"Livin' in the USA..."

[Charles Wilson]

The Esteemed RN stated:"4307 and 4308 were the last 'production' bikes, built in 1993 before the Canadians took over and are, I believe, both now in the US."RN, do you have an estimate of the number of Rotaries in the US? A few years after the Classic production run, one showed up at Syd's Cycles (Ducati Loyalists of First Rank) in St. Petersburg, Fl. It had been laid down at low speed but I do believe that Syd or Malcolm Tunstill ordered parts from you.Saw it in all of its Shining Beauty.CW

[FloridaMike]

Going to be very, very few.The difficulty arises in getting them in. Starting in 1968, various federal safety regs started to apply to imported cars, and as the years went by, the regs got stiffer and stiffer. There are also emissions regs which are more awkward yet.I brought in a 1968 Eurospec 280SL, and had to put in seatbelts and add a "lights" label on the dash - whoopee, but I also took my one-free-hit-per-lifetime exemption on emissions with this car. About a year later, I got a nastygram from the EPA ordering me to present my car to them at Jacksonville where they would crush it (!) because they had no record of my compliance. Fortunately, I kept EVERY scrap of paper and they went away after I sent them a bunch of certified copies.Motorcycles are not as bad, and the regs started later, but by the '90s there were a number of very specific rules that had to be followed - mph speedometers, various reflectors, DOT approved tires and lenses, etc. The emissions regs are also why there are no two-stroke street bikes any more (larger than 50ccs or so).Bringing a bike from Canada to the US is the same as UK to the US, it is still considered a foreign country and the bike will be inspected carefully and has to be brought into compliance. Tires, reflectors and lenses are not a big problem, but emissions are. If the make/model has never been imported commercially, YOU have to either take the one-time exemption or bring the bike into compliance which is a big, involved and expensive project - not practical.You can't bring it in as parts and assemble it here, either. All the tag offices (DMV) are trained to look out for foreign titles and will not issue a (pick any state) title unless you can show them the bike complies with all the applicable safety regs here.The W2000 was imported before most of this stuff really got going, and the RE-5 was designed to meet the regs. Unfortunately, there is no way you could ever get away with bringing in a Van Veen or a Norton Rotary and expect to use it on the street. There *may* be a very few that have "slipped through the net", but this is not a good business plan as the bike will often be refused entry and shipped back, or possibly impounded at the port of entry.You MAY be able to bring a non-compliant vehicle in on a "tourist" visa, but you may have to post a bond, and you are expected to export it when you leave. This is usually far more trouble than it is worth.I can speculate on a couple of ways that this just might be possible, but both of them are severe pains in the *** and may not even work, so I can't say "try this" because you are risking the vehicle if someone is paying attention.Best Regards,FloridaMike

[johnbirchjar]

Didn't want to take the Classic to the States anyway ,J.B.

[FloridaMike]

Well heck, I'd be glad to see you, even if the DOT, EPA, NTSB, Customs and Border Protection, and about a bazillion other federal alphabet agencies would be less than amused . . . (gotta keep 'em busy, right?)We're sure getting a great quantity of government here, although I'd be happier if the quality were higher. I built a house on a couple of acres, had to clear it with half a dozen environmental agencies - my crabgrass has more federal, state and local protection than I do . . .Best,Mike

[Richard Negus]

The two Commanders went to Vancouver first and later into the US; one I believe is in a museum in New York, but the other was well known in USNOA circles whilst being used in California. Not sure where it is now though.I'd heard about the Classic in Florida and understood that it wasn't licensed.I believe there's also an IP2 and a Commander, both licensed, and I'm sure we've all heard rumours of the F1 that went over as hand luggage.R.

[Charles Wilson]

Thank you RN, thank you all.1. There was always the idea that a non-compliant motorcycle could be registered if it was SOLD as a used motorcycle. For years, there were states (Alabama, for one) where Clear Title could be "purchased" and many a Mystery Car ended up plying the highways and by-ways with all sorts of funny vehicle numbers.2. "So, Mr. Negus. You want to register this...Norton, is it? What kind of motorcycle is a "Norton"?"It's a NORTON motorcycle, ma'am.""I'm sure it is. You bought this...F1...Sport from...John Smith...for how much?""Mr. Smith is an old, near and dear friend of the family. He's in a home now...and...it's...It's just sad...""I'm sure it is. How much did you pay?...""Twenny Dollars. He wanted to just give it to me but...""That's all right Mr. Negus. I understand. Wait over there 'til your number is called. It'll be $32.50....Have a wonderful day."3. Did the Safety Bike ride the bus from England to the US and back again? There was a D.O.T. Safety Award given to Norton and there are smiling bureaucrats surrounding a Norton from Merry old Washington DC, if I'm not mistaken.So, counting the Safety Bike, no more than, say, 5? BTW, the Classic had a Florida tag.CW

[FloridaMike]

