Direct im- and exporting parts and bikes?

[flynrider]

From what I understand, importing motor vehicles into the U.S. is a giant pain in the butt and costs a lot of money. Lots of red-tape and lots of time.

It is. You have to go through both DOT and EPA evaluation and testing. Anything that is not to DOT standards needs to be modified to comply. It takes months and thousands to do it. That's why you don't see too many of the cool bikes that are sold outside the U.S. market. It's just not worth it. Pretty much the only vehicles that go through the process are ultra high dollar sports and luxury cars.