W800

I currently have a Kawasaki Voyager and two kz 750 twins in the stable. As I get older I find myself more comfortable on the 750's than on the larger bike. I have been waiting for Kawasaki to bring the W800 to the states but once again it seems not to be happening. I am 62 years old and do not have a lot of riding left- I love my bikes but I would like to own a new twin with modern electronics and a starter clutch that I usually just cross my fingers and hope it works
This brings me to a question does anyone have any experience with importing a bike sold in europe and not the US. I don't mind lack of dealer support but was just wondering what the problems would be in calling a european Kawasaki dealer and have them put a bike in a crate and send to US
Thanks

Have you tried a W650? That was sold here in the US till 2002 I believe.

i'm wondering (being as how you live in Wisconsin)if you could take a road trip up to canada and buy one there and bring it back. :whistle:

i have heard stories of guys who went to canada with a van and bought new dirt bikes then stopped off and got them all dirty roosting on some dirt roads then came back across the border and said they had just been up riding for the day and because the bikes were all muddy the border patrol didn't want to bother with getting them out to check em over.

i'm sure with a road bike you better have your ducks in a row.
nobody wants there new bike jacked by customs.

maybe find a kaw dealer in canada and call them.
you might ask around on
www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=619303
surely some of those guys have imported some bikes.

leon

How about a new/modern Triumph Bonneville?

531blackbanshee wrote: maybe find a kaw dealer in canada and call them.
you might ask around on
www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=619303
surely some of those guys have imported some bikes.

leon

Kawasaki Canada doesn't seem to list the W800 on their website. There have been a few Canadians asking for this model but I also hear that the W650 did not sell well here and for that reason we are unlike to see it.

Getting a grey market bike titled in the USA will likely be a problem. I read somewhere one of the issues was getting that model to adhere to the DOT emissions standards - so it was never imported into the USA.

Kawasaki did a lousy job promoting the W650 - and dropped it in the USA much earlier than the rest of the world. The bike has a niche following - but Kawasaki USA has already started discontinuing parts for that bike. We've been contacted by a few W650 owners to get them parts from Kawasaki in Japan.

How about a new/modern Triumph Bonneville? I'd like to ride one of the new Triumphs