not for a bike, but it will avoid problems.

I suggest that you talk to your auto or cyclist association.
And I would point out that towards the end of September in northern
Europe, many cyclists deregister their bikes because of the weather.

If you want more info, I can try to find those sites again.

Now, I hope someone can provide the details that you want.  :)




End September in northern Europe, a lot of bike riders