Price check please.

[boosten lebaron]

So long story short i have been importing vehicles from Europe to the US. For bikes i have been sticking to older 2 strokes as they are an easy sell and are usually sold before i even get them off the ship. This time i may have gone a little out of my depth and started dabbling in other bikes. I grabbed as many trans alps and africa twins as i could find but i also picked up a minty little 1990 gsxr 400. The other bikes i know i can sell and for how much but this little guy is a mystery. Has about 20k and has been meticulously maintained. In fact any bike i get from the UK has been maintained to a level we dream about due to there cumbersome inspection laws. They actually measure things line break line swelling on a yearly basis so everything is in top notch condition. Even scrapped fairings can be a cause to lose your registration. Anyway, I dont know what i could possibly ask for this thing. Im not even sure its worth putting on the boat. I can go about selling it 2 ways- one is a track only bike which would have limited value or the second, more expensive for me option, which would be to sell it with a clear US title. Either way im in it for several grand. I would keep it for myself but ive already got a nice nsr400 lined up for me.

What is everyones thoughts? How much is a bike like this really worth to someone? There will probably only be a couple in the states besides this one. Parts wont be too bad to source. It shares a few items with its american brothers but over in europe the parts are everywhere. Shipping will be an added cost but you should see most parts in a weeks time. I recommend to everyone that buys a bike from me to do a bulk purchase of consumables like cables and sprockets and ship them together to save costs. Its a fun bike for sure but kind of small. Im crapped at 6ft but i can still toss it about. It looks like the blue one in the photo.

[jwm2k3]

Theres definitely a market here for these bikes as you know. I also feel the market is getting stronger. Im sure you know the site raresportbikesforsale.com, theres lots of similar bikes that get attention there. If you contact the site admin Im sure they would have a much better dollar value idea than I would. But, shit, buy the thing anyway and get it over here!

[Garandman]

I've only seen one! I happened to meet up with a female-only motorcycle club from Toronto called the Amazons during Bike Week. One of the women in the group was 4'10 (I guess they used the term "Amazon" loosely).

She'd searched high and low for a bike suitable for her short stature, and found the GSXR400 to be her dream bike.

You'll also find tons of threads on places like Advrider, "What bike for my 5'1" wife?" So to riders of normal stature it's worth little, while to these very short riders it's a dream bike. Seems worthwhile to put out feelers. If you post anything let me know and I'll cross post to Yankee Beemers, they are eclectic.

Oh, pick up as many perfectly restored Ariel Square Fours while you're at it.

[feralchimp]

I personally "know I would love" a 400cc sport bike, but the question of "what would I be willing to pay" is a lot harder to answer. My gut says to ignore the track-only side of the sales question and focus on the clean street title side. How many thousands is "several" on the supply side?

[boosten lebaron]

on my end? I'm probably looking at 2500 to 3000 with a title. if I cut my losses now and just let it hang in my shed I'm only out about 1500. it's a fun bike to ride for sure even if it is small. my nsr125 is about as small but way more fun to ride.

[zombie]

any Africa twins?
had one in Ireland and really want another.
you should have no probs getting 3500 or hang on to it and put it in the mecum auction in vegas next
January and who knows what ya might get.
Japanese bikes went for big money out there this year

[boosten lebaron]

Ive got couple africa twins that ive sent over. The problem with those is they still get decent prices here. Im not likely to find one for under $2500 and after importation im probably looking at closer to $4000 invested. Im giving a couple transalps a try now. Much lower prices all around. Riding them both i prefer the transalp. Its not as much overkill everywhere. they just decent bikes all around.

[zombie]

cheers thanks
i love overkill tho , really miss my africa twin

[388]

Just curious why it costs that much to title the bike here? What is involved?
I would love to have a hook overseas and start bringing some rare to the U.S bikes over !
The only other 400 I have seen lately is an "86" for sale at $5500 with damage to both sides which he does not disclose in his ad or tell you about when you phone him but that is an on crack price IMO

[boosten lebaron]

the title expense comes from actually having to get that title. in mass for example I would need to pay a title fee and pay tax on it again. I pay an entry tax as well so it's double tax effectively. Some bikes the tax is low but as they have nothing to compare some bikes to so it can be all over the place. I tend to guess high and go from there. Sometimes I'm very wrong wrong though. I figured an nsr400 I brought in a few months ago would only be a free hundred but it was actually a few grand.

I've had good luck bringing them into the states. I rarely do the real leg work which is what I'm starting to do now. buy the bikes, ship them and collect/legalise them all myself. I've been acting as more the middle man lately. I get/buy the bike then arrange shipping for it. the buyer is the one that takes care of it on the other end and excepts responsibility.

There are plenty of rare bikes over here to buy. once I figured out how the system worked here it's pretty easy to buy bikes and ship them. They tend to be pretty cheap too. The real bonus is they are so strict here on yearly vehicle inspections that and legal bike you buy is pretty much going to be flawless mechanically and usually visually as well. You can't legally ride or even insure a bike if the fairings have damaged.