Triumphrat

Bonnie06Tangerine · 02-01-2010, 06:39 AM

Hey folks,

I am getting ready to move to northern Japan and just recently found out the requirements with bringing any motorcycle into this country...what a nightmare! I am really pulling my hair out on this one (and I shave my head) because I just happened to find this out because I know some people over there already. It is an absolute nightmare and the reality is, you have to prepare your bike so it will pass the import test the country will put on it and this can get insanely expensive. There are a lot of people over there that have to keep their bike garaged for their entire tour because they can't pay the $5,000 to have it pass the inspection test. With that said, I wanted to start up this thread so that if anyone else should get orders to Japan will have a heads-up on what to expect and what they need to do. This will be a growing step-by-step account and I will finish it off after I do this process and it is all done. Hopefully it can help someone else down the road, this is what I know right now:

1. American military are allowed to bring a bike in under the SOFA agreement but there are extremely strict inspection tests by the Japanese government and passing this test will determine if your bike can be registered in the country.

2. The bike must be brought back to stock form. There is a cold and a hot test. The cold test will incorporate reflectors on the bike, factory information stickers, stock lights, the amount of light emitting on to the rear plate, handlebar, and anything else you can imagine. If you did an airbox removal on your bike then plan on putting the airbox back onto the bike. They will want the manufacturers rated horsepower of the bike and will test that during the hot portion. Having a higher amount of horsepower compared to the manufacturer rating will fail the bike.

3. The hot test incorporates firing the bike out. The bike has to test out to Hinckley's rating. Everyone has to do this test if your bike was made after 2000. There is also an emmission test during the hot portion and I am being told that everyone pays on this part of the test; no one passes the emmission. You must put the stock pipes back on the bike. I am being told that the guys using stock pipes end up paying about $90 on the emission test. Buddy of mine didn't know about this and showed up with his HD with the Vance & Hines pipes on it and was given a $2,000 bill to pay if he wanted to put the bike on the road. The two grand was for the emission test alone.

4. The brakes have to have an ECE rating on them. If there is not a sticker on the bike stating that it complies to ECE standards, then you need a statement from Triumph that it complies to this.

5. The only testing facilities for this are two locations in central Japan around Yokota AB. This is about a $500 trip to bring the bike down from Misawa to have this test done. Okinawa does not have any test facility for this.

6. You must supply an official engine/frame number for the bike along with title and licenses. The template on the bike stating the serial numbers will suffice so long as they are not worn out and can be plainly seen. If they do not then documentation will have to be obtained from the manufacturer.

7. This is a one time deal so you get your bike to pass and then you can bring the back to what you had if you chose to.

This is what I have come up with so far but I will give a A to Z listing of exactly everything I did once I go through it. My goal is to have all this spelled out so that anyone else getting orders to Japan will know exactly what to do and have the time to do it. More to come on this...

Overkill0084 · 02-01-2010, 06:25 PM

PITA!
You must really love your bike to go through all of that.

Lee · 02-01-2010, 07:01 PM

Would it be cheaper to pick up one of those disposable Japanese bikes?

JapanScratchy · 02-02-2010, 01:20 AM

B06T,

I had my triple over there and was able to get a letter (in japanese) from triumph certifying that my bike was made to the Japan specs. As for the emissions it's true, making it stock for the test will do the trick to get you through the test. I am a little surprised there is no check center up near misawa (but i was able to drive to the Yokota one) Make sure you write the base drivers license center asking for all the information they have. I'm sure people have gone through the pain before and figured it all out for you.

On that note, i wouldn't bring my bike to japan again. i didn't get a whole lot of time to ride and buying a cheap-o bike to run around on for your 3yrs there will be much easier. Also, finding someone to work on the bike was TOUGH. I lived just out side of tokyo so their was an Triumph dealer but he took one look at the sprint and said this was the biggest motor he has ever worked on. no confidence instilling even though he did a great job.)

good ruck!
JS

Bonnie06Tangerine · 02-02-2010, 04:38 AM

Thanks for the info Scratchy but it is true; Akishima is the closest one which is the one right down the road from Yokota. This is part of the reason why the cost is so outrageously high if you are stationed anywhere else on the island. Taking the highway down from Misawa to Yokota will cost between $500-$600 with fuel and tolls. You are really screwed if you are stationed on Okinawa because there is no facility whatsoever.

