OK…Assuming you have a full UK licence with Group A, you can legally ride the bike over here. The minimum age for bikes exceeding 15kw power is 20 years so you are OK there. Your UK issued EU style photocard licence is acceptable over here provided it is supported by the paper document issued with it.
For the first six months (183 days) you can use your UK documentation over here, provided that documentation remains valid in the UK in terms of MOT and Road Tax. Do not let either expire or regardless of your insurance you will be illegal both here and in the UK and DVLA have a nasty habit of chasing non-payment. All the time the bike is on English plates it must be kept legal in the eyes of DVLA.
You should carry all of the vehicle documentation with you every time you take the bike out on the road.
Crash helmets are of course mandatory.
Insurance may be a problem but there are plenty of English speaking Insurance companies out here who will be only too willing to take your money. It could be worth your while talking to your UK Insurers to see how long European cover is available on your current Insurance documentation. Its probably 3 months but it’s 3 months in which you could be looking around to find a Spanish company.
I would suggest you take your Spanish speaking G/F along to a Spanish ITV (MOT) Station and discuss with them the requirements for re-registering the bike onto Spanish plates (if that is your intention). The ITV Station will need to check the bike over when you come to re-register it anyway so forewarned is forearmed.
If there is anything on the bike that is not factory approved / fitted expect questions from the ITV authority. Don’t know if its the same for bikes as it is for cars but you should have a Certificate of Conformance from the manufacturer or dealer you bought the bike from.
A list of ITV Stations in Murcia…
http://www.qype.co.uk/es62/categories/680-mot-testing-centres-in-region-de-murcia
The ITV system over here is government run; when it comes to testing vehicles they don’t have an axe to grind by inventing problems. That said the test is far more thorough than the UK.
You can expect a lot of support over here for big bikes especially from folks of your own age ...the Spanish generally are big bike crazy. Think Jorge Lorenzo…he has a fanatical following…
The Guardia Civil Trafficos have a fleet of big bikes (BMW’s I think…) and they know how to handle them; many GC officers speak passable English so if you have any problems don’t be afraid to ask them. As fellow motorcyclist’s they are generally supportive of other big bike riders. You will seldom see one on his own however; invariably they operate in pairs.
Be prepared however for the suicidal tendencies of the two stroke brigade especially in towns; the rules it seems do not apply to them, you need eyes everywhere where they are concerned.
Hope this goes some way to help.
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