offensive genuine parts prices

[geoffm]

TonyB imports good gear at fantastic prices PM him or his alias MotoEquip

So he is MotoEquipe. Just got some LC pistons from him. Damn good value too. I will get another set in the start of the year for my other LC motor.
Geoff

[geoffm]

BMW parts are consistantly 30% more than the price from Germany. An example - fork staunchion for the K100RS - NZ price $800+GST each. www.siebenrock.de (top people) 173 euro = $300ish. $500 for the mirror and indicator assembly in NZ, $360 in Germany. US prices are closer to NZ
Second hand parts are non existant in NZ. Even in Australia, there is only one BMW wreckers. Any second hand parts are damn near new price. Ebay is the go if you are patient, especially if you have rellies or mates in the country of auction to recieve the goodies, for those that won't send overseas.
There is a lot to be said for having a common model with a good aftermarket parts supply.

[miSTa]

Does Nick stock a full synthetic?

Don't remember, haven't been there since May, I can only speculate

oil oil oil ask 100 mechanics and you will get 100 different answers

Ain't that the truth, not to mention the countless threads on other forums, actually all forums, that have a discussion on "what oil should I use?"

Edited to add: Despite my camshaft issues it wouldn't put me off buying another Kawasaki, and it should also be remembered no manufacturer is perfect i.e. Honda still cannot produce a trouble free charging system (that wouldn't put me off a Honda either)

[MotoEquip]

So he is MotoEquipe

So that WAS you! LOL
I've only seen this page, but I'll just carefully wade in here.
I don't think any (OK, many) people in NZ are out to rip us off. I believe it's just the combined problems of living in a country with a very small population that is a very long way from anywhere.

To offer good prices and still make a profit you must deal direct with the manufacturer. To do that and get a good price you must buy a lot of stock- trust me, it's expensive. To do THAT and still have any sort of range you need a large customer base. There isn't a single shop or chain in NZ that can afford to do this. So they buy from distributors. The distributors sell to a number of shops who each have a smallish customer base, adding up to a decent customer base for the distributor. The problem with this is that the distributor must add a decent markup to make a profit, and then the shop has to add it's own markup. So the customer ends up paying a artificially high price.

There is definitely some unrealistic pricing out there- like when I wanted a washable airfilter. One shop wanted $220 or so for a K&N.... Sport Zone Suzuki wanted $150 for the same thing. Whats up with THAT? I ended up doing some research and finding a stockist for BMC- $110 from Sport Zone Suzuki again Now I support them whenever I can. The other guy will never see my cash again. Thats about all you can do.