| Author | Message | ||
     Snowblind |
"a 1980 Pinto cogged timing belt is less than $50.00 and I doubt very many are sold nowadays compared to Buell drive belts. That Pinto belt doesn't fit anything else and is not a high volume item for the mfg...." actually it also fits the 77-82 ford courier | ||
| Dsmitty25 |
The dealer cost on alot of stuff has gone up to I work for a dealer and was looking about 3months ago to get a a full set of plastic for my 08 1125R so i could paint the ones i have and still have a stock set. went up around quiet a bit wish I would have already gotten them | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Yep,2.3 timing belt. Courier,Bobcat,stangs,Futura's and even commercial weed buggy's.......but that's all 30 year old stuff now. | ||
| 1313 |
Add that the tuber belt is a completely different animal than the same belt (dimension wise) XB belt That's odd as all get out. I have an XB belt on my S2 with all the original size tuber sprockets. I know quite a few other tuber owners do also. Where does this mis-information come from? 1313 | ||
| Jammin_joules |
FWIW - I priced an air filter, oil filter, coolant, main jets and a pair of carb gasket kits for an older Honda twin from a local multi-brand dealer. The twin carb twin was picked up last spring for my kids to use to learn on. I believe in supporting your local source when ever possible. I thought the counter person was joking when he gave me the total. I respectfully declined all but the carb gasket kits. Between NAPA and get this, retail prices on K&N air filter and jets from my Harley dealer, on average I paid something like 40% less. H-D is not the only high dollar motorcycle company out there. It wouldn't have been a reaction to my having ridden up on my Harley. That reaction is saved for H-D dealers to Buell owners, or so I read.  | ||
| Brinnutz |
I've got an XB belt for my tuber... | ||
| Brinnutz |
The $499 PM Wheels were purchased from Vintage Parts by St. Paul HD. They told me they bought them to get them sold to Buellers. They told me that they bought whatever Vintage Parts had sitting around for tubers and sold them on eBay. At least that is what the gent who purchased them for St. Paul from Vintage Parts told me. Just sayin'. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
"Between NAPA and get this, retail prices on K&N air filter and jets from my Harley dealer, on average I paid something like 40% less." What bike was the filter for? NAPA may be different, but when I tried buying a K&N air filter for my XT from Oreilly they said they couldn't order one because the filter did not cross reference to any automobile applications, and that they could not order any motorcycle specific filters. I had to go to the local honda/suzuki dealer to order my Buell air filter - still better than spending $$ at the local HD (non-Buell) dealer.  | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Quote"Add that the tuber belt is a completely different animal than the same belt (dimension wise) XB belt.That's odd as all get out. I have an XB belt on my S2 with all the original size tuber sprockets. I know quite a few other tuber owners do also.Where does this mis-information come from?1313"
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| Xl1200r |
It's just the fact that once there are more individuals in the supply chain, the ultimate retail price will go up. If you don't buy in bulk, you won't get the price break of a comparable component that is manufactured more frequently. And premium components will come with a premium price. Nothing is wrong with your explanation except that prices are going up on parts that are already bought and paid for. Let me go on record saying I don't fault any dealer for charging MSRP for parts, BUT, you have to understand that from a customer's standpoint, that throttle cable that you paid $10 for 6 months ago and had on the shelf for $15 is going to piss off some people when all the sudden it's now $45 because HD said you could raise the price. I've got an XB belt for my tuber... I was curious about this - was thinking about putting a "lifetime" XB belt on the S3 in hopes it would last longer. Which wheelbase do you need to get? | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
The price to the dealer has also increased. a LOT. The dealer cost is almost double of what the retail price was on the throttle cable. The price hike is coming straight from H-D. | ||
| Fast1075 |
I have found that Buell parts are very reasonable compared to OEM import (yamahonzuki) parts... | ||
| Xl1200r |
Wolf, I'm sure you're right - but what about the parts the dealer purchased before the price increase? Again, I think they're perfectly within their right to charge the upped price on a part they didn't pay the upped price for, but it has a bitter taste on the customer. On the same note, I'd be surprised if a typical dealer knows which items where bought when - they obviously know how many they have, but probably not when they got which individual package. So keeping track of this stuff is impossible. Alas, it is what it is, and it just sucks. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Take a good look at the price tag the next time you purchase something from a dealer. It has a date on it.... or at least everything I purchased to keep in stock for my just in case inventory does... | ||
