Why such high Yamaha prices in NZ?

[Paulus]

I posted this over in the buy/sell section but I thought it may be more useful out here where more will see it. On recent trips to Australia I couldn't help but notice that the CBR1000RR and R1 were the same price in the shops. Looking at US and UK magazines it seemed the same over there too. This was definitely not the case here in NZ. I did a bit of digging around on prices and came up with the following information. It would seem that the R1 is about $NZ 2000+ overpriced here relative to every other country shown. Any Yamaha dealers care to pass comment?

2007 RRPs

UK:
R1 UKP 8999
GSX-R1000 UKP 8949
ZX-10R UKP 8800
CBR1000RR UKP 8999

USA:
R1 $US 11599
GSX-R1000 $US 11399
ZX-10R $US 11249
CBR1000RR $US 11499

Aus:
R1 $AU 19399
GSX-R1000 $AU 18950 (06)
ZX-10R $AU 20331
CBR1000RR $AU 18790

NZ:
R1 $NZ 22395
GSX-R1000 $NZ 19995 (06)
ZX-10R $NZ 20490
CBR1000RR $NZ 19495

Notes:
UK prices all sourced from UK distributors websites
USA prices all sourced from USA distributors websites
Aus prices all sourced from Aus dealer websites
NZ prices all sourced from Motorcycle Trader
No 07 GSX-R1000 pricing in Aus or NZ yet

[rocketman1]

I have asked the same question of the local dealers, all they can say is that this wasnt really the case and to recheck the overseas figures.Well its good that you have done it for me cos I knew thay were talking crap.They are overpriced, they then say there bikes are better finished and specified than Suzukis and Kawasaki, & Hondas which is also crap. Check Valentino Rossi's book and although he has changed to Yamaha (basically to piss off Honda Boss's who maintain the bike wins, Rossi maintains its him,) anyway Rossi says Yamaha are way behind Honda in design, suspension and motors.
Apart from that Yamaha's make great bikes, and good on them sponsoring meetings like the Paeroa street race, excellent work, just get the prices right .

[23226]

I think it's down to the small volumes we represent to the manufacturers and importers, and of course the relative isolation and reasonable distance to NZ from the manufacturers.

[MD]

Good research Paulus. I had wondered that myself after riding the 07 R1.
Maybe Crasherfromwayback can enlighten us on the new 07 Gixer 1000 price?
As much as I was impressed with the new yam R1, I can't see the justification for the extra $2900 for example over the Honda ,which we all know has good build quality. Same with the R6. Not sure what a R6 costs new now but last year it was $17500 or thereabouts with the ZX6r $15,500! That must hurt sales when the likes of the ZX and GSXR are such hot machines to ride.

[scracha]

I think it's down to the small volumes we represent to the manufacturers and importers, and of course the relative isolation and reasonable distance to NZ from the manufacturers.

As opposed to western europe which is just around the corner from Japan? There are countries in Europe just as little as NZ. The actual distance involved in shipping has very little bearing on the end cost of importing.

The wildly fluctuating kiwi peso is a valid reason for manufacturers having to price things higher here though. Doesn't account for how Honda and Suzuki's are cheaper here NEW than in Europe though whereas the Yam's are dearer.

Can I also just point out that in Europe you normally pay many thousands less than the RRP whereas over here the dealer's just don't have the markup (so they tell me) to be able to do this.

[Paulus]

They are overpriced, they then say there bikes are better finished and specified than Suzukis and Kawasaki, & Hondas which is also crap.

Funnily enough I got exactly the same story from Rides Yamaha in Chch early last year when I was toying with the idea of buying a new R1. Perhaps they've been advised to say that if anyone questions the price. IMHO the level of finish is better on the Hondas and they are the cheapest. Good on Honda for selling those bikes at such a sharp price.

[Paulus]

I think it's down to the small volumes we represent to the manufacturers and importers, and of course the relative isolation and reasonable distance to NZ from the manufacturers.
If that were the case then they'd all be more expensive, not just Yamaha. I think we're being taken to the cleaners by the Yamaha distributor in NZ.

[N4CR]

i have chatted to satch about this one before, reckons that the parts for them eg fairings are next to nothing, so if you need parts/**** something up it's much cheaper to fix than another brand.... someone got figures to back that up eg farings, his price was rediculously cheap for oem ones... so the cost of the bike outlays the spares should you need some. if you need some......

[R6_kid]

i bought most of my stuff ex-ebay, but it seemed reasonable, only a couple of hundred per fairing. However a set of spark plug leads and caps came to just over $1000

[Paulus]

i have chatted to satch about this one before, reckons that the parts for them eg fairings are next to nothing, so if you need parts/**** something up it's much cheaper to fix than another brand.... someone got figures to back that up eg farings, his price was rediculously cheap for oem ones... so the cost of the bike outlays the spares should you need some. if you need some......

That would mean that the distributor had made the decision to subsidise the parts market from the new bike sales. Not the most sound of business decisions as mostly that'll only benefit the insurance companies. I haven't noticed their spares prices being that sharp nor have I benefited from a reduction in my insurance premiums due to owning a cheaper bike to fix.

[scracha]

i bought most of my stuff ex-ebay, but it seemed reasonable, only a couple of hundred per fairing. However a set of spark plug leads and caps came to just over $1000

Must be a dodgy distributer bwhahahaha

[pritch]

I think it's down to the small volumes we represent to the manufacturers and importers, and of course the relative isolation and reasonable distance to NZ from the manufacturers.

