If you are looking for a set of reproduction early H2 750 mufflers, now is a great time to buy. The economic conditions in Japan have caused the yen to devalue against the U.S. dollar, so our dollars are now buying more for the money. Since 2013, the yen has fallen about 30% against the dollar, standing at 116 to 117 yen per dollar today. As of today, the price from webike.net is $1,210 with free shipping. (only about $400 per pipe!) This price is significantly lower than the $1,500-$1,800 that were prevalent recently for reproduction H2 systems. (about 4 years ago I sold a single right side NOS H2 pipe on eBay for $900.) The prices on reproduction body sets have fallen similarly, so now may be the time to pull the trigger on those, as well. Webike.net has a lot of reproduction parts for a lot of different motorcycles, so it pays to search for what you are looking for. The PMC brand of reproduction parts is on sale this week only for 5% off. I just purchased a reproduction Z1 exhaust set from webike.net, along with a number of other reproduction items, and I must say, the experience was both baffling and satisfying. I thought I would share my experience here, in case it might help someone else who is looking to buy reproduction parts. Part of the reason buying from webike.net in Japan was baffling is because everything is sold in Japanese Yen (although they do show the current U.S.$ equivalent for that day). I placed an order, but decided the next day to add an item to the order. Unfortunately, they dont allow an order to be modified once placed, and suggested that I cancel the order and place another order. In doing so, I thought I might have saved about $12 because the yen had fallen further overnight. However, that fall was also reflected in my refund to my credit card, so there was nothing gained. I only mention this to let you know that if you place an order and later cancel, you may lose (or make) some money on the refund because of changes in the exchange rate. Another pitfall of purchasing in Yen is that your credit card processor or PayPal may charge a foreign exchange fee of up to 3% on the transaction. I used my American Express Platinum card because the foreign exchange fee is waived for AMEX Platinum cardholders. There may be other credit cards that waive the fee as well. But be sure to check with your credit card company, as you could be paying more than you realize once the fee is added. (One note regarding AMEX Platinum - the item will appear on your statement with a foreign exchange fee included, but then there will be a refund of that fee on the next statement.) Be aware, and check your method of payment in advance for any foreign exchange fees. I was extremely pleased that FREE shipping was easy to achieve, requiring a minimum of about $550 in purchases. After that, everything on the order is shipped free. Another potential pitfall that concerned me was import duties or taxes. So I did some checking in advance, and found that trade agreements between the U.S. and Japan allow individuals to import motorcycle parts from Japan into the U.S. with no taxes or duties. Indeed, when I received my order, the mailman just had me sign that I received the package, no hassles at all, and no hidden costs. Webike.net does a great job of communication. I received an acknowledgement of my order via email in a few minutes. The next day I received an email telling me that webike.net does not necessarily stock every item, but obtains some items from the supplier/manufacturer on an as-sold basis. Then a day later, I got an email confirming that most of the items I ordered (9) were available, with the exception of two smaller items that the supplier no longer offered. A refund was promptly given for the two unavailable items, and an estimated shipping date was given, which was almost a month away. They beat that shipping date by more than two weeks, though, and shipped about 10 days after the initial order was placed. I guess the most amazing thing about the whole process is how quickly my order arrived at my door after it was shipped. It left Japan on 11/14, went through U.S. Customs in Chicago in one day on 11/16, and was at my door the morning of 11/18. Wow! Thats amazing! Heres the link to the H2 pipes on webike.net: japan.webike.net/products/2505443.html Of course, the big advantage of buying from an American website or from eBay is that the pipes are already in the United States, and therefore may be delivered sooner, and with no potential foreign exchange credit card fees. (Although webike.net says on their site that this item should ship within 2-3 days. Just be aware if you add other items to your order, this could affect the shipping date.) The actual shipping time from door to door was amazingly quick. Another advantage of U.S. companies is that they offer phone support. There is no phone support from webike.net, only email support (usually takes 2 days to get a response). And the descriptions on their website are not very detailed, either. The advantage of webike.net is that you will save from $300 to $600 on a set of reproduction pipes. And if the Yen falls further, you could save more, although if the Yen rises against the dollar, you will pay more. Obviously, this information is written from the perspective of a U.S. resident. Exchange rates and taxes/duties vary widely around the globe. So if you live outside the U.S., do all your homework before contemplating an order from webike.net. As I said at the start, my experience with webike.net was both baffling and satisfying, but I hope the information provided here will remove all of the baffling part of the experience for you. In the end, I am extremely satisfied. Disclaimer: I am posting this information as a service to the members of Japanese Vintage Bike Club for the sole reason that I love to find a bargain, and I assume others do as well. I have not been prompted by webike.net, nor am I affiliated with webike.net in any way. I am not receiving any compensation of any kind for this post.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:04:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015