| Fast1075 |
Last year I went to a race in Georgia...a friend had an issue with his bike (Kawi KZ) that required that the valve cover be removed for repair.....in the process, the gasket was damaged beyond use.... there were no vendors at the track to get a gasket from, and we had to go to the local Kawi dealer to get a gasket. They charged $117.00 for a gasket sold over the parts counter. (we normally buy Cometic gaskets in quantity for a WHOLE LOT less money). The only good part about the whole thing was that my buddy ended up winning the event. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Hey, it's a global disease! One the local shopping centres has just had a brand new LEVI'S store open. Madame & I wandered in to check the prices as my old 505s are getting tired & will need to be replaced as work jeans by my current best 517s (does everybody do this?). Anyhow a pretty little miss twinkled up & asked me if I needed help (wifey laughed) & I asked how much for 517s, I expected them to be a bit more than US prices, but I nearly fell over when she said 100 Euro, that's over $140 for a 30 buck pair of jeans. I'll mail order from JC Penney I think. | ||
| Essmjay |
I bought 2 sets of the PM wheels from St. Paul over the summer. Good deal for good wheels. Had spun bearings in both my rear Castalloys. Also, they are solid spokes, different from the original PM's which had the slots in the spokes. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Ess - The PM wheels changed towards the end of Tuber production - I don't recall the exact year - but the solid, more flowing spokes were a stock item. My 2002 S3T has them. | ||
| Essmjay |
Yes, I am aware of that. I only mentioned it because if you were restoring an S2, and wanted to be correct, then you probably would not want to buy them. | ||
| Rkc00 |
I am not sure if it is only Buell parts. Just got out of the stealership to pick up a gallon of the 50/50 antifreeze. It was marked 12.95. When it was rung up it came up with a new price of 19.95. She gave it to me for the 12.95 Mike Long Island, NY 09 XB12X Red/Black 09 1125CR Black/White 06 VRSCR Blue/Silver | ||
| Phelan |
A business SHOULD raise the price on their current inventory if their cost to replace it goes up. If you think of a part as a "must be stocked" item, then they have to charge at least what it would cost to replace it. If they originally paid $10 and sold it for $15, then had to pay $30 to replace it on the shelf, then they lost money, not made it. | ||
| Toona |
If they originally paid $10 and sold it for $15, then had to pay $30 to replace it on the shelf, then they lost money, not made it. Sorry, but you are wrong. According to you, they bought it for $10 and sold it for $15, making a $5 profit. If they sold the new $30 replacement part at $15, then yes, they would lose money, but who would do that? The parts manager should then change his price to the new MSRP for the newly stocked replacement part. | ||
| Chellem |
Technically they showed a profit, but from a cash-flow perspective, they didn't recoup enough to restock the item. This happened to gasoline retailers during the shortage, because prices were going up so quickly that they couldn't make enough money to afford to buy more. Then, they actually showed a profit on what they sold, and probably had to pay income tax on it. If there are 3 on the floor already purchased at the old price, and the stocking level required 5, so 2 were purchased at the new level, should the seller have the 5 items all with different prices on them? Who would stand for THAT? People would think it was some sort of rip-off. | ||
| Mike75 |
Dealers killed Buell. Amid the myriad of problems the one that they could never get over where the people selling them. No where in retail history could a sales force sabatoge a product and get away with it for so long and so completely. They were just so used to sitting back and collecting mid life crisis coin they could care less about Buell. They dont have a marketing bone in their body, much less sales skills. No commitment, no service, no respect, period. I know if I pick up a XB (I have an M2) and the dealer experience alone kept me from another, but if I pick one up, I better get a second one to canabilize, cause parts and service will be horrid/non-existent AND outrageously expensive. Good good good that Eric gets out on his own, that alone keeps me looking at cycletrader everyday and weighing the possibility. •••• Harley, the dealers and their customer base deserve each other, the "new" sportster line is another tirade of mine, lol, | ||
| Mike75 |
Sorry, totally hijacking there. But No, I doubt they are price gouging right now. But think of this, between a chrome thingamajigger and Buell parts which one do you think has more profit margin? Which one are HD dealers more interested in selling. HD Dealers are HURTING. Clothing and accessories pull in almost more than the bikes in the best of times. So keeping a low margin part in their inventory, or keeping a buell tech on staff (or worse training a new one), how high do you think that is on their list? A year from now the surviving dealerships will drop the facade and really rebel against the "deadweight" that Buell has become. Again it's cause they have no skill set imho. | ||
