Topic: Who'd buy 750 341 4x4 pipes at $400/set?

[Popwood]

The cost of original replacement pipes for all our bikes is huge financial outlay. So I wonder, if sohc members in sufficient numbers placed an order could we get a reasonable price? From what I understand, David Silver places a quantity order with Honda (or the original supplier) and gets a good enough price to be as competitive as any supplier. But the company must get their mark-up (my guess is 30 to 40%), and we pay $150 US shipping costs.

So, I'm thinking here, if an order for those pipes could be placed with up-front buyers, cash in hand, could we get a price that would be a lot easier to live with? Honda may not want to deal with a renegade group like us, but maybe we could work a deal with a dealer who'd take a short mark-up on a guaranteed sale! I'm in Cincinnati, home of Western Hills Honda, and they deal in a lot of vintage parts. Maybe they'd work with us? Great PR for them and some "sure thing" revenue. I could approach Terry, who runs the vintage parts operation there.   

Maybe this is a pipe dream, but if response is strong, I'd be happy to help coordinate. Off the top, I think 750 341s would get the biggest response. So let's hear from those who'd sign up.

[hondaface75]

At 400$ a set, I'm in.

[Popwood]

Thanks, Hondaface. Realize that the $400 per set is just a guess, but what's proposed is a very substantial discount over the best price currently available from any retailer. What's needed here is a gauge of the interest in original replacement pipes at a substantial discount.

[Retro Rocket]

I wonder how hard it would be to find the manufacturer in Japan, that would be the way to go i think, go direct....    I do that with Guitars out of Japan and save a small fortune..

Mick

[Shenanigans]

HM300's

If you know what I mean.

[srook]

You would be attempting to buy direct from a company that can not sell direct to you (Honda).  Honda as the branded manufacturer sells its products through a retail outlet like a dealer or parts house.  As far as Honda is concerned once they have sold their parts to the retailer, the sale is complete.  The retailers are their customers, not the end user.  It is the retailers job to move product to the end user.  Honda simply cannot sell direct to you, it would be unethical, as they would be competing directly with their own customers, and possibly illegal because you don't have a resellers certificate.  Why would Western Hills Honda undercut their own profits to sell pipes that they wouldn't make any money on?  A guranteed large sale with no profit is not better than a single sale with full profit.  The only way Western Hills Honda would benefit would be if the group agreed to buy much more product at full price over the course of the year.  Then the pipes would be a loss leader and they could recoup their profits over the course of the year, but your group cannot promise that.  I know what you are trying to do and sure it would benefit us end users.  Look at it from Honda and Western Hills Honda's perspective.  They simply have no reason to do it.  I hope it works out.
Scott

[Retro Rocket]

You would be attempting to buy direct from a company that can not sell direct to you (Honda).  Honda as the branded manufacturer sells its products through a retail outlet like a dealer or parts house.  As far as Honda is concerned once they have sold their parts to the retailer, the sale is complete.  The retailers are their customers, not the end user.  It is the retailers job to move product to the end user.  Honda simply cannot sell direct to you, it would be unethical, as they would be competing directly with their own customers, and possibly illegal because you don't have a resellers certificate.  Why would Western Hills Honda undercut their own profits to sell pipes that they wouldn't make any money on?  A guranteed large sale with no profit is not better than a single sale with full profit.  The only way Western Hills Honda would benefit would be if the group agreed to buy much more product at full price over the course of the year.  Then the pipes would be a loss leader and they could recoup their profits over the course of the year, but your group cannot promise that.  I know what you are trying to do and sure it would benefit us end users.  Look at it from Honda and Western Hills Honda's perspective.  They simply have no reason to do it.  I hope it works out.
Scott

I beg to differ, i have been doing business with the Japanese for a few years now and on a regular basis and like i said, if you can find the factory in Japan that makes these {they will be subbed out not made at Honda} then you may be able to do a deal, it helps immensely to have someone Japanese do the talking for you as most Japanese don't like talking to westerners. I buy the same guitars that are in stores in Australia for 2000+ dollars for under 1000 buy buying them directly from the company that makes them and i went even further by finding out who was making their custom order guitars and started buying off him and saved even more. Don't discount anything to do with business in Japan, if you know the right people anything is possible.

Mick

[Gordon]

HM300's

If you know what I mean.

+1

Even many with bikes that came stock with 341 pipes would be very happy with a set of HM300's if they could get them for cheap. 

[spot45]

Mick does have a point.  If you can find out who their supplier is for the exhaust and buy direct from them.  It has been done before with cam chains, and primary chains.  But   you are going to have make a commitment for a substantial number of pipes.   Do you have that many people interested? 

[Retro Rocket]

Mick does have a point.  If you can find out who their supplier is for the exhaust and buy direct from them.  It has been done before with cam chains, and primary chains.  But   you are going to have make a commitment for a substantial number of pipes.   Do you have that many people interested? 

