I've gotta agree with you Red..... especially when I can buy a bike in the Gulf for around the same as I can in the States....
Are the prices being quoted including all fees, charges and sales tax???? I think they call it VAT over there. Or is that Canada? And are there prices "drive away" ?
Just trying to sort out shit from clay
Yep we are getting ripped, people should revolt and not buy any Harley's for the rest of the year then see how much they will lower the price. It will hit them where it hurts. They don't care about the Australian people buying their product just the profit in the hip pocket.
I don't know why the Goverment doesn't do something about it.
Agree fully it aint right.But last I looked HD is a publicly owned company with shareholders and all, not my friends or relo's. Sorry to break it to you but santa is'nt real and neither is the Easter Bunny . Just because you feel loyalty to a brand does'nt mean it is reciprocated,you're just another faceless customer for their bottom line regardless of how much of their family loyalty bullshit you swallow .And "breaking news" Hd Australia is a subsiduary of HD America so whether you buy here or OS the company could'nt give a fuck as long as you buy their crap.
I've banged on about this on the "Crikey Mate - Harley Price Gouging Exposed" thread here but see similar points being made on this thread and want to correct a few misconceptions;
1/ Harley Davidson motorcycles sold in New Zealand are 1/3 less expensive that those sold in Australia. See here.
2/ Imports and price setting for both NZ and Aus are by Harley Davidson Australia in Ryde NSW. The same company does both countries!
3/ Importing into NZ is more expensive than into Australia and the NZ market is smaller and less profitable so bikes should be more expensive in NZ.
SO WHY ARE HARLEYS 1/3 LESS EXPENSIVE IN NEW ZEALAND?
NZ has a free-market. NZ allows anyone to import a new motorcycle so HD Aus has no monopoly there. If HD Aus set the same HIGH price in NZ as in Aus, individuals in NZ would simply import their own bikes. That's a free market.
Australia does not have a free market. No one can compete with HD Australia or even import a new bike themselves to force competition.
Government legislation is at fault. It is not because Harleys are a premium brand, or because costs are high, or for any other legitimate reason. It is simply because Harley Australia does not need to compete so we pay 1/3 more than the Kiwis!
AUSTRALIANS ARE BEING GOUGED BECAUSE OF OUR GOVERNMENT!
THE 'MOTOR VEHICLES STANDARDS ACT 1989' NEEDS TO BE CHANGED SO AUSTRALIA HAS A FREE MARKET.
I am working to get the Government to recognise this but they are either stupid or complicit. Even so, once this faulty legislation is identified to a large enough section of the population the Government will have to respond.
As an added note, this same issue is why we pay so much more for imported cars.
And remember, the premium we pay to these foreign companies does nothing to enhance Australia. HD US is getting rich off of Australians because our Government allows them to.
THE RAPE OF AUSTRALIANS BY AN AMERICAN CORPORATION IS SUPPORTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT!
Yup, rapists rarely change their stripes. The fuckers think they have us and while they might pretend to relent they are incapable of developing ethics. Minor discounts do not a rational pricing strategy make!
The political machine is in motion, met with the member today!
We'll see if The Minister can condone rape. He's in a tuff spot. How do you justify sending $200M overseas so foreign Fatcats can buy large yachts? Unless of course as Minister you are a guest and enjoying the luxuries of these Fatcat yachts?
I hope to see a Parliamentary Question in the next few months?
TODAY THIS PRICE GOUGING BECAME A POLITICAL ISSUE!
HOW CAN AN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT JUSTIFY FOREIGN COPORATIONS RIPPING $200M PER ANNUM OUT OF AUSSIES WITHOUT DELIVERING SOME BENEFIT?
Just opened a letter from HD-AUS.
SPECIAL PRICING ANNOUNCEMENT
eg: Fatboy was $32250 ride away, now $29250 ride away
Dyna Wide Glide was $28885 ride away, now $28750 ride away
these are Maximum dealer ride away price.
All Part, accessories and general mechandise will be reduce by 17.5%.
One paragraph states "It may come as a surprise that a small number of motorcycles actually have a higher price (oops, see above). This is largely due to to a complete realignment of all models so that Australian pricing sits parallel, but not equal to, the US pricing."
Also goes on to say that owners considering upgrading should not see a great variance in the net change aver. (ie means that your ride has now also been devalued, with out actually saying that directly)
Gents, as we can see by the drop in the price of some bikes and the increase in the price of others, THIS IS NOT AN EXCHANGE RATE ISSUE! That is undeniable! If it was an exchange rate issue bikes in New Zealand would not be so much cheaper. See here for a NEW AND IMPROVED comparison of Australia versus New Zealand pricing. For them that missed it, prices for NZ and Australia are set by Harley Davidson Australia in Ryde NSW. Imports for NZ and Australia are ALL done by Harley Davidson Australia in Ryde NSW and New Zealand being a smaller market is likely less profitable so by rights bike prices should be more in NZ but are much much less.
Further, the New Zealand dollar is worth much less than the Australian dollar and has been for years and yet bikes are much cheaper there, so again I say, THIS IS NOT AN EXCHANGE RATE ISSUE!
THE PROBLEM RESULTS FROM LEGISLATION THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS IN PLACE THAT GIVES EVERY FOREIGN MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER A MONOPLOY SO NO ONE CAN COMPETE WITH THEIR PRICES ON NEW BIKES. THEY EACH CAN SET ANY PRICE THEY WANT AND WE CAN DO SFA.
As a rough calculation, this means that foreign motorcycle manufacturers, on sales of about $1B per year, take $250M in extraordinary profit out of Australia. By extraordinary profit I mean that on the first $750M in sales they make the same profit as they do in other countries, like NZ, and then they take an extra $250M in additional clear profit over-and-above what they need to run a profitable business.
That is gouging and it is only possible because of The Motor Vehicles Standards Act 1989.
Our Government is behind this gouging. Amazingly, from all the conversations I've had with the Government, it seems like they don't even know they are the problem.
I am working to highlight this to them.