| Phelan |
Thank you Chellem, that's exactly where I got the example from. I worked at a local Convenience store chain for three years, saw this a lot, and heard everyone complain saying it was unfair business. It's not. Imagine now that your whole inventory turns daily, and you have to keep X amount of inventory. If you buy it at $10 one morning, but know it will cost $20 the next morning, yet sell it for $15, a "profit". The next morning the price increased to $20. Do you have enough money to replenish your stock? No. You have to spend more money than it cost you to own the original stock of inventory. The actual numbers here don't matter. It's the fact that when running a business, you don't sell your inventory for less than what it costs you to replace it. You don't pay bills that way. | ||
| Jammin_joules |
Who would stand for THAT? People would think it was some sort of rip-off. Naah, not with this crowd - feel an H-D dealer was not on their side, never happen. Dealers killed Buell. Amid the myriad of problems the one that they could never get over where the people selling them. No where in retail history could a sales force sabatoge a product and get away with it for so long and so completely. Not enough Buells being bought at a price that supports a profitable business venture and an uninformed poor decision in the board room by CEO Wandell killed Buell. There are plenty of dedicated Buell dealers who sponsor BWB and others who are as dedicated on par with the best of any brand. Just because we also sell Harley, and you don't tolerate that brand and its customers does not make us the root cause of all your problems & disappointments. Sorry, get over it. Were there lots of poor lackluster dealers? Sure. But do you really have to be so over the top proclaiming that every dealer sabotaged Buell "for so long so completely"? This got long in the tooth weeks ago.  }} FWIW A dealer notification regarding help marketing any remaining Buell inventory came out and mentions: " ... a 7-yr commitment to supply replacement and service parts at over 250 authorized Buell service locations." I have no way of verifying that 250 Buell dealers signed the transition agreement but the number reflects that a large number of dealerships, no matter how poorly you may think they treated Buell, still want to stick by them when there is no reasonable expectation for more motorcycles to be sold. (Message edited by Jammin_Joules on December 11, 2009) | ||
| Jammin_joules |
...or keeping a buell tech on staff (or worse training a new one),... Consider the following before blaming a local dealer in the event this happens: 1. You yourself stated an almost zealous fervor for never again stepping foot in a dealership - there is a sure way to help keep techs employed 2. dealers trying to maintain a staff of Buell experts recently lost sales on buyers, many found herein BWB, who were willing to drive two states over to save $100 on a bike from a dealer who was often a poor example of service for a bike that was already selling for $5,000 less than a month ago 3. the same attitude behind #2. is exhibited with regard to parts and service. Although since black Thursday we are seeing 2 or 3 Buells brought in for service, it was more typical the last 18 months that the Buell work was warranty oriented only, very low margin work. 4. Buell is closed. With that, any source for training material is most likely unattainable. If existing dealership customer base worried more about saving an additional $100 or $200 on bikes that were already reduced $5,000 and bought two states away, service manpower planning could mistakenly reflect lower than actual demand for an area. 5. Service techs in the transportation industry are for the most part paid by the job, not the hour. Buell techs are by nature the more senior highly trained techs in a dealership: Loki platform is very different from any other platform the dealership services, the volume of work tends to be considerably lower than for H-Ds therefore only the best mechanics will maintain proficiency on them, plus, often the problems are more complex for a variety of reasons. Expecting these Master Techs to train underlings instead of work on jobs that make them a decent wage is unreasonable. | ||
| Mike75 |
Good information Jammin. I agree, I'm dropping the bat and stepping away from the carcass. Economics is the only guiding principle now. The patient is dead and buried. Your illustrations are good, but they scare me even more concerning the question of HD continuing backing a warranty. Again, do they want to is irrelevant, but CAN they? I will submit that other dealers can sell multiple brand motorcycles and atv's and seem to swing that to stay in business (somewhat). | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I would love to see my local dealer pick up Triumph.... but I don't think that will happen. |
