buying a bike

[UberC]

My friend who has bought a lot of bikes told me that motorcycle dealers don't negotiate much if at all on price, unlike car dealers. Do you guys agree with that?

[jonnythan]

My friend who has bought a lot of bikes told me that motorcycle dealers don't negotiate much if at all on price, unlike car dealers. Do you guys agree with that?

Yup.

[jstark47]

Yep, that's the general pattern.

Once in a while you can find a "new old stock" or leftover bike that they're willing to deal on, but it's the exception to the rule. My wife's 2003 Trophy (purchased new July 05) and my 2005 V-Strom (purchased new Nov 06) are examples. I'd had my eye on the V-Strom at the local dealer for months; the Trophy we found by sheer dumb luck.

If you are going to try to dicker, late fall is probably the best time.

[erbgottie]

The best place in the US to buy a Honda is at Southern Honda in Chattanooga, TN (http://www.southernhonda.com). Everything is out the door price, bought my 2007 Honda Shadow Spirit 750C2 for $5700 brand new. People travel all over the states to go there just for the discounts, paid $60 in gas and saved $1000 on the bike. I've never seen a bike dealership sell 65+ bikes every weekend, but they do. Just throwing it out there

[flynrider]

My friend who has bought a lot of bikes told me that motorcycle dealers don't negotiate much if at all on price, unlike car dealers. Do you guys agree with that?

No, I wouldn't agree. It depends entirely on the dealer, the bike and the time of year (bikes are seasonal commodities).

If you want to buy a really popular bike, from a large dealership at the beginning of spring, forget about negotiating a great deal.

On the other hand, if you want a bike that's been sitting on the showroom floor for 6 months at a small dealership, and it happens to be snowing outside, you can probably negotiate a nice deal.