I'm still going to bring the Trumpet though. I am already overseas so my only option would be to have the government ship it back to the states to some storage facility until I move back. If I get everything down and get the bike to pass then no big deal; the biggest cost will be the transportation from Misawa to Yokota. If not then at least the bike is still with me and I can take care of it myself rather than it sit sitting in some crap garage rusting out. There is a Triumph in Hachinohe which is about an hour from the base. I speak Japanese so the communication aspect won't be a problem. So I'm bringing Bonnie; if everything falls through then I will just pick up a beater and keep the Trumpet in the garage where I can at least winterize it/tend to it so I still have a bike when this tour is over.

Bonnie06Tangerine · 02-03-2010, 06:30 PM

If for whatever reason the Trumpet has to stay garaged then I might take advantage of being in Japan and pick up one of these:

I think this bike would be a scream to ride and kind of excited that they are bringing back the CB line with the old school flare to it.

Bonnie06Tangerine · 02-15-2010, 03:34 AM

As promised, I am updating this thread as I find out more things before making the move to Japan. Good news: Triumph offers some very good support in this venture because of the similar hassles people have to go through if they import their bikes to other EU states. I tell you, a lot of Americans complain about California laws but they do not have half the hassles as some of these other countries. Anyways, here is the information that I have found:

Importing Your Bike

If you wish to import your motorcycle into a country where it is not originally from, you may need to make some modifications to your motorcycle. Triumph Motorcycles are unable to advise the modifications required to each model. Please contact your local vehicle registration authority to obtain the required information. Please refer to the links below for more information.

In most cases, to import your motorcycle you will need a Letter of Manufacture or a Certificate of Conformity (COC). To request either of these, please send a letter stating your full name, address and the model and colour of your motorcycle along with a copy of your registration document and your driving license to:

Export Sales Department
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Normandy Way
Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 3BZ

* Please note that if the last six digits of your VIN number is lower than 098000 or built prior to 01/01/2000, then we will not be able to provide a COC. Before this time no EC approval numbers are valid, therefore COC's cannot be printed.

Once again for Japan, you do not need this documentation IF your Triumph was made before 2000.

http://www.triumph.co.uk/uk/6801.aspx

These are the letters that the Japanese authorities are looking for from what I am told. Then it will be a matter of arranging for the hot and cold test. If you have done mods such as airbox removal then get ready to bring your Trumpet back to stock before this test. I will keep updating this thread as I process through this adventure and when it is all said and done and Bonnie is rolling down the road, I will then make up a step by step checklist of what I went through. You know us military types...we need our checklists

daytonalegend · 02-15-2010, 09:23 AM

Across the board that's great information. I was just getting ready to look up how to import my Triumph to England but that link answered all my questions. Thank God my new Sprint was left completely stock, that'll eliminate one headache.

And yes, California is a pain in the ass for everything but hella good riding year round!

Bonnie06Tangerine · 02-15-2010, 11:35 AM

If you plan on remaining overseas like me, then I strongly suggest you keep your bike stock, or at the very least, keep everything so that she can return to stock. I know there is a consensus on this forum that keeping a bike stock is ridiculous but in our situation, it could be the difference between riding our bikes or keeping them garaged for our entire tour. The UK is not nearly as severe as Japan by the way. My Bonnie was shipped from the states and I had minimal amount of things to do in order to get her on the road.

japanrider · 02-25-2010, 06:36 AM

I live here near a Navy base in Yokosuka. Not sure where you are going but should be about the same. I help servicemen get their bikes and cars registered here all the time. I own a car shop and partner on a bike shop here. You will need to have the stock pipes and lights installed. The main thing they check are the blinkers and headlight. The net biggest check is the high gas test. In total you are looking around 200,000 yen to get your bike up and running here.
If you decide to buy a bike here you are looking at about 700,000 yen to get the same bike you have now. A smaller 400cc Japanese crusier will be about 250,000 yen. Email me if you have any questions or need any help here. I do real estate and own a biker/rockabilly bar in Yoko.
Chris