Anyone import and FJR in Canada?

[Edzo]

I am seriously thinking of going south to acquire an '06 to '08 FJR. I checked out the Canadian Customs site and the RIV site. So I know you need a recall clearance letter from the manufacturer regarding recalls for the vehicle in question. Question is, is that a PIA to get? Does it cost money for them to process this piece of paper? How long does it take to acquire this Recall Clearance Letter? Secondly the vehicle must bear a Statement of Compliance label. If I am looking for this label where should it be located on the bike? It also requires a Metric speedometer but from what I read here on the forum the U.S. bikes have it built in. It's just a matter of pushing a button to enable Kilometers to be read on the speedo. I hope I am correct on this one, for that could be expensive to replace a speedo. Lastly all lights are to be on all the time here in Canada. Is that also the case in the U.S. or any of the lower 48 states? And if not what might be involved to have the bike configured to have it's lights on 24/7?

And for me the big thing is. Are there any duties applicable to importing a bike that was made for the U.S. but manufactured in Japan? I spent hours last night trying to find something online that would answer that question to no avail. It's like they don't want to tell you anything regarding duties. Like it's a big secret, and it's up to their descresion on how they will deal with you when the time comes. What kind of $%%$ is that? People should be able to know without a crystal ball what they are in for, so that they know they are not getting screwed. At least that's how I see it.

Any help regarding all this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help

 

[wfooshee]

GenI has the metric/US switching on the gauges, GenII does not. I don't know if GenII bikes have dual scales on the speedometer, but the odo is for its country of sale.

 

[mattster31]

I did it last spring...................easy breezy.

You can call Yamaha US for the recall letter. The numbers are here

Yamaha Canada 1-416-498-1911

Yamaha U.S.A 1-714-761-7300

1-800-962-7926

Ask for customer relations, give them the VIN and they will send you a letter.

The Compliance sticker is on the frame by the forks.

Be sure to give the US customs a copy of the "title" 3 days before you bring it over.

When you bring it through, all you need is the bill of sale form the owner (be honest, they check, trust me) and the "title". You pay GST on the Canadian dollar value at the border. The RIV fee can be paid on-line when you're home. Take it to Canadian tire for the RIV inspection (it's a joke, waste of money IMO)

Once they fax approval off to the RIV office, you will get the new sticker in the mail.

You then go to the DMV with the paperwork (and insurance) for your plate/sticker. There you will pay PST on the Canadian value that was calculated when you crossed over.

The VIN is checked not only by US customs, but the DMV in Canada. Make sure it's a "clean" title to avoid any hassles.

I can't answer the speedo question, but my GenI was fine.

As for the headlights, they are on all the time anyways, so you're good there.

That's about it......................easy breezy.

 

[Jonn46]

I bought an 07 last spring from Vermont and it was very easy. I more then saved enough money to make it worthwhile.

Yes make sure to tell the truth to customs, they actually asked me where I saw the ad. When I told the Craigslist, they went online to check it out.

John

 

[Edzo]

I did it last spring...................easy breezy.You can call Yamaha US for the recall letter. The numbers are here

Yamaha Canada 1-416-498-1911

Yamaha U.S.A 1-714-761-7300

1-800-962-7926

Ask for customer relations, give them the VIN and they will send you a letter.

The Compliance sticker is on the frame by the forks.

Be sure to give the US customs a copy of the "title" 3 days before you bring it over.

When you bring it through, all you need is the bill of sale form the owner (be honest, they check, trust me) and the "title". You pay GST on the Canadian dollar value at the border. The RIV fee can be paid on-line when you're home. Take it to Canadian tire for the RIV inspection (it's a joke, waste of money IMO)

Once they fax approval off to the RIV office, you will get the new sticker in the mail.

You then go to the DMV with the paperwork (and insurance) for your plate/sticker. There you will pay PST on the Canadian value that was calculated when you crossed over.

The VIN is checked not only by US customs, but the DMV in Canada. Make sure it's a "clean" title to avoid any hassles.

I can't answer the speedo question, but my GenI was fine.

As for the headlights, they are on all the time anyways, so you're good there.

That's about it......................easy breezy.

