High cost of bike parts

[kerryg]

I've owned a few bikes over the last few years, including a couple that I bought as insurance write-offs and did up and got back on the road again. Great fun but a real learning curve. I'm doing a similar thing now and I guess, although I thought I was unshockable pretty much, I've been shocked by just how ridiculous/insane the costs of some items are. Items you look at and think, OK, I can see how that would should cost me $100-200, allowing for room for a mark-up for everyone in the chain, and it costs $1000. That sort of magnitude of difference. A plastic turn signal= $200 when an aftermarket one, just as well made but lacking a DOT number or whatever, is, say, $20 or $30. A single vinyl decal 300mm x 50mm ($80). A set of rotors ($800-$900). I won't mention specific brands, and anyway I don't think that it is a problem with only some of the brands but pretty much all (I've owned Italian, British and Japanese). I also don't think (although I can't say with certainty) it is the fault of the local bike shop, which I don't believe take a big margin on these things, but probably either the factory and/or the distributor.

It has a lot of downstream implications: one example, bikes cost more to insure because if you drop one the cost of the parts adds up so fast that your bike gets written off for even quite minor damage. Another: even second hand parts from a wrecker cost plenty because they tend to index the cost (e.g. 30 or 40%, say) of used parts to the cost of new parts.

I've looked at costs on the web and prices seem much the same in the USA or Europe, so I don't think NZ customers get stung much worse than others, at least not that I can judge.


Call me paranoid, but IT FEELS LIKE A CONSPIRACY!!! HOW CAN THEY JUSTIFY THESE PRICES??? I could possibly understand it to some extent (but still not wholly) if the NZ distributor is carrying stock of parts for x number of models going back x number of years but they don't, they get them ex Japan/Italy/UK etc in most cases unless it's a very common part. I am also extremely doubtful that factories in Japan (where they invented the "just-in-time" system) or for that matter elsewhere are holding large stocks of parts for bikes they made 10 years ago; maybe some, but I bet they keep limited inventories and outsource new supplies from time to time when their inventories run down.


What's my point.......??? Maybe we are being screwed in the arse, and we should not be bending over, dropping our trousers to our ankles and offering ourselves for a rogering every time we buy a factory part. Starting by giving the parts boys in the bike shop stick when we are being particularly egregiously given it in the arse, and asking for contact details to the distributor and factory and making our outrage felt.........

[Smorg]

Bikes are not as popular as cages.................more cages, more parts, mass production therefore avalible at a cheaper price.

Less bikes less demand for parts smaller production creating higher prices.............but then again thats just a guess :whocares:

[White trash]

I assure you, bike shops put huge mark ups on these parts, but they've got overheads to meet and the distributors aren't making it any easier either.

You want cheap parts, buy a Buell.

[Paul in NZ]

Could not agree more... It is one of the main reasons I refuse to purchase a late model bike. The cost of doing any real maintenance and insurance is crazy....

Have a look here...

http://www.mgcycle.com/

Go to parts and accesories

http://www.mgcycle.com/parts.html

It's in US$ but this is why I like my Moto Guzzi... Part for bikes back to the 60's all at reasonable prices and clearly shown PLUS great support for racing, restoration and custom work. In some cases NZ prices from Moto Kiwi are even better...

GO GUZZI!

[Paul in NZ]

You want cheap parts, buy a Buell.

Trashy - I've told you once and I've told you a hundred times... :bash: There is a difference between cheap and inexpensive.... Glad to see you finally realised what it is...

:yes:

[kerryg]

I assure you, bike shops put huge mark ups on these parts, but they've got overheads to meet and the distributors aren't making it any easier either.

You want cheap parts, buy a Buell.


Everybody needs to make a buck, no problem with capitalism at all (all for it in fact). "Cheap" is not what I'm talking about. "Less of a complete rip-off" is more my meaning. I don't own a Buell, so "cheap" Buell parts kinda don't help me at present... or anyone else (makes the majority I'd guess) who owns a bike other than Buell.

