Hibernation or Import?

Hi Gents

I have been on a Guzzi sabbatical since mid 2014 when I moved from Brisbane to the US to try my hand at starting a business over here.  Was touch and go whether I could make a go of it and stay here but am now past the ramen noodle eating stage and now look to be here for several more years at least.  Am moving from Huntsville, Alabama down to Orlando, Florida this month and my Street Glide riding business partner has convinced me to get back riding again.  

My 2010 Tenni GRiSO has been babysat by a relative in NSW and only gets a short run once a month and I have to decide whether to 1) put it into long term storage until I get back (eventually) and buy one here, or 2) try and go through the process of importing it to the US, get it complianced and registered in FL.

A lot happened while I was away, the engine went from being bulletproof to not, so it is getting the full treatment from Pete in April when he has a slot in the workshop.  Pete has already told me I would be better off buying a new one here because importing and compliancing is cost prohibitive.  

But, since that bike is mine forever, would appreciate input on how cost prohibitive it is and what is involved?

I'd imagine it would be very, very difficult to get it in permanently. Given how cheap Guzzis are in the US compared to here my suggestion would be buy a 2013 or later GRiSO in the US and if you must have the Tenni paint scheme just get your bodywork sent over and bolt it on. It would be much, much cheaper and less complicated than shipping yours over and then having to go through whatever torturous process is required at both state and federal levels to get it street legal.

I'm not suggesting it would be impossible but I'm sure it would be a super-king-sized pain in the arse!

Pete

Thanks Pete, that actually makes a lot of sense, didn't think of doing that. Will start looking around.

If you are going to be staying in the US for a few years, maybe permanently, but certainly for a few years this is what I would do and why.

1.) Buy a factory roller bike in the US. Simply because it will be so much easier and cheaper.

2.) Rollerise your bike here, swap it's bodywork out, (I can help with that, I have a spare set but I'd want it replaced after you'd swapped out your 'Tenni' bodywork and seat.) then sell it. Why sell it? Nothing risks damaging a machine like leaving it parked for years doing nothing, even if it prepped well for storage.

3.) Ride and enjoy your new bike for however long you stay. You'll have a far better chance of building a rapport with it than the poor, lonely old thing here in Oz. Also, when you do return to Oz, because you will of been an expat for more than two years your bike will meet the special exemption clause of the import regs and you'll have no problem bringing it back in.

All in all this will be a whole lot easier than trying to get your current bike to the US. I can also quite happily on sell it from Bungendore after I've rollerised it if you decide to go down that path so you don't have to leave your relos holding the baby.

Pete

Hey Greg, leave it at my house and I'll flog the living crap out of it frequently ride it regularly.





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Easy!
buy one in the states and bring it home with you when you return.
You have to own for one year, then bringing it back in as a 'Personal Import' is pretty easy.
how do I know?
I did it.
All up, new purchase ($9500), with extras (hard cases, tankbag.. etc) shipping, clearance, Aussie rego and insurance = $13,000
Buy here in Oz at same time =$22,000 -and at the time the dollars were on par.
No brainer.
shoulda bought two!! (you can't sell the second one for 12 months however)

-let Beetle and Pete look after your current one

Oh, and just so you know, Florida has NO curves in the roads, I mean none. -wait, unless you count the cloverleaf onramps (which they do!!)

If Beetle and Pete look after it, it would only be fair that I leave it registered in my name so Mr Plod can send the speeding tickets to me as well

I figure I will buy one here and do a swap out of the body as Pete suggests and then sell  

I got attached to the GRiSO having gone through all its growing pains, took a sabbatical and now find those birthed before 2013 have a terminal disease that only a multi organ transplant from Dr Roper can fix.  Those ones ended up having parents that were siblings and inherited all the recessive genes but I still love them.

My mate bought an Aprilia Shiver the same time I bought my GRiSO five years ago.  He bought it for $12K, rode it with me on weekends down to behind the Gold Coast, through the Numinbah Valley and into northern NSW; his sole expenditures were fuel, rego, a battery tender and yearly servicing. He sold it for $8700 last month.  He didn't love his though, it was just a bike. Mine was my companion and kept me sane.

