Hi all, I am making plans to fly to the US from the UK with the specific goal of traveling to Sturgis for the 80th Anniversary in 2020.

My question is...as a non-US resident, can I purchase (and insure) a bike on arrival in the US, ride for 2-3 weeks on a visitors visa, before shipping the bike back to the UK?

Any info would be great

Cheers

 

You should buy a bike in the UK then rent one in the US for Sturgis week.

You'll save yourself a giant headache and paperwork and a lot in shipping costs.

 

Check out this thread on Trip Advisor

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...oad_Trips.html

 

Are you buying new or used? What happens if it breaks down en route? Are you buying near Sturgis from a Dealer or private seller or further away and riding some distance? Why buy and ship is it that much cheaper overall?

 

 

I've seen EU plates on tourist driven vehicles in the US. Ship your FXDF here, ride and ship it back to the UK. No tariffs or import duties.

 

Yep, I think this is going to be the most cost effective and easiest way to go. Airline staff quote that I if I travel on the same flight as the bike, I will be riding in 2-3 hours after landing once the paperwork is complete and bike is customs cleared.

 

wow, flying with your bike down in cargo could get expensive. More common is to ship your bike via surface vessel across the Atlantic and then fly to the states after it arrives at a dock.

 

Your right, but with surface freight (sea freight) there is no guarantee that the bike will arrive on the requested date. There are stories all over the net, where riders have arrived for the start of their trips and being informed that their bikes are still in transit. Depending on the time of year, and where the ship is heading, sea freight from UK to States can take 6-8 weeks (even longer) Air Freight is very expensive, but at least it is very quick, and your not without your bike for a long period of time.

I had a 20ft container full of household furniture shipped from New Zealand to UK about 3yrs ago. It took 3 months to shipped from door to door..

 

OP~

You DO realize that traveling from Las Vegas to Sturgis during late July/mid August that you'll be traveling thru the most inhospitable climate heat wise that the USA has to offer?

Plan on daily temps on 110F, and night temps of 100F. Unless there's a high pressure aloft that squeezes another 10F-20F degrees more...

We have Europeans come to the desert during summertime to "experience" the heat as they don't have this kind of heat at their home country. Germans are notorious for this. They go out to walk around the desolation in heat and are quickly overcome by heat. Every year, lots of tourists are found the following Autumn, usually by coyotes.
Here is a pic I just took in my field. Outside temp is about 80 or so..

EDIT~ Yes, it'll take 6-8 weeks to get your bike from there to here. You'd likely have to come to Long Beach/San Pedro to pick it up, then clear customs. The temperature may rise 1 degree per mile from the water at 70F. This may happen during the first 30 miles inland you travel, then it'll plateau at around 100 give or take. Once you get to Palm Springs, you'll be in "full heat mode." (It get down to 100 at midnight right now.) Las Vegas is 275 miles from the harbor. Once you get past the initial craziness of LA, it'll be vast nothingness for another 200+ miles to Lost Wages. I tell you all this not to scare you, but to prepare you. A "cooling vest" does help, but only for about 10 minutes as it'll be dry by then. Palm Springs is between LA and Vegas, it's currently 107F with a heat index of 116F...

Or, you can ride thru Furnace Creek... (Currently 120F. 6% humidity, heat index 120F.)