As a matter of interest, how much do some typical Buell parts cost (I'm curious)? Say mirrors, headlight assembly, tank, whatever....just roughly is plenty good enough. Maybe my next bike needs to be a Buell

[limbimtimwim]

What's my point.......??? Maybe we are being screwed in the arse, and we should not be bending over, dropping our trousers to our ankles and offering ourselves for a rogering every time we buy a factory part. Starting by giving the parts boys in the bike shop stick when we are being particularly egregiously given it in the arse, and asking for contact details to the distributor and factory and making our outrage felt......Kinda not relevant, but I seem to recall reading that once Wheels magazine (A <i>fine</i> Australian publication about cars) built (Or maybe just priced up) an entire Holden Camira out of new parts. The cost?

About $1,000,000 !

[Lou Girardin]

Everybody needs to make a buck, no problem with capitalism at all (all for it in fact). "Cheap" is not what I'm talking about. "Less of a complete rip-off" is more my meaning. I don't own a Buell, so "cheap" Buell parts kinda don't help me at present... or anyone else (makes the majority I'd guess) who owns a bike other than Buell.

As a matter of interest, how much do some typical Buell parts cost (I'm curious)? Say mirrors, headlight assembly, tank, whatever....just roughly is plenty good enough. Maybe my next bike needs to be a Buell

Buell bits are really cheap compared to most, ($30 for an indicator), but I wouldn't say retail mark-up is huge. I object to paying $180 for a piece of coloured plastic moulding for the Bandit, and Suzuki bits are supposed to be cheaper than other Jap brands!
The same situation applies to cars. A few years ago there was a call for an enquiry into parts pricing, but it was all too hard for the Govt. Like fuel pricing now.

[Motu]

Think of the part you want,get a designer to design it for you.....take the design to a pattern maker and get a pattern made,then go to a production shop specialising what whatever format it is made from and oraganise a production run of 100,and see how much your part costs.

[kerryg]

Think of the part you want,get a designer to design it for you.....take the design to a pattern maker and get a pattern made,then go to a production shop specialising what whatever format it is made from and oraganise a production run of 100,and see how much your part costs.


Motu, I take your point BUT.....

Some of the parts I've bought (I'll use turn signals and mirrors, both often broken in even minor crashes, as examples) are common to god-knows-how-many-models from the same bike manufacturer, covering several years of production. I have no doubt whatsoever that they have "economies of scale".

And you know as well as I do that Jap bikes are assembled from outsourced items that are common to many bikes: calipers by Tokico etc, wheels by Asahi, mastercylinder by Nissin, etc etc. I don't buy the logic that the costs of making a certain part are amortized over 100 bikes.

[Ixion]

Could not agree more... It is one of the main reasons I refuse to purchase a late model bike. The cost of doing any real maintenance and insurance is crazy....

Have a look here...

http://www.mgcycle.com/

Go to parts and accesories

http://www.mgcycle.com/parts.html

It's in US$ but this is why I like my Moto Guzzi... Part for bikes back to the 60's all at reasonable prices and clearly shown PLUS great support for racing, restoration and custom work. In some cases NZ prices from Moto Kiwi are even better...

GO GUZZI!


The most impressive thing about that site is that they don't need to subdivide it by model !

Which is one of the main reasons why parts are so dear. Once upon a time (back in Briddish days), there was a very high level of interchangeability of parts between different models of the same marque. And the same part was kept for years and years and years. So one could speak simply , for instance , of a "Pre unit BSA gearbox" Which was used on a dozen or more models over a period of decades. And this is what I think MG still do. It is a VERY sensible philosophy.

So why don't other makers do it? Simply, because you, the buying public, don't want it.

Nowdays, every year the new models have to look different. And be tweaked or changed in one way or another. I've seen it right here on this forum, people complaining that the 06 models "are hardly any different to the 05 models". And the constant efforts to extract a couple of extra horsepower mean constant mechanical changes.

The price you pay for constant change is that parts cost more because the manufacturer must amoritise all the change costs over only a few years production, usually on a single model .

