Do I have to sell?

[Guesswho]

So I'm in the military going to Korea in Feb for a year. Just found out this morning after Korea I'm off to Alconbury UK for 3 yrs. Heard that's only an hour or so from London...soooo is there a Can-Am place over there does anyone know or should I just cut my losses and sell the spyder before I head off to Korea?? I would be very sad if I had to sell it but I'm not at all mechanically inclined so I couldn't keep up with the maintenance.

[DLewis]

Leave it with me, and I'll take REAL good care of it until you return. HONEST!!

[jtoro1]

Does the military pay to send your bike overseas it would be nice to ride your bike in another country and if you wanted to sale it there you can do better than saleing it here

[Chupaca]

about Korea but no problems in England. We have membes there. Korea can fix anything but maybe not under warranty...tough one but if it were me it would go with me...

[Dragonrider]

I would store it until you went to the UK - then have it shipped over. Riding a bike is easier than driving in the UK, and a hoot in Europe.. Zurich to Turin is u n b e l i e v a b l e !!!!

[Oldmanzues]

Come on Current or recent mil people. My information is 30 years out of date.
Can you even take a vehicle to Korea ? do you have a sponsor in Korea, they used to have a person there contact you with information
As said, there are people in England with spyders, they should be able to offer help on that part.
Used to be, one vehicle per person, free shipment, car small truck or motorcycle
In any case get out and enjoy the area, to many people hide on base. Tiawan 18 months/fun, Guam/2 years fun, England TDY for over a year at different times fun, Viet Nam 1 year no fun, Total 7 years (2 tours) in Germany fun.
Good Luck and thanks for serving
Oldmanzues

[Guesswho]

Come on Current or recent mil people. My information is 30 years out of date.
Can you even take a vehicle to Korea ? do you have a sponsor in Korea, they used to have a person there contact you with information
As said, there are people in England with spyders, they should be able to offer help on that part.
Used to be, one vehicle per person, free shipment, car small truck or motorcycle
In any case get out and enjoy the area, to many people hide on base. Tiawan 18 months/fun, Guam/2 years fun, England TDY for over a year at different times fun, Viet Nam 1 year no fun, Total 7 years (2 tours) in Germany fun.
Good Luck and thanks for serving
Oldmanzues

Guess I should explain more...No i can't take the spyder to Korea, so yes I will store it. But If I can't get service in Alconbury then I'd rather sell it before I leave for Korea instead of dealing with it on my way to the UK.

[PrairieSpyder]

I don't know specifically about that town in the UK. I live in an army town and met a captain who has 6 Harleys! He had recently been assigned to NATO in Belgium, and had them all with him there. The service pays for shipment, but only up to a certain number of pounds, and he takes his Harleys and his uniforms and that's about it.

Does anyone know where does OJ in the UK live?

[LEEB]

Guess I should explain more...No i can't take the spyder to Korea, so yes I will store it. But If I can't get service in Alconbury then I'd rather sell it before I leave for Korea instead of dealing with it on my way to the UK.

If you really have to sell, maybe you can find a buyer on this site. Where is the Spyder now, Great Falls? What branch of the service are you in?

[NautiBrit]

You may have to modify your Spyder to conform with UK regulations, for instance the headlight high/low beams are wired separately there.

[Gray Ghost]

is there a Can-Am place over there does anyone know or should I just cut my losses and sell the spyder before I head off to Korea??

First, contact whichever department of your base handles movement of personal property. They can let you know about storing your Spyder while in Korea and then the rules about shipment. I don't know the exact Status of Forces agreement specifics with the UK but you may not have to do any mods to ship and ride there. My internet connection is extremely slow right now, but the website that can give you info on BRP dealers is http://uk.brp.com/spyder/. Even if one is not really close to you there is a very good possibility that there will be people on your base who do their own maintenance. It isn't that hard to pick up a digital copy of the service manual which should cover you for basic oil changes, etc and then ride to a dealer if you need something beyond that. After all, even in the states we sometimes have to travel for dealer support.

Of course you could always sell, but you are going to be in an area with some awesome scenery that just begs to be seen on the back of a bike. And consider what a sale would cost you, are prices such that you would take a loss? Lots of reasons to ship it and enjoy.

Thanks for your service, best of luck to you in whatever decision you make.

[Bling Bling]

First, contact whichever department of your base handles movement of personal property. They can let you know about storing your Spyder while in Korea and then the rules about shipment. I don't know the exact Status of Forces agreement specifics with the UK but you may not have to do any mods to ship and ride there. My internet connection is extremely slow right now, but the website that can give you info on BRP dealers is http://uk.brp.com/spyder/. Even if one is not really close to you there is a very good possibility that there will be people on your base who do their own maintenance. It isn't that hard to pick up a digital copy of the service manual which should cover you for basic oil changes, etc and then ride to a dealer if you need something beyond that. After all, even in the states we sometimes have to travel for dealer support.

Of course you could always sell, but you are going to be in an area with some awesome scenery that just begs to be seen on the back of a bike. And consider what a sale would cost you, are prices such that you would take a loss? Lots of reasons to ship it and enjoy.

Thanks for your service, best of luck to you in whatever decision you make.

Agree I couldn't log on the uk website as well. I don't know if your base has a TMO office or has gone "computer" only, but they should be able to give you all the requirements for shipping/operating a motorcycle in the UK. I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters back in the day, and I didn't ship my car over due to my rank and how expensive it would be just to have a car over there. The exchange rate was $2.84 to the pound. Insurance was way too expensive, and the Brits "tax" everything. We also had ration cards to purchase gas on base. Off-base was way more expensive to pay for gas. Paying in pounds per liter (not gallons). I still have friends stationed at Lakenheath, and I ask them any questions you may have.

I know I might sound a little negative, but really just want you to make sure you will be able to financially manage having your spyder over there. If you still owe on your spyder, you need to find out if your lender will let you even ship it over there, and if your stateside insurance will cover the shipping over there.

Also if your base has a base library, they should have sponsor video tapes (I know, I'm dating myself) on most every base out there.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and I will get with my friends over there to find some answers.

[OJ UK]

Firstly Alconbury is rather more than an hour from the centre of London...more like two allowing for the high levels of traffic.
Your nearest Spyder dealer is http://www.158performance.co.uk a bit north of Alconbury......but a nice ride.
I totally agree with Nautibrit that the lights are going to have to be significantly modified to conform to UK standards but I believe this
is easy for the dealers as they have kits for doing it.
If the military are going to transport your Spyder back and forth for nothing then go with it.
Make sure that if you put your bike in storage for a year then it is correctly done. Don't just park it for a year or it could
end in tears.
Alconbury is a lovely location, very picturesque!

Ah! The joys of gadding around the globe with the military!!

[Fat Crip]

As OJ says, 158 isn't far from Alconbury. Actually, you almost couldn't be better placed in the UK as we only have two dealers and you are near one and less than two hours from the other (that I use). Both are very good.

I've a brother in Korea, but I've no idea what the Spyder scene is there, I'm afraid. He's over here next week so I'll ask him if he knows anything, but I wouldn't hold your breath!

[Chief-J]

You are not allowed to take a vehicle over to Korea justfor a one year. I would wait and have it shipped over to London; you canalways sell it there and make a little more money. So at the end of your three years in London,BRP should have a great looking Can Am waiting for you.

Good luck.

Chief

[Bob Denman]

Think of the fun that a "European Road Trip " might hold for you, and go with it!!