Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Did you pay freight on your new motorcycle? I was at Motorcycle Mall in NJ, and went as far in to the purchasing process of a 08 Ninja 250 - and the cost just skyrocketed - not just this frieght charge, but other things as well (I'll do separate posts because they are separate subjects).

So, in this case they wanted $248 or so for freight? This reminds me of the delivery charge on cars which I think you just have to pay, but whatever... Just curious if you guys paid this or negotiated it out, etc.

RhadamYgg

They'll tel you you have to pay it..just say "fine, take some off the price of the bike."

I got hosed on my first bike--a $3000 Rebel wound up costing me $4600 because I paid it all...MSRP + freight + assembly + TTL + CA tire fee... cripes.

All that matters is the Out The Door price. Know what you're willing to pay in total, then ask for their best out the door price, and if it's not close, walk away. We got the Spouse Thingy's VLX for a much better deal, they got within $80 of what we said we'd pay. We still paid the assembly and freight, but the cut came off the price of the bike. It doesn't matter how they work the numbers, as long as the amount you pay is what you're comfortable paying.

With my ninja they would not move on the price because it was the hot seller all the time, especially around spring.

They also told me that the price was SO close to retail that they only made like $400 off the bike (dunno if that's true or not). But their point was it's not worth it for them to take money off it since they can just sell it to someone who will pay the full MSPR.

If you were buying the ninja during an off season maybe you could get a better discount but right about now it's probably going to be pretty hard. Especially since they know the MSF courses are starting up.

freight is a legit cost, the bikes come in in big ol' boxes on a semi (normally a subcontracted company) and they have to get paid somehow. same with assembly. most bikes don't come assembled. depending on the bike it can take up to a full day to put together, and once again, the dealership has to recoup the cost of paying the technician, ect. on lower priced bikes, the markup is also lower, leaving less wiggle room.

The only thing that's not negotiable is the tax, title and registration fees, which are set by state. Anything else is fair game. When I buy a bike from the dealership, I just tell them to give me the price of the bike. I don't care about freight fees, doc fees, assembly charges and the rest. Most of those numbers are made up anyway. My buddy at the dealership used to refer to the "doc fee" as the profit enhancement fee

When you buy a can of soup at the grocery store, do you pay a shipping fee, shelf stocking fee and check out fee on top of the price?

When it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter what they call the various fees and charges. They are only there to get the unwary buyer to pay as much as possible (see Thumpers post). When negotiating with a dealer, just negotiate an out-the-door price and avoid the games with fees and charges.

Big B wrote:freight is a legit cost, the bikes come in in big ol' boxes on a semi (normally a subcontracted company) and they have to get paid somehow.

Freight is a cost of doing business. They'll charge when they can get away with it, but in the end, they can just expense it out.

Brackstone wrote:With my ninja they would not move on the price because it was the hot seller all the time, especially around spring.

They also told me that the price was SO close to retail that they only made like $400 off the bike (dunno if that's true or not). But their point was it's not worth it for them to take money off it since they can just sell it to someone who will pay the full MSPR.

If you were buying the ninja during an off season maybe you could get a better discount but right about now it's probably going to be pretty hard. Especially since they know the MSF courses are starting up.

I hear you. Bad timing and it appears I'm moving with the herd. Ready to buy a bike, when everyone else is ready to buy a bike.

It doesn't help that I want the green one, which none of the dealers appear to have in stock. But, darnit - I want to be as visible as possible.

RhadamYgg

RhadamYgg wrote:[But, darnit - I want to be as visible as possible.

Get a white helmet--people tend to notice those more--and a hi-viz jacket (Olympia Air Glide Neon Yellow jacket is bright...the online pictures don't do it justice). If your body is highly visible, the color of the bike is less important (though I admit, if I could get mine painted hi-viz yellow, I'd be sorely tempted...but mainly because my inner toddler likes bright colors.) If you *want* the green ninja, hold out for it. But if visibility is your only reason, you can make yourself stick out with your gear.

Thumper wrote:

RhadamYgg wrote:[But, darnit - I want to be as visible as possible.

Get a white helmet--people tend to notice those more--and a hi-viz jacket (Olympia Air Glide Neon Yellow jacket is bright...the online pictures don't do it justice). If your body is highly visible, the color of the bike is less important (though I admit, if I could get mine painted hi-viz yellow, I'd be sorely tempted...but mainly because my inner toddler likes bright colors.) If you *want* the green ninja, hold out for it. But if visibility is your only reason, you can make yourself stick out with your gear.

Wow, that's a nice jacket, wish it was 1000 cordura, but it comes with a back protector.

Actually, I wanted to get the green bike, and matching jacket + pants same green - and be the big green monster driving down the road! (With a white helmet.


While I do see Kawasaki Green in some outfits - I don't see any that are all that color - most have a generous amount of black on them.

RhadamYgg