importing bike from Italy

[adrian]

i just won an e-bay Morini....bike is in Italy and seller offers free shipping to UK....is there anything i need to ask him to provide either before or after i pay him, other than the obvious (his name address, bike frame number etc)...e.g. any Italian documents or export papers etc? Its a bit of a risk....still, its done...here's hoping....Adrian

[toggy]

Was it Nicko who imported a new corsaro from the factory ,a bit different from your sale but might have some insights.good luck

[nicko]

Let's see if this works

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-i ... k/overview

and good luck, it may seem quite a faff, but persevere and you will get it done.

[adrian]

thanks Nicko thats very useful

[adrian]

well, that went horribly wrong...the Italian sold me a bike with a bent frame....it took me a few days before i noticed it, but the headstock is angled, see http://s255.photobucket.com/user/ade55/ ... t=3&page=1
so the front wheel is canted over, so now i'm looking for an early frame! some chance, i guess....Adrian

[hendre]

you probably can get it straightend, does not seem like a big job

[Steve Brown]

As Hendre said, get it straightened! You keep the original numbers and it may even cost less than a replacement frame too. No idea where you are but there are plenty of firms to do this in the UK. In the midlands I have used 'Govnors' Bridge' motorcycles in Atherstone. That was a few years ago but if you google search for 'motoliner' or 'frame straightening' etc you should find plenty of leads.
They usually need the engine, swingarm and rear wheel to stay in place, this keeps the mountings in line. So don't just strip it bare till you've spoken to the people doing it!
By the by, but it's worth mentioning that a lot of bike restorers automatically send frames off for checking/aligning as a matter of course. A bike that is even a small amount off straight can feel strange so it's well worth it when restoring a bike previously unknown to you.

[adrian]

thanks for that, have already made contact and yes they don't want the bike completely stripped, thanks Steve

[Daddy Dom]

I am sure there are many websites or folk here who can help you with some choice Italian curses, promises of revenge etc. (Targetting their mother seems to work well.)
Good luck!
Dom