OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => General Discussion => Topic started by: 090 on March 18, 2008, 11:09:01 pm
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I am sick to my eye teeth with respect to wholesalers here in OZ. I am trying to buy an '08 helmet and everything is 6-8 weeks away. Same with riding gear. I had to buy my second choice there as well. Bitch, bitch , bitch!
SO! Can anyone give me a link or name of an online store in the states so i can go to the source so to speak and get me a lid!
Cheers
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brad try helmetman in usa a mate got a bell moto 8 in 7 days cost him $300 bucks
retail here $700 odd i think you just have to find the right place 8)
hey brad remember when i holeshotted you on my yz 465 and you were on your maico 490
at caboolture ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Are there still the same issues with importing helmets as there used to be? I brought in a Bell Moto 6 in the early 90's and had to get an exemption letter from the customs minister before Aussie Post would let me have it.
It may have had something to do with the actual testing standards for the helmets and what was acceptable for use here in Australia. I think at the time the Moto 6 could only be used for off-road competition.
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I do. I also remember turning inside you to pass ;)
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BTW thanks rusty. I have bought a nos in box helmet that came straight through Paul, soon find out!
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took you nearly a lap though ;D
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Check with MA as there may be an exclusion of use for non-approved helmets. I know that for classic road racing the scrutineer always checked the "australian standards approved" sticker
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check your rule book as long as the helmet is dot or snell approved they are ok
wore my JT als1 to a meeting once stewards jacked up but couldnt do a thing as it was dot approved 8)
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As long as you use your helmet at MA sanctioned race/practice days you are fine. The MA falls under FIM jurisdiction, so AS1698, BSI, SNELL M2005, DOT, etc. are all ok. I get my Arai's direct from Japan, so I check this every year in the MA manual.
Don't use it on road if it doesn't have the AS1698 sticker. Quick way to screw yourself out of insurance if you're in an accident.
If you want a good service to Aus, I recommend www.mxsouth.com in Florida. They can get almost anything you want, just e-mail them if the item you need isn't on their website. I find it's better to order everything you want in one hit, then postage is more economical. I've ordered heaps of gear off them.
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www.denniskirk.com is awesome and some of the sale stuff is up to 90% off and service is excellent.
:D
Rossco
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That's all well and good, and I understand it is a worldwide market these days, BUT, as a bike shop owner, don't expect your local shop to have too much interest in helping you out with tyres, consumables, information etc, when he see's you at the races in your bright new gear from good old USA, especially after you've used him and his shop as a fitting service! After all is Dennis Kirk going to open up the shop on Saturday afternoon to get you set of straight handlebars, clutch lever or spark plug so you can go racing on Sunday? I think not.....
K
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Sorry if i go against the trend here, but I'm With Big K.
In all honesty, a principal owner of a bike shop will never be a rich man. The amount of money that is outlayed to set up a motorcycle shop then stock it to suit a wide range of customers is a very expensive undertaking. When you consider that most business run on a margin of 20% to 40% a bike shop is lucky to crack 20% with most new bikes having less than 10% margin. A bike shop then has to rely on it's goodwill to survive. I work in a bike shop and whilst we don't stock every type of helmet, and there are over 20 helmet manufactures all vying for a slice of the pie, we have to work out what is selling the best and provides the best features that the majority want. I tell my customers that if they want a particular piece of gear or accessory, tell me the size and model and i will get it for you and in most cases it will take 2-4 days to get it.
And in a passing note, if i see a customer with a new helmet, gear or anything for that matter at a race meeting and they didn't (at least) give me a chance to get it for them, then they will be paying full wack and their number will be struck from my phone book memory. I have lost count of the amount of times that i have opened the shop to rob a part of another bike or fix a flat tyre late Sat arvo/night and there is not a cent to be made, i just hope that they will come back the following week and buy their oil and filters and in time perhaps a new bike.
Take the time to build a relationship with a shop and you will find that once trust/respect has been established its a whole lot better.
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I do feel bad for the smaller operators about the situation, but I always get my tyres/chains & sprockets/bike parts from the local guy. In a lot of these cases, you're not going to get it cheaper by importing it.
On the other side of the coin, I firmly believe companies like Monza have been overpricing some of the more popular brands for a long time.
There's two ways all this could go:
1. The manufacturers will recognise the distributor's problems & place sanctions on exporting the gear to locations where there is a local distributor.
