Wishing to import my Bullet (2001 AVL 350) to US

[hmishra83]

Hey Fellow Team-BHPians,

I think this is the best forum to seek the right answers. Here is my query -
When I turned 18, I was gifted a bike - RE Machismo A350. I have taken good care of it and loved it because of not just the emotional value but the sheer value of this machine. I loved riding it. 'Loved' because, its been a year since I haven't seen it.

I an in US (NY,NJ) right now and am gonna be based here for some time to come. Without anyone back in India to ride it, my bike is getting wasted and it hurts me here. I have seen more than a couple of Bullets in NYC and know that they have an official dealer network here too. The next thing for me is to get my bike here and roll...

I can sort the shipping, packing, etc. from India. I want some help from you guys about the registration and any other formalities that you guys can think of which may make the process painful ENOUGH for me to drop my plans. I can do the paperwork, visit the offices, etc. Is there anyone out there who may have done or attempted to do something similar in the past. This is almost like a reverse brain drain

Any help would be sincerely appreciated. I hope I can ride my bike and keep its glory alive in this part of the world for some years to come!

[dinar]

First off, check the US, customs and DOT websites, this will give you a rough idea of what is needed to get a used vehicle in US and registration formalities.
I think the bike does not comply to the emission norms there, and hence you will not be able to take it there, or find some imported of bullets [if any] to get it to specs. they will do it for you.
Another option is taking it as a classic bike or replica [the import norms are eased off for this type of import].
Thats about it.

[MumBiker]

You can refer to this. Royal Enfield | Private imports

Also see : Importing Vehicles and Engines | US EPA & U.S. Residents Importing and Exporting Vehicles - CBP.gov

Hopefully you can find someone who has done this very recently for a one on one input.

Better than a thousand hollow sounds, is one sound that brings peace!!!
--The Thump

Happy Thumping !!

[kuttapan]

Originally Posted by hmishra83

Hey Fellow Team-BHPians,

I think this is the best forum to seek the right answers. Here is my query -
When I turned 18, I was gifted a bike - RE Machismo A350. I have taken good care of it and loved it because of not just the emotional value but the sheer value of this machine. I loved riding it. 'Loved' because, its been a year since I haven't seen it.

Sincere advise - Forget about this idea. The Indian bike is a lot different from what is exported to US and will not make it out of customs. Only the classic bikes(they have a cut-off year: Before 1970 or so) are exempt for meeting their regulations and your bike stands a good chance of being impounded and crushed, if it does not pass their import norms.

Ask a close friend or an uncle to take care of the Bullet while you are away. If you are going to take a long long time and have no one to take care of the bike, mothball the bike and store it in a crate(assuming you do not want to sell at any cost).

[hmishra83]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Ill go through the links provided and see what I wanna do next.

[Mpower]

Bullets are sold in the USA. You can go in for either new or used depending on your budget.

OT: Couple of days ago I was watching TV and there was a ad for some face cream and there was a guy shown sitting on a Bullett.

[prasadee]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Bullets are sold in the USA. You can go in for either new or used depending on your budget.

OT: Couple of days ago I was watching TV and there was a ad for some face cream and there was a guy shown sitting on a Bullett.

If you check cycle trader you will be able to get a used one that is legal in your state. For a state like Calif. you will need the bike to be emission compliant. AFAIK, Enfield ships it to an intermediate location to have these modifications made. You can be sure you will not have issues getting it registered.

If you are married to your bike (absolutely need your bike, sentimental attachment, etc) then you can continue on your path.
-Prasad

[Nitin]

I agree with Prasadee. If you really want to go through the process, then by all means there should be a way out to get things done. I can understand the passion for your bike, so I say go for it!
Good luck, and keep us posted!

[COUGAR]

You will not be allowed to import the Indian made bike because the Indian RE does not conform to certain stipulations: lke in the use of asbestos based items in the brakes for eg.

it would be better if you sold off your current ride and bought a new Enfield in the US. The machines RE sells in the US are quite diff from the stuff you get here: better brakes, Pirelli tubless tyres etc etc. And not all that expensive either.

[hmishra83]

Thanks for the suggestion sguys. But, as someone mentioned, I am married to my bike
I may still buy one here, maybe something different.
Prasadee - Any more details that you may have about the intermediate location and can share, would be
really appreciated. Thanks!

[gt_mustang]

i do want to add this

y a bullet ONLY when u can drive all the other bikes in the world there
get urslef another bike and if u are still unhappy think about the bull

[hmishra83]

@gt - the reason behind even considering all of this is because of the bonding that I have with my old bike...its more thinking from the heart than the head. if i was being as rational as I can be, I wouldn't have started this thread

[Sawyer]

I would even say that it is impossible to do this now. It will never get past US customs. Check with Kevin Mahoney at www.enfieldmotorcycles.com for any more input.

[hmishra83]

:( I think ill just preserve the bike in the best possible manner I can!
By the way, that link didn't work?!?!

[deepclutch]

Carnette De Passage ?What say?