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Post by gerimeyer on Apr 9, 2008 10:11:56 GMT -5
Hello everybody,
I don't know if this is the correct Forum, but I couldn't find a more suitable forum.
This is the first time I post a subject, after having read-along for some time now. There's a lot of info on the board, but I can't find an answer to my question.
The thing is that I am trying to import a sr400 from Japan into Europe. There are a lot of issues and governmental bodies trying to prevent me from doing this, but up until now, I solved every bit of problem.
Up until now, that is, because I've spend a lot of time talking to the powers that be about my plans, and ONLY last week they felt like informing me that a Japan imported sr400 (being a carb/air cooled engine) will NEVER pass emissions regulations here in Europe.
Hopefully, someone here can help me a little further with this.
Which options do I have to reduce the emissions?
Thank you,
geri
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Post by stevec5000 on Apr 9, 2008 12:04:35 GMT -5
There aren't really any options to reduce emissions since the bike doesn't have any emissions controls and none of them did until recently but the good news is they are already quite low. Here in Arizona I have to go through emissions testing every year to get the plate renewed and I just went in to get the SR500 tested the first of the month.
What you should do is find out what the requirements are for passing emissions there and I can probably tell you if it will pass.
Here they keep the requirements a secret and won't tell anyone what they are but if you get hold of the printout from one of the tests it will be on there. We have to meet the same requirements as a new bike even though it's 30 years old but they only test at idle and only for CO and HC. Cars are also tested for NOX but bikes are not. It has to pass HC at less than 1800 PPM and mine was only 232 PPM and CO of 5.50% while mine read 4.06%. The CO reading is really the only one you can control since it is related to the mixture as set by the idle mixture screw using a Colourtune. If the mixture is too rich the CO reading will be higher than 5% and if it is leaner it will be lower than 5% but if you get it too lean to the point that it misses that will cause the HC reading to jump up too high. I've found that I can't go below 4% or the mixture is so lean the engine won't run so if they require a reading lower than that about the only alternative you have is to put on a catalytic converter which will cut the readings in half. I had to install one of those on my XS1100 in order to get it to pass and it was no big deal, I just bought a small one for a car that costs around $79 and installed it in between the header and the muffler. If they require the bike be run on a dyno and tested at speed then you will have to go to a shop that has a Dynotune or similar dyno in order to check it and possibley adjust the mixture to get it to pass.
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Post by joneill4 on Apr 9, 2008 15:01:36 GMT -5
I have a friend in Holland who bought a Harley last year. If he can have a Harley, you can certainly get an SR500.
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Post by sjef on Apr 9, 2008 15:09:12 GMT -5
Hallo Geri,
which country do you live?
there is a german guy organizing a container filled with sr400`s
and there maybe different ways importing them to europe
best regards sjef
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Post by sjef on Apr 9, 2008 15:11:51 GMT -5
the RDW is very cooperative and we dutchies are quite creative in bending the rules ;D
sjef
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Post by gerimeyer on Apr 10, 2008 3:30:54 GMT -5
Goodmorning! Thank you all very much for bearing with me on this. sjef: Austria, Vorarlberg As I found out during weeks of sending emails, making phonecalls etc. that the TÜV AUSTRIA - which is, like all other European certification institutions, bound to the emission standards set by the European Union. (Mind you: I want to ride a sr, not deal with bureaucracy...) For as far as I can tell, the Euro III Emission standards which are important are now: CO - 2.0 g / km HC - 0,3 g / km Nox - 0.15 g / km A 2007 sr400 has the following values: CO - 13.0 g / km HC - 2.00 g / km Nox - 0.30 g / km stevec5000: hopefully their testing method is indeed based on testing at idle and yamaha Japan's data isn't (...) So, either way, I need to bring these values down quit a bit. I already knew about the AIS's that are around, and they do bring the values down a bit, but not enough. What else can I do mechanically? sjef: can you tell me more about the different ways of importing ? And how can I get in touch with the German guy? regards, geri |
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Post by stevec5000 on Apr 10, 2008 9:23:40 GMT -5
gerimeyer, If they are using a rating in g / km that means they must be testing it on a dyno. To get the HC and CO ratings down you would have to install a catalytic converter which isn't too hard but to get NOX down you need an EGR system which means re-designing the engine and exhaust system which is not very practical. I assume older bikes don't have to meet the standards since it would be impossible so I would forget about emissions and look into other ways to get it like bringing it into another country first that doesn't use the EU emissions standards then importing it to Austria as a used bike or something like that.
