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The warranty IS NOT FREE! its simply added to the total purchace price!

MotoF150 wrote:The warranty IS NOT FREE! its simply added to the total purchace price!

I'm assuming that by total purchase price, you are implying that the dealer had a hand in the extended warranty. The warranty is not added into the total purchase price in this case. The warranty was offered in the form of a national incentive from Yamaha.

If you did not take advantage of this incentive, then you would have to pay extra cash in addition to the bike in order to get an extended warranty.

This is no different than car companies offering rebates on vehicles at certain times of the year. There is a cost associated with not selling vehicles in a timely manner. If the company has over estimated the demand for the vehicle, then you offer a rebate as an incentive to sell off your inventory.

In Yamaha's case, they chose to offer a extended warranty as an incentive rather than decrease the list price of the motorcycle. Why would Yamaha do this? Perhaps they over estimated demand. Or maybe they want to stimulate sales of motorcycles over a slow period. Perhaps they want to ensure they maintain sales where marginal costs equal marignal profits. Whatever the reason, they are trying to stimulate sales.

What is the true cost of a 48 month extended warranty to Yamaha? Let's assume that the price of a warranty is $700. Probably, the true cost to Yamaha (the amount of money paid out to administer and honor the warranty) is somewhere around $200-$250. Out of the $700, $450-$500 of that becomes profit and money that is paid to the dealer for being the middleman in the purchase.

From the consumers point of view, if Yamaha offered to take $200 off of the list price of the bike, most consumers probably wouldn't take notice. However, if you offer an extended warranty, it costs Yamaha $200, but savings for the customer becomes $700 if they planned on purchasing an extended warranty. If you look at the Economics of it, Yamaha gets a bigger bang for the buck and more customers by changing the economic curve to the extent of $700, but it only costs them $200 to do it, which results in more profits for Yamaha.

If anyone gets screwed in a deal like this, it is the dealers, as they lose out on opportunities to sell extended warranties, which results in less cash for the dealership.

Are you always this clueless, or are you just trying to get your post count up?

Thanks for the review. I sat on the 1300 at the bike show and didn't like it for one of the reasons you stated.
The handlebars are a problem.
Have you put risers on the bars or can the bars be changed so they don't hit your knees?

Due to the design of the speedometer and the way the handlebars are held on, installation of risers isn't possible.

People have tried different shapes of handlebars with some success. I believe one person installed Road Staqr handlebars and re-routed the cables behind the triple bars.

Doogie wrote:I bought the red Yamaha V-star 1300 tourer. Paid $10,500 for it. Some of the discounters show prices of around $10,000, if you have one that is close enough to make it worth your while.

Looks-The V-star 1300 has a nice big bike look to it. Standard features include dual discs on the front, fuel injection, nice looking instrument cluster, and 5.0 gallon gas tank. The tourer comes equipped with great looking saddlebags, windshield, and backrest. Finish on the bike is flawless. Even though the V-star is a water cooled bike, the lines are hidden for the most part. The seat is comfortable ( a first where I don’t feel the need to replace the seat as soon as I buy the bike) and sits well on long rides.

Ride-The ride on this bike is great! I previously had a Honda Sabre that rode nice, but the V-star 1300 has a much smoother ride. Bumps and uneven spots in the road are no problem for this bike. I can ride this bike all day without feeling tired.

Handling-The V-star handles well in the corners, and for slow speed steering. The bike is stable in curves and goes where you want it to without any problem. I feel confident with quick maneuvers when I need to change direction. The bike has a low center of gravity, which helps with slow speed handling. My only complaint is that the handlebars hit my knees when I make a full turn, but then again, I have this problem with most bikes.

Power-The V-star has approx 75 hp and 78 ft-lbs of torque, which is more than the stock Harley 80 and 88 cubic inches generate. The bike pulls hard through all of the gears. The V-star loafs along in 5th gear at 80 mph, but accelerates quickly for passing.

Overall, I give this bike a big thumbs up! Throw in a free 48 month extended warranty (available if you bought before the end of the year), and the V-Star was too hard for me to pass up on.

Personally, I prefer a bike in the 1100-1400 cc range, rather than riding a 1700 cc+ behemoth that doesn’t handle well in town. The V-star 1300 is a great bike that can be ridden in town, on the back roads, or down the interstate without any compromises to handling or power.

Everything you said is true but you failed to mention the windshield sucks without lowers and ther are none available now. also my vstar 1300 tourer jernks/misses a lot around 20 mph. I hope they can correct this problem.