Canadian pricing

[cogsman]

In a word... SUCKS!

I just got a quote from a Honda vendor in Markham, and the OEM front right and left rotors for my 97 Standard will cost me $567.72 and $587.04 respectively!!!!!!

With taxes, that comes to $1304.87 CAD. This is bloody ridiculous.

Priced them out on BikeBandit, and with tax, shipping AND exchange rate (and remember, we're running at only 70 cents on the dollar these days), all in is $696 CAD. Even if I got dinged 20% on duty, why would I NOT buy from the US???

And that's a shame; I would LOVE to do business with Canadian companies... but if this is the buggering we are going to get, then what's a Canuck to do?

It's the same reason I used to buy my rubber from TireRack instead of paying Canadian prices (though I think they've kaiboshed that arrangement now).

Hey JUSTIN TRUDEAU: get smart about not raping the citizenry. If you want us to support Canadian companies, close that pricing gap. I don't need them to be cheaper than the US, but there is no way in hell I am paying double the price!

End of rant. Thanks for listening.

[Bighead]

I visited Canada on a ride in 2014 and I found everything to be very Expensive while I was there.

[Jess from VA]

Pay a Buffalo NY VRCCer to buy them for you, and make it a road trip.  

Stock up on filters, or anything else you need while you're at it.  

Take everything out of packaging for the return trip; because it's all used flea market stuff bought on the cheap.  

BTW, there was a time that Goldwing front rotors were much cheaper than valk rotors (they fit).  They are a bit thinner material, but are supposed to be rated for the same longevity.  I had heard that valk rotors later came down in price (at least in the US), but the Goldwing rotors might still be a worthwhile bargain in Canada.  At least check it out.

[gordonv]

Go back to your local dealer, or another one, who will work with you on those prices.

My local dealer will match or even beat the internet prices I come across online. He usually gives me Jobber pricing, 40-50% off retail. Like you, I only wanted a better price.

Once you find a dealer/salesman, record their name and go back to them each time, so you don't have to get a good price each time.

[Beardo]

I've found it to be real hit and miss. I've bought parts on line assuming they'd be cheaper then got a price at the local Honda dealer, and the dealer was the same damn price, or within a couple bucks. So I always check locally first now. Other times, I'll say that I can get them online for x dollars, they'll laugh and say that's half their cost and they can't come close. We do end up paying a lot more though, but hey, look at the bright side, we can only ride half the year, so our bikes have half the miles and therefore need half as many repairs and parts!  So it's not all bad. 

[msb]

Beardo...I usually have no problem negotiating prices for my Valkyrie parts with my local dealers here. Tires, (a yearly purchase for the rear mostly), recent shocks, and other items available in Canada I can usually get within a reasonable price comparison to US dealers. Close enough at least so I don't mind paying a few $$ more in order to avoid the hassles and unknowns of shipping, duty, and dealing with an internet dealer rather than someone in flesh and blood that I can go back to if needed. Of course you probably don't have as many options for first person dealers having access to parts you need in that lovely hamlet of Regina that we do here in the Wet Coast, eh? Do you have any independent MC repair or accessory shops there? I find that some of them have access to, and are willing to take much smaller margins on OEM and generic parts than the actual Honda dealers.
For accessories, etc that may only be available from the US, many times I have done what Jess from VA suggests...have someone (usually one of my company's US vendors or clients) from the US purchase it for me then pack it in one of my shipments, or bring it back myself if it's small enough and under my allowable duty free purchase allotment when travelling to the US. Good luck

[msb]

Beardo...I usually have no problem negotiating prices for my Valkyrie parts with my local dealers here. Tires, (a yearly purchase for the rear mostly), recent shocks, and other items available in Canada I can usually get within a reasonable price comparison to US dealers. Close enough at least so I don't mind paying a few $$ more in order to avoid the hassles and unknowns of shipping, duty, and dealing with an internet dealer rather than someone in flesh and blood that I can go back to if needed. Of course you probably don't have as many options for first person dealers having access to parts you need in that lovely hamlet of Regina that we do here in the Wet Coast, eh? Do you have any independent MC repair or accessory shops there? I find that some of them have access to, and are willing to take much smaller margins on OEM and generic parts than the actual Honda dealers.
For accessories, etc that may only be available from the US, many times I have done what Jess from VA suggests...have someone (usually one of my company's US vendors or clients) from the US purchase it for me then pack it in one of my shipments, or bring it back myself if it's small enough and under my allowable duty free purchase allotment when travelling to the US. Good luck

Oops...my reply should have been addressed to Cogsman, somehow I thought Beardo was the OP  Same thing applies though in Ontario...should be other options to cut a deal.

