With the strength of the Aussie dollar, in theory the prices of new HD's should drop dramatically for 2012 bikes......  Will they??

See this thread for more information www.hdforums.com.au/Default.aspx

 You gotta love optimism.  

If anything, I think they will go up. All the overseas parts suppliers have uped there price because the US Dollar is so poor as they all deal in USD. I know the Companys in Taiwan and China that I deal with have add about 5% increse to all the stuff I bring in..

The Aussie Dollar not strong, it's the US Dollar has droped in value.

I have noticed that the V-Rod and Fatboy Lo have gone down in price slightly.

Hi all...There is no question about it,Harleys are way over priced.When you compere them to a Jap bike,you get a lesser bike for more money.However,Harleys have excellent resale value.A Jap bike you can expect to loose %50 of the new purchase price withing 2 years.

I bet my left nut you could knock off an easy 10 -15% off a new harley if you bought one today.

Pigs arse. mabe theyl fly if the price comes down. If the price comes down so does the trade in .so the steelers still get the same $ 

What gets up my nose is the late model imports being brought in by the big retailers - they are making huge margins on those bikes.

 Harley have over manufactured for a few years in a row & with the GFC, have been caught out big time in the US. If you want to see the glut of bikes in the US -  check out this site:

 http://www.chopperexchange.com/buyers/search.asp

Brand new 2011 Street Glides for under $20K US - now I know they dont have the same specs as the Oz models but bugger me - how can we have a shortage on stock & bullshit high prices!!!

Harley Oz have been very careful in managing the amount of stock allowed into the country - creating a undersupply whilst thousands of unsold bikes remain in the US - a number could be reconfigured for our market very easily. The dealers will tell you that it's the other way around - they are told by HD how many bike they will have allocated & to pay your deposit quickly or miss out - artistic license on the truth if ever there was any!

As I said before Harley create an artificial shortage on stock here as the fear of loss drives sales - smart dealers then bring in bikes from Japan etc to shore up the supply gap making huge $$$ in the process so we as consumers & Harley enthusiasts cop it both ways.

The CVO range is an interesting case - those who purchased a 2008 CVO Road King or 2009 CVO Soft Tail Springer must be in an absolute rage as the price on the 2011 CVO range had dropped significantly in real terms. I see CVO Springers on the resale market here in Oz at $50K +, go to the above site & see what they are bringing in the US - criminal!     I consider my CVO SG a steal compared to previous years pricing.

Then there's the issue of accessories & spares - why does $982 of parts I can buy form the US including postage cost $1492 here??? It's all great that decent guys like Luke from HH offer to try to price match - but why do the unwary have to empty their wallets for the priveledge of riding or enhancing a Harley?? I understand that the stocking of spares & accessories is expensive - but the costs must be relative in the US negating this huge cost differencial.

Why is it that the US Harley dealers as of July 1 are banned from posting internationally & all HD dealer Ebay sites must be closed by Jan 1 2012??  I foresee you being charged by a HD dealer for a quote or for trying on a jacket etc - as no one would purchase locally at present. 

Given the strength of the Aussie Paso - would it not be wiser for HD Oz to be taking the opportunity to lower prices & get as many new riders onto their product as possible?? This would ensure a new generation of loyal enthusiasts & stop the bad will steadily rising through the ranks of loyal die hard riders.

I've notices BMW, Mercedes & a number of overseas car makers drop their prices of late - why not HD???

Enough ranting from me - have a nice Easter.

Hi all...Definately can afford to make that bet,Ive still got my rite nut.LOL.But in all seriousness,I got my Fatboy lo at around %12 off easily and felt i could have got more off.

Hi all...Berms,Your probably rite on the resale on some models.However,Before i bought my bike,I looked for many many months trying to find a fatboy or fatboylo,I thought all the secondhand bikes were so over priced i just had to buy a new one.

Dont get me wrong,I love my Harley.But a mate of mine has a new Suzuki Boulavard 1800,It blows my bike away like its standing still.Ive swaped him a few rides,The Suzuki is a better bike allround hands down.The Harleys got a few features the Boulavard hasnt got like an alarm a tacho.The boulavard is 10 grand cheaper for a better bike in my opinion.

 with all the competition with other brands like triumph ,victory  maybe they may lower there price

HD Australia P/L manage both Australia and New Zealand but are charging 35% more for a bike in Australia than in New Zealand. If Australia even got the same pricing as NZ we would get a 35% price reduction.

See this link tinyurl.com/4ybsj2h for significant details.

The link above is to a web page of 2011 price comparisons for every HD model. It shows we pay 1/3 more for an HD in Aus than in NZ. Prices for both Aus and NZ are set by HD Aus in Ryde. Imports for Aus and NZ are by HD Aus in Ryde. NZ pays 15% GST to Aus 10%. The NZ market is smaller and thus less profitable. By rights, HD's should be more expensive in NZ but in fact are over 1/3 more expensive in Australia.

