Much more bike selection in Europe :>

[bultaco]

As a kid I rode a Puch Dakota 50cc. 2hp and about 150 lbs...I rode the wheels off that thing in the mountains in Spain.

Just having peaked on the Spanish website for motos...

Just fell in love...Gasgas 450 Desert

Oh, and again.....HM CRE 50 six

How about once more.....a bicicle this time..Yamaha PAs er with a transmission.

Finally...how about that nice Yamaha TZ750 Kenny Roberts special replica ?

Why is it that we get the tail end of the off road bikes and few of the wonderful small displacement mx and enduro bikes here in the US?

Do some shopping here:

http://www.arpem.com/motos.html

[DEMI]

Europe has always had all the cool bikes.... envious of that for 30 years...how come Italy has so many cottage mfgs and we have none?! .. wish I could explain it. Has to be some lame reasons.

[honda88]

holy crap. Their some sweet bikes

[ray_ray]

Check out those Benellis and the Scorpa also..

[Smacaroni]

For what I want, 3,500 ($5,000 +/-) Euros? Damn. When they still sold 'em in the US, they were about $3,500 Well, I guess with the rate of inflation, that's about right.

I think some small-time guy with a decent knowledge of container shipping and customs could make a good living toting bikes from Europe to the US. Esp. off-road bikes since there wouldn't be any hassles after leaving customs.

[ray_ray]

Maybe but these cunteries have this importing \ exporting down ... It is what they do...

U can probably put it on a boat easily but getting it off will be the proble. .. ... The Philippines charge about 35% of the value of the bike plus other charges to get a bike in here ...

U can be a smuggler but I'd rather not go that route ...

[Kyron]

ahh the beauty of living in a fee country ?

[Jeekinz]

Europe has always had all the cool bikes.... envious of that for 30 years...how come Italy has so many cottage mfgs and we have none?! .. wish I could explain it. Has to be some lame reasons.

Never heard of ATK?

[DEMI]

yeah Jeekinz... I have heard of them...even had two!! What is your point? Do you consider them even operational at this moment? For you, I will correct my post and say why does the U.S. only have one? I don't consider them at all any more... Kay?

[Jeekinz]

I was making a point that there IS one. You have as much of a chance of people knowing about ATK as you do friggin Benelli. Maybe you'll see a Lifan powered, tubular steel chassis US bike sometime soon.

[DEMI]

yes, fair enough I suppose. The point of the post was to mention the fact that Europe has dozens of mfgs and the U.S. has one...kind of? So, is it a problem to like odd bikes or do we all need to like the same big mfgs? Whether we see them or not, does it matter?

[Smacaroni]

Benelli, etc. Best we get is some lousy scooters.

The lineup: http://www.arpem.com/motos/modelos/benelli/benelli.html

What we need is buying power. You have a few thousand people who want one, that's not enough to jump through all the hurdles (both legal and logistical) to get them here. You need a few million and it would happen. Hence, the big four who can move a few million each per year.

[DEMI]

importing a competition/off road only bike is surprisingly easy, costs vary naturally and a trusted overseas source is imperative. I had no problems importing my Maico in '01. The Benelli 449 sure is nice, but parts on bikes like this would probably be a PITA.

[Smacaroni]

Oh yeah. I look at ebay now and then hoping on a chance to get my Derbi I want. The prices are outrageous for used parts and I'd almost certainly need to have them shipped to me via an overseas source which could mean waiting a month or two just to get it, let alone actually fix it.

But I still want it.

[Jeekinz]

The 449 is sweet, I saw the prototype a coupla years ago but I think it was all green.

The motorcycle lifestyle is completely different in Europe and I bet twice (if not more) as many people ride in Europe than in the US. Not racing but using a motorcycle as a form of transportation.

[DEMI]

got that right... way different over there. I remember a German GP where the track crossed over a closed roadway for the weekend!! Bikes all over the place generally speaking. Look at all the cool road race bikes and dirt bike body work kits, etc. Bike culture in Europe is phenomenal.