Japan trade deal means cheap bikes for EU, but Brexit rules Brits out

A TRADE agreement between Japan and the EU signed earlier this year could spell disaster for British bike buyers.

The British Motorcyclists Federation reported that the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement was signed in July, and will remove common EU external customs tariffs from Japanese manufacturers imports, with implementation coming over the next five years.

Under this agreement, the 6% tariff affecting motorcycles will be abolished – meaning cheaper bikes for EU buyers. European consumers will also benefit from common standards of type approval on product safety as well as emissions.

However, this free trade deal is unlikely to apply to the UK due to Brexit. And it means EU-based manufacturers will enjoy more competitive access to the Japanese market, while those in the UK will be left behind.

But Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzō Abe did recently state that Japan would welcome Britain with “open arms” to the 11 country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), although the timescale on this one is unlikely to be any time soon.

So while EU riders look to benefit from cheap bikes and Japanese-standard type approval, Brits are still in the dark as to what this means for us….