HD Aus appears to have a virtually identical price list for both Aus and NZ that does not consider the strength of the Aus currency over the NZ currency. For example: 2011 Electra Glide Ultra Classic is ~ A$37,000 and also ~ NZ$37,000. It should be ~ A$27,750 and ~ NZ $ 37,000 based on exchange of NZ$1 = A$ 0.75. That's ~ A$9,250 more in Aus than NZ without justification!

This Aus / NZ price discrepancy is one facet of a larger issue; that being the lack of consideration in local pricing for the ever weaker U.S. dollar against both the Aus dollar and the NZ dollar.

This is not a HD-only related topic. As a result of the weaker U.S. dollar similar pricing discrepancy discussions are being had by many Australians who buy imported motorbikes and automobiles with a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald's Drive section highlighting exactly this issue in relation to imported German automobiles. I am sure many more similar articles will peak consumer interest over the coming months.

I do hope Harley will take a lead in rectifying this situation, while some at HD may perceive that adjusting the price to reflect the strength of the Aussie dollar is going to reduce profit I would argue that is a short term view and quite dangerous.

One of the motorcycle importers is going to take this lead in reducing prices to reflect currency strength. If Honda, for example, releases 2012 pricing that reflects the strength of the Aussie dollar, and no others do, it will leave Honda with a 12 month window in which they can grab significant market share!

Can a $38,000 Harley Electra Glide really hold market share against a $30,000 Honda Gold Wing? And that is what they will sell for if Honda takes this lead.

If Harley takes this lead, can Honda, Kawasaki, BMW or others hold market share at their current prices. I doubt it.

Harley has a chance to take the lead and own the market for 12 months before the others react or are seen to have to scramble with aggressive price-slashing to catch up. Not a pretty sight in the eyes of the consumer as it shows clearly that organisations that behave this way never really considered their dedicated customers until pushed to do so by the competition.

I am a Harley rider, if the price is right I may buy a second bike so I also have a long range luxury cruiser while keeping my town-bike. Many others out there may consider a similar strategy, if the price is right.

If Honda, BMW or others take the lead in dropping their price will Harley every regain its market share?

I hope someone at HD Aus P/L sees this suggestion for what it is; a desire to see Harley dominate the Australian market.

Come on HD, take the lead, don't be embarrassed into following.

 Please take the time to read this gem from the US - very sobering & a definite wake up call for HD. They must do all they can to attract a new generation of riders or the cheaper (arguably better) Jap manufacturers will swamp HD. The average HD rider age has climbed to 49 - wow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/business/economy/22harley.html

Here is their opportunity to lower their prices & protect their future - unfortunately in a world of short sightedness & little to no forward thinking - this will probably fall upon deaf ears in the Oz HD ivory tower. 

Cheers

Glen

Apologies for cross-posting but the "Australia vs NZ Price Comparison" thread is covering much of the same ground so I am putting my comments in both.

There are 4 or 5 strategies being discussed that undermine HD Australia's business. They are:
1/ import bikes from the U.S. (HD Aus is owned by the HD U.S. so being able to get a bike for less by doing this shows how ridiculous HD Aus' pricing strategy is, and it is) ,
2/ import bikes from NZ (NZ is managed by HD Aus so being able to get a bike for less by doing this again shows how ridiculous HD Aus' pricing strategy is, and it really really is),
3/ buy another manufacturer's bike (yuck),
4/ stop buying HD's until HD Aus comes to their senses (I doubt anyone can actually orchestrate this),
5/ price gouge Aus customers until they are so disgusted they take one of the above strategies (this is what HD Aus is currently doing, f-wits)

Undermining HD Australia's business hurts us the customer! A stronger HD presence with more riders more dealers great prices (for bikes, accessories and service) is good for us as customers.

So taking any of the above 5 strategies is like poking a finger in our own eye (or in the case of option 5, like HD Aus poking a finger in our eye)! We are the ones who get hurt.

The only strategy that makes sense and strengthens the HD business in Aus is to correct the pricing so it reflects both the (exchange adjusted) price that bikes are available for in NZ and the (exchnage adjusted) price that bikes are available for in the U.S (while allowing a little extra for Aus compliance, shipping, and other justified charges).

Undermining the HD Aus business is not a good strategy for loyal customers ( the fact HD Aus is doing so is pathetic) but as customers we can apply leverage to get them to correct this without taking an alternative and equally damaging strategy (and hurting ourselves).

Call HD Aus, register your disgust, get your HD riding friends to do so, let HD Aus know we are loyal but are not stupid! See this link for all the details you need to tell HD Aus it is time they got serious about the Australian market. tinyurl.com/4ybsj2h

All other options listed above are always available if they do not heed this feedback.