I realize it's been 30 years but I changed my full exhaust on my sporty in '95 for about $250-300 (if I remember, cycle shack drags). You can barely buy a single slip-on for that now! What gives? Rant over...not expecting a response, just bitching.

 

Inflation is most of it.

That $300 you spent in 1995 is the same as spending $633 today.

 

I used that same calculator to see the inflation price on what my dad paid for his first home in 1960. A 1500 sq ft Ranch on 1/2 acre, in a suburban setting for $18,000.00 Upstate NY.. The calculator says now in 2026 that same purchase be based on cumulative inflation rates from then to know it would be $195,000.. Yeah right that'll never happen.. I know those homes are going form $400k-$700K based on the area..

 

trumptitus

only one facet of the diamond. another issue is like in the steel guitar industry. as things change like demand and and inflation cost, suppliers stop making parts. a case in point is the company dextco who made adjustable legs for the industry and were pretty much used industry wide, then along comes a lull in the industry which can last for who knows, guitars are not selling and legs are not bought so the supplier has to move on so that line is dropped.
now that demand is coming back, builders have switched to extruded legs, cheaper in cost so to dextco there is still no market. SAD!!! you can get some chinesium legs but be careful as they can collapse unexpectedly unlike the american ones of past.
motorcycles are no diff, try and find a good exhaust for a 1974 xlch. if you do, then it is a niche market with prices to boot. shoot just to get scissors made are about 1000 dollars for 250 units, to get a break one has to partner up and buy a 1000 units or more. that leads to another issue, not many people deal with the old hd, shoot, if i brought that ch to a shop, the tech would just have a stupid look on his face, no diagnostic port and has no clue how to deal with the cam train. he relies on some code to point him into the direction of travel. tooooo bad there is not a code for "you need to go wipe your ****".

 

Money-wise, in itself, it's right on. In other words, it equals out to a straight 195K. The variable that the calculator cannot account for is appreciation and depreciation. It has no way of knowing whether your father's house remained a nice, livable area or turned into a ghetto.

 

I remember buying drag pipes for my Ironhead Sportster for $100 and a new battery was $10.

 

 

It's greedy companies charging what the market will bear. You have people waiting months to spend $1800 on a few pieces of pipe. Yes, there is some R&D expense involved with pipe design, but it is not enough to justify what the companies are charging.

If no one was buying the prices would come down.

 

I was a high roller. I bought TWO sets of drag pipes.

 

I have the drag pipes I bought in 1991 still on my Evo Sporty, I guess they don't age out like tires!??!?!?!