Thanks for your efforts it is much appreciated. So I take it there are no duties applicable to the sale of a Japanese motorcycle? That's excellent news for sure. How did you check for a clean title? I thought that if the person has the title to the bike it is a clean title, or the lender would have it if there was moneys owing on it. But I guess people can put a lien on anything without having the title to it. How did you check it out?

I guess this whole process could take a week of back and forth and stuff to get things in place to get it across the border. That's fine I am up for it. Hopefully it won't be to long till it happens.

 

[mattster31]

Nope................no duty on a motorcycle into Canada. Just GST. As for the title, you need to be sure, so call the DMV for the state it's registered and ask. I did for mine. I just had to give her the VIN, and she verified it was a "clean" title. Due to privacy reasons, that is all you will get. As far a a lien goes, Carfax might be able to answer that , but it's not a sure thing. Go with your gut. Obviously, if it's someone from this forum you are buying from, then chances are everything is fine. It's just a few phone calls and paperwork, and it's well worth the savings form the cost of one in Canada!!! Good luck.

 

[Edzo]

Nope................no duty on a motorcycle into Canada. Just GST. As for the title, you need to be sure, so call the DMV for the state it's registered and ask. I did for mine. I just had to give her the VIN, and she verified it was a "clean" title. Due to privacy reasons, that is all you will get. As far a a lien goes, Carfax might be able to answer that , but it's not a sure thing. Go with your gut. Obviously, if it's someone from this forum you are buying from, then chances are everything is fine. It's just a few phone calls and paperwork, and it's well worth the savings form the cost of one in Canada!!! Good luck.

I was thinking!! Yeah I know! That's a dangerous thing to do. But what do you do for insurance if you want to ride the new bike up from where you bought it? If you are lucky enough to have a friend with a pickup or have a trailer that is great. But most likely I'll have my wife drive me down and I'll want to ride it back up here. Can you get insurance for a machine that isn't registered in your province of residence? I guess I could call ICBC and get the old run around. But I thought I would ask here first to get some first hand advice.

 

[Maura]

Nope................no duty on a motorcycle into Canada. Just GST. As for the title, you need to be sure, so call the DMV for the state it's registered and ask. I did for mine. I just had to give her the VIN, and she verified it was a "clean" title. Due to privacy reasons, that is all you will get. As far a a lien goes, Carfax might be able to answer that , but it's not a sure thing. Go with your gut. Obviously, if it's someone from this forum you are buying from, then chances are everything is fine. It's just a few phone calls and paperwork, and it's well worth the savings form the cost of one in Canada!!! Good luck.

I was thinking!! Yeah I know! That's a dangerous thing to do. But what do you do for insurance if you want to ride the new bike up from where you bought it? If you are lucky enough to have a friend with a pickup or have a trailer that is great. But most likely I'll have my wife drive me down and I'll want to ride it back up here. Can you get insurance for a machine that isn't registered in your province of residence? I guess I could call ICBC and get the old run around. But I thought I would ask here first to get some first hand advice.

I do not know about other provinces, but ICBC will sell you temp insurance to ride it home, I have done it twice.

 

[mattster31]

I do not know about other provinces, but ICBC will sell you temp insurance to ride it home, I have done it twice.

No suck luck in Ontario............ :angry: Can't get a temp plate, or temp insurance for a motorcycle here.

 

[Edzo]

I do not know about other provinces, but ICBC will sell you temp insurance to ride it home, I have done it twice.

No suck luck in Ontario............ :angry: Can't get a temp plate, or temp insurance for a motorcycle here.

So may I ask! How did you bring your across the borker?

 

[mattster31]

I do not know about other provinces, but ICBC will sell you temp insurance to ride it home, I have done it twice.

No suck luck in Ontario............ :angry: Can't get a temp plate, or temp insurance for a motorcycle here.

So may I ask! How did you bring your across the borker?

The back of my truck.

 

[FastJoyRide]

All good info here.

I went to the DMV in New York with the owner and had the title changed into my name to deal with clean title, liens, etc.

You need to give US Customs 72 hours advance notice of when you will arrive at the port you plan to use. No credit cards accepted for fees IIRC so carry some cash. At Canadian Customs they will look briefly at your US paperwork, collect the GST and you're on your way!

