Well a friend of mine had decided that she wants to ride in the womenridersworldrelay.com which is starting in February.  Sort of a female version of a mid life crisis, I suppose.  As a mature woman she is quite independent and good at networking but has not ridden a motorcycle in the UK for a long time.  So she is thinking of selling her tractor (HD) and up stumps for a couple of months but not quite sure how to organise the bike side of things.  

I suggested that she buy a second hand bike from a dealer with the proviso that she can sell it back to them at the end of her trip.  I know of people who have done this previously in London but just have to chase them down via friends, etc.  

She is not too fussed on the bike make and model and her initial budget is around the 5,000 Quid mark.  She would require panniers, top box and a set of cold weather riding gear.  I suggested something along the lines of G650/F7/800 but cannot be too tall.  Also, she has quite good negotiating skills and is not afraid of salesmen.  

So, interested to see what suggestions anyone can provide?

Hafta duck this one. You really need GB residents to reply.

This might do the trick?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-K-75-S/153335051494?hash=item23b37b34e6:g:ORwAAOSwdJ9aKV35:rk:60

OK, 5k is a lot of cash for a bike here in the UK, (in the 2nd hand market) I paid £650 for my K100rs with a years MOT, spent a few extra on a service. It is an old (1983) model and could do with a tidy up but still I got a good deal!

I think for the money a dealer on eBay will be the best option and then relist when she's finished if they won't buy back, although, if like the rest of us, it will stay with her as the summer months kick in.

Another option is a bike training school, they tend to update their models quite regular and keep them well serviced and due to the UK license laws it means that they are only ridden by people with a bit of experience and over 25 years old.

I would still say go with a dealer, pay £3000 max and then another £500 on a good service, that'll leave £1500 for some nice warm clothing and upgrades such as heated grips, Bluetooth helmet etc.

The sooner she buys the better, buy in winter - sell in summer!

Where in the UK is she?

Thanks Dave, 

Still in Oz and at this stage will probably fly into London. 

Cheers.

The biggest problem might be getting UK insurance on an Aussie licence. Has she considered just renting a bike for the duration, rather than buying. The insurance should then be sorted out by the rental agency. Renting also saves all the hassle of selling at the end of the tour and, if the bike breaks down, she should get a replacement. Not that bikes ever break down...

Good shout BAE, in my head I had her down as a Brit with a UK licence.

£5k will get you a good rental deal with everything thrown in, insurance, breakdown cover, clothing etc.

And, if you'll indulge me, a poem by the great John Cooper Clarke called Hire Car: -

HIRE CAR

That's funny.  Having previously scratched a rental bike I had in the UK, we came to an arrangement.  

So 24 hours later, she has decided to go in July.  Something to do with the cold weather    

Speaking of insurance, she has done her research and came up with two options.  One from here and the other in Germany.  As I keep my bikes fully comprehensive which is not all that expensive, if a Johnny Foreigner wants to ride one of my bikes here, as long as they have the necessary licence I provide their details as a named rider and it does not cost a cent (or penny).  

One suggestion which has surfaced here is the Suzuki SV650.

TacKler wrote:So 24 hours later, she has decided to go in July.  Something to do with the cold weather    

...yep, in the UK, July should guarantee some cold weather.  Depends where she is going to go. May is summer in Scotland and you did very well weather wise last June - as we get into the official school "summer" holidays in July and August, you can guarantee crappy weather, busier roads and more expensive/less available accommodation. She is welcome to stop over at mine for a few days, if that helps (subject to me being there rather than working away). I moved house since your visit, so a little more compact living these days.

TacKler wrote:Speaking of insurance, she has done her research and came up with two options.  One from here and the other in Germany.  As I keep my bikes fully comprehensive which is not all that expensive, if a Johnny Foreigner wants to ride one of my bikes here, as long as they have the necessary licence I provide their details as a named rider and it does not cost a cent (or penny). 

Again - if she is buying a UK bike on UK plates, I am pretty sure she will need UK insurance. She will also need to buy road tax (£88 for 12 months or £48.40 for 6 months for bikes over 600cc) as that no longer transfers with a used vehicle. She can cash in any remaining road tax when she sells, but the DVLA are cunning and you can only claim back full months.

F650gs single 650. reliable, bulletproof and cheap.

nobbylon wrote:F650gs single 650. reliable, bulletproof and cheap.

  It isn't uncommon to find them with factory lowering links to reduce the height of the seat, too.

Laitch wrote:

nobbylon wrote:F650gs single 650. reliable, bulletproof and cheap.

  It isn't uncommon to find them with factory lowering links to reduce the height of the seat, too.

And if you can't find one already lowered...Koubalink

Insurance for a buy and sell back will be the issue. Thagt and brexit could make it interesting. To ride a UK bike in the UK she will need UK insurance. If she were riding a foreign reg bike she could get green card cover for other countries. Perhaps she should look into getting one near a ferry port and bringing it into the UK.

It looks like all Europeans will need a green card to drive in the UK after Brexit (and vice versa) but thats not a big deal.

88 wrote:It looks like all Europeans will need a green card to drive in the UK after Brexit (and vice versa) but thats not a big deal.

Yep - back to the dark ages of green card insurance (extra cost) and bail bonds (used to be compulsory for driving a GB vehicle in Spain) just in case of a prang.

88 wrote:Insurance for a buy and sell back will be the issue. Thagt and brexit could make it interesting. To ride a UK bike in the UK she will need UK insurance. If she were riding a foreign reg bike she could get green card cover for other countries. Perhaps she should look into getting one near a ferry port and bringing it into the UK.

It looks like all Europeans will need a green card to drive in the UK after Brexit (and vice versa) but thats not a big deal.

Buy one in Dublin and all sorted. We use right hand drive here as well so no issues there.

"It looks like all Europeans will need a green card to drive in the UK after Brexit (and vice versa) but thats not a big deal.
"
That is absolute rubbish. A green card is something that the EU uses to prove motor insurance, the UK will not be part of the EU so will not need an EC insurance certificate (Known as a green card).

The problem that this lady is going to have is that to insure a bike in the UK that she owns she will have to have UK insurance that complies with UK law in that it needs to be a member of the MIB. That is open to UK residents only! Hire is the best option.

This link explains things nice and simply

https://www.uswitch.com/car-insurance/driving-in-the-uk-on-a-non-uk-licence/

Although it's based around cars the same rules will apply to bikes.

Silly question, but are we right in assuming that she doesn't hold a UK license?

Davep wrote:This link explains things nice and simply

https://www.uswitch.com/car-insurance/driving-in-the-uk-on-a-non-uk-licence/

Although it's based around cars the same rules will apply to bikes.

Silly question, but are we right in assuming that she doesn't hold a UK license?

Good find Dave. Most of the EU stuff will be out of date in a couple of months when you leave the EU.
The insurance companies are not yet ready for brexit. My niece will be riding her Monster over to France in March for a couple of weeks. She asked her insurance company for a green card as brexit will happen during her trip. They explained that a green card is not required for Europe. It will be after brexit!