That's interesting Tmation, I'd always thought the parallel imports were...err....imported because they are a cheaper new-bike alternative - I bought a new P.I. Firestorm in '98 essentially 'cos it was around £2K cheaper than a UK market model, although the exchange rate at the time (strong sterling) may have had something to do with that.
Looking at the FZ1s' available (mainly in dealers) around 2008 - 2009 model years in particular it seems that around 1 in 3 are US bikes, so high demand could well have been the major factor as to why so many were imported.
Interesting to note that some of the dealers disclose the fact they are US bikes, but not all ! I'd always thought they had a legal obligation, but maybe not ?
The bottom line for me is that I now feel comfortable that the US bikes are a sound option.
Cheers, Fletch