[tigerblade]

Interesting piece on the Roadracing World site yesterday:

7/13/2004
Gray Market Importer To Sell 'Unavailable' Honda CBR1000RR Race Kit Parts To American Privateers

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Responding to racer frustration over their inability to buy Honda CBR1000RR racing kit parts from American Honda, a gray market importer who used to specialize in 250cc Grand Prix machines says he will import and sell CBR1000RR kit parts.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) racing kit parts for the CBR1000RR are readily available from dealers in Japan, but have not been made available to U.S. racers by American Honda.

At Laguna Seca this weekend, CBR1000RR racers Jack Pfeifer and Jeff Tigert both said that they could not get racing kit parts from American Honda. It was at Laguna that a frustrated Pfeifer learned that a friend of his with a dealer connection in Japan had been able to purchase an HRC piston kit and suspension parts for use on his CBR1000RR streetbike, while racers with CBR1000RR Hondas continue to use stock parts.

Pfeifer said he went so far as to obtain part numbers for Honda racing kit parts and gave the list to American Honda's racing parts manager several months ago, and then was told that he couldn't order parts on that list.

Reacting to CBR1000RR racer frustration at Laguna Seca, Karl Uribe of Snarlsport llc. checked with his Japanese contacts--which he used to source new and used 250cc GP machines prior to AMA eliminating the 250cc class for 2004--and found that he will be able to obtain CBR1000RR HRC racing kit parts to import and sell to U.S. racers.

Uribe told Roadracingworld.com, "Kit parts for the CBR1000RR are available, but I cannot quote prices for individual components yet, due to the fact that the price list and description of parts is only available to me in Japanese. The individual per-line translation of the parts book will take some time. But parts are available and once we know the prices, delivery of parts can occur as soon as two weeks depending on shelf availability in Japan."

Uribe can be contacted via e-mail or phone, karluribe@aol.com, www.snarlsport.com, (415) 666-0130.