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Post by Kenho21 on Mar 14, 2021 22:39:12 GMT -5
I'm just catching up with this thread...holy crap man! You found a genuine Dio! When that build is done, you'd be a god in the Metro-Detroit area and when you're ready to sell, I know some collectors in my area that would be on it. Congrats.  |
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Post by hippo008 on Mar 15, 2021 0:19:18 GMT -5
I'm just catching up with this thread...holy crap man! You found a genuine Dio! When that build is done, you'd be a god in the Metro-Detroit area and when you're ready to sell, I know some collectors in my area that would be on it. Congrats. When I bought it I purchased it because of parts availability and because it already had a disk brake setup. At the time I didn't realize this was a rare model or how special it was. The Honda Elites that are available around me are about the same in terms of cost but parts, specifically body parts, are crazy rare and big money. It's only until I found a blog in Japanese about the Dio did I realize exactly what I had. Apparently the Dio I have is possibly one of the rarest models sold next to the Dio Baja. The AF28 Dio 2 ZX was only sold for one year, 1992, and was much more expensive than the already available Honda Dio SR. The SR and ZX both had a disk brake however the SR cost ~¥40,000 less than the ZX. The big cost difference was apparently due to the fact that the ZX also came with an upgraded transmission not found in any other model. Then just two years later the AF34 stuff came out with the new horizontal two stroke Honda motor and those models really took off. After figuring out that the ZX I have is really rare here in the USA I decided to change directions a little bit. Initally I wanted to go big and do a big boy stroker. Then after my discovery of sorts I decided to do a sort of "resto-mod" and keep it mostly stock looking and reversible. My goal is to make sure anything I do to it can be undone at anytime unless it's directly to the scooters benefit. So for example I'm rust proofing the frame, gas tank, stem and bars but I'm not cutting the cases. If the scooter ever gets sold it will be sold with all of its original parts included just in case somebody wants it stock again. I lucked out bigtime. Not sure how, but hey I'm not complaining! |
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Post by hippo008 on Mar 15, 2021 0:29:51 GMT -5
In case anybody is interested, how cool are these Dio Bajas?! That awesome colorway, the bars, the lights, the gauges, totally awesome and unique.   When the roughhouse gets sold I'm looking to bring one of these stateside under the 25 year exemption. |
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Post by Kenho21 on Mar 15, 2021 6:42:40 GMT -5
I don't know as much as most around here, but I'd bet I have my finger on the Elite/Dio heartbeat more than most. Detroit is probably only rivaled by LA in fanaticism. These things are crazy expensive (relatively speaking) to get in the US and I know several guys with garages literally full of them.
We don't know each other at all, but I can be fairly resourceful. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to drop me a line. Never looking to make a buck, just need to show myself I'm not a complete asshole sometimes.
It's your bike ands you do what you want. I'll leave my input out, aside from saying I was cringing really hard hearing this was going to become a mini-stroker...that's what Elites are for. lmao Resto-mod all the way. It'll retain or even gain value if kept original. With bikes like this, especially in the US, it's literally about preserving a super cool trinket of imported Japanese culture within a community we love. Who cares about the money, this thing is just f*ckin dope!!!!!!
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Post by Kenho21 on Mar 15, 2021 6:44:24 GMT -5
Also, a Baja is one of the only rare Hondas I haven't seen in person. I've toyed with the idea of getting one just to show up sh*ttin on the Detroit guys hahah.
If you're seriously considering it, just do it. You're never gonna be like "damn, I wish I never imported thing Baja". That sentence just doesn't make sense in.
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Post by hippo008 on Mar 15, 2021 8:51:05 GMT -5
Also, a Baja is one of the only rare Hondas I haven't seen in person. I've toyed with the idea of getting one just to show up sh*ttin on the Detroit guys hahah. If you're seriously considering it, just do it. You're never gonna be like "damn, I wish I never imported thing Baja". That sentence just doesn't make sense in. I'm always interested to hear others opinions. Fire away my man As for the Baja, I know I can get one exported from Japan, I believe they are all 1993 and should be good for export. Even better because the selling price would be under $2499 US it would qualify for an "informal entry" making it way easier to get. I've been doing the research and it seems possible to do without a customs broker. There's an *enourmous* amount of red tape though so I am not totally sure. Step 1 is fining an exporter who is willing to take delivery of one from a private seller and arrange shipping to the Boston port near my home. After that it's seemingly not so bad. |
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Post by Kenho21 on Mar 15, 2021 9:00:14 GMT -5
Also, a Baja is one of the only rare Hondas I haven't seen in person. I've toyed with the idea of getting one just to show up sh*ttin on the Detroit guys hahah. If you're seriously considering it, just do it. You're never gonna be like "damn, I wish I never imported thing Baja". That sentence just doesn't make sense in. I'm always interested to hear others opinions. Fire away my man As for the Baja, I know I can get one exported from Japan, I believe they are all 1993 and should be good for export. Even better because the selling price would be under $2499 US it would qualify for an "informal entry" making it way easier to get. I've been doing the research and it seems possible to do without a customs broker. There's an *enourmous* amount of red tape though so I am not totally sure. Step 1 is fining an exporter who is willing to take delivery of one from a private seller and arrange shipping to the Boston port near my home. After that it's seemingly not so bad. There’s a guy out in Cali on FB, Stiv Luneta, is what he goes by, I believe. Something like that. He brings most of the AF stuff into the country that you find nowadays. I know he brings in containers of at least 20 at a time and that he says it’s not really worth doing otherwise. I don’t know the specifics at all, I’ve just heard it’s an absolute nightmare if you’ve never done it before and ends up costing quite a bit for one bike. I know that dude that brought that Aerox over and is around here once in a while paid $5,500+ to get it here. Again, that’s just the word on the street around here and why my buddy and I haven’t done it ourselves. I have zero firsthand experience with this sort of thing. I’ve debated the idea of buying a container to sell though. If that’s something you may be interested in, PM me and we can chat. Get a container of scoots with the few we want, sell the rest and keep the keepers for free and maybe make a couple bucks. That’s the idea behind it. |
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Post by hippo008 on Mar 15, 2021 11:16:32 GMT -5
I actually was going back and forth with a few sellers on Alibaba who's business is to sell used scooters by the container. You end up paying about $130~ per unit at 26 or so units and then whatever the shipping charge + import duties.
As far as individuals the ticket is the informal entry. An Aerox (as far as I know) is newer than 25 years old and would have a declared value of greater than $2499. If you import something older than 25 years old and it's CBP determined value is less than $2499 the process is WAY easier and less expensive. All you need to do is file a CBP form 7501 and DOT HS-7 form with the shipping yard and you should he good to go.
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Post by Kenho21 on Mar 15, 2021 12:05:33 GMT -5
I actually was going back and forth with a few sellers on Alibaba who's business is to sell used scooters by the container. You end up paying about $130~ per unit at 26 or so units and then whatever the shipping charge + import duties. As far as individuals the ticket is the informal entry. An Aerox (as far as I know) is newer than 25 years old and would have a declared value of greater than $2499. If you import something older than 25 years old and it's CBP determined value is less than $2499 the process is WAY easier and less expensive. All you need to do is file a CBP form 7501 and DOT HS-7 form with the shipping yard and you should he good to go. Is the value assessed based on the Japanese market or US? I'm guessing that Dios come in under the $2,499 mark? That all makes good sense as to why no one is importing anything other than Dios. I would be really interested in finding a way to get Minarelli based stuff over here. It sounds like it may be a challenge, but I like a challenge and resourcefulness is a strong point of mine. |
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Post by hippo008 on Mar 15, 2021 15:07:35 GMT -5
Value is assessed by the sale price in USD. So if you purchase a scooter for less than the $2499 informal entry ceiling then you get to skip a lot of red tape.
The other big deal is the 25 year exemption. After 25 years the DOT and EPA no longer strictly regulate vehicles in the US. If you have a 25 year exemption and the informal entry exemption it's really not so bad.
