[nikkinesar]

hey guys,

This is Nikki, i'm a banglorean, currently in US, but i'll be comin to blore this may end, i currently own a pulsar 180, and ikon 1.6 nxt back home, but i'm planning to get a sportsbike.

i thought of getting a bike from here, i had even been to a showroom here which got me very confused as to which bike to buy, but then i decided i would go for a brand new cbr 600rr 05 red/black, now the thing is how do i get it. I figured out there are two ways,

1) buy a new one here and get it shipped
2) get one in india from an importer

difficulties

case 1:
to get a bike from here, it would cost 9000$ for the bike, 1000$ shipping, customs minimum 2lakhs.. so it comes to around 7 lakhs.

But things to know and do. the dealer says he won't ship international, I gotta take delivery paying all the road tax and registration and insurance all those stuff and they don't even give the crate.

then i have to take care of it in person to ship it thru other ocean cargo providers, which again is a problem as to which, i heard there is this UTS worldwide service which i heard is good, but idk.

then i don't know if i'll be liable for any export duties to US, which i don't think there will be any. lastly i want to ship the bike to bangalore, but we don't have any port there. so i don't know how it gets there.. i also had the idea of getting a bike shipped directly from japan but coudln't get the right contact and don't know much 'bout it.

Case 2:
if i have to buy one in india, i don't know if there are any good reliable agents or importers in bangalore, and i would be needing it immediately on my arrival in a week. and i don't know if i can get a new one from the crate that early. then, i don't know if those bikes are good ones and not assembled in india. i dont' have the contacts. i don't care if i'll be paying like 50K or 1 lakh more but i would prefer no hassles..

so, this is the case,
i would greatly appreciate you suggestions, advice, opinioins on

suggestions on the bike i thought of buying and any alternative choice,, its color,,
any suggestions 'bout US showroom dealers,,
advice on ocean cargo or shipping providers,,
export & import formalities,,
will any influence work for the customs or bribes (how much),,
any details if i could get it directly from japan,, and contacts,,

agents or importers in and around bangalore or any other good reliable sources,, contacts..
is it possible to get the bike in a week brand new..
what r ur opinions 'bout the assembled imported bikes from agents in india, r they same as the imported as a whole bikes,,
how much would it cost in india,,

any agents,, importers, sellers.. plz. let me know,, i'm a serious buyer

i'm hoping you guys will be of great help to me. plz.

awaiting you reply,

nikki

[nikkinesar]

if at all i'm getting it shipped, how do i get it shipped to bangalore as ther is no port,, do i need to ship to chennai or mumbai or cochin.. plz. let me know

thanks in advance

[bikefreak]

You cannot go wrong when u choose a Honda !!
And a 600 is just right for India. Any more and its a waste.
But I personally would prefer the F4i rather than the RR unless u want to race on track !!
It's anyday better than a RR for city driving and long distance travel in many aspects.
Red & black is my favourite combo. Of couse that dosen't really matter and can be changed whenever u feel like.

I think u could get a brand new F4i / RR in Bangalore / Mumbai within a couple of weeks for about 8 - 9 lacs and no hassles if you go through a dealer.
If u import it yourself, the shipping itself would take about a month and clearance would be a nightmare. The cost of 7 lacs that u've calculated is approximate, keep a margin of at least 20% for unexpected expenses.

Now u decide.
In fact if u're lucky, there may be a brand new F4i waiting for u at the dealers.
Inspect it, pay and drive away
Now-a-days, there r a lot of brand new bikes coming in every other day & the commonest r the CBRs & the busas.
There r still 2 months for u to come. Within that period there would be at least 6 - 8 new RRs & F4is that would be coming to India (rough estimate). Have someone pay an advance and block one for u. Come here and take delivery.

I have a CBR 600 myself and am speaking from first hand knowledge.

Cheers

[GTO]

Nikki,

Get one from a good dealer in India itself. I had recently seen 2005 R6's going for 7 lacs. Even if the difference on an RR comes to 1 - 2 lacs, its just not worth the hassle since you arent familiar with the procedules and neither do you appear to have the contacts.

GTO

[revtech]

yeah dude just hang on dont rush into anything i dont think you should import one .its really not worth the hassels and money.just hold on get in touch with a dealer here and get yourself one !!!

[bikefreak]

BTW nikkinesar, why have u selected 'unhappy face' icon for your message ?!
Seems like a pretty exciting future to me

Another thing, most bikes imported by dealers are from the gulf or the eastern countries as the cost turns out to be cheaper due to following
cheaper cost of bike than US
cheaper shipping & insurance.
Lesser duty as it depends on all of above ie CIF (cost+insurance+freightage)
some possibility of manipulation of papers.

