International bike swaps.

Post by **Crater** » Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:00 pm

I've been thinking about this for a while. It's relevant to this site because we have RT owners from the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand and a few more places besides.
How about lending bikes? Someone comes to holiday in your home country and they borrow your bike while they are here. They get the benefit of a point of contact and local knowledge too. At some time the swap is reversed - you go on holiday in their country and borrow their bike.
Insurance is an issue and needs to be sorted. But what are the other pitfalls? I've explored alternatives and they all have one thing in common - they are expensive. Hiring bikes is pricey. Shipping bikes might make more sense but you need to be going for a longer time and it still takes some organising. Buying a bike and reselling abroad seems very problematical.
The advantage for BMW riders (and I'm generalizing here) is that we tend to be older, more mature and affluent. Probably the type of person you might be happy to entrust your pride and joy to.

Post by **Crater** » Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:05 pm

Oh. I forget to say, the UK model bikes are much faster.

Post by **stelyn** » Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:49 pm

Crater wrote: Oh. I forget to say, the UK model bikes are much faster.

But only in the `Blue' of course...... :whistle:

Post by **richardbd** » Sun Aug 09, 2015 8:11 pm

I think this is a great idea.  However...

I'd only be comfortable lending my bike to other RTers used to the power of the Grey ones.

:alas: :alas: :alas:

Post by **Spencert231** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:53 am

Affluent, hey! them were the days. I may even write a book on how to remain affluent if buying property in France. The opening pages would add a warning:

Do not watch Grand Design programmes. Do not buy off Brits who developed the property and did not live in it. Do not buy too big.

Now then back to the bike, it sounds like a great idea something you would do with a really good friend or family member you could trust. However, my bike has 3450 miles on its still new. In all honesty I would have sleepless nights if my bike was not sleeping in the hall of my house at night. So not really sure if I would allow a complete stranger to ride off on my bike?

Post by **BMjoe64** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 6:11 pm

Is a non starter for me as not likely to go to OZ, USA, NZ so it would be rather a one way deal, and as the loanee would be putting an as yet unspecified amount of miles, wear and tear on the bike..I would want some financial charge to apply to cover this. But the bottom line is that I would not want to loan it anyway as I can see masses of potential problems..specifically, loan bike to overseas rider, accident in UK involving injuries, loaneee goes back to wherever, huge compensation claims etc etc, me stuck right in the middle (as the UK owner of the bike)....no thanks. I actually don't loan my bikes to anyone other than one close friend and then only for a very short run on a reciprocal basis and never while we are abroad.

Post by **Crater** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 5:43 pm

My wife and I are lucky with very good friends in Oz. Over the years we've put each other up, lent cars, sorted out each other's traveling kids, even provided emergency accommodation to complete strangers (to us, not our Australian friends) in the middle of the night. It's fun. It's sociable. And it can make an extravagant holiday quite cheap.
It just seemed odd. I travel to the USA to do a bike tour. Pay a small fortune for bike hire. My American equivalent does the same thing in the UK. We like doing similar things. We have similar tastes in motorcycling. We could help each other.
I like my bikes but I'm not hung up on them. They are just things (OK, in the case of an R1200RT SE lc an expensive thing). Insurance is an issue for sure. I read the recent tale of the lad who sold his bike, didn't cancel his insurance immediately and is now responsible for the third party claims caused by the uninsured, unlicensed scrote who had bought the machine and then crashed it into an innocent. Truly horrendous.
God willing I'll be in Melbourne next February. The Beemer here will be wrapped up on a trickle charger. Fortunately Shane has two trail bikes in his garage over there.

Post by **JohanRT** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 9:41 pm

This is my first post in this forum - just handed in my pride and joy (K1200GT) which I traded in for the new R1200RT LC. What a bike! I would like to take this discussion a step further: Why not swop out houses / flats AND bikes for the same in another country for a short vacation. People can swop out travel plans (Garmin maps) so that each person knows where their bike will be travelling to and people can even give each other hints on where to go to.

If you want a database of people who will be interested, I can develop one and the people who are interested can start exploring options, rules, regulations, insurance etc.

I for one will be happy to share our clubs website address with you so that you can see where we have been or you could take a ride with our members and immediately have access to new friends. I am part of one of the biggest BMW Motorbike clubs in South Africa and believe me, South Africa is not called by some overseas visitors "God's Little Garden" for nothing! Check this out: http://www.bmwclubs.co.za

Post by **T6pilot** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:10 am

We have moto quest here in Southern California, insurance is their biggest issue, full coverage can be as much as $50 per day. In the spring of each year, they send new GSA's from long beach to Alaska, you get the bike free to ride their, your on your own for fuel and lodging and have to average XXX miles per day, get on their list

Post by **BMjoe64** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 10:09 am

Crater wrote: I'll be in Melbourne next February. The Beemer here will be wrapped up on a trickle charger.

Don't suppose I could loan it while your away, save me putting all that salt and grime on mine.

:alas:

Post by **richardbd** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 10:27 pm

JohanRT wrote: I am part of one of the biggest BMW Motorbike clubs in South Africa and believe me, South Africa is not called by some overseas visitors "God's Little Garden" for nothing! Check this out: http://www.bmwclubs.co.za

Welcome Johan.  I lived in Jo'burg (Sandton) from 2006 to 2010 and rode lots of miles out there - on GS, rather than an RT though...

Post by **Crater** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:07 am

Thanks Johan. I had a great family holiday in SA twenty years ago when my brother in law was working in Mafeking. Truly "Gods own country".
There are established sites that do house swaps. What I've found is that finding mutually convenient times to exchange was the issue. Feb is great for the Southern Hemisphere, not so good on a motorbike in the UK or Northern Europe.
And BMjoe64. I know flights are expensive but if you could get out there I guarantee your February would be improved.

Post by **Spencert231** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:04 am

>:( Hey steady on chaps I think we are going overboard here just a tad: God's little garden and now God' own country my god whatever next. Have you people ventured into Wales at any time?

I have nothing against South Africa it's a great place nice people: my son is married to one and my daughter next year. Not forgetting their rugby team and Chris Froome who I Chapeau to.

Post by **Pope** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 7:23 pm

My TOTR super fast, remapped,  luxury RTLC is available to my foreign cousens for a nominal fee.....just give a shout...be

 

Post by **richardbd** » Sun Aug 16, 2015 10:35 pm

Pope wrote: My TOTR super fast, remapped,  luxury RTLC is available to my foreign cousens for a nominal fee.....just give a shout...be

 
Re: International bike swaps.

Looks suspiciously blue to me Pope - is that why it's available at just a nominal fee?

:alas: :alas: :alas: