Importing a motorcycle to Malaysia

Yes an AP but you may not be able to get one. My advice is to go to the Customs office and discuss it, also since you seem to be in KL, go to the bike shop that is in the shopping center on the left side (as you face it) of Sunway Pyramid. They import all sorts of high CC bikes and could either advise you or possible acquire the bike for you.

Finally, join Malaysian Bikers http://malaysianbikers.com.my/forum/ and search for similar questions and answers.

In most cases this whole thing is highly ill-advised because of the shipping, costs and red tape but a well-healed and intrepid individual could see it through, im sure. In the case of an AP/tax, you may well be asked for 2-3-4 times the value of the bike and they set that price, not you, even if you have valid bills of sale, receipts, etc. The costs run so high that most people simply walk away from this.

That said, what some people do is bring the bike, pay the tax at the border but do not attempt to register the bike in Malaysia. The tax is refunded if you leave with the bike every 90 days, so people will ride to Singapore or Thailand and revolving-door the bike. Thats how nice and cheap Singapore bikes wind up being ridden in Malaysia. None of that is against the law, but rather working within the law. However, people also become very weary of the 90-day process and dump the bikes for cheap. You can find foreign bikes on Mudah.my for a song, even free in some cases but then the monkey is on your back and good luck with that. I recently turned down a free Honda CB400 from a friend.....free! I know the headaches, had to say no.

At the time I came to Malaysia from US, i had a Honda 750 and a BMW 800 and was hell-bent to import either one because the local prices were so high. In hindsight now, thank god Customs gave me so much BS and runaround that I gave up. I would have been sorry because I didnt understand the enormous costs involved and there I would have been sitting with the bike in a box at the port and unable to unload and register it. Do what then, dump it in the ocean? God bless their ineptness, saved me.

To recap my first sentence, you may not be able to get an AP yourself, you may have to go through someone who has one already and is legally able to import. Here is the main problem--you can be told anything by any clerk in any office and when you have the bike on the dock at the port, suddenly the story changes and you are hit with costs and opposite rules nobody told you about and then you are classically between a rock and a hard place because the bike is sitting there piling up daily storage fees and its got no place to go.

My best advice is to shop for the bike you want in a shop like the one i told you and just pay the price and move on. However, be advised that you may find a great bike for RM50,000 and be told its not yet registered--thats another RM50,000 or RM100,000 or whatever thousand. Worth it? You tell me.

Myself personally I wont play the game. I object to the whole mess. I bought simple, local, new bikes and let the dreams go. Much bigger things to worry about but thats just me.

The rules are vague but the excise duty is horrendous into Malaysia. It is based on where the vehicle/bike is constructed and can be as high as 105%. There are agents who import stuff for returning Malaysia and finding one online may help - but being a foreigner you don't have the same rights as Malaysians, who I believe can import several vehicles tax free over a period of time.......so picking up something already imported may be an option