All these lead to the cost dropping down by more than 10% and that is their margin

[manson]

dude bangalore is the place to find some great bikes at amazing prices , just come down and you ll get one easily , and i m sure there are enough bhpians in bangalore who would be more than willing to help you out .

manson .

[nikkinesar]

i see most of u guys r saying to get one in india... well i understand that's easier... but as i still have a two months before i'm there, i'm still thinking of getting one from here.. the reason being i'll be getting a brand new straight out from the crate,, i don't know what's the case there..

here the things are getting better,, i had been to the showroom again to get the final price and all the info.. the cbr 600rr red/black costs around 9400$ which comes to around 4.2 lakhs on road.. without registration... r6 comes to around 8800$ blue which is around 4lakhs.. now i'm reallly confused which to go for.. plus & minus.. cbr.. exhaust under the seat which is good but makes it look thin from the back.. r6 brake oil near the handle,, exhaust on the side.. plz give me ur suggestion guys,,

and 'bout shipping.. i got the quote for 700$... from this company APX,, but i heard that UTS is good,, still waiting for the quote..

and customs,, i'm just thinking 2lakhs should do as bribe and some influence...

so far this is goin' smooth... let me see how far it gets,, if any probs, i can always get one there.. rite

guys help me decide on 600r or r6..

thanks in advance..

[Rtech]

now i'm reallly confused which to go for

Man, just go for the one which you think looks better! They are both comparable on performance and any difference would be down to the rider, not the bike. Judging from the way you talk about these bikes, I don't think you have too much experience, so it won't really make a difference.

However, I would suggest the R6 for you as it has more low down torque and a better daily rider. You would probably be faster on it as well as it would give you more confidence. A confident rider is a fast rider.

[jesal]

its much better buy from india itself since u do not have much idea about importing the same. should be 1 lak more than what u can do the work for but it should be hassle free i guess. do some research on the net regarding the same

[nikkinesar]

i guess i'm changing my mind to go for r6.. but how does blue color r6 look on indian roads.. before i wanted to go for red color but r6 doen'st look good in red.. but honda does,, but it looks so thin from the back.. as the exhaust is under the seat.. and i guess if i go for r6 i can also have the option to change the exhaust if wanted.. one more reason i didn't want to go for r6 is for the brake fluid near the handle.. but i guess when we cover the windshield it won't be seen.. what do say guys,, give me your choice..

[Rtech]

The master cylinder is always on the handlebars on bikes.

Make sure you go for the latest '05 R6 and not the older '04's. The 05's have USD forks and a bit more power.

BTW, have you seen the Kawasaki ZX6R? take a look at that before you decide. More extremem than either the CBR or R6, but man...what a bike!

[vinsanity]

Rt,
If he chks the zx6r, he'l surely luv it even more than the others.. The confusion will go on and on.. hehehee...
Guess he should settle down for the R6..
Its his hoice, he should ride all of then and finally decide..

[bikefreak]

Whatever u decide, I have one request . . .

If u ultimately do get it from the US, please note down all the details, procedures, forms to be filled, permissions, costs, time frame, packing tips, custom rates, evaluation procedure, registration procedure etc etc. . . . . . along with the phone numbers etc.

This will be a big help for many others who've been wanting to get one from the US (including myself) !!
Remember WRITE everything down or u'll forget.

[Rtech]

It's simply not worth the effort for an individual who has no contacts to try an import a vehicle themselves.

Written laws are simply there to act as a reference point as to how much money you need to give under the table. While one guy may pay X amount, another guy a day later may have to pay X+Y amount simply becasue the customs officer didn't like his face or he has bad bargaining powers.

You don't pay and want to do it officially, well, the bike would probably be impounded in the warehouse for months while the paperwork is sorted out. When you finally clear this hurdle and go to pick up your bike, you will find things broken, missing and stolen. Whatever is left will be covered in layers of dust and muck and the seat would have been chewed by a rat who's babies are living in your air filter.

So, after months of running around, paying 150% duty, you end up with a bike that was, once upon a time, in good condition. So you now need to put in another Rs.50K and buy back the parts which were stolen off your own bike for a ridiculous price. Then hope that the guy you gave your bike to fix knows what he is doing.

By this time you are so disillusioned and dishearted that you give up biking forever and buy a M800 and be happy with it.

So, do you still want to import a bike yourself?