Disclaimer - Long post coming up:
aadix: 2 years??? Took me just a week. I know what you mean, for every 9 grey bikes there is 1 which has clear titles. Am not sure how but somehow the legal ones fall into my lap, he he he, for eg. the R6 bought last weekend was imported by the seller himself, had a valid bill of entry with the appropriate duty amount with his passport number etc, and other supporting documents from the RTO.
Incidentally, he's on Tbhp too
Netchef = cbr900rr? I remember meeting him for a cuppa many years ago, sadly couldnt pick up his blade because I was more inclined towards another..
You can import any motorcycle you want on TR, there is no cc restriction as long as you pay the duty, it's as simple as that. Dont believe ANYTHING else you read anywhere.
Some tips for those who want to buy a used SBK:
1. Check the VIN (first thing.... use google, for help on what to look for and how)
2. Get info on the bike from anyone who knows the seller, someone must know its history, these bikes are unique enough to be known (lot of sports bikes are usually crashed, repainted, crashed again, repainted again, an easy way to figure that is a weird pain job or a lot of unnecessary aftermarkets, though it is unfair to generalise as a lot of people use aftermarkets on their whim too..), its ok to buy a crashed bike, except that the price has to be lowered and the repair has to have been top notch.
3. Import Papers for grey bikes: Ask for a bill of entry, see how much duty is on it, simple. If you see a 600/1000 with 50000 duty (part payment facility) on it, stay away. If you see a 600/1000 with 150000 duty on it, buy it, still makes sense, just put a lakh in a fixed deposit in the event that you are called by the DRI to clear the dues (usually duties for used bikes range between 2-4 lakhs, usually around the 3 mark), here again, in my experience bikes prior to 2002 usually have no issues because a lot of them are genuine TRs and besides the whole DRI crackdown was on the schmucks who were bringing them in by the truckloads post 05 dismantled and/or on fake TR with part duty. You can factor depreciation of the bikes value upto 70% from its sale price when negotiating for balance duties to be paid.
**There are fake and re-used bills of entry going around so be careful to match ALL data accurately with that mentioned ON the bike for sale**
4. RTO papers for grey bikes: The make and model should be accurate (eg. not R15 for an R1!), same goes with displacement, cylinders, weight, etc etc etc.. Typically, comprehensive insurance for a 4-6 year old 600/1000 should be in the range of 4000-6000 Rs with the valuation at 4-6 lakhs, Road tax should be in the region of 40000-60000 (for eg. my V Max has 45k, again with valuation of around 4.5L, the R6 has 52000), if everything falls in order, you are moving towards a legal bike. My friend almost bought a "legal" Hayabusa last week with no BOE, and 8k road tax on it. The sellers argument: It has a "Smartcard". Sorry, that makes NO difference. A 5 lakh machine cannot have 8k road tax (though I wish it did!) even if the BOE has gone "missing" over 5-10 years.
Briefly put, its ok to buy a grey bike provided the source is credible and the above basic parameters check out. For eg. If the BOE duty is less, you can bargain on the price and put some of that money aside to clear the duties yourself (something the DRI appreciates), if it has a crash history, further lowering of price, if it is legally imported BUT has faulty RTO papers (yes, strangely, that happens too), further price reduction (you can always get a fresh RC made simple because your bike is not an R15 or an FZ15, it is an R1 or an FZ1.)
So all in all, as I said earlier, for 4-6 lakhs, it is well possible to get a fully legal 600/1000 sports bike (or any bike for that matter.) by using your common sense.
The places to look? I call a few friends and they pass on the word and that goes around and finally results in 5-10 bikes to choose from, some grey, some legal. The inbox is usually flooded with bikes, let me know if you want some forwards, will be happy to help.
I personally have no issues with a grey bike. An eg. was offered a crashed 08 CBR600RR for 2.5 yesterday with some damage, but easily repairable within 50000 or so. Let us assume (because I dont have BOE details yet) the bike has a duty of 1.5L on it, I would buy it straightaway. Because if you do the math, I spend 2.5 on the bike, 50000 to fix it, that makes 3L, now, I keep aside 2 lakhs for duties and that makes 5 lakhs for a 2008 CBR600RR (2nd best supersport in the world for its year just behind the ZX-6R) with drop dead looks, PC, exhaust etc etc.
Hence I recommend those who arent satisfied with the Hyosungs capabilities to take some time out and hunt for a machine which does satisfy their needs.
Most importantly: Although, let me state here that it has taken a few years and a lot of broken bones to continue riding, so if anyones plan is to buy a fast sports bike and become the next street Rossi, you are in for a very rude surprise, please make an informed decision regarding your riding abilities and which bike suits those abilities, no ego here, be practical. Buying a bike is very easy. I've seen way too many 18-24 year olds spending papas money on SBKs around Maddur/Intl Airport roads and get sms of crashed bikes for sale the next day
(One guy died right outside my office because he thought his R1 was fast enough to go through a traffic light without needing to look left or right and went into a Sumo), his bike was on sale for 90000. Being an "enthusiast" too, counts for NOTHING, unless you practise. One too many enthusiasts from many forums here and there have bitten the dust sooner or later. The smart ones survive and ride till they're ripe. If Wayne Rainey could lose his legs, so can you
Feel free to send me a pm if anyone wants a bike, will help all I can.
Note from the Team-Bhp Support Staff: Kindly note that mention of alcohol is not allowed.