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Post by sjef on Apr 10, 2008 10:31:53 GMT -5
Hallo Geri, here is the thread www.sr500.de/wbb3/thread.php?threadid=25694take an old frame with license, transplant the whole import bike to the old frame www.rdw.nl is the dutch tuv there are different ways to import depending on wether the vehikel is already registered in europe or not, is it a secondhand belonging to your household, is it a classic bike,are you a proffesional or not? i will as k the rdw if the sr400 is a known vehikel already best regards sjef p.s. the rdw says: De eisen op het gebied van de luchtverontreiniging hangen af van de importsituatie. Betreft het een particuliere, niet-bedrijfsmatige import dan wordt het voertuig niet op luchtverontreiniging gecontroleerd. meaning if you are personally importing the bike there is no checking on airpollution this makes everthing a lot easier |
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Post by gerimeyer on Apr 16, 2008 3:48:53 GMT -5
Hello everybody,
I have had talks with the TUV here in Austria and discussed the options that I heard from you.
Basically, according to TUV there are a few major issues preventing me from importing a sr into Europe/Austria:
1] Not only the emission values are unacceptable, but also
2] The noise values are unacceptable
3] TUV Austria (and TUV Germany too for that matter) do not accept/recognise the route through the Dutch RDW Sjef was mentioning. Matter of fact: no other European country accepts a vehicle through this route. If you want to import a sr (or whatever other motorcycle that was never before on the EU market) into Austria/Germany, you need to go through a huge pile of bureaucracy...and it will cost you about Euro 10.000!
The Dutch route allows for the import of a sr400, but only into Holland. After that, it cannot get from Holland to another EU country.
This is shit, really shit!
Actually, I don't know what to do anymore...it sucks (okay, it is only a motorcycle, I know, and not the end of the world, but still)
Geri
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Post by joneill4 on Apr 16, 2008 6:02:51 GMT -5
No no no! You sir, are going about this the wrong way. Now repeat after me: Vanaf vandaag, ben ik Nederlands. Ga Ajax. See? Wasn't that easier?
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Post by marlon on Apr 16, 2008 7:43:22 GMT -5
Dear God, i hope they don't introduce this rubbish into Australia!
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Post by stevec5000 on Apr 16, 2008 8:52:01 GMT -5
Vanaf vandaag, ben ik Nederlands = Starting today, I am Dutch.
Well, if you can't import a bike into Austria how on earth do they get there? Does it have to be made in Austria?
Do they allow homemade bikes to be licensed? You could always take the SR apart, bring it in a piece at a time and tell them you built it from scratch. Or you can always move!
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Post by bigshingle on Apr 16, 2008 9:41:47 GMT -5
I keep having this reoccuring dream of smuggling a new SR into the country (not so hard.) But getting it past government licensing laws — there's the rub.
I've sweated old cars through the TUV in Germany, and through its equivalent in France and Greece, and squeaked both cars and bikes through the Japanese LTO inspections, and it's never over. Down the road, a year or two away, there's always another inspection coming, another hoop to jumb through. Life is so short and bureaucracy so long.
I want to hear how all these stories turn out, of the container of new SRs arriving in Germany and of all the twists and tricks.
Eventually emission laws will probably put an end to the SR, at least as we know it, in Japan too. ((Yamaha certainly sees this, but is an SR with fuel injection really an SR and is it worth the development costs?)
Great thread.
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Post by stevec5000 on Apr 16, 2008 11:11:21 GMT -5
After hearing about all the problems I think I would just buy a BMW.
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Post by sjef on Apr 16, 2008 11:14:01 GMT -5
Hallo Geri, The sr400 has been imported in sweden for a long time, so there must be a european approval. you might ask the tuv wether they accept import from sweden new or used? for import to sweden ask the swedish srforum at www.srclub.nuthey understand english best regards sjef Ps @ marlon you only speak english because of the dutch lost interest in australia in favor of the united kingdom  |
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