Bikes not sold in North america? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bikes not sold in North america?

bigpoppa

Well-known member
Was looking at honda japans motorcycle website, apparently it looks like they still sell the VFR1200/800 there, in addition to other bikes that are not sold in NA...

what gives? Is it emissions? One would think japan has pretty high emmision standards as well

Why the **** aren't they selling some bikes here? Feel kinda annoyed..

Always been curious about the V4s and the VFRs...
 
One that I get a kick out of is the old Honda mini-trail, they still sell that in Japan and here the old beaters are advertised as collector items with asking prices that rival a brand new machine.

Japanese emission standards are actually more stringent then ours, some of their models are produced domestically and destined for only their domestic market. Americans are basically cheap and buy on price and advertised features only so we mostly get the Indonesian & Chinese versions. It's easy to spot a motorcycle that was actually made in Japan by the quality of its construction and a less competitive price :/

Bringing a model to North America is no small undertaking particularly if it is a road legal model, you have to remember that Canada only represents 10% of the US market and USA is no stranger to imposing trade embargoes that directly impact our Canadian imports. Off road bikes don't move in numbers that they should because riders here find it easier to make excuses why they can't ride off road then to get out there and do it.
... shall I go on.
 
All manufacturers have models that are never sold here. Small market, big engine fixations etc.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
And the sport-touring segment is being cannibalized by the adventure-tourers.

And NA really enjoys big touring rigs that don’t sell much in Asia.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
....
 
Last edited:
A lot of it is marketing. Some of it is market demand - some of that is driven by local graduated licensing nuances (historically it was very hard to get a license in Japan for a motorcycle with over 400cc, in europe there were (may still be) graduated licensing steps at 125cc.

Some of it is market size. If you split up a relatively small market nine ways 'til Sunday you may end up selling only a small number of each ... and then have to support that small number of sales with parts supply for years to come. And, every drivetrain configuration requires emissions certification and that costs big bucks. There's a reason why a Ninja 1000 (not ZX10R) and Z1000 have the same engine. There's a reason the Ninja 650, ER6N, Versys 650 have the same engine. There's a reason Yamaha makes several variants of the FZ09 all with the same engine.
 
I got my hopes up for a second to learn of the adv version of the VFR1200(the VFR1200x)...only to read they neutered the engine...

who the hell wants less power from the same engine?!
 
Most often they'll tune sportbike engines for more low-end torque on the streetbike versions.
That never works out:( See: Fz6r or Gsx-s 750....the marketing department claims its the same engine! But its really just a shell of its former self....like MJ with the wizards or mike tyson post 91'
 
It's where the power is useable. The Fireblade version of my CBF1000 cranks 160 hp but way up in the rev range.

The CBF1000 version of the same gets into a very sweet 60f/lb at 3500 rpm ....no need to thrash or shift to get into the torque band.

Vstrom%20hp-tq.jpg


while the CBR1000RR does not get to 60 f/lb til 5k+

279212008_SuperbikeV_Torque.jpg
 
That never works out:( See: Fz6r or Gsx-s 750....the marketing department claims its the same engine! But its really just a shell of its former self....like MJ with the wizards or mike tyson post 91'

I don't think anyone is buying those bikes thinking they're getting an R6 or Gixxer engine in it. I've riddden tons of sportbikes, and while they're great when you're wringing them out, I love useable, low-end torque on my streetbikes, along with the lower footpegs, higher windscreen and a comfortable seating position.

Besides, some companies will offer the souped up version of the streetbike with the original sportbike engine in it, like the Ducati Monster S4RS with the SBK Testastretta engine for those that will shell out.
 
GP Bikes has a VFR1200 for sale with under 1000km.
Smergy (on this forum) has one, hotwired the gear sensor so it always gets full power (cuts to like 50% under X RPM in 1st and 2nd gear).
Put on a Competition Werkes exhaust, an auto tune Bazzazz and it pulls like a freight train.
 
FFS ....with Vtec kicking in ...pull the arms out of your sockets....

146_1010_12_z%2B2010_honda_VFR1200FD%2Bdyno_chart.jpg


and that's stock. A serious bump in torque between 3 and 4k
 
Last edited:
And the sport-touring segment is being cannibalized by the adventure-tourers.
You think so?

I don't see that happening at all -- in fact I see the opposite. I see the segment attracting more pure entrants. KTM, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawi, & BMW all have expanded their offers in this area. Smaller STs are emerging, adventure and ss bikes are moving into this segment.

This increased competition has killed off a couple models, but they were low volume bikes doomed by their poor sales volumes.
 
You think so?

I don't see that happening at all -- in fact I see the opposite. I see the segment attracting more pure entrants. KTM, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawi, & BMW all have expanded their offers in this area. Smaller STs are emerging, adventure and ss bikes are moving into this segment.

This increased competition has killed off a couple models, but they were low volume bikes doomed by their poor sales volumes.

They are all more ADV than ST though.
 

Back
Top Bottom