Hello, I'm completely new here and could really use help. I am doing a se asian trip. I have started in Vietnam where I bought my scooter (honda winner). It is a really good motorcycle but the Cambodian roads are killing it. I want to see laos next and roads ain't gonna get better, so I want to change my bike for a proper dirt bike. I have read that it is impossible to register a second hand motorcycle in your own name. I was also told that if I buy a brand new one, then it can be registered in my name, even if I only have a tourist visa. Is that true ?
My next question is regarding border-crossing with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Will I be let through with a Cambodian plated motorcycle if I am the registered owner of it ?
Also is it possible to sell a Vietnamese plated bike here in Cambodia? Thank you in advance for help

Yes, you can sell the bike here. There's always backpackers selling Honda Wins to other backpackers passing through, headed to Vietnam. You shouldn't have a problem selling it. Thailand will not let you in, anymore, with a Vietnamese or Cambodian plated bike. However, you can get into Laos from Thailand on a Thai plated bike. There's also rental shops in Chiang Mai(check out Pop Motorbike) that will rent you a Honda CRF250 with proper paperwork to cross border into Laos to explore and then bring back. Not cheap to do, though, but probably your best bet.

The roads and scenery around Northern Thailand are amazing. Good luck on your Journey!

John Bingham wrote: ↑Fri Nov 16, 2018 1:32 am

I have read that it is impossible to register a second hand motorcycle in your own name. I was also told that if I buy a brand new one, then it can be registered in my name, even if I only have a tourist visa. Is that true ?

No.

My next question is regarding border-crossing with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Will I be let through with a Cambodian plated motorcycle if I am the registered owner of it ?

You won't be let into Vietnam on any big bike, and anything over 125 or so is considered big there.

Also is it possible to sell a Vietnamese plated bike here in Cambodia? Thank you in advance for help

You can sell it but it's worth fuck-all without any relevant papers.

It's a Honda Win, though. They're not worth fuck-all to begin with!

Gator wrote: ↑Fri Nov 16, 2018 4:51 am

John Bingham wrote: ↑Fri Nov 16, 2018 1:32 am

I have read that it is impossible to register a second hand motorcycle in your own name. I was also told that if I buy a brand new one, then it can be registered in my name, even if I only have a tourist visa. Is that true ?

No.

My next question is regarding border-crossing with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Will I be let through with a Cambodian plated motorcycle if I am the registered owner of it ?

You won't be let into Vietnam on any big bike, and anything over 125 or so is considered big there.

Also is it possible to sell a Vietnamese plated bike here in Cambodia? Thank you in advance for help

You can sell it but it's worth fuck-all without any relevant papers.

It's a Honda Win, though. They're not worth fuck-all to begin with!

Actually, it's a Honda Winner. but I agree. the Win is a piece of shit and probably a knock-off chink model too. The Winner, on the other hand, is a great bike, except for storage. It has the CBR 150 engine in it and is built like a Honda Wave on steroids. Even has disc brakes front and rear. He should not risk the trip and sell the bike to me. IMO It would be better to rent in each place as he goes than deal with immigration.

Just rent . Its much much cheaper and less hassle . Dont buy any honda win ! They are crap ! Better to rent a small scooter . You can try and sell Vietnamese plated bike in Cambodia but only people who are going back to Vietnam will buy it . The Police love to stop bikes with Vietnam plates and take big money . Best just hire everywhere you want to ride . Many places are not worth riding like most of Vietnam , big roads dangerous traffic . Just get a bus and hire a bike when you get somewhere interesting like the mountains in the north .

You can cross into Laos with a cambodian reg bike not in your name and back into Cambodia.They will NOT let you cross from Cambodia to Laos on a Viet reg bike,but i beleive(but not done it)that you can cross from Laos to Cambodia on a Viet reg bike.

Thank you all for your help, I really appreciate it. The scooter I have is a winner, not a shitty win. It is new to the market, and for the roads it's the best thing you can get. I have decided to go back to vn and sell it there because I want to keep the price since it wasn't cheap. Then fly to Thailand and do Laos and Cambodia. So is it possible to buy Thai bike and register it in your own name ? Or get some written permission in order not to be hassled at the borders ? I don't want to rent one because I will be using it for quite some time and it would cost similar amount of money, and still I can sell it back.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Fri Nov 16, 2018 1:32 am

I have read that it is impossible to register a second hand motorcycle in your own name. I was also told that if I buy a brand new one, then it can be registered in my name, even if I only have a tourist visa. Is that true ?

No.

My next question is regarding border-crossing with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Will I be let through with a Cambodian plated motorcycle if I am the registered owner of it ?

You won't be let into Vietnam on any big bike, and anything over 125 or so is considered big there.

Also is it possible to sell a Vietnamese plated bike here in Cambodia? Thank you in advance for help

You can sell it but it's worth fuck-all without any relevant papers.

Regards selling the bike in cambodia,it all depends on the condition.Viet reg bikes DO sell well in cambodia,(
we are talking bottom of the scale here)a win bought in Vietnam for $250-$500 will sell for possibly the same price depending on how you have looked after it.John probably has no experience in this field as I have.