A quick introduction from my part, have moved over from the UK nearly 6 months ago and have been lurking on this site getting some information over the past few months. Work has been busy so never had much of chance to give it my full attention. So I thought that in return I should share my experience of bringing my Yamaha over and getting the Swiss plates. What follows is an account of my circumstances.
It’s a bit of a long post but I hope the information will be of use to someone. I hope that I can get to meet some of the bikers here and maybe go out for a ride together some sunny day.
I have a 2003 Yamaha TDM 900 which I brought over with all my possessions, I didn’t ride it over as I finished work on the Thursday in London and started work here on the Monday morning. So no chance to ride it over, plus the was the fact that as I was no longer resident in the UK my insurer would not cover me and at best would give me 3 days cover! Not ideal.
The removal company took the bike from me, boxed it up and shipped it over to Zürich. Once I had managed to get the 13.20a form – customs declaration with the all important Stammnummer the insurance company here were able to provide me with a Swiss motor policy and I was able to use it until the call from the Strassenverkehrsamt arrived. Thinking about it I was never sure how valid it was, however I did have a policy with the details of the bike so as I believe that I was covered.
I had to go to the office before hand, the reason escapes me now, but was handed some forms to fill out – information about the bike, cc, horsepower. I was told that I did not need a Certificate of Conformity and never requested it from Yamaha UK. I was also asked if the bike was original and I mentioned that it was. Nothing done to it other than a loud horn and the suspension was tweaked by a specialist in the UK.
On to the first visit to the office in Albisgütli I showed up with the bike for a 7.22am appointment to have it tested. At this point I had not used the bike much, only short trips around Zürich but nothing long distance. I failed to notice that the one of the front fork seals had gone and there was some oil on the fork, immediate fail! The other point that was brought up was with the head bearings, there was some friction and that is not good. So another point against the bike. The final point was the headlight, I had adjusted it to point in the opposite direction but obviously it had not worked. At this point the guy stopped the test and wrote down what needed to be done before returning.
Now, there was an issue which left me a bit annoyed. I have the original suspension unit that came with the bike, only difference is that the spring was changed by the specialist to suit my weight. Original spring was replaced with an Ohlins spring, that was all. The guy states that this is not standard issue on Yamaha and I need to get a letter from someone (importer or similar) to confirm that the spring was suitable to be on the bike. I got this done by the bike shop who sorted out the fork and bearings for me, however they mentioned that this should not have been required and they could only put this down to the fact that it was Zürich. I almost forgot, I had to wash the bike a bit as it was dirty .
Off to find a bike shop to get the work done. It gets done, very expensively might I add and I then return to the test centre for round 2. Form is there with all the previous issues, guy checks it all out, however now he decides to check the thickness of the brake discs – one disc is on the limit and the other is almost there too. So I’m a bit annoyed as this was not checked in round 1 (so incomplete test performed?). There is a small section of fairing missing/cracked, nothing much but apparently it can cause serious damage to people if they walk past the bike – I’m guessing it’s not an issue if I lose control and collide with them, not sure on that one. So there is a bit of hesitation and then he signs off on the bike. I get my Swiss plates – hurrah!!
Off to the office to fill out the forms, forgot to call the insurance company again so they could update the system online, so slight delay there. The woman at the desk was helpful and I handed over my documents but they also wanted the number plate so that they could return it to the DVLA. Log book issued and off I went.
My thoughts on this process are as follows;
Check the insurance situation but I wouldn’t risk it with the UK insurer by telling them you are off on holiday. As soon as you are non resident you don’t have cover anymore, so if anything happens you will not be covered.
Form 13.20a needs to be stamped at customs when you go through – I didn’t do it as it was done by the removal company.
If you bring an older bike across, it’s worth getting it checked out before going to the Strassen.
Any non standard items will need to be certified to be on the bike, I believe that it is anything that enhances the performance of the bike. I now need to get new discs but am not sure if I can use EBC discs without needing a letter from the importer. Crazy.
I was lucky to find a replacement headlight (from a EU bike) on ebay and fitted it. New prices were shocking and probably wouldn’t have been worth it. This will be the main issue with any bike, except some BMW’s which I believe have a lever to flip the beam direction (might be wrong).
I had no certificate of conformity but I got through ok, not sure if it would have helped or made it easier if I had one. Would get one the next time. For Yamaha it’s free to the first owner, otherwise I think it would have cost £60 to get one.
My two visits and the plates from September to 31 December came to somewhere around 400CHF. I could have saved about 130CHF on the second visit.
I would do it again as I don’t think the process is too difficult, now I know what to look out for I’m a bit better prepared.
If there are any questions please ask I can answer here or please drop me a line.
G