>>There was always the idea that a non-compliant motorcycle could be registered if it was SOLD as a used motorcycle.No, non-compliant is non-compliant, new or used makes no difference.>>For years, there were states (Alabama, for one) where Clear Title could be "purchased" and many a Mystery Car ended up plying the highways and by-ways with all sorts of funny vehicle numbers.Still true but to a much more limited extent - not easy and no longer cheap. The "barrier" is the port of entry and Customs, they DO inspect carefully, and the DMV is the backup. Bill Gates was allegedly driving a non-compliant Porsche without even a license plate for some three years, but that's Bill Gates, if the DMV gives him a hard time, he'll just buy the state and fire them all.>>It'll be $32.50....Have a wonderful day."Haven't heard that number at the DMV here in decades. Florida has a "horseless carriage" license plate for very old vehicles from before WW2, it costs $35 and never expires. They also have a pretty good deal for antique boats pre-1958 if the engine is the same vintage as the hull - $7.50 a year, normally it is $35 a year and up, depends on length.>>Did the Safety Bike ride the bus from England to the US and back again? There was a D.O.T. Safety Award given to Norton and there are smiling bureaucrats surrounding a Norton from Merry old Washington DC, if I'm not mistaken.No, probably a non-street-registered display bike with the export bond in place. (I can't imagine how tedious a bus ride from London to Orlando would be.)>>So, counting the Safety Bike, no more than, say, 5? BTW, the Classic had a Florida tag.Sounds like a reasonable number. Florida DMV might have let the Classic slip through but I have always found them quite picky - and I go out of my way to smile and be nice when I have to deal with them.The "hand luggage" approach will only work if you have diplomatic immunity. I do know people who bring back parts from Blighty and/or the Fatherland, but they are usually small items like pistons and electrical bits - hard to bring in a frame under your jumper . . . anything that has a serial number is going to be looked at closely.Best,Mike

[Charles Wilson]

Yes, Yes, Yes and "I know".Worked with HD when the Rise of Fascism hit the EPA. In the mid 70s, there was an "NPRM" - "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" published that would have required a 78 dB sound standard. If enacted, there would have been "No Kerker Exhausts allowed" - No ANY kind of other exhaust system allowed. HD couldn't get a bike that would COAST through the Test Site at 78 dB. It would have been the end of fins and chains motorcycling. The manufacturers gritted their teeth but would argue for an 82 dB Standard. (Note: HD rigged a GS-750 with a giant truck muffler to get a silent bike. The muffler was positioned high and behind the rear tail light. Let's just say the front end was "light".)The EPA advertised the Public Comment Period as a "Bitch-Fest" against Loud Motorcycles. They caught Hell for it, but of course, the EPA Spokesperson kinda' mis-spoke 'n all.I used to have the companion EPA documents that provided background. Norton's answer was that they could not meet any standard without going to water and radiators (damn smilies...) but they were hopeful it could be done.The thing that was interesting was that the EPA was too smart by half. They used statistical analysis to show that there would have been a small percentage of bikes manufactured that would have been ABOVE the standard which would mean that the manufacturers would be PRODUCING illegal bikes. In order to not produce illegal bikes, the manufacturers would have had to engineer to an even LOWER Sound Measure. Not that it mattered. The EPA wanted Sound Meters for every Police Officer or perhaps in the New Utopia, designated Sound Test Sites on every block. They got neither.At the time, in Florida, there were Auto Emission Test Stations. Eventually, the State closed these down. No Sound Meters, no Test Stations.For a period of time after that, things got interesting, hence the Joke dialog, including the "$32.50". My RE-5 mufflers (See posts on this site) rusted out and I had to get a pipe welded ($12.00!). I used a SuperTrapp with a spring to keep the diaphragms together and they would explode with regularity. I would rather stand beside an ICBM at launch than hear the unmuffled rotary. But!, I paid my tag fee every year and nobody complained. Unmuffled Harleys, Kawa 750s with expansion chambers..."I saved 28 pounds with this Kerker exhaust..." "HUH!?!! WHAT!?!!"I KNOW that numbers are tracked and I KNOW that "Compliance" is a very touchy subject among the Thug Set. "Must have those DOT approved brake hoses! Or God will Punish!!"I also know that I live near a recently decommissioned Nuclear Power Plant on the West Coast of Florida. "What are you Wise Guys gonna do about THAT thing?" "Ummm...we've like...appointed a Commission to study the situation and stuff..."Great. "I just want to get my bike registered.""Yes, Mr. Negus. That'll be $173.79, payable in cash. Do you have DOT brake hoses? Did you get to Jacksonville to get the emissions testing done? DOT Headlights and Turn Signals?""S'all there.""Thank you, Mr. Negus. By the way. how's your old friend, Mr. Smith?""Him? Oh, he died years ago...Bad heart. 'N he couldn't ride anymore."It's not getting better.CW

[ZFD]

Part of my deal with Kenny Dreer/Norton America was I had to supply an F1 for them. I got one, delivered it to Munich airport, and had put down in the contract it was their problem to ship it. I saw it being put on a pallet. How they got it into the States I do not know, but I know Kenny Dreer and others rode it and it, too, ended up in the New York collection. No idea if it was ever registered, or whether they rode it on a trade plate, as I used to do on the various pre-production or prototype rotaries.

[Assen]

Hi,There was this show on the Dutch television called "Caferacer" 2 months back. In this show they (Discoverychannel) showed a workshop in the USA, i think in New York. There was this guy specializing in building caferacers and he had 3 F1's standing idle in his workshop. So i think there are more Norton rotaries in the USA than we think??Groet, Jannes

[johnbirchjar]

Judging by all that bureaucracy, the b******s from Brussels have done quite a bit of their training in the States ,J.B.