2. The manufacturers won't care, because 'a sale's a sale'. It makes no difference to them.
I've seen evidence of it already with Leatt braces, some US distributors have 'US only' shipping on them. I also know of some helmet/clothing manufacturers putting notices on their websites warning about buying from other countries, stating 'sizing variations' (which is load of horse shit).
On the upside for true bike shops, bikes are getting much harder to fix at home. I wouldn't even attempt to open up my CRF, and there would be a healthy amount of road bike riders who wouldn't consider servicing their own bikes.
Looks like the 'services' are where it's at these days. Whether or not that's enough to sustain a business, plus a reduced retail trade, I don't know....
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O.k. If you read my original post , i said i am sick of the WHOLESALERS here as they are letting the retailers down big time. They keep stuff all stock so its 6-8 weeks for the next shipment.I go to a shop that i can talk to the owner, and i hate the team empire and the like. I have been on the other side of the counter myself having had an accessory shop which failed miserably , so i treat them as i wanted to be treated so i agree whole heartedly with you bigk and Bahnsy. But if he cant supply and i want a particular helmet that suits the riding gear and my taste( not looking for the bargin 90% off deal but the latest on offer) i will resort (have never done it before) to getting one by any means necessary. By the time they are available it will be half way through the year.Thats not good enough.I know the pain of not being able to supply which is on a daily basis. There is about three that i have picked with the same result.
Big K, if you can supply an M2R Prodigy Matt white,gold tan in a small,i will buy it from you.
No angry words here btw!
Cheers,Brad
http://www.made2race.com/Products/AUS/REV-X3%20HELMET/LargeImages/PRODIGY%20MATT%20WHT-GOLD-TAN.jpg (http://www.made2race.com/Products/AUS/REV-X3%20HELMET/LargeImages/PRODIGY%20MATT%20WHT-GOLD-TAN.jpg)
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Some of the closeout deals on M2Rs here are hard to pass up too....
http://www.extremesupply.com/escloseouts/escloseoutoffroad.html#m2rhelmets
An Oz replica M2R all the way from the States...that's just silly.... :-\
Yeh I'll go local if I can but sometimes when you look OS you have to wonder. Having lived in the States I know that the Aussie market is comparatively a non-entity.
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No offence taken as I didn't read any harsh words Brad. I was responding more to the reply's to the post which seem to indicate that quite a few members shop offshore regularly, which is their perogative to do so. Love to sell you the helmet, how long can you wait? :-[ Understand your dilemma and know that these days, shop or brand loyalty is only as good as the next best deal. Just saying if you have a good rapport with your local shop, and they are generally happy to help, keep it that way. It'll be better for everyone in the long run.
Cheers,
K
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Mate i can handle 2-3 weeks , but not 6-8. I have a pet hate of missmatching gear, it has to accentuate my blue eyes (lol) . I have bought new riding gear and want a helmet to match. Wanting it before cd5 is the aim.
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Your new gear must look something like the white & gold outfit with the gold tassles that Michael Jackson wore a few years back in one of his video clips :D :D :D. Are you only going to wear one glove?
Cheers,
K
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just beat it, beat it....yer ;D
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have a feeling this thread is about to change direction ;)
The late, great Ray Ryans pet hate was modern riding gear on old bikes. He said that the plethora of colours and corporate branding took away from the look and feel of what our sport is about. I couldn't have agreed more. I have the usual (Moose) modern riding gear for when I'm riding my modern bike but I've gone out of my way to find safe yet era sympathetic gear for when I ride the old stuff.
I've been on a diet and my old gear doesn't fit any more so I bought a new pair of Metro Maico race pants for less than $100, an almost new pair of plain grey Sidii boots for $30 and have been buying all sorts of period Maico Jerseys for piss money. While I was at it I got a pair of Italian made plain black race pants that are far better quality than any of the American (Chinese) stuff you can buy. I got a Metro Martini jersey like Joel Robert used to wear and a Metro Ducati jersey. Helmets are a no compromise item though. I bought a new Bell Moto7 with Polaris snowmobile graphics for less than $200 and a Shoey open faced trials helmet for a similar price.
Its easy to look retro without sacrificing any safety if you shop carefully.
