What's the difference between a grey and a parallel?

yambabe · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

I'm full of daft questions this week aren't I? Embarassed

This new Suzuki that I'm looking at is not an official UK bike, so for the purposes of insurance etc (and on the V5 I think?) it will be shown as an import even though it has not previously been registered overseas and comes to the UK new in a box.

Does this make it a parrallel or a grey import? I always thought that a parallel was like that, a brand-new non-UK bike registered for the first time in the UK, while a grey was a bike that had been previously registered elsewhere then re-registered when it was imported to here.
____________________
Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate. Very Happy

Kickstart · The Oracle Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Hi

Grey import = model not sold in the UK. Parallel import = model that is sold in the UK.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

yambabe · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Aha! So it doesn't depend on where the bike was registered then, and the Suzuki will actually be a grey import?

That's interesting, thanks.
____________________
Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate. Very Happy

Silver · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

As Keith says, get a GSX-R600 from France and it will be a Parallel import (since the model is on sale here). Buy a GSX-R400 from Japan and it is a Grey import as it was never a UK model.

Drew · Banned Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Karma :

Will it really show on v5 thou? as my Celica GT-4 is an import from Japan, and it says nothing about it being an import on the v5 - maybe bikes are different?

Rejimbo · Renault 5 Driver Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Karma :

Does that mean that my zxr400 L2 is a parallell import? I was led to believe a fair amount were offically sold here, unlike the vfr's which are 99.99% imports.
Or am I totally wrong and there were never any official zxr400 models sold in the UK?

cheers, james

Silver · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

Yes, the ZXR400 was officially imported, so some of them are UK models and some are parallel imports.

Ichy · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Karma :

Rejimbo · Renault 5 Driver Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Karma :

Kickstart · The Oracle Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Hi

ZXR400, VFR400 and the FZR400 were all imported officially (in large numbers, small numbers and tiny number respectively). Even a model of GSXR400 was officially imported in the mid 1980s (very small number pretty much just for racing)..

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

yambabe · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

short1uk · World Chat Champion Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Karma :

Johnny GSX-R · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Karma :

My Abuser is a paralell import, originally destined for America, it has MPH clocks, flat beam headlight and full UK spec.

One way to tell is that most imports don't have a VIN plate on the frame Confused

, my rear spindle uses a castleated nut & split pin rather than a nylock nut and it had reflectors fitted to the fork lowers and tail unit.
Exact same bike otherwise, my insurance are aware of the fact and it didn't penalise me at all AND i saved £1800 on official UK price Shocked