Yes Dios sell for about $120-$200 used wholesale. You pick the models they sell you. Jogs are readily available in Japan. Not as common as the Dios but the yards I was talking to could accommodate all sorts of models from Jogs to Vespa and Aprillia. The challenge with export yards is they generally don't care what the current state of scooter is. They grade them from 1-4 sometimes, 4 being best, but that's not common. You could get bone stock mint examples or blown out rust buckets. It's a roll of the dice.
The other option is buying a Dio from a private seller. Much more expensive, usually $500+ but you know you're getting a high quality example. My plan would be to buy a Dio Baja from a private party and not a yard to ensure quality.
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Post by jbjhillbilly on Mar 15, 2021 20:28:56 GMT -5
I'm always interested to hear others opinions. Fire away my man As for the Baja, I know I can get one exported from Japan, I believe they are all 1993 and should be good for export. Even better because the selling price would be under $2499 US it would qualify for an "informal entry" making it way easier to get. I've been doing the research and it seems possible to do without a customs broker. There's an *enourmous* amount of red tape though so I am not totally sure. Step 1 is fining an exporter who is willing to take delivery of one from a private seller and arrange shipping to the Boston port near my home. After that it's seemingly not so bad. There’s a guy out in Cali on FB, Stiv Luneta, is what he goes by, I believe. Something like that. He brings most of the AF stuff into the country that you find nowadays. I know he brings in containers of at least 20 at a time and that he says it’s not really worth doing otherwise. I don’t know the specifics at all, I’ve just heard it’s an absolute nightmare if you’ve never done it before and ends up costing quite a bit for one bike. I know that dude that brought that Aerox over and is around here once in a while paid $5,500+ to get it here. Again, that’s just the word on the street around here and why my buddy and I haven’t done it ourselves. I have zero firsthand experience with this sort of thing. I’ve debated the idea of buying a container to sell though. If that’s something you may be interested in, PM me and we can chat. Get a container of scoots with the few we want, sell the rest and keep the keepers for free and maybe make a couple bucks. That’s the idea behind it. I know Stiv! Have bought some GET stuff from him. He’s legit, if a little pricy. His paperwork satisfies California DMV, which ain’t easy. I haven’t seen what he has available right now, but if you’re curious I can hit him up. |
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Post by Kenho21 on Mar 15, 2021 20:52:43 GMT -5
There’s a guy out in Cali on FB, Stiv Luneta, is what he goes by, I believe. Something like that. He brings most of the AF stuff into the country that you find nowadays. I know he brings in containers of at least 20 at a time and that he says it’s not really worth doing otherwise. I don’t know the specifics at all, I’ve just heard it’s an absolute nightmare if you’ve never done it before and ends up costing quite a bit for one bike. I know that dude that brought that Aerox over and is around here once in a while paid $5,500+ to get it here. Again, that’s just the word on the street around here and why my buddy and I haven’t done it ourselves. I have zero firsthand experience with this sort of thing. I’ve debated the idea of buying a container to sell though. If that’s something you may be interested in, PM me and we can chat. Get a container of scoots with the few we want, sell the rest and keep the keepers for free and maybe make a couple bucks. That’s the idea behind it. I know Stiv! Have bought some GET stuff from him. He’s legit, if a little pricy. His paperwork satisfies California DMV, which ain’t easy. I haven’t seen what he has available right now, but if you’re curious I can hit him up. He’s the only one I know of bringing these in. As of right now though, I think the cost of containers is prohibitive. |
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Post by hippo008 on Mar 16, 2021 13:45:54 GMT -5
So it turns out my oil injector delete plug is for the AF16 and not the AF18. So it's slightly smaller than the original oil pump. Will that be an issue in terms of crankcase volume?
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Post by 190mech on Mar 16, 2021 17:43:07 GMT -5
I would not worry as long as it has sealed the case from the outside world..
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Post by hippo008 on Mar 20, 2021 22:14:09 GMT -5
So I ran into an issue. The caliper adapter that came with the RPM caliper and rotor doesn't fit the NCY legs. The mounting holes do not match for the NCY legs and the caliper adapter.
So I am not sure what to do. Does anybody know of an adapter for the RPM / Adelin Caliper for a 200mm rotor on NCY legs? I'm really scratching my head here.
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