GO GUZZI, indeed. Pity they're as rare as hen's teeth, and cost the earth.

[Ixion]

Motu, I take your point BUT.....

Some of the parts I've bought (I'll use turn signals and mirrors, both often broken in even minor crashes, as examples) are common to god-knows-how-many-models from the same bike manufacturer, covering several years of production. I have no doubt whatsoever that they have "economies of scale".

And you know as well as I do that Jap bikes are assembled from outsourced items that are common to many bikes: calipers by Tokico etc, wheels by Asahi, mastercylinder by Nissin, etc etc. I don't buy the logic that the costs of making a certain part are amortized over 100 bikes.

Have you checked the pricing in GN250 parts ?

[geoffm]

Bike parts are extremely expensive. I have found that in many cases, the Japanese parts cost more than the Beemer parts. An upper fairing for the RG500 = $2k - unpainted!
I have compared parts here an doverseas. Suzuki seem to be much the same around the world, but BMW parts are more expensive here, sometimes by a lot. The US price on BMW parts is slightly less than here, but the German prices are signifcinatly less - usually around 30% less. One example - fork staunchion in NZ = $900 incl GST (+wait 3 -4 weeks), or 170 euro ($300ish) from Germany. If anyone wants BMW parts, I can recommend www.siebenrock.de. Delivery is the same or less time than orderin through BMW NZ, who never have any parts in stock anyway. www.motobins.co.uk is another good source.
There are a number of parts suppliers on the Net (eg www.bikebandit.com) with online microfiches and parts lists/ pricing. makes comparisons easy.
If you can manage the transport, Ebay helps a lot. I have got a few parts from Ebay, but shipping is a pain without someone in the country to sort it out. A lot of sellers won't send overseas, or charge heaps and use DHL/ Fedex, etc, which makes it uneconomic.

Geoff

[ajdarrell]

I think we do get boned :buggerd: somewhat in NZ.

A mate of mine recently needed new cams and rocker arms for his ZZR11. He priced them in the states and from his local dealer in CHCH.

The result was, he could fly to LA, have a weeks holiday, buy the bits and bring them back. All this and he would have a couple of hundred left over from the price quoted here.

I have a late model beemer and I buy all of my bits (only filters, plugs, etc) on the web from the UK. Including frieght it is generally about 30% cheaper.

Basically, we don't have the population here to worry the manufacturers so we get boned.

Could be worse, we could have a population like Japan and prices would be cheaper but then you would have no where to ride without 10,000 other tossers on the road. :ride:

[Motu]

But the parts are still used over a much shorter production span than Euro or US bikes.I have far more experiance with car parts,because that's all I do every day.We have seen a huge reduction in parts prices over the few years,but that's because we are getting parts from China,I pay $16 for steering rack ends,they used to cost $200...disc rotors now cost ne $35,I used to pay over $80.

But genuine parts are different story - a few years ago a common part that failled was the vacuum advance unit,for a Japanese car these would cost around $150 to $350....but for a Pontiac Firebird I could buy a vacuum advance unit for $9.That's because the Japanese unit was used over a production run of maybe 6 months,where as the GM distributor has been made since the mid 1950sProduction costs well and truely absorbed.

Oh,whiles I've spent the last hour writting this I see Ixion has explained it much better than me as usual.The modern Triumphs were built on a modular system to spread parts across a wide product range,it makes so much sense,but is seldon done.

[kerryg]

Have you checked the pricing in GN250 parts ?


Why would I? I have owned 20+ bikes over a range of brands in the past few years, all 600cc to 1200cc streetbikes, and my experience with parts was in relation to some of those. Parts for GN250s (made in China these days) might be different I suppose.

[Ixion]

Why would I? I have owned 20+ bikes over a range of brands in the past few years, all 600cc to 1200cc streetbikes, and my experience with parts was in relation to some of those. Parts for GN250s (made in China these days) might be different I suppose.

