Mark Zellers has a good blog on importing bikes into the USA: https://nsr250.my-free.website/

The info there pretty much matches my understanding.

However I've had several people tell me recently that it's not necessary to use the "25 year or older" classic vehicle exception as the RVF is on the list of bikes that can be legally imported.

Either people are sneaking through when they shouldn't or I have a misunderstanding of the regulations.

There is indeed a document that talks about the RVF being importable into the USA.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.g ... 120115.pdf

The RVF is mentioned on page 11 BUT this simply means the bike has been declared similar enough that you can import it using an RI (Registered Importer). Every bike needs someone to import it (you are the importer if you use the 25 year rule) but an RI is a special importer, they charge you money to bring the bike into full compliance.

From the first page of the document:

Under one of the exceptions to this prohibition, found in 49 U.S.C. § 30141, a motor vehicle that was not
originally manufactured to comply with all applicable FMVSS can be lawfully imported into the United States,
provided it is determined eligible for importation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), and is imported by a registered importer, or by a person who has a contract with a registered
importer to bring the vehicle into compliance with all applicable FMVSS following importation.

So my question is, has anyone brought an RVF that is less than 25 years old into the US without using an RI and if so, how did you do it?

As a followup. If you search for "RVF 400" in the document linked to in the above post you'll find:

Honda (MC) RVF 400 1994-2000 358 NHTSA-2000-8242 NHTSA-2001-9882

If you search for "NHTSA-2000-8242" you'll find:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documen ... nd-rvf-400

"Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision that Nonconforming 1994-2000 Honda VFR 400 and RVF 400 Motorcycles Are Eligible for Importation"

So the Registered Importer is supposed to swap the headlight (Standard No. 108) and replace the km/h speedo with miles/h (Standard No. 123), My assumption is that this is costing the buyer at least a $1000 in RI fees and parts but like I said in the first post, I'm curious if people have skipped by these provisions and if so, how?

You're reading it the same way I read it some years ago when I was considering importing some of my grey bikes from the UK. There was a list of RIs on the NHTSA site, so I emailed all of them, but none replied.

However, the early RVFs are now 25 years old (or will be later this year), so all of my greys, except my '96 RT, can now be imported into the USA anyway.

I hope that guy Mark leaves a few bikes in Japan for me!

Ciao,

JZH

Correct. 1994 model year is now importable. Depends on month of manufacture. Customs I'm told need to know year and month. It's an 11 digit VIN prior to I believe 1996 so no year encoded. How to get this info is to satisfy customs is something I need to figure out.

Only Honda Japan could tell you, but good luck with that!

Realistically, the only thing you can do is wait until 2020...

Ciao,

JZH

Somebody is riding around the Atlanta area with an RVF400, but I haven't managed to catch him yet. All family sightings have been in the car. I'm sure if I spotted him while riding one of my VFR400s it would have been easier to catch his attention.

I've been to a regular biker hangout in the hills north of the city and found at least one VFR400 owner there, but not the RVF guy yet.