We were talking about all the cosmetic and emergency medical intervention that I have done that made me more attached to the bike and why it will be hard to let it go. The oil pressure sensor leak; the gasket leaks; the spark plug lead arcing; the 30A fuze blowing randomly and taking out my headlight when riding at night (causing the shop over several visits to replace every relay,light globe and taking apart the whole electrical system - it was the green gunk under the outwardly pristine looking earthing cable bolt as Pete suggested - wire brush and copper washer fix). The right hand side exhaust that took Guzzitech 5 months to send after I paid for it - 'like a V8 but not loud' my ass - dyno tuned so it would run then was 108dB!!! - like standing next to a circular saw without ear muffs -  taken straight off by the now deaf dyno mechanic, shipped back to CA then a partial refund after another 3 months...  I still loved the bike though.

Having the front and rear shocks rebuilt/reshimmed by Ghezzi's guy and putting in a heavier spring, getting the sag and preload right and then trialing all the different combinations of rebound and compression adjustments - that transformed the handling for a non midget sized 100kg/220lb rider; the screen; the HH brake pads that fixed the brake response; the tail rack; having the seat foam reshaped so I could ride all day; the Termignoni exhaust, and then the mostly Mark and a lot of Pete performance enhancing drug collaboration that transformed the engine so it rode beautifully and I got 300km/186miles per tank. I learned from Pete's tutorials how to check the valve gaps (always spot on), how to balance the TB's and change the oils between dealer services just because I wanted to.  I did some of the beta testing of Mark's early maps, carried my cables and laptop in the tail bag to try each new edition, not sure how great my ineloquent feedback was but I tried.

In the end, all of those problems are easy fixes if I came across them now and most should be preventive. The Tenni green is still the bike for me and no other.

Good point about Florida bahamazoo,nothing like Australia.  I think over here, we will mostly be doing trips but enough of the guys I work with ride and there is enough of a scene - not being on a Harley is a point of pride for me. Trailer them or ship somewhere ahead of time and do something memorable when we get time.

ecs wrote:

I figure I will buy one here and do a swap out of the body as Pete suggests and then sell  

Soooo...(thoughtfully rubs beard)...would you consider selling it without the tank and tupperware?

It could make sense if it works for both of us, I guess I could sell the red and black SE bodywork over here.  You thinking of making an all black SE?

Let's talk turkey when it get closer to fruition. It goes to Pete end of the month to start the transmogrification.  

This is what I think this process will be like (german language is all i could find quickly but you get the picture)

ecs wrote:

You thinking of making an all black SE?

Something like that.

If I could be arsed I'd love to do my frame a different colour.

Problem is I'm far too lazy

Pete

I want a black frame, but stripping the bike to get it done? Nup. Can't be arsed.

I also want 'normal' brake rotors. Having spare engine/driveline/electrics doesn't sound too foul either.

I can normally buy anything I want (within reason) without approval from the Minister for War & Finance. This might require an appropriate submission (plus the other type of submission) for approval. Depends on how many drachma Greg wants.

Ahhh Florida....
90º turns? yes
Bends? no.
Retirement homes? oh yes!
Gators? yup.
State Troopers with big hats? yessiree
Helmets? only if you want to...
Curves?... follow the straight roads to the nearest Hooters...

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So you are telling me there is nothing like this?

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Was spoiled

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The highest point in the state is 312 ft.

so, over in the US...

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meanwhile, back in Oz...
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oh wait... its just a typo with the 1 and the 2....

the reeming continues...

ecs, i hope you are not basing in Ft Lauderdale are you....

this one is proudly called " 9 Bends"...

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But add the 6% FL sales tax, then tag and title fees etc, you are looking at well north of AUD$18K to buy it in the US.

Anyone know what sort of discount to look for off MSRP in the US?

Haha, not in Ft Lauderdale but those exit ramps look awesome. I took one up here way too quick in the rain in my 6300lb truck the other day and thank god for traction control.

Moving to Orlando starting this Sunday. Will be a month or so until the missus finds the right house so bike again in May sometime I guess. I just want a 3 car garage, she wants a covered pool.