TEMPTATION

Buying an import: instant individuality at the flick of a bank card.

£3995 Yamahar1-z

Yam’s first R1 wasn’t the hairy superbike of ’98 but a parallel-twin two-stroke launched eight years earlier. Using the 247cc motor from the TZR250, the trellis-framed R1-Z said ‘Individual Sports’ on the tank and stuck two pipes up one side a year before Suzuki’s RGV250, with a steel trellis frame and road-biased set-up. Think RD350N for the Nineties (in fact it used the RD’S headlight and switchgear). This 22,700-mile R1-Z has new fork stanchions and seals, fresh tyres, recent service and MOT, and is UK registered. Far more usable than yet another RGV or NSR.

£13,999 Krausermkm1000

You’ll probably know the name Krauser from sidecars and luggage. But as well as his three-wheel achievements, Mike Krauser built a BMW R100 racer. This led to a road bike, with BMW supplying the R100RS engine and running gear, and Krauser’s own lightweight spaceframe. The MKM got German TUV certification as a production bike, its components stamped with Krauser part numbers rather than BMW, but only 200 were built between 1980-82. This example of the 980cc, 70bhp boxer has done 7043 miles.

£3250 Suzukigemma

How cool? Shown as a concept at the Tokyo show in 2007 and inspired by Japan’s obsession with long, low, stretched-out custom scoots, the Gemma went on sale there in early 2008. Underneath is the conventional 249cc single-cylinder engine from a Burgman 250, but I wouldn’t care if it was powered by an elastic band – just look at the glorious Jetsons styling. Practical too, with a pillion backrest and a stashing space between the rider’s legs that’ll take a full-face helmet. This one is fresh from Japan and has done just 3900 miles.

£3350 Suzukirg250

This 247cc, 44bhp RG250 is a Walter Wolf special edition from Japan that’s done 9171 miles, is serviced and Mot’d, UK registered, and ready for you to be inundated with ‘Walter who?’ questions. So you’re prepped, Walter Wolf is a Canadian who made stacks of cash flogging oil-drilling equipment in the ’70s, which he used to set up a Formula 1 car outfit called Walter Wolf Racing. In 1982 they sponsored the RG500 of All-japan 500cc champion Masaru Mizutani, so Suzuki offered the RG250, RG400 and RG500 road bikes in replica paint schemes.

£2995 Kawasakitr250

Trailies boomed in the late ’60s and through the ’70s, and Kawasaki built some great bikes with even better names. Who wouldn’t want a Bighorn or a Bushwhacker? Though it might not have such a compelling moniker (or two-stroke power), the TR250 is heavily influenced by Kwak’s knobbly classics and was launched in 2001 to appeal to Japan’s retro-mad urban dwellers. So the lightweight 249cc single is therefore perfect for slicing between all the trendy coffee shops and bistros in today’s UK cities. This one’s from 2003 and has done 11,500 miles.

£7499 Suzukigs1200ss

You couldn’t buy bikes over 750cc in Japan during the 1980s, so riders missed some epic machinery. It’s why they still sold bikes like the GPZ900R and Katana for their home market decades after they’d been discontinued elsewhere. And it’s why Suzuki released the GS1200SS in 2011: based on an 1156cc airand oil-cooled Bandit engine and with a hint a 1980s endurance weapon, it was intended to appeal to those who’d craved the original hairy-chested GSX-R1100. This one has done 30,000 miles and is described as exceptional.

£6499 Condora580

Not all grey imports are Japanese. After the second World War the Swiss army wanted a native-built bike to replace their knackered BMWS and Zundapps, so Condor-werke-ag created the flat-twin A580. The 580cc device was slow, heavy and cost too much, but it was also staggeringly reliable and so the Swiss army and police both lapped it up – it went out of production in ’75 but stayed in service for another 20 years. Not many civilian examples were sold. This one has all its taxes and duties paid, and is ready for UK registration.

£3995 Yamahamaxam

This is what happens when your designer is fond of American saloon cars from the 1970s and ’80s. Popular in Japan and the USA, the Maxam Morpheous features must-have long, low styling plus a huge between-the-legs storage area and a proper boot – yes, just like on your 1980 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Sedan. This 2006 example of the 249cc four-stroke rev ‘n’ rip has come from Japan, where it covered just 5600 miles. Love the look of that aftermarket can, too. º All these exotic imports are for sale at motorcyclegiant.net, 020 8743 1415