Ractech and a rotting stench

[pritch]

then in the same foul swoop,

I think you'll find that's supposed to be "fell swoop".

It's a good idea to buy local, but it isn't always easy. I saw some CDs on Amazon that I liked the look of so I went to the local shop to see if he had them. He didn't, neither it seemed, did his distributors. So he asked me to go back to Amazon and do research to acquire a lot of detail so that he could track down a source.

I might do that, but probably not. I'll likely just order the things from Amazon while I'm at their website.

I buy books from the local bookshop if they have them. Otherwise Amazon gets the order.

Recently Robert re-specced my VFR Ohlins shock to fit the S4R. When doing so he built it to the standard settings. When I got to ride the bike I found the suspension to be so harsh that I was expecting my fillings to start falling as the gentle rain from heaven...

Road tests often comment on the harshness of Ducati Ohlins settings. Great on the track, not so hot even on many European or British roads. Let alone our bloody goat tracks.

I advised Robert of this. He commented that he considered the spring rate was correct but that he would soften the valving. Which he promptly did at no additional charge. Now I can travel at speed and in considerable comfort.

Had I bought a shock ex the USA at a lower price, I might well have had to spend the difference at the dentist's. Certainly riding the bike would have been a lot less pleasurable than it is now.

It is possible to purchase helmets in the USA much cheaper than here. My new Arai came ex NZ. The different Arai head shapes are a minefield, and this is compounded by the fact that the various models have different names in the USA to the names used here.

As always you pays your money and you makes your choice.

If that makes me an apologist in the eyes of some so be it.

[dipshit]

You don't have to go to the 'States for training to become (or continue to be) an accredited headlight salesman or service agent.... You don't choose to trek all over the country helping out people who put their lives on the line racing headlights. You don't invest time and money in developing headlights to suit the local conditions.

I absolutely agree. I will purchase my suspension components from a NZ specialist because there is good reason to. I will purchase a replacement headlight from overseas because there is no reason not to.

Consumer choice will dictate the market. A market trying to dictate consumer choice will ultimately fail.

[SS90]

I absolutely agree. I will purchase my suspension components from a NZ specialist because there is good reason to. I will purchase a replacement headlight from overseas because there is no reason not to.

Consumer choice will dictate the market. A market trying to dictate consumer choice will ultimately fail.

Well said, just think about how much capital CKT has to outlay to have the springs in stock......trust me, when a bank looks at your books, as a bike shop, quite often they piss themselves, the margins are shit, the risks are high, and the turnover low, by in large, it is a service.

If they have it in stock, and have a big margin, accept it, on the other hand, if they have to order it, and still put 150% on it, that is a different story.........

[gixerracer]

well how about you stop your fucking crying on the inter web thingy and buy some shit from overseas and save you self $20 and why your at it start up your own company and import all your own gear and supply all the other whingers and see how easy it is to make a living out of it

Like I said before, all the excuses, all the grandiose statements, all the side-tracking, all the weasel-words from the apologists, the hollow, insincere hype of 'supporting the country' - none of it erases the stink.

FACT: Racetech NZ have pulled a lousy cynical stunt by shutting down access to a previously available great product, and are now blatantly without a moments hesitation, attempting to palm off the same product to the local market at TWICE THE FUCKING PRICE.

It's NOT complicated. It's not rocket science. It's very very simple. Are people that bloody stupid that they can't see what's going on here?

[vifferman]

Shall I chime in here? Yes? No?
Great deals on the Interdweeb aren't always as good as they appear.

Amazing how people get all emotional and assume the worst.
Shall I relay the story about the guy who used an online spring calculator and ordered springs on that basis, only to find the selected rate was too aggressive for our local roads. If he had bought off us we would likely have got it right first time, if they werent right for the individual customer we woulfd have exchanged them , no fuss.

I dunno if he's referring to me, but that's what happened to me.
The handling was fantastic, but the forks gave me a hell of a workout at speeds between 70 and 90km/h on our rough back-country roads.

I bought a good shock at an excellent price from a forum group buy: half the price of an Ohlins bought (and fitted and tuned!) here. However, freight+insurance added another $250 to the ticket price, and the saving was then only ~$250. I spent this on Sonic springs (which were too firm) and replacing the Sonic springs with Ohlins. Further increases to the cost of the shock include not being sure I've got the correct rate spring fitted so may need to buy another one, the damping valving doesn't seem quite right, and I would have to either pay $$$ to return it to the factory for servicing, or get CKT to do it anyway. The nett result is I've effectively saved NOTHING (in fact, it's cost me MORE), and my bike still isn't properly fettled.

