What it costs to buy a classic bike abroad and bring it to India

A 1972 Husqvarna 250 motocrosser that once belonged to Steve McQueen sold for £17,250 at Bonhams' Autumn Stafford Sale on 11 October 2026. A 1975 Ducati 750 Sport went for £21,275. Those look reachable, and that is the trap. Neither number is what the bike costs an Indian buyer standing in Pune or Bengaluru.

Start with the auction. Bonhams charges a buyer's premium of 15 per cent on the first £500,000 of the hammer price and 12 per cent above that, and VAT at 20 per cent is added to the premium and charges. Bid through a third party platform like The Saleroom or Invaluable and there is a further 4 per cent plus VAT. The prices quoted above already include premium, so read every result line carefully before you work out your maximum bid.

Then comes the part most first-time importers underestimate. Autocar India reports that customs duty, GST and registration together work out to roughly 250 per cent of the vehicle's invoice value. On a bike that cost you £17,250 at the rostrum, that is the dominant cost, not the bike. Add sea freight, marine insurance, customs house agent fees and inland transport to your city.

What the Indian rules actually allow

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade changed the policy with Notification 58/2024-25 dated 7 February 2025. The old condition allowed free import by Actual Users of cars made before 1 January 1950. The new one says vehicles classified as vintage motor vehicles under the Explanation to sub-rule (1) of Rule 81A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 are free for import by Actual Users. Because Rule 81A uses a rolling 50-year test, the window moves forward every year.

Rule 81A itself is friendlier to two-wheeler people than the DGFT wording suggests. It defines a vintage motor vehicle as one in the L1 or L2 two-wheeler categories or the M1 four-wheeler category that is more than fifty years old from first registration after initial sale, including imported vehicles, and that has been kept in original form without substantial overhaul or changes to the chassis, body shell or engine. The DGFT condition, though, is worded around "cars". If you are about to wire money for a 1970s Triumph or Norton, get written confirmation from your customs broker first.

Registration is the cheap bit. The CMVR fee schedule sets ₹20,000 for registration and issue of a certificate of registration for a vintage motor vehicle, and ₹5,000 for re-registration. An imported bike needs the Bill of Entry with the application. Rule 81A also permits sale and purchase of a vintage-registered vehicle provided both buyer and seller inform their State Transport Authority. That sits awkwardly with the reported ban on reselling imported vintage vehicles in the domestic market, which is another reason to get the position in writing rather than from a forum.

When buying one already in India makes more sense

For most people, it does. A Royal Enfield Bullet 350 from the 1960s, a Yezdi Roadking or a Jawa 250 Type 353 that is already on an Indian registration skips the duty entirely, skips the Bill of Entry, and comes with something an imported Vincent does not have: a mechanic within riding distance who has rebuilt twenty of them. Parts for Indian-market classics still circulate through swap meets and specialist shops. Parts for a 1930s British single mean shipping from the UK, every time.

The case for importing is narrow and specific. You want a machine that was never sold here, you are buying for the long term, and you can absorb the duty without flinching. Also be honest about condition. Auction catalogues describe, they do not warrant. An unseen bike bought from 7,000 km away, landed at 250 per cent of invoice value, can still need a full engine rebuild after you have paid for all of it.

Sources

• Bonhams Cars: The Autumn Stafford Sale, The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show
• Bonhams: Buyer's premium, United Kingdom
• Autocar India: Import of cars made up to 1975 allowed
• DGFT revises import policy for vintage motor vehicles, Notification 58/2024-25
• Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989: Rule 81A fees and application
• Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989: Rule 81A definition of vintage motor vehicle