Yeah, that's what i meant. Cos they're simple bikes that have been made to pretty much the same design for donkey's years. So if the high price is dealers shafting us I'd expect GN250 parts to be dear too . (Why shaft some riders and not others) But if they're cheap then the dealers are being honest and it's cos of the design of bikes. Never had to price GN250 bits m'self, so i don't know.

[kerryg]

But the parts are still used over a much shorter production span than Euro or US bikes

Agreed, but I still believe we are getting reamed. We could probably discuss this all day and never get any clarity but here's how I guess (it is only a guess) it works: when a new model is produced by the Japanese (or the Poms or the Italians or whomever) and new jigs/dies/tooling etc are produced for that purpose, those costs are factored into the cost of the bikes based on a certain minimum number of units being produced. After that miniumum number has been produced the cost per unit reduces because some of the capital costs have been recovered. Therefore short-runs= high unit cost (think mv Agusta or Bimota or even more exotic stuff) while long-runs =lower unit cost (think Harley, Ducati, the Japanese manufacturers).The Japanese manufacturers change models a lot, but have big production scale. Manufacturers like BMW and Harley, who have big production scale AND who change models much less often must be absolutely creaming it. About which there is little to be said except "good on them", that's capitalism. If one manufacturer or other gets out of kilter with what the market will pay, the market will punish it.

My issue is not with bike prices so much aswith parts, which should (in a fair world) be reasonably inexpensive if the reasoning above is right. Who knows whether it is right , but is seems pretty plausible and cogent to me.

Here's a theory: by keeping parts horrendously expensive the manufacturers
promote sales of new bikes rather than the repair of old ones. This objective is assisted by keeping retailer margins on new bike sales LOW (which I believe is the case, 10-15% I heard?), and by setting the factory's cost for parts to the dealer at an artificially high level (AND the dealer's margin on parts reasonably high to compensate the dealer for the low margins on new bike sales). Both encourage new bike sales rather than parts sales.

That would explain why BMW parts are a bit cheaper. Long model life= lower unit cost, so the margins enjoyed on a new bike sale by a BMW dealer are possibly fatter than on a Japanese bike, so the dealer doesn't need the inflated margins on parts to keep him in the black.

Anyway, flogged that subject to death :blah:

[Sparky Bills]

Ducati parts are cheap too! :eek:
$35 for an indicator for example.

[Lou Girardin]

The modern Triumphs were built on a modular system to spread parts across a wide product range,it makes so much sense,but is seldon done.

Part of the problem is that some people think that saving, for example, 2 grammes on a brake rotor makes a difference. So the factories make those super light rotors to keep the market happy instead of continuing to use the 'heavy' ones for a longer production run.

[Ixion]

Hm.

Heres a question though.

Priced a yamaha throttle cable. Simple bowden cable. Over $80. Eeep.

Priced the component bits. Place in hamilton. About $30. What I'd expect. Bearing in mind, that I'll be paying top dollar, buying just a few foot of cable and one off bits. Cable inner and outer, two nipples, two ferrules and two adjuster thingies.

Now the guy who supplies the bits is presumably making a decent profit off them. And the labour to assemble a throttle cable can't be more than a few minutes on a production line . Took me less than 10 minutes on a one off basis. Snip, snip, thread , braze, braze , done.

Even allow 5 minutes. At a recovery rate of $120 per hour (and I'm damn sure that Yamaha wouldn't be paying that rate to whoever makes their throttle cables. That stuff is outsourced, and probably to India or China or Vietnam or somewhere. it's basically cottage industry level. No complicated machcinery, no expensive jigs. Just a pair of snippers and a gas torch). Thats $10 for labour.

So I'm looking at $40 MAX . Absolute max. With profit built in all along the line.

So where does the extra $40 come from?

[Motu]

Sometimes the system is set up to make profit on the parts - eg...in the good old days Lucas costed out all their components in a car (or bike I guess,but less money) at $25,they made a loss on that,but picked up on after sales...well,of course they would cause the product was shit,Amal did the same on carbs.This still goes on in certain cases.

