What's a good deal on a new bike?

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cbattles · #1 Post by **cbattles** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:44 am

I found the invoice price on the bike I want - now I just need to get a good deal on buying it. I've never purchased a new bike before, so I don't know what a "good deal" is - any suggestions? I mean, how much should I let the dealer make off of me and still walk away knowing that I really did get a good deal?

Any help would be appreciated...

roscowgo · #2 Post by **roscowgo** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:10 am

Depends on which bike. A 250cc virago isnt going to fetch the same price as a RoadKing.

swatter555 · #3 Post by **swatter555** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:35 am

Were you not on here yesterday pretending to be a dealer soliciting opinions on a no hassle marketing scheme??

CNF2002 · #4 Post by **CNF2002** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:59 am

Demand the bike for free. Can't go wrong.

MotoF150 · #5 Post by **MotoF150** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:34 am

The best way I found is to shop around from dealer to dealer and ask for a written price quote on the bike you want, tell him you want the "OTD" Out The Door price. You can also call the dealer and ask him to send or fax you a quote. Most delaers will give lower on the price of a cruizer bike, but they want full price for sport bikes. Last year when I bought a new Suzuki M50 I got prices between $5800 to $6950, a friend of mine just prurchaced a 06 Yamaha V Star Custom for $5199, plus $195 dealer prep charge

Sev · #6 Post by **Sev** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:07 pm

http://totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopi ... ght=#81624

Hmmm, I smell something fishy here.

cbattles · #7 Post by **cbattles** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 5:03 am

swatter555 wrote:Were you not on here yesterday pretending to be a dealer soliciting opinions on a no hassle marketing scheme??

I'm not a dealer, nor was I pretending to be. I was looking for opinions, but the moderators & administrator kindly asked me to ask the question in manner that didn't seem quite so much like market research. So I rephrased my inquiry --- I just want to know what the average consumer would be satisfied with in terms of a deal. Is it if the dealer only makes $500 on you out the door, or would you only be satisfied if he only made $100. Basically, I'm trying to put together a happy medium --- and you guys would reap the benefits, the dealers would only agree to it because they'd have competition - they either do it or get left behind.

I'm not pretending to be anything, just looking for opinions.

#8 Post by **MrGompers** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:08 pm

cbattles wrote: I just want to know what the average consumer would be satisfied with in terms of a deal. Is it if the dealer only makes $500 on you out the door, or would you only be satisfied if he only made $100.

$500 is way too high. Try more like $50 profit max & absolutely no add-on fees. Everyone knows that bike/cage dealers don't make money selling. They make money repairing.

Sev · #9 Post by **Sev** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:17 pm

Actually the mods come from the aftermarket parts.

By way of example, I can buy for $10 two, TWO 80L storage tubs made of a heavy duty bendable plastic that'll reform itself.

But a seat cowl of easy to shatter plastic for my bike is $150 it has enough plastic to hold a liter of water.

So we pay a little for the aerodynamics, and the spiffy paintjob... where does the other $100 go? Why are aftermarket parts so expensive compared to other similar items?

I can understand chromed pieces of billet aluminum carved hydrocarbons

but pieces of plastic...

MotoF150 · #10 Post by **MotoF150** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:49 am

Dealers order a certain number bikes on a consignment at fixed price where the more they order of a certain model the better price they get, when they sell the bike the dealer pays for it, most of the times the consignment comes due in 90 days, if the bike is still sitting in the showroom after that the dealers price of the bike goes up and he's restricted to order as many of that model the next time. The way it works is one dealer #1 may order 200 crotch rockets, and 25 cruizer bikes, and dealer #2 will order 200 cruizer bikes and 25 crotch rockets. Dealer #1 has a better price on crotch rockets, and dealer #2 has a better price on cruizer bikes. If any dealer has a hard time selling the number of bikes he orders, he will be restricted from ordering as many next year, the mfg thinks if one dealer hogs up all the bikes they could had been sold by another dealer. The law of supply and demand rules in new bike sales, if everybody wants a crotch rocket and the dealer only has 25 on stock he will want full price, the only way to get a good price on a new bike is to buy the sloppy seconds the bikes that are left over in the showroom that nobody wants, in the late summer, or many dealers have some leftover bikes from last year at a better price. New bike sales are way up, everybody that never owned a bike before are buying new bikes, thats raising the price and its making it rough for guys like me that wanta trade in my bike for a new one.