Now this part IS in response to Beardo....Speak for yourself, regarding only having a 6 month riding season. 18 C / 67 F degrees  in the sun this past weekend here in beautiful Maple Ridge BC

[ripper980]

Hi cogsman, check your private messages..
 
Thxs, Dan

[Beardo]

Beardo...I usually have no problem negotiating prices for my Valkyrie parts with my local dealers here. Tires, (a yearly purchase for the rear mostly), recent shocks, and other items available in Canada I can usually get within a reasonable price comparison to US dealers. Close enough at least so I don't mind paying a few $$ more in order to avoid the hassles and unknowns of shipping, duty, and dealing with an internet dealer rather than someone in flesh and blood that I can go back to if needed. Of course you probably don't have as many options for first person dealers having access to parts you need in that lovely hamlet of Regina that we do here in the Wet Coast, eh? Do you have any independent MC repair or accessory shops there? I find that some of them have access to, and are willing to take much smaller margins on OEM and generic parts than the actual Honda dealers.
For accessories, etc that may only be available from the US, many times I have done what Jess from VA suggests...have someone (usually one of my company's US vendors or clients) from the US purchase it for me then pack it in one of my shipments, or bring it back myself if it's small enough and under my allowable duty free purchase allotment when travelling to the US. Good luck

Oops...my reply should have been addressed to Cogsman, somehow I thought Beardo was the OP  Same thing applies though in Ontario...should be other options to cut a deal.

Now this part IS in response to Beardo....Speak for yourself, regarding only having a 6 month riding season. 18 C / 67 F degrees  in the sun this past weekend here in beautiful Maple Ridge BC

18 degrees. Really? 

I laugh at all the cool names for winter storms on CNN, etc...Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, Polar Vortex....we just call it October, November, December, January, February and March.

And yeah, we have the 1 Honda dealer in town. There is a former Honda dealer an hour away, he's independent now, but has a lot of Honda parts in stock, can still get Honda parts or jobbers. The mechanic is a 27 year Honda mechanic who really knows his stuff and actually lets you have a coffee and watch while he works on your bike. I was a little intimidated to do my front and rear wheel bearings so I went to him. Now I feel comfortable removing the front or rear wheel myself and have done so, but will probably go to him for any bigger stuff.

Anyways, sorry for the hijack. Yes...us Canucks get hosed on stuff. And while I'd never break up a good Trudeau bashing session, I'm not sure how much the gov't has to do with it. It's the manufacturers themselves who are screwing us. They charge us more because they can. The dollar is an excuse.  They have said there is more competition in the states, so they have to lower their prices. And the reality is US companies have access to a much bigger market. So they can sell 1000 parts for 10 dollars mark up, whereas a Canadian company sells 10 parts for 1000 dollar mark up.

In the meantime, I have a buddy with a PO box in a US border town we can get stuff shipped to, or might just have to find some VRCC buddies in ND for the more expensive parts. Because those brake rotor prices are insane. Used Ebay rotors with some life left would be pretty tempting.

[pancho]

Better price on rotors.

    http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Honda/Motorcycle/1998/GL1500C+A/FRONT+WHEEL/parts.html

[Lyle Laun]

Cogsman:
Go to Canadasmotorcycle.ca
Front rotors are $326 Cdn each and they have free shipping. Their rotors aren't OEM but they work just fine.

Lyle...

[gordonv]

Just looked on generic parts in Shop Talk.

Says you can use the GL1800 front rotors. Listed at Partszilla for $250. New set on ebay for as little as $133. Any good? Don't know. Would stick with some part I know. But also used for around $150 ea.

Should be easy to find out their new width, and see what they are good too, and what they are at, then you can decide if they are worth buying.

Should also be able to get a better price in Canada for the current model GW from Honda dealer.