[R W Fullerton]

I am looking for the US Dept of transportation or what ever governing body that issues the rules and regulations re Vehicles requirements to allow them to be driven in the USA. Can anyone on here provide me with a website so I can ascertain the possible ramifications we may encounter while traveling in the US since we only have the KLM's indicated on our Burgman sold here in Canada.Thanks RW

 

[dancote]

Here's the link

http://www.dot.gov/

However, you shouldn't have any difficulty even with a speedo that only shows KPH. The calculation for converting between KPH & MPH is trivial and can be approximated on the fly. An alternative is to do the calculation and mark some representative speeds on the instrument face. Finally,
no one is going to pull you over just to check your speedo.

BTW which model Burgman do you ride?

Regards,

Dan

 

[billmeek]

You might want to look at http://www.lbl.gov/Workplace/HumanResources/irss/VehicleImport.html

As I read it (from the above and other sites) you do NOT have to meet any of the US requirements if your vehicle is currently licensed in Canada and your vehicle will be in the US for less than 1 year.

Vehicle laws vary from state to state. Although the US government may not have specific requirements, I'm not sure if the same exemption would be accepted by all states. In reality, I doubt any US law officer would ever ticket you for not having MPH on the speedo. I do think they would not accept that as an excuse for speeding.

I believe what you are trying to do is make a case to Suzuki that Canadian models of the Burgman should have MPH capability in order for them to be legally driven in the US. According to federal law, there is no issue.

<begin CYA>
Disclaimer : I am not a lawyer, I am not in law enforment, I am not connected with any state, city, county, or federal government. Use the above at your own risk.
<end CYA>

 

[Silver]

Ummm - I don't even own a Burgman yet - but I'm pretty sure you can change between kilometers and miles. It should be in the manual.

 

[allwalk]

Ummm - I don't even own a Burgman yet - but I'm pretty sure you can change between kilometers and miles. It should be in the manual.

The U.S. model and U.K. model have this feature but the Canadian model is Kms only. Can't figure out why but thats the way it is.

 

[AndyL]

I earlier this week got this from Suzuki Canada: -

"Our Government and Legal Affairs Rep will be in Ottawa discussing this with Transport Canada this week. Suzuki's position on the dual scale issue is that it is illegal currently. Anyone that has one is violating Federal Law. We are lobbying to have the law amended now. Once done, we will have dual scale. The law for Cars is different, so any comparison is inaccurate."

When I asked them about why the switch does not work for our Canadian models.

I have also asked Suzuki for a "firmware" update to fix this, and the exaggerated indication of speed.

I suggest all of you contact Suzuki to make your opinions known. With sufficient imput, they may feel that the do have to address these issues

 

[Brian]

We really can't blame Suzuki for this. The manufacturing efficiencies of having a single speedometer model for all countries would save them a bundle, but they have to comply with the laws of each county they export bikes to.

Someone in Transport Canada or some other agency probably wanted to enforce a "metric system only" mentality, and wrote into law a regulation on this.

The 10% speed error, though, we can put squarely on Suzuki's shoulders.

 

[mfa]

Cars with digital readouts imported into Canada switch back and forth between metric and imperial. It's, therefore, unlikely that Transport Canada required Suzuki to make our readouts metric only. This was, in my opinion, a real error and one Suzuki should remedy through a recall.

 

[pauljo]

Just in case anyone in the USA wants to discuss the inaccurate speedometer issue with Suzuki...

Suzuki contact information for the USA (from their website):

IF YOU HAVE A CUSTOMER SERVICE INQUIRY:
1) Use the Dealer Locator tool to locate your nearest Suzuki Dealer
or
2) Should you have a situation that you believe requires American Suzuki's immediate assistance you may call Customer Service at 714-572-1490. Customer service representatives are available from 8:30AM to 5 PM PST.
or
3) Put your inquiry in a letter, including copies of all relevant documents (service records, etc.). Include the 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN), your full name, mailing address, and day/evening phone numbers.
Send via U.S. mail to:

American Suzuki MC/ATV Customer Service
P.O. BOX 1100
Brea, CA 92822

Customer service inquiries for Suzuki Motor Vehicles usually involve documents which cannot be handled effectively via e-mail. Therefore, inquires which cannot be answered by the Website FAQ, or your local dealer, should be submitted via U.S. mail.

Please be advised that most customer service inquires can be handled by your local Suzuki dealer, who is familiar with your area and your machine.

We have found that speaking with a trained customer service representative eliminates misunderstandings which are commonly encountered with e-mail communication. We also know that situations can be resolved quickly when all the relevant facts, events and details are discussed in a thorough manner.

It is essential to have your facts organized and available before calling us. This will speed the resolution process. Relevant information would include the following: model, vehicle identification number (VIN), mileage, date of purchase, selling and servicing dealer, names of dealer staff you have approached already plus a summary of your needs and expectations.

Please be advised that e-mail sent from this site goes only to the Webmaster, who is not located on the premises of American Suzuki. Because most customer service inquiries require documentation. E-mail will only delay a timely response to your request.

 

[Brian]

Cars with digital readouts imported into Canada switch back and forth between metric and imperial. It's, therefore, unlikely that Transport Canada required Suzuki to make our readouts metric only. This was, in my opinion, a real error and one Suzuki should remedy through a recall.

Apperently you haven't read the previous post which contains a quote from Suzuki:

I earlier this week got this from Suzuki Canada: -

"Our Government and Legal Affairs Rep will be in Ottawa discussing this with Transport Canada this week. Suzuki's position on the dual scale issue is that it is illegal currently. Anyone that has one is violating Federal Law. We are lobbying to have the law amended now. Once done, we will have dual scale. The law for Cars is different, so any comparison is inaccurate."

 

[dancote]

Something's not right

I find it difficult to believe that Suzuki makes a market-specific speedometer just for Canada. My guess is that the MPH function is "jumpered" out either at the factory or (more likely IMHO) when the scooter arrives in country.

I bet that someone with a wiring diagram and a multimeter could reverse the situation.

Regards,

Dan

 

[Brian]

Re: Something's not right

...My guess is that the MPH function is "jumpered" out either at the factory or (more likely IMHO) when the scooter arrives in country....

Yeah, or possibly it's programmed into a firmware chip somewhere -- the latter might be harder to "correct" unfortunately.