Following that theory doesn't really explain why Yamaha bikes cost more than Honda. I woulda thought both factories were about the same distance from here...

I haven't done any research into the relative pricings other than noticing that Yamaha 600s have cost more than a Hornet 900 for the past two years at least. During which time the FZ6(?) was rated one of the few bad bikes available on the market.

Last time I looked a Yamaha 600 cost about the same as a Suzuki 1000 (either Vtwin or Bandit). I'da thought the Suzuki factory was roughly the same distance from here as Yamaha too...

[Dai]

Its not just Yamaha.

Maybe theirs is more visible here in NZ than the other manufacturers.

I remeber in the UK a few years back when the new Triumphs were comming out that the bike mags and riders suddenly realised that they were chaeper in the US than they were in the UK.

The difference was such that it was almost feasible to buy one from the US and reimport it back to the UK.

Why? Because the manufacturer wanted to court the US market.

To support the local industry the UK riders had to support the US price difference.

Market forces rule industry. To sell things cheaper in one place means that another has to pay a premium price. Unfortunately NZ is such small market nowadays for motorcycles that we just enter into the scheme of things.

We pay premium.

Look at the price of parts. Recently I was quoted $125 for a gear lever from one particlar shop. Ordered one from a shop in the UK and with postage it came to $75. Where does the $50+ difference come from? Drealer markup and such.

[MVnut]

Maybe the Yamaha importer & the tyre importer are the same person

[Lou Girardin]

Yamaha NZ are dreaming. Their pricing is away with the fairies, FJR1300 and FZ1 are prime examples.
The semi-auto FJR is not a $28,000 bike, nor is the FZ1 worth $19,000.
Shame realy, they'd be tempting in the real world.

[R6_kid]

considered importing a new bike from the states, only thing is the tax you get charged, otherwise it could work out quite handsomly

[limbimtimwim]

The build is good on an R1.

I have had an '03 R1 as a loaner twice, and it is in excellent condition. It has done ~28,000 and looks very tidy. They gearbox is in an amazing state, feels crisp as. The engine feels great, though I can hear what is probably the camchain when it is stone cold going 'clunk!!!' if you open the throttle a little. Otherwise it idled and ran so smoothly as to be quite remarkable. I didn't notice a single rusty fastener.

My 6 month old Suzuki, which has done 18,500km is in a much worse state. Some of this is up to the owner, some of this is the bike. My Suzuki corrodes like crazy on all the unpainted alloy, and where there is paint, it's pretty thin. I'm wearing through the paint on the black frame where my knees touch. The plastics are flimsy (But they are super light...). Engine is sweet though. Always ready to go, and always consistent.

I see many modern Honda's are worse than my 1996 RVF, but they are still holding up better than my Suzuki.

The R1 is Yamaha's flagship bike, and they build it like that. The GSXR750 is kinda Suzuki's flagship, and they kinda don't.

I think Yamaha's argument about the build holds some weight, but is it worth $3000 more?

[The_Dover]

I think the build quality shit that suzuki get's is bullshit.

My k6 has done 29000km in 14 months and the only thing wrong with it is the scratches where I threw it down the road.

It's a fucking sportsbike, made to be abused, thrashed and enjoyed. I don't want a tank and I don't want a fuckin ornament.

Give me a bike I can rape like Rickards.

[paturoa]

Give me a bike I can rape like Rickards.

I thought you were only allowed one pillion on a gixer not 2?

[avgas]

Build quality isnt it. Its prob to do more with sales and the fact they can charge what they damn well want.
Like why the fuck are TRX850's from the mid 90's still going for $6+K!!!!
Still $24K for a 955i is a joke to me. New dukes are still ridiculous.

[paturoa]

has anyone done similar research for Hogs etc?

[Paulus]

has anyone done similar research for Hogs etc?

Do it yourself and post it up. The internet makes it easy.

A forum like this is a great place to get this information out to the public. If enough people read it and pressure the dealers then the prices may come down (or they may not). Personally I'd not buy a new Yamaha until they drop their prices to the same as everyone else and I'd advise others to do the same.

[paturoa]

Do it yourself and post it up. The internet makes it easy.

I was thinking someone else may have already done it ....

[Wenier]

My Suzuki corrodes like crazy on all the unpainted alloy, and where there is paint, it's pretty thin

I find it hard to believe that the alloy is corroding so soon and at all. my K3 isnt corroding. Maybe the metal in ya bike has a defect. And the paint is usually like that gets chipped off by stones and speed but hey its a sports bike made to be raped and they take it well.

[R6_kid]

2007 FZ1-Naked in Australia is $13,990 brand new, some places even $12,999. Was as much as $15,999 last year.

2007 FZ1-Naked in New Zealand ex-demo is $17,995... and the faired versions are selling for nearly $20k.

What the hell is going on here?

[ElCoyote]

Look at the price of parts. Recently I was quoted $125 for a gear lever from one particlar shop. Ordered one from a shop in the UK and with postage it came to $75. Where does the $50+ difference come from? Drealer markup and such.

Remember that the dealer you bought from also had a margin built in so that makes the NZ dealers bigger crooks as their buying power beats a one off purchase.

If the Yamaha importer is still Mollers then I am not surprised. Go E-Bay :rockon:

[Paul in NZ]

Which is why, when I was rebuilding the FZR, I purchased all my genuine Yamaha spares from Boston, USA...

In both cases the dealer (I was buying from Ed's Honda) purchased ex Japan but my guy faced re exporting 1st class from USA to Raumati.... He was at worst 1/2 the price of local and at best 1/3...

Insane....