Hello all. Great little forum you have here.

I’m an EU citizen though I’m not officially resident in any EU country, having lived in Asia for many years. I work for a Swiss company, though I am located in one of their offices overseas. I am in Switzerland several times a year and sometimes for a few months at a time, but I will not be applying for any work or resident permits just yet.
I would very much like to buy a motorcycle for touring here but I see from searching around here that I cannot register a vehicle in Switzerland without a resident permit. It would be nice to have a bike here at my disposal when I visit. I could leave it with a gearhead colleague with a large garage.
What options do I have? Renting seems to be very expensive, like CHF300 a weekend for a liter bike. Does any do long-term rents at better rates than this? One shop I spoke to were willing to rent to me for a price about the annual depreciation on the bike per month.
How about buying a bike in a nearby EU country (like Germany) and riding it here on those plates? I could buy insurance at border I think. Is there a time limit as to how long I could have a foreign vehicle in the country? Would it be a problem if I rode in on it and then flew out without it?

Cliffnotes: Want to own motorcycle, don’t have resident permit. What to do?

Buy the bike and have it registered in your mates name , and you pay him for the taxes etc.

Any fines are down to him if your caught.

And if your contolled by the police, just say your mate lent you the bike while you are here.

I found that even if you (as a non-resident) cannot take out an insurance policy yourself, you can be named as the usual driver of a vehicle. So, you can have your local friend take out a policy for himself and include you on it.
I just carry the original registration document with me and a copy of the insurance around with me.