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BigK and Bahnsy - dont read too much into one comment. I get whatever I can from my local bike shop - work done on the bike, tyres, tubes, oils, plugs and then plastics etc from here in OZ. I get all my engine parts from the guy that does my overhauls so I have a very clean conscience when it comes to buying overseas. I recently purchased some jerseys and pants from Dennis Kirk - why - because the Australian Fox distributor said he wasn't going to bring them in, I have just bought 2 Motion pro throttles from Dennis Kirk because I couldn't find somebody who wanted to sell them to me in Oz (and they had to match what I had already) and when bought originally throttle and cable setup was $50 as opposed to $140 from OZ quoted at the time. I can go on and tell you of an Australian importer who said he could chase a sleeve for a YZ360B for me but I would have to wait until the next order went in (months) and it would be around $400 or something (his words) - got one from the States in 8 days for $150. I think if we check over a number of threads we all support the local guy - and I buy from Les and Red Devil - but sometimes it just aint going to happen because of availability or price. Geez I think I have shares in my local bike shop so dont cane me for getting what I want sometimes elsewhere (and thats said tongue in cheek ;D ;D ;D)
cheers
Rossco
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I do agree Firko. As you know i have been buying retro ( even pink) gear but i do have issues with some of it. First i feel naked if i dont wear my knee braces. I have a set of JT period pants but they dont allow for the braces. I also have some M Robert boots but i dont feel confident with them as they are flimsey and offer little support. I could buy those retro Alpine Star/Highpoints,so there are options. I also have a late model Arai open face made to look retro as well but again i feel a bit vulnerable and will wear it while riding a 125 and not a big bore( still a big risk i feel but its the price you pay to look cool! ::)). Jerseys and gloves are the easiest items and i have heaps of those. Another item on my 'to buy' list is a neck brace. Will look funny on a vintage but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Plus at the end of the day i am a bit of a showbag as well(i stole that off bigk). So i have both but as i am still fairly serious with my racing, i do want/ need good protection.
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I also agree with Firko and make an effort to get retro where I can - even if modern made. There are a few around the club that disagree with me but I think I am a dead ringer for Marty Smith when on my Honda - although maybe it is the slight difference between Marty and I around the middle that the other guys are refering to? ;D
Rossco
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Fashion goes in cycles (thank f*ck).
I'm looking forward to the passing of the 'thousand splashes of colour' apparel.
I was chatting with a young bike accessories salesman and he explained his choice of modern 'grafitti style' race gear:
"I want to get noticed out there on the track".
I replied "Mate, try wearing a single colour shirt with no logos for a change - you'll be the only one and people will see you for f*ckin' miles."
But each to their own...
The modern safety gear is a great improvement and I won't ride without the modern kick-arse knee braces.
But trying to find a single or double coloured pair of pants to go over them? FAAARRK :'(!
Hey Firko, those black Italian pants sound OK. Can I get a lead on where to find them pls?
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I'm lookin forward to the Fashion parade at CD5.
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brad i just had a look at the helmet your getting ( ELVIS IS NOT DEAD AFTER ALL) LONG LIVE THE KING
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g120/ibop/elvis_presley_070911_ms.jpg)
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Brad,
The single biggest problems that effects forums such as this is that it takes the body language out of the communication and the change of tone from your voice. If you believe that i was having a go at you, then i profusely apologize. I understand your comment re: wholesalers and see where you are coming from. I guess the red mist took over >:(
Now can i interst you in some pastel colored TRT riding gear with pink highlight panels. If i scratch around enough i might be able to add some YOKO gloves and a Belstaff helmet :)
Bahnsy
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Brad (090), I CAN help you with a Leatt neckbrace at the right price if you are interested.
Cheers,
K
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Firkos new boots for CD 5 8) Just joking , whose are they ?
They won a world championship in 87 .
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Hey YSS i want those boots! They will go with my pink JT mouth trap and JT armour. Bahnsy, i am interested in the Yoko gloves and maybe the helmet. Dont know about the pastels though!
While we are on the subject, i am always on the lookout for old riding gear so PM me with what you have and we can go from there.
Shoot me a pm with the dollars please Michael.
AND Paul, what can i say....thank you very much. I hope it doesn't mess up my hair man!
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Sorry they are not for sale . To much history attached for me to part with them. ( I thought Hoony would have recognised them )
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refresh my slipping memory Walter? i am guessing they are yours from your sidecar GP days?
i had a pair of them in red though! they were great boots
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No Hoony , they are Hansi Baechtolds famous pink sidis . Remember he was World champion 84,85,86,87 on the 820 EML Jumbo .
On the back of his pink clover riding pants he hade the letters Hansi Hattric. He put that on at the beginning of the season 86 . Some competitors did not like that at all , but he did win at the end of the year , and the year again.... until his retirement. Do I sound biast ? Maybe . I always looked up to him , tried to follow him for a lap many times , but lost every corner a meter or two , just to see him disapear slowly in the dust....