Good Site For Stuff

[KLR]

http://www.indysuperbike.com

Someone on Kawiforums recommended it, for e.g a micron slipon exhaust that I have would normally cost around $650 aust

They are doing them for $280US and that equates to roughly $360aust using at 0.78 exchange rate.

Same with the HJC AC-11 Zeek Helmet that I want, it is around $450 big ones here and they are $212 US which equates to $276 aust, dont know how much shipping would be but I guess you would still save a fair chunk of rods.

Sorry if I am making people suck eggs who already know about this site but am chuffed I found the site and it is 11hrs into a 12hour shift.

[Aussie Ninja]

To give you some idea sending a full system airmail cost 70 usd but takes weeks. DHL or similar takes 4 days but costs 170 usd. So a pipes half the size, mabye 2/3rds the price.

[Smitty]

blue636

careful with the helmet
cheap it maybe
legal...probably not
if you buy it in the Yewessofay
it won't have an AS sticker
it might have SNELL sticker
but without our Australian Standards sticker
its a no go out here.....


cheers

[Ratmick]

<snip> but without our Australian Standards sticker
its a no go out here.....

Yes, I agree. If Customs find it they will cut both chinstraps off, and you'll have a very nice helmet-shaped and very expensive paperweight.

[aardvark]

Ahh, yes. The ol' helmet debate.
For those of you old enough to remember, I went through this some time ago when the old Yahoo forums were in use. Here is my post from February '02.



"As I have previously mentioned, I was looking at importing a helmet from the U.S. It's a model that is already sold here, and is both DOT and Snell approved.

I had some simple questions. Could I legally import it? Could I use it? And what be the legal/insurance consequences of using the helmet within Australia.

Shouldn't be too hard to find out you'd think? Think again... here's what happened.

Spoke to the traffic adjudication people of my local Police. Their response was that as far as they knew, a helmet had to meet Australian Standards, but they had no idea if a helmet being imported (one the same as a model already sold here) could be used?

So, ring and speak to the Dept. of Transport. Spoke to 2 people there before being given the number of Standards Australia. Spoke to 2 people there, who had no idea, and gave me the number of NATA (National Australian Testing Agency, or something to that effect). Spoke to someone there, who said that they'd have someone return my call. The person who returned my call said he didn't know, and that I should speak to the RTA Crash Lab in Sydney (The people who test all helmet batches being imported.) Spoke to a bloke there who wasn't sure, so in the end was put through to Derek. What a legend. After 3 days of stuffing around, he gave me the low down. And, bare with me, I know this is getting lengthy, here is the end result.

In simple terms, the answer is NO! You cannot legally ride with an imported helmet, and you have no recourse as far as insurance is concerned if you do wear one and suffer brain damage etc. in an accident!

I wanted to know, why this would be the case. Especially since the helmet is the same model as one sold here, and meets Snell and DOT approvals.

Firstly, Australian Standards require that helmets sold in Australia have certain penetration capabilities. They use a 3kg spike and drop it on the helmet from 3 foot or some such thing. Snell and DOT testing does not incorporate this.

The helmets are manufactured and imported in batches. Each batch destined for Australia (1,000 helmets, 10,000 helmets, who knows?) must be tested, and the Australian Standard approval is assigned for that batch only. As Derek explained, manufacturers often change the density of inner liners, shells, and even the composition of helmet components. So, each batch has to be individually tested.

The standard is also a test of the process of importing the helmet and the Q.A. involved with that process.

So, I asked, can I get a helmet tested. Well, yes. But, 8 helmets must be tested out of a given batch and testing costs are likely to cost several thousand dollars. Let me give you the strong tip. I ain't buying 9 helmets, just so I can wear one.

Anyway, that's where the saga ends. Anyone thinking they might like to import a helmet from overseas, think again. If you still want to do it, consider the insurance and legal consequences.

[KLR]

Thanks for that, would never think of those issues. Nothing is ever easy!!

[Nanna10r]

Thanks Jas, Aint red tape grand.
Cheers Brett

[wolf]

In addition to the currency conversion and shipping, don't forget customs duty (if any) and GST.