| Author | Message | ||
     Jules |
Jules, since you are not an American and probably from Europe (?) then the ASV levers should be inexpensive for you since the exchange rate is in your favor. Rogue - I'm old enough to remember exchange rates as good as £1=$7 so the current exchange rate still sucks (for me LOL) and then shipping and the good old UK governments 20% VAT (Grrr) Yes I am from europe - well, sort of, those of us in the UK really prefer not to think about that, we fought wars to keep out of it and then gave it all away LOL... | ||
| Buellrain |
Both Natty and Dktech have very valid points..Its always good to support your own. However I wonder what the percentage is on those Chinese rolling round LA in the Phantom compared to the countries current population of 1.3billion?? Having 1.3billion competing for a job will for sure bring labour costs down. American products overseas are not necessarily more, many countries have a free trade agreement with the states, meaning no import duty and also dont have tax that you have in the states, I know for a fact Harleys and GM etc are cheaper in the Middle East than in the US. Its a shame a simple question over bike levers can lead to politics, but hey if im gonna support my own i'd better save up for the Sunseeker, Aston Martin and Triumph..now that's goona take a while. In the mean time once the levers arrive I will give you an honest opinion on how they are, be it good or bad. | ||
| Court |
Along the "Buy American" line of thinking . . . I've been buying some rack mount studio audio gear and, quite by chance, found out that Carvin was "MADE IN AMERICA". I've bought a couple of their rack mount cases, an amplifier and some audio processing gear. It's certainly not top of the line stuff that you'd get in a $3,500 effects unit . . . but it's darn well made and works wonderfully for what I'm doing. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Having a Domestic preference is GREAT. One or one thousand sets of levers, TV's, wheels won't do it though. Government is supposed to do those things individuals cannot. In this case the government should step up with a national full employment policy. This policy should be based on a prioritized list of industries that are in the national interest. | ||
| Jdugger |
> Government is supposed to do those things individuals cannot. > In this case the government should step up with a national full employment policy. > This policy should be based on a prioritized list of industries that are in the national interest. Wow. Just wow. | ||
| Court |
>>>This policy should be based on a prioritized list of industries that are in the national interest. Good news. They have one in the ONLY industry they have any business being concerned with . . . DEFENSE. Each and every time they've taken a stab at anything else from banking to the auto industry the "unintended consequences" have done far more damage than good. Take a look at their recent attempt to "help" low income consumers by reforming credit card regulation. They are, by and large, collective idiots. | ||
| Dannybuell |
True the military industrial establishment isn't going away. GM is still here, is that bad? The financial institutions are still here. Wall Street and not main street,is that OK? It was recently disclosed that HD was bailed out by the fed, is that OK? Parts for Buells would be zero if HD went bankrupt. If this country had HIGHER employment the country of origin issue would be moot. We have had a divisive society for years and a mental health system that can't address the 'fallout' that it creates, as witnessed in Arizona this weekend.... American jobs are more important than jobs anywhere else. It is hard to be mad about anything when you have a job. The big WOW is knowing that idle hands and an empty stomach are the devils workshop. | ||
| Curve_carver |
Thank for all the advice on the lever for those who gave their input. This thread has been hijacked. Thanks for those who contributed to the topic. I will inform after I revieve them. Im hungry for chinese now. Lol | ||
| Rogue_biker |
I like Chinese food. It is one of my favorite ethnic foods. Haha! | ||
| Jules |
American jobs are more important than jobs anywhere else I am sure you meant American jobs are more important to Americans than jobs anywhere else otherwise I'd just disagree on principal. (Message edited by Jules on January 10, 2011) | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
You guys that act like $140 ain't a lot of money.. well, it isn't a LOT of money to a lot of people, myself included, but it's hardly a drop in the bucket. When the overseas alternative is 1/4 of the price of the domestic product with what appears to be comparable quality, the cheaper option wins. Quite frankly, $180 for a set of levers blows my mind. So does $400 for rearsets or $500 for a steering damper. I realize that the companies selling these parts are in business to make money, but how much does a $180 set of levers cost to make, really? $5? $10? Charging $180 for something that cost 5% of that to produce smacks of greed, and I'm not going to just open my wallet based on some notion of civic duty when the item in question is grossly overpriced in my opinion. Maybe ASV should charge $60 or $70 for their levers (I'd pay an extra $20 or $30 over the Chinese ones to keep the money in the US) and then have a $120 "additional donation" option for those of you have no qualms about dropping that extra cash. When I have enough discretionary income, I'll join you guys in paying a full $180 for those levers. | ||
| Anonymous |
Average wage in China provinces - about $0.50/hr. Average wage in China urban areas - about $1.80/hr Minimum federal wage in US - $7.25/hr (most states add on top of that, so $8 to $9 is typical), Obama raising federal to $9.50 in 2011. Average wage in US is about $19/hr. Simple math as to who will win unless you make a choice based on something other than dollars out of pocket for the purchase. | ||
| Jules |
Just something a tiny bit contentious, and whilst I have the uptmost respect for Erik Buell Racing and the Elves I would like to respond to that particular post: That's really only the same decision as would have been faced by Buell/HD when sourcing components for the 1125R. The wheels (and a number of other components) are Chinese after all.... Just something to think about... | ||
