When Steve Cross bought a 2001 MZ Baghira Mastiff motorcycle for $3,700, he thought he'd received a pretty good deal.

That was before he found out his bike is illegal in Canada.

Cross, a Beaver Creek-area resident, bought the German-manufactured motorcycle from a Florida eBay seller in April.

After spending several hundred dollars more to have the bike shipped to Canada and paying the GST, the Cross family is now trying to sell it, consign it in the U.S. or find a place to store it outside of Canada.

Steve's wife, Patti, said in an interview Tuesday the bike, while in top condition, is not on a Transport Canada list of approved motorcycles. The bike's manufacturers never submitted their bike to the Canadian agency for safety approval. As a result, the bike is outlawed.

But the Cross couple didn't know that. When they took it to the local Canadian Tire store to get a safety inspection for registration and insurance, they were told they first had to go to Transport Canada to get permission for an inspection.

A couple of days ago, the couple received a letter from the federal government saying the bike is inadmissible and must be exported or destroyed.

That leaves the Cross family with a bright, shiny yellow $4,000-lesson in vehicle importation.

Patti understands the government has to ensure safety standards are met. However, she points out that if her 660-cc motorcycle was 10 years older, it could be imported.

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act requires all vehicles imported into Canada meet Canadian motor vehicle safety standards and cannot be modified to meet those standards.

But if a vehicle is 15 years or older, it's exempt from this rule. Its owner can get a safety inspection and make necessary modifications within 45 days to get approval for Canadian roadways.

'It's red tape; it's cumbersome. I understand there is safety but this (motorcycle) is just being refused,' said Patti.

Cross can't understand why her bike could be inspected, potentially modified and approved if it was older but not now, when it is relatively new and in its safest condition.

'If the issue is safety, why can an old vehicle come in (but not a new one)? It just seems so ridiculous.'

The couple is now trying to find a place to store or sell the motorcycle in the United States.

'It's really a shame ' said Patti, adding the rules need to be updated for the days of eBay and international retail.

Anne-Marie Bouchard from Transport Canada said today from Ottawa the regulation that permitted older vehicles entry to Canada will likely be changed to 20 or 25 years instead of 15.

The reason, she explained, is that Transport Canada doesn't want vehicles that don't meet safety regulations entering the country, but wants to leave a loophole for car collectors bringing in vintage automobiles not intended for regular road use.

Bouchard could not explain, nor reach the person who could, why older vehicles should be given the chance to be inspected and modified but not new vehicles.