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Bike registration help..

anup

Cruising
Apr 30, 2013
8
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Hi All -
Not sure if I am posting this on the correct thread - but I was really hoping someone could help me.

I built my bike from parts that I shipped form the US and was wondering how I can get it registered? My Japanese is very limited and if there are forms that I need to fill? Also a friend was also telling me that I should get insurance - how and where can I do this?

I will really appreciate your help if someone can point me to the right direction to this...

Thank you very much.
 
You will have to produce receipt(s) for the bike in order to register it. And fill in some forms. And produce some ID. And 500 yen.

You're legally required to register it, but there is no penalty for not doing so.

However, I suspect that being foreign in charge of an unregistered bike could lead to a detention without arrest that would really ruin your week.
 
I signed up for the 7-11 bicycle insurance, which is one of several options discussed in the Accidents & Insurance thread. I recommend doing both the internet signup and the payment completion at the 7-11 store (photo copy machine + counter) with a Japanese-literate friend.

As for bike registration, it's normally done via the bike shop that sells it to you. They may not be too keen to do that if you bought the bike (or the parts) elsewhere.

I bought my bike from the US and didn't register it either. I've been living here for over 20 years and have never been stopped by police while riding a bicycle.

Personally I don't think you'd have a problem with an unregistered bike as a foreigner, especially if it's not a mamachari (the most commonly stolen kind of bike), as it's always plausible that you brought it with you when you moved here and had no connection to any local bike shop. What would really ruin your week would be to be found riding a bike registered to someone else!
 
Thank you for the information -
I bought the bike parts in the US on eBay, swap meets .. here and there. There is no way I can produce a receipt for all the parts.. I guess I will have to resort to riding an unregistered bike.

As for the insurance - there is a 7-11 close to where I live..
 
Thank you for the information -
I bought the bike parts in the US on eBay, swap meets .. here and there. There is no way I can produce a receipt for all the parts.. I guess I will have to resort to riding an unregistered bike.

As for the insurance - there is a 7-11 close to where I live..

most road bikes in japan are not registered....only usually for bikes you leave unattended. Make sure you have lots of evidence/photos, serial numbers stored somewhere...and don't leave it unattended unless you have it sufficiently chained with wifi cctv, gps tracking device, a siren, etc etc...

do not let it be stolen...that's your best insurance.
 
I'm now on my second self-assembled bike (similar, ebay and others).
I actually went to the police station to get it registered and they sent me off to the shop "where I supposedly bought the bike". This led me to think it's impossible to do so for a self-built bike. And then I gave up.

I don't expect any serious issues, but it's definitely a good idea to keep emails or even printed auction pages with all the parts as kind of a proof that you got the parts.
 
I bought a bike on yahoo auction from a guy in Osaka and registered it at a bike shop here in Tokyo. The bike shop told me they needed "proof of purchase". After I explained how I bought the bike and the bike was not registered (that was according to the guy in Osaka) they said a letter from the guy who sold it to me saying he had sold me the bike would be enough. I got hold of the letter, handed it to the guy in the shop, they handed it back and registered the bike. Can't say you'll encounter such helpful service at all bike shops though, so it would be a good idea to try a few and see what they ask for.

Thinking back, is my bike stolen?
 
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It is right that the police will direct you to go to a bike shop so you will need a friendly shop's help if it is self-assembled/brought from overseas. As to whether you really need to register, I have also used a mtn bike from overseas for years with no issue. Two reasons to do so are (1) if you ever leave it somewhere that it might get picked up in the parking sweeps and (2) the police will use lack of registration as a reason/excuse to hassle someone who they otherwise think is suspicious.
 
Registration sometimes depends on the shop you use. I have had no problems registering two built bikes with the Kiba, Itoyokado department store cycle shop. They only require a frame serial number, bike/frame brand name, ID and mailing address, plus 500 yen for processing. Other shops in my area always hassle me about proof of purchase.
 
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