Thanks to all for the kind words about my G. Having it shipped from England was not that difficult and I dealt with a well-known and respected vintage dealer outside of London. He helped set up the shipping. Cost was not much more than having a bike shipped across country, but it did involve a little more work going to Customs and the holding warehouse. The guys at the warehouse got a big kick out of it when we took it out of the crate and even took pictures of it!
A vintage or antique bike is not subject to the same US DOT, EPA, and Customs restrictions as a new bike, as long as it is genuinely old. When I picked the bike up at the warehouse, Customs had seized someone's new sport bike that didn't meet those conditions. It will either be destroyed or shipped back at the owner's expense. Most people get into trouble because they don't bother to simply check the rules. And it's also important to check with your state motor vehicles department to learn which papers they require for proper registration and title. Some people told me I had to have a Customs broker to help get the bike through, but Customs told me this was unnecessary and mainly reserved for businesses. The Customs paperwork took only 15 minutes. I was lucky - everything went smoothly, but I've heard horror stories from others when they do not have all their paperwork in order. So the moral of my story, is to not hesitate to purchase a bike from overseas - just do some homework first.