All i am trying to say is that Honda DON'T make them, they are out sourced, find out who is making them and then get someone to help with the communication side of things and it may be possible to buy direct, especially if the seller knows that they are not being sold commercially so no toes get trodden on, thats the way i do it. It took some time for me to establish some contacts in Japan but now that i have them they are priceless and have helped me out quite a bit. I wish i knew someone there that was into bikes.... I also don't have to take large amounts either and there is no problem with that, actually they probably wouldn't sell them in large amounts anyway..

Mick

[dave500]

ahso!mick vely clever and honourable.

[fastbroshi]

I think I remember Andy750 or maybe it was ChrisPDuck that had done some business over there.

[Popwood]

Some good ideas here. I'm not so sure a dealer like Western Hills Honda wouldn't go for it. Of course, they would take some mark-up or else why would they get involved? But a big cost for a dealer is sitting on expensive inventory, so if they knew they could flip these pipes in 30 days because the sales were guaranteed, it would be good money. They do a robust vintage parts business as is so getting more new customers might make this a win/win for everyone.

But, of course, finding the original source and dealing very direct would be ideal.  Perhaps the resources of this forum could help do that.

[tortelvis]

I work for a Honda dealer selling wholesale parts and the question I am always asked is "Can't Hondo just drop ship directly to me?" As the man sez, we get our parts from Honda as a franchised dealer and resell them. Otherwise I would be out of a job! A few interesting facts; Honda is more likely than any other manufacturer to have stock on older bike parts than all the rest of the big four. I have a client who specializes in the old CBX and he buys everything that he can get and stockpiles it. However Honda has a policy of "sharing the wealth" which is good for all of us poor slobs trying to keep an old bike going. They will NOT sell one customer all of a certain part.  My customer might want all 50 petcocks in the country but he won't get them! Honda wants as many customers as possible to have access to their parts. You have to realize that big companies like Honda do NOT produce all of their own parts, so it should be possible to go direct to the maker in Japan. I get told all the time that "I won't use anything but OEM parts!" Well, buddy, those brake pads that you insist must come from Honda won't necessarily be made by Honda. If you want to pay 20% to 30% more for the same pads that you can get aftermarket that's ok with me. When a set of OEM pads for a 2008 GSXR750 retail for $99.25 and you can get EBC for $35, what are you gonna do? I would LOVE a set of 4-4 for my CB350F but I am not prepared to pay way over a grand for NOS!

[Duke McDukiedook]

HM300's

If you know what I mean.

DING DING, Hear, hear. 

[mafd2]

How do you find out who makes the pipes

[fmctm1sw]

   Maybe this is a pipe dream,

Brilliant..    Am I the only one that picked up on that?   "pipe" dream...   

[Gheiser]

I'd be in if the price was reasonable.  I'm just north of Dayton OH.

BTW - I worked at a Honda supplier for 15 years making suspensions and brake pedals for Accords, Civics, etc.  We were the OEM and shipped the parts direct to the factory for assembly into the cars.  Also, we were obliged to supply "service parts" to American Honda for as long as the actuaries thought there was a need for the parts in the market.  So in theory you could find the OEM in Japan or wherever and ask them to sell 20 or 30 sets of pipes to a group of "gijin" to make a couple of grand.  But I really doubt they would risk their status as a Honda supplier for a couple of grand.  Most of these companies have grown with Honda over the past 50 years and are partially owned or intertwined in other ways.  At our annual shareholders meeting Honda got a look at the books, they might get pissed if they supplier was cutting them out.

[Retro Rocket]

I think you mean gaijin {non japanese} although gijin {foreigner breaking Japanese rules} also fits. In my dealings i have found that when they have your trust, which can be bloody hard, that anything is possible. In saying that the Japanese are very private and secretive and don't like it to be broadcast when doing such dealings......i think if anyone has some good contacts in the automotive industry in Japan that it would be worth a look,there's no harm in trying.

Mick

[mcuozzo]

I would be in at $400 +/- a small percentage.

I would also be in for a set of pipes for the 77/78K (don't know their number).

Matt

[Don R]

+1

[zzpete]

  I'm in. Even at $600 a set it would be a good deal.

[eddy]

I'm in find the supplier and set up the purchase!

[754]

 I think you guys are kidding yourselves.     


 400 bux, you have to be kidding! just how much do you think they make on these..
 post # 17 touched on this, sorta hit the nail on the head...

 Why on earth would a VENDOR that supplies Honda, risk their  relationship with Honda..??  for what 20 sets of pipes at 600.00.. Risk hundreds of thousands of dollars or maybe even millions of dollars of work every year.. for.. what... 12 or 20 K of parts they are not making much on... you have to be kidding..

 Its a one sided deal and only the people proposing it can benefit by it..

 Face it, they are not going to sink their business to help out a few of us..
 besides... they may not even own the dies, they may belong to Honda..

[Bob750]

I think what it comes down to is... someone needs to contact someone at a domestic exhaust MFR and have them laser up some existing pipes and get the digital Computer Aided Manufacturing files created and then crank repro versions of these sets out as fast at the robots can. With mass production comes lower prices.  Sure they won't be "stock" but for most (not all) of us our bikes will never be show-stock again anyway. I've got HEL brake lines. Oops. Not stock, safer and better-performing, but not stock, I guess I don't win the trophy.