| Type911 |
I love the this age old Hardly argument. When you complain about chinese levers as you type on your Asian computer.....Too much! Hahahahahah | ||
| Tippster |
You guys that act like $140 ain't a lot of money.. well, it isn't a LOT of money to a lot of people, myself included, but it's hardly a drop in the bucket. When the overseas alternative is 1/4 of the price of the domestic product with what appears to be comparable quality, the cheaper option wins. Please don't ever complain about US jobs going overseas or WalMart displacing Mom & Pop stores... because this mentality is exactly why that's happening. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Anonymous, so are you saying that Americans are overpaid? Obviously not, but that could be one inference from what you said. In the example of the asv levers, there is no reason I can think of for them to charge so much aside from just because they can. Some companies that make aftermarket bike parts don't move a huge volume (EB r is presumably an example), so they have to make up for the lower volume with a higher cost per item. I understand that and even though I can't justify paying $500 for a steering damper, I wouldn't feel like I was being taken advantage of if I did. But in the case of the asv levers, the low volume arugument doesn't hold water. Those levers are available for practically every sportbike and there are only a few different designs so it's not like they have to stock a ton of different kinds to support everyone. They could easily move a lot more volume by cutting the price to less than half of what it is, but it seems that they'd rather cater to the folks who have more disposable income than spending discretion. That's the company's perogative but those who can't justify essentially throwing their money like that shouldn't be faulted. Want more people to buy your product? Price it more reasonably. | ||
| Curve_carver |
Way to go nafta | ||
| Froggy |
Flesh, what if they aren't marked up? What if it costs them $120+ a pair to make here in the US? | ||
| Court |
>>>The wheels (and a number of other components) are Chinese after all.... Just something to think about... Be mindful . . . that many major components on the Softail and FXR have been foreign sourced for years. | ||
| Court |
By the way . . anyone want to guess how long it's been since Harley-Davidson used a wheel MADE IN AMERICA? Brakes?
And one I find particularly interesting . . . Even with the Goldwing (Made in the USA) having 90% domestic content . . well, neither Honda NOR Harley-Davidson meets the criteria to put "MADE IN USA" in the bike.
NOTE: These discussions get bogged down in passion and bullshit pretty quickly. If you have more current information on the above . . I defer to you . . share it and share your sources. I always enjoy learning about this stuff. | ||
| Curve_carver |
The toyota camry has more usa made parts in them than any other car made by the big 4. PRETTY SAD | ||
| Curve_carver |
NAFTA | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
We have the unions to thank for that. If they would reasonable, then GM and Ford could be increasing production here in the usa, but because the unions have made labor so expensive in the usa, companies are outsourcing. Ford just built the biggest auto manufacturing plant in the world in brazil. | ||
| Curve_carver |
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/multimedia/player/ind ex.php?id=1189 I completely agree. Some unions got greedy. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Jules THX, Type911 +1 LOL, Tippster +1, Thefleshrocket +1, Curve_carver - nafta is another can of worms, Clinton tried to slow the chinese migration (human rights..) and NAFTA was to give the mexicans a reason to stay home. In the meantime people were migrating from all points south in anticipation of a NAFTA that never really took off. Bush ignored Chinese human rights issues, the money went to China. If China decided tomorrow to stop, STOP exporting to America, how fast would America come grinding to a stop. Not having domestic industries leaves the U.S. in a vulnerable position. We are told this is progress. A tariff would take the import $25.00 unit and compare it to the domestic $175.00 unit price and assess a tariff of $150.00. This levels the playing field and takes the air out of predatory pricing. Hope dies last. | ||
| Tippster |
It's not the Unions (or labor cost in general.) Germany has higher factory wages and much better benefits (time off) than US workers yet they're the world's #2 exporter. IMHO it's a combination of BS jingoism ("Our stuff is the best because it's 'Murrican!") and our retarded Health care system. Companies in China, Japan, Germany, and Canada don't have to pay into a for-profit system. Can't blame the Unions for wanting their members covered. | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
Yes you can blame the unions, for taking advantage of companies. The management of the company is partly to blame, but what are they supposed to do if auto workers go on strike? They have a lot of parts coming in, its not like they can let them sit for six months. Back when the economy was great the big 3 caved in to the unions because thy were making so much money, but once the economy went down they realized that they can't compete well with huge labor costs. Do you know that when people were laid off from ford they got to go sit in a classroom and do nothing for two years? The unions negotitated it, something about job security, so ford wouldn't get rid of workers. | ||
| Court |
I suspect . . given our peek at Jerry Brown's new budget that we are about to start seeing some changes. He's proposing (like he had any choice. . .duh??) huge cuts in California entitlement plans and large tax increases. | ||
| Buellrain |
Curve Carver: Going back to the original topic of the strong pong levers, mine arrived today and I have to say i'm pretty impressed. They don't come in any fancy packaging, just wrapped in bubble wrap and foam wrap and stuffed in an envelope, however quality and finish look good, the other pair were silver and have been given to my friend already, but pictured are the 2 black sets. Total cost $126 for three sets, in my opinion better than paying $400+ or whatever for the ASV's.. | ||
| Buellrain |
Pic's to big to attach will re-size and try again............ |