It's a really complex business,and the car game is 100x the bike game.Here's another one that's happening - wheel bearings...Holden used the same front wheel bearing from the early 60s to 1995,costs truely absorbed and you can buy a set for $30.But in 1995 Holden turned over wheel bearing supply to the bearing company,they designed a hub/bearing assembly,it is supplied to Holden for no more than the original...but try to buy one,it's nearly $500 to you.I buy thousands of dollars of car parts a week,using a dozen or more suppliers,I've got a pretty good handle on what's out there and what I should be paying for what quality - when I buy bike parts as a retail customer (try and ask for trade price at a bike shop!) I have no complaints at all,they compare favourably with my game.Mind you I don't ride a fancy pants sportsbike,maybe you are paying just for the look?

[kerryg]

[QUOTE=Ixion]Hm.

Priced a yamaha throttle cable. /QUOTE]


Simple. If you want a Yamakawahondazuki (hereinafter known as YKHS) part, you have to go to a YKHS dealer. YKHS dealers work on the same retail pricing nationally (so do the other franchises so far as I can tell) so you can't go down the road and get a cheaper factory part. It's part of the deal for the dealer when he gets a YKHS franchise, one of the benefits. There are also issues if you use non-factory parts on a bike still uinder factory warranty.

If you don't mind an aftermarket part, if you can find one, you may get it cheaper. QED

[Motu]

Works the opposite for me - if I want a hydraulic hose made on site,it costs me more than one made by the hundreds for a specific vehicle (non Jap Import) Same with brake hoses,they cost me say $13,but if I need a one off it's a costly item.Of course there are standards that have to be complied with,but not with clutch and throttle cables.I'll go for a genuine cable if possible as they are nylon lined and have all the do hickies on,but have made my own for years,I still have coils of inner and outer,make my own nipples from rod or whatever is needed.

[Ixion]

Works the opposite for me - if I want a hydraulic hose made on site,it costs me more than one made by the hundreds for a specific vehicle (non Jap Import) Same with brake hoses,they cost me say $13,but if I need a one off it's a costly item.Of course there are standards that have to be complied with,but not with clutch and throttle cables.I'll go for a genuine cable if possible as they are nylon lined and have all the do hickies on,but have made my own for years,I still have coils of inner and outer,make my own nipples from rod or whatever is needed.

Just so. The one-off ought to be much dearer. That's why I haven't bothered making my own for years and years. 'Twas just not worth it. But $50 saving for 10 minutes of time IS worthwhile. Which is why I call suspect - the made-by-the-hundred item should be cheaper than the sum of its component parts. I suspect there IS a whopping big "pay for the brand name on the bag" margin in there.

[White trash]

As a matter of interest, how much do some typical Buell parts cost (I'm curious)? Say mirrors, headlight assembly, tank, whatever....just roughly is plenty good enough. Maybe my next bike needs to be a Buell

OK. Indicators, complete, DOT marked, $25. They'll bolt on anything and look quite funky with clear lenses. Deano had a set on his SP1, Motoxxx has a pair on the back of his TLR.

Nice, alloy footpegs, $35e. Get the Lightning ones (XB12S) and they'll drop your pegs by an inch, slot straight into Suzuki mounts.

Mirrors, $60 each.

[Lou Girardin]

Hm.

Heres a question though.

Priced a yamaha throttle cable. Simple bowden cable. Over $80. Eeep.

Priced the component bits. Place in hamilton. About $30. What I'd expect. Bearing in mind, that I'll be paying top dollar, buying just a few foot of cable and one off bits. Cable inner and outer, two nipples, two ferrules and two adjuster thingies.

Now the guy who supplies the bits is presumably making a decent profit off them. And the labour to assemble a throttle cable can't be more than a few minutes on a production line . Took me less than 10 minutes on a one off basis. Snip, snip, thread , braze, braze , done.

Even allow 5 minutes. At a recovery rate of $120 per hour (and I'm damn sure that Yamaha wouldn't be paying that rate to whoever makes their throttle cables. That stuff is outsourced, and probably to India or China or Vietnam or somewhere. it's basically cottage industry level. No complicated machcinery, no expensive jigs. Just a pair of snippers and a gas torch). Thats $10 for labour.

