Honda Japan bikes that they should bring over here

[Cormanus]

I reckon that CB223 is just lovely.

[emptysea]

So, I have concluded from this thread that there is no bike that Honda should not bring over here. LOL

[rboe]

Correct.

[ClassicVW_imp]

^^^ +1 ! ^^^

[Henrik_imp]

It is interesting to see that there is always a bit of “I want what I can’t have”. I can understand that a company will select models from their line-up that they believe will have the most success in any market. Clearly it will not be particularly beneficial for them to import bikes that only a handful of clients will actually buy, and that they prefer to focus on the popular models. At present, it would seem as if the demand for the CB is simply not sufficient to sustain it presence in many markets, and as much as this will annoy some, from a management perspective it probably makes sense.

From this site I have learnt about the existence of the GB500 for example. This bike, which actually appeals to me very much, was never proposed here in Switzerland. Reading about it online, it seems as if it was proposed through US Honda dealers, albeit through a sort of grey import solution. As it turns out, it really didn’t sell well in the US, and in the end 1’000 unsold bikes were then shipped to Germany to be sold there. The bike seems to be something comparable to perhaps an SR400 or something, and I really like the classic looks of it. I actually think it looks much better than the SR400, and would love to find one here as my second bike, but alas there are none available in Switzerland. It seems as if it may have been a bike that would appeal to the crowd here, but obviously it had no sales success in the US.

[the Ferret]

Henrik can you buy one from Germany?

[Henrik_imp]

Yes I could, and I am thinking of checking the market out a bit to see what I can find. It is a great time as well because the Swiss Franc is really strong these days.

[Cormanus]

The more we live in a global market, the less sense it makes for every country to set its own standards in emissions, lighting, approval to use on the road, etc. Of all motorized transport devices, a motorcycle ought to be the easiest to set up to export anywhere in the world. So, if I want a CB1100 EX (or DLX because as much as I like to look at spokes, I don't want to have to clean them) in Australia, I ought to be able to ask my friendly Honda dealer to press the order button and have one shipped from the factory. How hard can it be?

[Henrik_imp]

Totally agree with you Cormanus. In Europe we have at least had the advantage of regulations being standardized across all the countries, so it is much easier to buy from another country. Here in Switzerland this has resulted in several operations doing grey imports this way so you don't need to deal with any of the hassles involved (although there are not many). Maybe you should try speaking with Takashi to see if he can help get an EX from Japan to Australia?

I did a quick check of some second hand bike sites in Germany and have found three GBs. I like this one which is a little bit scruffy, but has some cool dual pipes on it:



But..... this is going to be a project for the summer, so I will pick things up in a few months.

[the Ferret]

The more we live in a global market, the less sense it makes for every country to set its own standards in emissions, lighting, approval to use on the road, etc. Of all motorized transport devices, a motorcycle ought to be the easiest to set up to export anywhere in the world. So, if I want a CB1100 EX (or DLX because as much as I like to look at spokes, I don't want to have to clean them) in Australia, I ought to be able to ask my friendly Honda dealer to press the order button and have one shipped from the factory. How hard can it be?

wouldn't that be nice!