THE GOOD OIL | HOT OFF THE PRESS
Australian consumers will soon be
able to import new or almost-new
bikes, but not everyone is happy
about it. An amendment to the
Motor Vehicle Standards Act
1989 will allow consumers to
personally import a new, or
near-new, motorcycle or car from
another country with comparable
standards, up to once every two
years, under certain conditions.
The conditions include the
vehicle being a motorcycle or
right-hand-drive car which is no
more than 12 months old and has
no more than 500km on the
clock. As it stands, Japan and the
UK have comparable standards to
Australia, although other
countries, such as South Africa,
could be included.
The amendment is set to come
into effect in 2018. The current
requirements for personally
importing vehicles are that thevehicle must have been owned
and used by the person for a
period of 12 months or longer in
the country from where it is
being imported.
The person must also have
lived in that country before
permanently relocating the bike
to Australia. The new
requirements will only relate to
road-going vehicles.
At the moment, importing an
off-road motorcycle such as a
motocross bike is a lot easier but
to import one in this category, the
person must provide photographic
evidence and manufacturer
specifications confirming that
lights, indicators, registration
plate holders and road-legal tyres
are not fitted. The bike also must
carry a self-adhesive label stating
that the bike is not ADR-certified.
The current laws also are fairly
relaxed when it comes to bikesmade before 1989, such as old
Maicos and the original Yamaha
Tenere, which could hit the road
on Club Permits.
While the new law has been
welcomed by consumers hoping
to get a better price on
motorcycles by importing units
themselves, it has been slammed
by dealers, who are concerned
about the potential ramifications
for the local industry.
“It isn’t as clear cut as what
the public think,” says Bryan
Hand from Hand’s On Kawasaki
in Victoria. “From a dealer
perspective, pre-delivery and
handing over motorcycles to new
customers is paramount, not only
for the customer’s safety, but also
their education on the product.”
Indeed, there is an element of
buyer beware that has been
overlooked by supporters of the
new law. Safety and warrantyissues are just two of the potential
risks when importing yourself.
A statement from the Minister
for Major Projects, Territories and
Local Government, Paul Fletcher,
says: “These arrangements will
offer consumers greater choice. If
a manufacturer chooses not to
sell a particular model in
Australia, a consumer may now
have the option to source this
model overseas.”
Mr Fletcher expects that the
local industry will continue to
thrive despite the new laws.
In an interview with ABC Radio,
Fletcher said: “We expect the
vast majority of Australians will
continue to buy from the
existing manufacturers and
dealer networks.”
ADBcontacted a number of
local importers/manufacturers,
but all were unavailable or unable
to comment before press time.A happy day for Rockstar
Energy Husqvarna16 | APRIL 2016 http://www.adbmag.com.auNEW IMPORT LAW
DIVIDES OPINION
Not everyone is happy about private motorcycle imports being freed up
NOT ADR-
CERTIFIED!PRIVATE
IMPORT