So I'm looking at $40 MAX . Absolute max. With profit built in all along the line.

So where does the extra $40 come from?


Manufacturer-Overseas wholesaler-importer-retailer. They all want a cut.

[Ixion]

Manufacturer-Overseas wholesaler-importer-retailer. They all want a cut.

Yeah, but surely the components that I bought go through the same chain ? None of it was NZ made. I can understand the "gosh it's dear for what it is ". As you say, a long feeding chain. But I can't understand why the same thing (essentially) bought as its component bits should be half the price (allowing for labour) as the same thing assembled. As Mr Motu said, should be the other way round.

[Kickaha]

I once had occasion to price BMW front wheel bearings when I owned a R75/7 that will be $80 for the pair thank you very much said the BMW dealer, so I pulled them out got the numbers and trotted off the to SKF bearing supplier and he said that will be $32 for the pair, the only difference between them was the BMW bearings came in a bag with the extra expensive BMW logo on the side and you guessed it were made by SKF

[Motu]

I used to own an International,the most expensive cardboard boxes I've ever bought....

I constantly get suprised by franchise parts being cheaper than aftermarket,and even second hand,especially suspension parts.Say 7 years ago a used VTECH dist for a Honda from Strongs would cost you $800,serious money for second hand,but new was $1800,then they dropped the price to $450 - now you can buy a brand new Vtech dist from Honda NZ for $400,they are laughing at Strongs who are being caught out by being more expensive than new.


A 525i BMW drove out my door today - the second hand VANOS cyl head we put on cost $2800,with the rest of our work it cost him $4500 for not checking the water....but he does own a BMW....lucky man.

[TLDV8]

I think we do get boned :buggerd: somewhat in NZ.

A mate of mine recently needed new cams and rocker arms for his ZZR11. He priced them in the states and from his local dealer in CHCH.


Its kind of strange if you get any price off Ronayers.com,do the exchange rate on the one from a few years ago (41c on the Dollar) it will be similar to what you pay here..pity the exchange is 70c on the Dollar yet the prices are the same as years ago....... I priced a set of SP2 inlets manifolds here (rubber) $180 or a $100 mark up.. I wonder if a TL radiator is half the cost of over a $1000+GST now due to the favourable for some time exchange rate,i doubt it.

[kerryg]

OK. Indicators, complete, DOT marked, $25. They'll bolt on anything and look quite funky with clear lenses. Deano had a set on his SP1, Motoxxx has a pair on the back of his TLR.

Nice, alloy footpegs, $35e. Get the Lightning ones (XB12S) and they'll drop your pegs by an inch, slot straight into Suzuki mounts.

Mirrors, $60 each.


That's bloody reasonable...huge difference (footpeg on 636= $129.35, that's just the footpeg, not the bracket etc; front turn signal $94.70 which is a lot cheaper than some...etc etc)

It's certainly food for thought....always kinda fancied a Buell too :yes:

[ODL]

If you want well priced parts all you need to do is look around, some of the stuff I've purchased for the CBR has been half the price that is available via the dealers, and thats OEM gear landed from the states. When I need a part the next day, sure I pay a premium, but it only takes a week for the stuff to arrive from the states. Ohlins rear shock is a good example, around the $2500 for one here, $1500 from the states.

I don't think the dealers are making a huge profit, nor are the importers. It's more that the guys I deal with in the states, order in the hundreds/thousands, kiwi firms can only order very small amounts.

[Lou Girardin]

So, in the case of Ohlins for example, people buy them from the states. Then the NZ Ohlins man goes belly-up. Then you send your shock back to the US for rebuilding.
Excellent result.
I trust that when everyone is buying from overseas sources they won't bitch when they can't get local help when they need it.
Isn't it time we start thinking about supporting this country?

