Can anyone tell me what I need to do to register my 2014 Tri Glide in Italy. I have the shipping info but was curious about any mods needed. My wife has her citizenship.

 

For what I know whoever is the company that's going to delivery your bike should do all the paper work that you need for the "dogana" in Italy, so be sure to hire a good company that knows all the bureaucracy paper that need to be done. After that you need to pass the italian inspection (revisione) to register the bike and one thing for sure that you need to change is your signal lights from red to orange/yellow kinds and of course your original quite exhaust pipes if you never changed them.

 

Along with the signal colors, pretty sure they will make you change out the headlights and any passing lights to the EU standard bulbs / lenses.

 

And wrap the bike in cotton wool as the Italians are a crazy race of peoples when it comes to motoring, go on the premise that they will pull out not if.

Truly they are the worst nation in Europe for annoying other motorists

 

First of all if your wife has Italian citizenship and she has been a US resident for more than one year she is entitled to bring back all her possessions (furniture,cars,bikes etc.) duty exempt as long as they've been registered in her name for at least one yr.She will get the exemption papers from the Italian Consulate/Embassy as a returning citizen, when the goods arrive at destination she'll(or the broker) have to show the paperwork to the Customs in order not to pay taxes (22%+10%).The Consulate/Embassy paperwork will then be needed when inspecting the bike for registration.MV requires also a letter from Harley-Davidson or from an authorized dealer stating that the vehicle conforms to the EU regulations and you'll have to change lights,exhaust etc.You're lucky because as of last year the Trike model is part of the models regularly sold in Europe otherwise you had to go through a lengthy(and costly) process.Should you need further info feel free to PM me with your questions,I had to go thru the process for 2 cars and my 2 H-D bikes. Depending where in Italy you'll be going I might be able to help you speed up the process.

 

Kenny, I can't add anything regarding the legal formalities, except to say that here in Europe we have a similar contempt for regulations as in the USA, which is to say that things like exhausts in particular, air filters, etc are routinely changed. In addition some regulations are tighter over here, so for example our stock mufflers are quieter and some models even have add-ons you don't see in North America, so that they can comply with noise and emissions regulations.

So you may get mixed messages - having to meet tight EU regulations, which having done so you can then ignore! Interested to see what our 'Italian' reps have to say on that.

 

GRBrown,basically you're right,but I don't think EU regulations on emissions,noise etc are any stricter than those set by the EPA monster or Californian laws.Technically any alteration done to the bike/car in the US must be DOT approved(even a bulb).In the case of our friend's Trike, for example,in Italy he wouldn't be allowed the 3 headlights set-up and in fact Trikes sold here have a chrome disc that covers the center light,but rest assured that every Trike owner that I know,once issued the license plates removed that stupid cover and has never been harassed by the cops as far as I know.My bikes had the LED lights in front and elsewhere (flashers,BAL tail/stop light,license lt.)that I removed for inspection but right after put back on and never had a problem with LEOs.I also had reverse installed,that too is illegal because I modified the transmission and so on.Unless you have obnoxious mufflers or ridiculously tall apes nobody is gonna bother you.But those items are illegal in the US as well.Many bikes imported in Italy fro the US,in order to circumvent local regulations,register their bikes in Germany(which is more permissive) and after a couple of days with the German papers in hand they can obtain Italian plates without having to go through inspection again.Obviously this procedure has a cost (about EU 1,000) and there are many specialized firms that take care of everything and all is legal!A friend of mine registered his US bought 1940s Chevy pick-up truck in the Netherlands first,but he wanted that model so badly that all the hassle was worth going through (for him).

 

EU noise regulations on noise are certainly stricter. If you get to see a Touring bike with stock mufflers you will see that they are different to US spec in appearance. Some models over here have a moving baffle in the exhaust as part of the noise reduction system.

It may be possible to use a foreign registered vehicle for up to 6 months, before going through the process of formally importing it, especially if associated with any foreign Government (such as US forces).

 

In Italy ,where the OP is going, you're allowed 12 mos. before having to register locally (I did it), US military stationed here are issued their local plates by the base authorities and don't have to go through the importation process for the duration of their stay.At least in Italy,probably regulations differ in the various Countries due to different Agreements.