[vcs700s]

First Post! I haven't had one of those for quite awhile.



What salesmen and women need to get ahold of is that they should sell you the bike you want, not the bike they want you to have!



I am very fortunate that I have a great dealer 1 mile from my house. I just bought my second bike from them- a Yamaha FZ1. Incredible motorcycle!



I hope you can find a dealer that will do the same for you. Good luck!

 

[longride]

Narrow it down to the Concours, SV650, or the VFR. If you don't get one of those 3 the MO faithful will never let you live it down.

 

[1747]

Hey buddy now the internet is here, Y would u depend on a salesperson to buy anything? Motorcycle, car, real estate, stocks, whatever? Just ask me i will tell u what to buy...

 

[longride]

If I needed to buy a Chicago politician, which one would be the most cost effective? They are all for sale.

 

[53331]

Yep he,s right.The internet may be the way to go,if you are not satisfied with that particular dealership.I don,t know where you live,but try another dealership?Makes me kind of queasy when they won,t give you the right bike or tell you ,that they can at least order it.Makes me wonder what kind of service dept. they have.In a case like that,then buy new with all the warraniy and such even if you get it out of state,they still have to service it.

 

[Buzglyd]

The San Diego ones are too!

 

[acecycleins]

Kawasaki has not started to deliver the new Ninja to Atlanta shops yet, but maybe you're lucky in your area. Going from an old CB to a current bike I'd suggest the following: SV650 (not the S- riding position in too sporty for daily commute and passenger comfort), The Ninja 650 you mentioned, the Honda 599, BMW R1150 series (dealers should have '04-'05 left-overs), Moto Guzzi Breva 1100, Suzuki DL1000, Yamaha FZ1000 ('04-'05 left-overs):

The Yamaha will be the "wheel n deal" bike since they redesigned it for '06. The Guzzi and BMW will roll endlessly for miles without trouble and will re-sale good. All bike will be reasonible on insurance.

 

[1747]

Are the Chicago maf, er, politicians Dems or Republicans? Seems like there are a LOT of GOP guys at the national level in trouble lately... probly just a coincidence.

 

[33129]

Go to your dealership that sells MV, Ducati, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia. Chances are they will know what they are talking about. But you might not be able to afford what they sell. Buy the pretty red bike with the 999 on the side. Good beginner bike.

 

[sarnali]

I personaly don't bother with sales people in the first place. You have internet access, research the bikes you're interested and try to find a dealer that has one in stock. Most won't let you test ride anyway so you're relying on test opinions and how the bike fits you. All the salesman is doing is pestering you with stupid bull***** and writing up the sale.



It's been my experiance that Harley and the European marques have the most knowledgeable, or at least enthusiastic sales people. Most volume Japanese bike dealers salespeople are not that up on their products. There are of course exceptions, but on the whole I find I know more about the bike than the salesman does.



One other thing, don't mistake smaller engine displacements for lack of power. New 600~650 class bikes will run away and hide from your 750 and cost less to own and ride, for example the DL650 Suzuki is almost 40 lbs lighter than the DL1000, gets better gas milage, is cheaper to insure and has plenty of power for 99% of the riding most of us do, same with the SV650 vs. the SV1000.



If I was in your position I'd be looking at the 599 Honda, SV650 or Z750S Kawasaki, even a leftover Suzuki Bandit if you can find one. All cheaper to own and operate than the bigger versions and all capable of doing whatever you want to do on the street.

 

[3983]

You should at least try the mid range and larger bikes, given that you are not small. All off the midrange bikes mentioned are good (Bandit 650 as well), but also look at runouts on the FZ1 and Honda 919 (Hornet) as they would be easy to live with. Unfortunately you don't seem to get all the models in the US.

 

[acecycleins]

I forgot all about the sleeper Bandit models- The Suzuki dealers should almost be giving them away- I'd go with the 1200gsf because with two up riding you may want the extra ponies.

 

[53331]

Hah! that 999 will turn into a 666 quickly once he gets on it![hell on wheels] .and smoke comes out his butt! You are a cruel man!

 

[53331]

We got ya beat this time san diego.We got galardi, the las vegas strip jointowner and lance malonea las vegas politico hack being tried in BOTH CITIES![las vegas and san diego]Can you top that?

 

[28945]

Regarding local dealer sales expertise the picture is bleak as many above have noted. Perhaps this has something to do with the available labor pool and how these folks are compensated. In fact, it's probably common to all retail product sales these days. And, if your a researcher and spend the requisite time on the web, you'll invariably find that you'll walk into the dealer knowing more than the salesman does. The only other problem typical with the Japanese motorcycle dealer network is that it's practically impossible to get a test ride on any machine. By comparison, in the last few weeks I've been able to test ride with little notice, a Ducati S2R1000, a BMW 1200GS and a HD SuperGlide. So, if you're going Nipponses, unless you have a friend you are SOL in that area. Anyway, goodluck!!!!

 

[nmu1]

I am in my late 50's and hadn't ridden in 20 years. I got back into motorcycling and purchased a used Aprilia 650 Pegaso, kept it a year, and then bought a 2004 BMW R1150R. I have been very happy with the performance and comfort of the BMW. I would recommend the BMW. The Moto Guzzi 1100 Breva would also be a good choice.

 

[056]

You didn't read my series on buying a motorcycle, by chance?

If you did, you would see info about the sales process and what an effective salesperson would do. You are doing that shop a disservice if you just walk out of there, never talking to the salesperson's sales manager or team leader.

A good sales manager or team leader would make sure you left feeling better about the shop. If you did talk to one of those guys and still feel bad about the place, avoid that dealership until it changes hands.

You had a bad experience with a bad salesman who shouldn't be selling anything besides lattes or french fries. But that doesn't mean the dealership is bad; it's hard to hire good salespeople and you can't watch what they say and do every second.

Do your research, find your bike, and don't forget to have fun!

 

[lwatcdr]

I do know a bit about the 999. I have been reading up. The 999 is a pretty extreme bike in performance but I have heard it is pretty comfortable. One of the Monsters might be a good choice though. I mainly worry about the valve adjustments. I hear they are not cheap.

 

[lwatcdr]

Wouldn't a DL650 be a good choice? I also thought about a YZF600. I little bit more sporty than I really need to start with but I hear they are pretty comfy and have great brakes.

The problem seems to me that there are a lot of good bikes but not all that many good starter bikes. Frankly the EX500 would probably be one of the best choices. The problem is they seem to be very rare. I can't even find a good used one.

Yea I took my MSF years ago and got a perfect score then rode for a few years but I have not been on a bike for a while. I consider myself starting over.

 

[pdad13]

I concur. Do your research.

Where you buy the bike doesn't mean much as long as you get a fair deal. But don't rely on the salespeople to give you good info. It's a really mixed bag out there--a few good sales people and some really awful ones. Fortunately, you've got the Internet and the availabilty of motorcycle information is fantastic. Read up on the models you're interested in and know what you're willing to pay.

I acted as the main advisor for a friend that bought his second bike over the summer. I gave him some advice on the type of bike and then referred him to a bundle of articles on the net about the bikes we had chosen as a good fit. Then we hit a few dealers. The salesman he eventually bought from, while being a nice enough kid, didn't know much and had only been riding himself for less than two years. But the price he quoted was significantly better than the other two dealers he was shopping at. With the information he had collected, and my feeble opinion, he felt confident that he got a good deal.

And all of this didn't change the fact that he got a great bike: Kawasaki Z750S.

Oh, and read Gabe's series on buying a bike. Good luck.