[White trash]

So, in the case of Ohlins for example, people buy them from the states. Then the NZ Ohlins man goes belly-up. Then you send your shock back to the US for rebuilding.
Excellent result.
I trust that when everyone is buying from overseas sources they won't bitch when they can't get local help when they need it.
Isn't it time we start thinking about supporting this country?

I aggree we need to support our local people, but to the tune of ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for the same part? That's really hard to swallow even if you're extremely wealthy, which most of us aren't.

It's a tough cookie to chew, but the importers really need to look at their pricing if they want to stay in business.

For example, if someone who imported Ohlins shocks as the NZ distributor was selling them for $1500 as opposed to $2500, not only would he loose less business to the internet and overseas, but he'd also find that people who wanted one could buy them rather than only those who need them. eg racers.

[kerryg]

So, in the case of Ohlins for example, people buy them from the states. Then the NZ Ohlins man goes belly-up. Then you send your shock back to the US for rebuilding.
Excellent result.
I trust that when everyone is buying from overseas sources they won't bitch when they can't get local help when they need it.
Isn't it time we start thinking about supporting this country?


Yes but there's a limit to how much of a premium you can pay for "patriotism", if that's what it is.

Follow your reasoning to its logical conclusion and it's better to pay 10 times a fair price for something because it's good for the country. No offence intended, but I don't think so.....

[Lou Girardin]

I aggree we need to support our local people, but to the tune of ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for the same part? That's really hard to swallow even if you're extremely wealthy, which most of us aren't.

It's a tough cookie to chew, but the importers really need to look at their pricing if they want to stay in business.

For example, if someone who imported Ohlins shocks as the NZ distributor was selling them for $1500 as opposed to $2500, not only would he loose less business to the internet and overseas, but he'd also find that people who wanted one could buy them rather than only those who need them. eg racers.

That's true, but $2500 sounds a lot. Mine was $1700 retail, I don't know if the Honda one should be that much dearer. Personally, I'd talk to Robert about the price first before I resort to out of country dealers.

[vifferman]

Yes but there's a limit to how much of a premium you can pay for "patriotism", if that's what it is.

Follow your reasoning to its logical conclusion and it's better to pay 10 times a fair price for something because it's good for the country. No offence intended, but I don't think so.....
I agree.
I wanted some APE manual camchain tensioners for the VTR1000; these were listed as $US49.95 (retail) each. There's only one agent for APE here, and he quoted me ~$NZ150 each. How can that sort of markup be justified?
Freight?
I don't think so.
I imported two, plus a throttle position sensor, from a guy in the UK for a total of less than $300, including air freight.
Yes, he has to make a living, but that's just stupid. With the advent of the Interdweeb, you can't afford to rip people off.

[Lou Girardin]

Yes but there's a limit to how much of a premium you can pay for "patriotism", if that's what it is.

Follow your reasoning to its logical conclusion and it's better to pay 10 times a fair price for something because it's good for the country. No offence intended, but I don't think so.....

I don't know that 10 times is logical.
I've only bought overseas when I was unable to source parts I needed in NZ.
A prime example of the problems with dealing overseas is that of a guy that bought race spec brake components from USA. Once fitted, they were no better than stock, someone had slipped up with the specs. Now he's faced with trying to sort the problem from around the world rather than talking direct with someone in NZ.

[White trash]

That's true, but $2500 sounds a lot. Mine was $1700 retail, I don't know if the Honda one should be that much dearer. Personally, I'd talk to Robert about the price first before I resort to out of country dealers.

Good point, a quick e-mail saying "Hey listen, I can get this for....." costs nothing and could benefit everyone involved.

[kerryg]

I don't know that 10 times is logical.



It's called "reductio ad absurdum" IIRC.

The premise is this: because it contributes to the NZ economy, and helps your hard-working local distributor's business, it is a good thing to pay a higher price.

If we accept the logic of that premise, then it is an even greater social good to pay an even higher price.

[Bonez]

Ducati parts are cheap too! :eek:
$35 for an indicator for example.$24 for a pattern '81 GSX750 one-cheaper than one from a wreckers :sherlock: