Can anyone please help. Following the theft of my CBR 954 in Rome in June 2006 I bought a brand new 2006 Blade, obviously Italian registered. Not being an Italian resident the bike was registered in my ex girlfriend's father's company name which ceased trading in 2016. I've been living in Greece ever since and have been using the bike, well I was, it's been locked up in a garage for the past two years as I was unable to register it here. After the customs took my UK Volvo and demanded €8000 (it was only worth €7,500) it wasn't worth risking it with the bike. Last year I returned the original number plate and original registration documents to the ex's father and hoped he would send me an export document, he never did and now won't reply to me at all. I am now returning back to the UK permanently and been trying to figure out through the DVLA about importing it - no easy task. Has anyone had a similar experience - I am concerned mostly that I can't actually prove I own the bike as my name doesn't appear on the documents, I do have a copy of a letter written in Italian saying I am allowed to use the vehicle. As the bike won't show up on any stolen register I might be able to wing it somehow, I am quite handy on Photoshop if I need to get a document of sale or something. I can't sell it here in Greece due to the lack of documentation, not even as a track bike. It's in amazing condition, just about every conceivable upgrade as you can see from the photos - breaks my heart to just leave it here! Over the last 10 years or so I have ridden it form Greece to the UK and back again on several occasions and never had any issues at customs or with the Police, so getting it back to the UK isn't such a concern. I know I'll have to change the speedo and lights but trust you understand my dilemma/concerns.
Just to be clear I’m English living in Kos, Greece trying to take the bike and re-registering it in the UK.
Get it out of the country and sort it once it's on home soil in the UK. Put it on a trailer if you have to, set it in the garage and then have a go at the paperwork and red tape you will no doubt encounter. I've found in matters like this, possession is 9/10 of the law.
Thanks for the replies Spygoat. I've received confirmation from DVLA that even without the original doc's I can still re-register the bike in the UK subject to VAT, COC etc.