It's not all like that - there are savings to be had in Interdweebland, but you need to be savvy and careful. I needed some APE manual camchain tensioners for my VTR a few years ago. I wanted to buy them from the sole NZ dealer, but it really rubbed me up the worng way having him ordering and buying them from the same source as me and adding a 100% markup for going through the exact same channels as me. In the end, I bought them plus a throttle position sensor from a guy in the UK for less than the price of any one of the items, and had it on my doorstep in 6 days.
I've also bought quite a few other bike parts, new and used, and while most of them are good, it hasn't all been plain sailing - I've bought a couple of expensive lemons.

I still purchase some things on Teh Interdweeb, because I've got sick of the chant "Sorry - they're not in stock, that'll be 3 weeks, ex-Japan, please pay up front". That's not good enough, and frankly I feel it's an insult to me as a customer. It might have been OK back in the days when we were a captive market, but nowadays dealers really need to "get with the times" and provide a better quality of customer service or go find something else to do.

[Swoop]

Playstations? Hahahaha. Around 5-7% margn to the retailer. It's laughable.

Presumably iPods are in the same basket. There is always the disclaimer on sales brochures that they are "specifically not included". Parallel Imported has stopped bringing them in since they do not make enough on them.

[Big Dave]

You know the yarn.
An Engineer retires from the factory.
The factory breaks down and nobody can work out how to fix it.
They call the retired Engineer as a last resort, he says 'I can fix it but it will cost you $500 per hour'.
After all other efforts are exhausted they employ him as a consultant for $500 an hour or part thereof.
So he goes down to the Factory, grabs a big hammer and whacks the boiler just where the valve sticks.
All good, production resumes - $500.
'$500 for hitting the boiler with a hammer! Outrageous!' Claims management.
'No' says the Engineer 'The $500 is not for hitting the boiler. It's for knowing where to hit it.'

[onearmedbandit]

Presumably iPods are in the same basket. There is always the disclaimer on sales brochures that they are "specifically not included". Parallel Imported has stopped bringing them in since they do not make enough on them.

Exactly, very little margin in Ipod's. The only reason retailers put up with this is because Ipod's/PS3's/etc are the in demand products. Hopefully when they come in to buy one, they'll buy something else or come back to your branch later to buy something. By not stocking them (and when parents come in wanting an 'Ipod' for little Johny or Jenny, that's what they have to get, not a Sony or Phillips MP3 player) you will lose that customer to another retailer who does.

[pritch]

Somewhat off-topic but...

"Santa" brought me a second iPod. This one has one extra Gig storage, a video camera, a colour screen, a radio, and I can watch Comedy Central etc etc on Podcasts, and it cost just over half what the first one cost ($560 ish?).

Mind you, I might've been able to get one from overseas for less, but this was on "special" so...

[gixerracer]

Presumably iPods are in the same basket. There is always the disclaimer on sales brochures that they are "specifically not included". Parallel Imported has stopped bringing them in since they do not make enough on them.

Sounds like they should get in to the bike market should get plenty of turn over just from KB

[kwaka_crasher]

"Added value" is something for the buyer to decide. This is one situation where I'd go local if I could find someone I felt I could trust.

But for something like genuine spares etc. where it's just a matter of supply, no fucking way. 6 weeks ex-japan when I can get from the US in less than 10 days? I hope the locals starve!

[sidecar bob]

But for something like genuine spares etc. where it's just a matter of supply, no fucking way. 6 weeks ex-japan when I can get from the US in less than 10 days? I hope the locals starve!

So more of them can end up on the benifit & your taxes & ACC levies can go up? You either pay, or you pay, your choice.

[kwaka_crasher]

Much cheaper just to have them on the dole. Better for society too.

[boman]

I bought off RT. No regrets. The after sales service has been superb. I have no complaints, and would do it again. I probably could have bought cheaper, and then had no after sales service. Probably would have cost me more money and time with no bike.


No regrets at all.

[pc220]

I need to put some new fork springs on the bandit, Until I read this thread CKT was to be my first choice. But not now as I clearly cant afford to buy from them, and I wont be considering Racetech springs at all. So how many potential customers can a business afford to miss out on for the sake of such a large price differance. Nothing against Robert and CKT it just comes down to $$$$.

After reading the entire thread, I am now wondering if CKT could supply me with a large slice of Humble pie.