UK hayabusa

[busa_seeker]

I am gettin a busa from the UK and need to know if I will have to do conversions once it hits the US and how much it would cost. I know if you buy a Skyline from Japan you have to do conversions and didn't know if bike was the same way.
Any replies will help.
Thanks,
Michael

 

[†WÃ￾§†ëD]

yup they use the metric system in the UK, nuts, bolts and tires will be metric, speedo too, should be able to find a used american speedo for about 200? gonna cost a lot to convert the nuts and bolts,(I would go titanium while your at it)Oh and the gas tanks in the UK are metric too, they hold liters, dont know how yer gonna convert that?....:-)



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[busa_seeker]

That was a good one with the gas tank but that is cool. So speedo is all i should have to do?
Thanks

 

[BusaFever]

negative. I understand that you must do other things to european spec bikes. i am only telling you what I have heard from others. I have never tried to get a euro spec bike registered in the states. I owned a euro spec RC51 and was told (by the military TMO office) the following things must be changed:

1) headlights must be re-aimed to reflect driving on the right side of the road
2) speedometer must be converted to MPH
3) must disable the headlight on/off switch (so that the light stays on all the time)
4) exhaust must meet US standards (I think all busa have the same stock exhaust, cant confirm it though)

Canadian specs are the easiest to convert. Only the speedo needs attention on those guys.

Hope this helps,

-Bill

 

[gararnett]

Gee, that sound like a lot ... NOT!
Don't see that it would be much of a problem. I don't think the Busa needs the light re-aimed. I think thats more for the bikes with a traditional headlight that has the prisms set for one side or the other. I don't think the Busa is different for any market except for the headlight switch, which is just deleted for US models. And really I don't think the switch is illegal(not sure though), just driving with the light turned off while on a public road. Anyway, I don't see there being much of a problem, even if it was in Kalifornika, since the bike is almost identical to US spec, and if it had more than 7500miles on it even they would let it past emissions.

 

[†WÃ￾§†ëD]

I think the switch is illegal in the states, thats why we dont have any, if it needs to be inspected to get licensed just pull it apart and remove the switch, or tape it? headlamp adjustment is nothing? I dont think they will check emissions in the states, maybe cali? but where you gonna get gas by the liters?

 

[TINMAN]

UK bikes have speedo's in MPH so why would you need to change one ?

 

[justintime2]

Having just imported a bike into the US from Canada, I did alot of research before deciding to do so. Several things are required for any country:

-You must get a letter from the Suzuki corporation in your country that references your motorcycle by VIN# and states that the bike conforms to all FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) and US EPA emissions standards. Suzuki USA will tell you that if you don't have the letter from them that you will never be able to title it in the US and they charge $1000 for it. They do this to prevent people from going to Canada and saving thousands of dollars. However they have no clue what they are talking about on this and as long as you have the letter from the Suzuki Corp. in your country, your fine. The letter also needs to state that it complies with all of the above with the exception of "minor labeling requirements" which the speedo is considered.
-Your bike must have the white US EPA emissions lable still on the frame.
-You may be required to pay some duty on the importation
-The switch may not be an allowable option for bike produced for sale in the US but should not prevent you from having it titled here.

Follow this link and you will find some info and other links on importing vehicles into the US.

http://www.importexporthelp.com/importing-cars.htm

There may be other requirements to get it out of your country but these are the only ones that the US cares about for bringing it in. Also you should hire a Customs broker to get it into the country.
Good luck!

 

[†WÃ￾§†ëD]

yea, like you will have to pay customs and sales tax when you get it here, not to mention everytime you get gas you will have to convert to gallons unless you get U.S. tank, I think its an easy formula culculating liters to gallons? and what about the crankcase, tire pressure, etc. you sure its gonna be worth it?

 

[justintime2]

Unless your good at math, it sounds like your screwed ? The deal I received on the bike out weighed the cost and inconvenience by so much that it was well worth it. However, unless you can get an absolutely spectacular deal that can't be passed on and can trust the vendor/person selling, don't mess with it. Find a good deal on an 03' closeout and move on! An additional point to keep in mind is that Suzuki USA will not honor any Suzuki factory or extended warranty from another country.
Good luck!

 

[BusaFever]

That's some good info justintime2. However, there are several members who went to Canada and bought a bike, and got it back to the US for around $9000. Well, thats what they have said. I bought a Canadian spec bike, but I have no worries as I'm military, which makes mine duty-free. Haven't heard anything about that letter, why does Suzuki charge a grand for it? You had to pay that to get it registered? I better look into this somemore I guess. Thanks, Bill

 

[justintime2]

I did not pay for the Suzuki USA letter. Suzuki USA tells you that you need the US manufacturer letter to get it registered in the US and then they charge you $1000 for it. They do that to stem the tide of people going to Canada for the good deal. However they don't know what they are talking about on this as you only have to get the Suzuki letter from your country of origin. That I know of, no one else charges for it and Suzuki Canada did not charge me. If you follow the above link you will find some more info, but there are special provisions for military personnel. The key thing to all of this is to ensure that you have the white EPA emissions sticker on the frame which all are produced with, without that your in trouble. That is why I posted a response in a thread about people removing stickers from their bikes and recomended that they don't touch that one.

Overall the process was pretty simple. The hard part was doing all the research and learning how this works so I didn't get screwed at customs. When you buy a new bike from a dealer they still charge you the $600 dealer delivery which covers from Suzuki to them, just like a new car would. I ended up paying $1000 for crating and shipping from Nova Scotia to Washington State, and that included a customs broker to get it through the border with no snags. The people who buy from Canada are probably having the letter supllied to customs for clearance when it is brought into the US and they don't even know it, which they don't need to if the dealer has taken care of all that.

Good luck!
JT!  

 

[†WÃ￾§†ëD]

I know the warranty issue is the real deal.... friend of mine has the copper 03 gixxer 1k international model, no probs with it but the local dealers have already said you must go back to vancouver for warranty work....

 

[SuzukiGSX1300RK]

Why would you want to buy a Hayabusa from the UK? To start with the prices are about 40% more than the US.plus shipping costs.
The bike is pretty much the same as a US bike. Speedo in MPH with inset KPH. Fuel Computer in Miles per LTR. Exhaust system the same unless it is for California. Headlamp Im not sure about.Headlight switch is now perminantly on for 03 models. Everything else is a straight conversion from Metric-US measurements which is how the world is.
Unless you are buying one at some rediculously low price that we Brits cant buy one for I would get one in your own country.

 

[justintime2]

Sounds like good advice!

 

[Revlis]

Someone is being funny.... If you find a part on the Busa that isn't metric...Twisted...your a sick sick man...