The recall clearance letter from Yamaha USA had already been requested by the owner and took about a week to arrive. He faxed it to me and BC accepted the fax copy. When you get your mandatory Canadian inspection (RIV) done at any Canadian Tire, they will verify that your Gen 2 speedo includes a ring of metric numbers for klicks (it does) and that all of the lights work. For cars I gather the inspection is more exhaustive. Following this certification they wil apply a new certification label to your left upper fork tube (inside the fairing).

Easy peasy as others have stated.

 

[Maura]

I do not know about other provinces, but ICBC will sell you temp insurance to ride it home, I have done it twice.

No suck luck in Ontario............ :angry: Can't get a temp plate, or temp insurance for a motorcycle here.

So may I ask! How did you bring your across the borker?

For BC, I rode it to the border. I already had it cleared with the US export office, so that took 5 minutes. Then on the Canadian side I paid the GST. I rode it the rest of the way home. Then the next day I went and did the Canadian Tire Inspection, that took 15 -20 minutes, they just went out to the parking lot to inspect the bike. Finally I went to the local Autoplan office for the plate and insurance, and also at that point you pay PST.

ICBC does not give you a temp plate, you have only the paper temporary thing, you have to rig up a means of reliably taping that to your bike. You also need a permit in each state and province that you travel through, but I did not do that except once for Washngton. You get these permits at the truck weigh stations.

 

[RaYzerman19]

The US Gen2's have metric numbers? The Canadian Gen2's do not have MPH, only Kph. You can add stickers if necessary to pass the inspection, alledgedly there is a kit available but I don't know where.

As for plates, in Ontario, you can take a plate from your bike with you and attach it. You have 6 days to transfer it, so that should get you home (check the MTO website if you like). If you decide when you get here that you want a new plate, who is to know. A friend does this all the time when he imports.

Insurance, if you already have some on an existing bike, you'll have to call your insurance guy and get the new one added. No temporary insurance is available that I'm aware of. You will need the VIN number!!

 

[Edzo]

Thanks guys! All excellent information. Does anyone know where the truck stop is in Washington? It's probably just past the border isn't it! I have just never had to look for one. And who would you be looking for? Sorry for what is probably dumb questions.

 

[karstenp]

I just purchased an 07 in Kentucky (I live in Ontario). I will be going through the Export/Import process over the next few weeks. The bike I purchased still has a topbox recall outstanding that the Yamaha dealership identified when the current owner looked into the recall clearance letter. Can anyone tell me what is involved with that recall? Also, can someone confirm that it is the State Title document (signed over to me) combined with the Canadian Tire inspection cert that is presented to the Ministry of Transportation - Ontario.

Was disappointed to read above that the GEN II ODO cannot switch between kms/miles.... too bad.

 

[Edzo]

The recall has something to do with the lock as far as I know. I am not sure if the Title is a State Document or a document given the purchaser from the manufacturer. I am probably all wrong on that one. But I do know that I have to surrender the Title and have to have the Canadian Tire thing done before I can get insurance here in B.C.. I surrender the title to the Insurance company and pay provincial taxes owing at that point. I hope that helps and I am sure someone will chime in with more.

I too am surprised Yamaha went backwards, with the odometer changing to and from metric to standard measurements.

 

[mattster31]

I know when I brought mine up. The title was surrendered to the DMV. I made a color photocopy before for a keepsake but they would not let me keep the original.

I just purchased an 07 in Kentucky (I live in Ontario). I will be going through the Export/Import process over the next few weeks. The bike I purchased still has a topbox recall outstanding that the Yamaha dealership identified when the current owner looked into the recall clearance letter. Can anyone tell me what is involved with that recall? Also, can someone confirm that it is the State Title document (signed over to me) combined with the Canadian Tire inspection cert that is presented to the Ministry of Transportation - Ontario.
Was disappointed to read above that the GEN II ODO cannot switch between kms/miles.... too bad.

 

[Maura]

I know when I brought mine up. The title was surrendered to the DMV. I made a color photocopy before for a keepsake but they would not let me keep the original.

Same in BC