A little help please from my Canadian brethren

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 12:29 pm

I'm assisting my neighbor sell his CB1100F and we have an interested party in Ontario, Canada but it seems there are some issues on importation.

The potential buyer says that the government requires a speedometer with the larger numbers of the speedo in KPH. Short of switching out the entire headlamp/instruments to a CB900 style of setup, is there any other way around this? As you know, the speedometer has KPH shown but, in smaller numbers than the MPH.

Additionally, they require a stock exhaust system (has Vance & Hines now). I suppose a used set of pipes would work if we could beg/borrow/steal a set just for documentation purposes then, switch back to the V&H.

Or, are these requirements (as we know it) to be false or not really required at all? I know that there are a few US spec CB1100F's in Canada. How'd they get there?

Any help appreciated.

Twinstar Joined: Apr 22, 2018 Posts: 218 Location: Toronto

JR

My experience is importing a CB1100RC from England, not quite the same country and my speedo is already in KM so not quite the same thing.

What I can say with some certainty is that

1) The importation people — i.e. the people at the border who allow the bike into the country and, of course, set any tariffs — won;lt give a good god damn about the size of the speedo numbers. They're looking at the age of our bikes which do qualify for the aged bikes that allow for easy importation (the rules are much more relaxed for older bikes though newer vehicles of any kind have to meet current standards, ie for instrumentation, emissions, etc.)

2) The only people who will be concerned about such detail will be the mechanic/service station that you take the bike to be certified/safety inspected. The rules are not all that strict here but you can get someone difficult. On the other hand, if your buyer has a "friendly" mechanic, you can get a tricycle certified. I had no problem in this regard.

My suspicion is that your buyer hard bene tallking to a friend of a friend or reading too much omg the internet. If the person really wants the bike, find an officials import/export person in the US to dill out the paperwork on official looking corporate letterhead — I did this — and you'll breeze through customs.

Hope this helps in some small regard, but this sounds like a bit of paranoia too far. Especially the pipe thing. I have never heard of that even on the internet.

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 1:54 pm

My take

https://www.tc.gc.ca/motorvehiclesafety/SafeVehicles/Importation/Usa/VAFUS/list2/All_vehicles_types_except_buses_aged_15_years_or_older_2_0.htm

Once 15 years old, you are good. Imagine buying a vintage Vincent or Norton and be told you have to change the meters to metric.

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 3:14 pm

All Hondas can be imported

https://www.tc.gc.ca/motorvehiclesafety/safevehicles/importation/usa/vafus/list2/HONDA_8_0.htm

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 3:16 pm

I imported a 1983 Suzuki GS1100ES a while back. Was pretty simple and did not require any checks like speedo. Had to have an original copy of the title sent to me from the seller in the US. Had to have an original bill of sale sent to me as well. I filled in a form and sent it to the border crossing I'd be crossing at (original copies), and then waited 2 weeks for them to do their checks. I drove down, picked up the bike, and on way back I stopped in to border patrol office on the "US Side", they gave me the paper work I needed and all my original stuff back, this guy didn't even come out to see the bike in the trailer, and then I had to stop on the Canadian side to show the paper work and pay any taxes. Was fairly painless.

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 3:26 pm

You also need an ITN number to fill in the appropriate documentation. I used these guys ..... https://autoexports.us/

I pulled up an old email from them, and they said

"After you complete the form and submit payment, we will send you a document that needs to be signed and returned to us. Along with this document, you will need to send us a copy of the certificate of title and the bill of sale. We will review your documents and issue you the ITN along with instructions on how to submit your export documents to the port that you choose to export from."

A following email says

"We have now received your electronic submission. You will need to complete and sign the Power of Attorney (POA) attached to this email. This can also be found in step 3 of the AES website. If you need to access this, please log in by using your email address and your reference number.

Your AES filing will not be processed until we receive all the requested documents. Any delays in transmitting these documents to us will cause delays at the border.

You will need to fax the following to 1-844-679-2651. There is a fax cover sheet included with the POA in this email. Alternatively, you may reply to this e-mail with the required documents attached.

- Power of Attorney (POA) - Signed and Dated
- Vehicle Title / Certificate of Ownership
- Bill of Sale / Sales Invoice / Letter of gift (if Vehicle Title is not in your name)

After we receive your supporting documentation, we will make any necessary corrections to your electronic filing and finalize your AES filing.

Once your export has been fully processed, you will receive your Shipper Export Declaration (SED). The SED will contain an Internal Transaction Number (ITN). You will need this to cross the border. You will also receive in the final email a list of the documents that are necessary to have on hand when you cross the border.

Please keep in mind that you must submit your export paperwork, including the ITN, Vehicle Title, and Bill of Sale (if applicable) 72 hours in advance of crossing the border. CBP is enforcing this time frame and could deny entry as well as assess fines.

A list of ports and contact information for CBP offices can be found at the official website.
http://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/

If you should have questions, please contact us at 1-866-345-3237 (FILE AES)."

By the way, this is all done by the Canadian Importer .....

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 3:50 pm

Darren,

That's about as complete of an answer that I could have hoped for.

Thank-you!

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 3:53 pm

CBX-tras wrote:

Darren,

That's about as complete of an answer that I could have hoped for.

Thank-you!

No problem.

By the way, original title and original Bill of sale and the other documentation get mailed to the border patrol. You only need to send copies to the autoexport guys. They were easy to deal with an answered several emails from me when I had no idea how to do this .....

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 4:31 pm

Imported a number of bikes over the years and the lack of oem exhaust and a speedo in MPH were never an issue with Customs or License Bureau[Service Ontario] or the mechanic getting a safety.
Only once did i have an issue with Canada Customs coming in where the Officer made me off the bike from the backof a truck so he could check the VIN. Just a jerk flexing his muscles at the end of a shift.
The only issue with a non oem exhaust MIGHT, i repeat, MIGHT be if you intend on getting Vintage insurance. Dalton Timmis seems to occasionally change their policy where they will only insure stock motorcycles.

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 4:35 pm

smurdoch wrote:

Imported a number of bikes over the years and the lack of oem exhaust and a speedo in MPH were never an issue with Customs or License Bureau[Service Ontario] or the mechanic getting a safety.
Only once did i have an issue with Canada Customs coming in where the Officer made me off the bike from the backof a truck so he could check the VIN. Just a jerk flexing his muscles at the end of a shift.
The only issue with a non oem exhaust MIGHT, i repeat, MIGHT be if you intend on getting Vintage insurance. Dalton Timmis seems to occasionally change their policy where they will only insure stock motorcycles.

Ya, the GS1100ES had a Bassani exhaust on it ..... no issues importing. Brought the paperwork to the MTO and they transferred title into my name as un-plated until the bike could be safety checked by my licensed mechanic.

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 4:40 pm

This is the day I brought it home Very Happy