Shop around! Go to your local 7-11 and pick up a cycle trader etc.. You will see various prices for the bike you are looking for. I even know of services that claim they will buy the bike for you (check on-line) and save you anywhere from a couple of hundred on up. Ask for "out the door" pricing when looking. If someone isn't willing to provide that - you may want to keep looking. If anything, do your homework and go back to the local Honda shop in your area. It's always better to buy local in case you have any problems etc..
Fair price, for a new bike?
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I don't believe you can negotiate with Motorcycle stores. When shopping around for my Motorcycles and Water Toys, I quickly hit a bottom line from all dealers. And the bottom line is the same across the board.
Or maybe....... they just see me coming and say "SUCKER!".
Not sure. I usually just ask what the Top Dollar is and pay it. Arggg
Or maybe....... they just see me coming and say "SUCKER!".
Not sure. I usually just ask what the Top Dollar is and pay it. Arggg
No - don't do that!! Let the sales person know you are a "Buyer" not a "looker" and that you are shopping around for a competitive out the door price. If you have done your homework, you will know what the going rate for your toy is and thereby know what a fair offer is. A suggestion. If you feel forced to pay the going rate - negotiate in an extended warranty.
Mark H
Senior Buyer
Mark H
Senior Buyer
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10,900 Posts
It's going to come down to the laws of supply and demand. I worked for a dealer in San Diego and we were one of four major dealers in the area not counting other counties nearby. There was a lot of competition to close the deal immediately since many times "be backs" never come back.
Talk to the salesperson, let them know you're interested in buying a bike soon and then suggest that you're going to check out another dealer to get another quote. Chances are the dealership will work really hard to get the deal closed now. Make sure they knock out all the BS "setup" charges in addition to lowering the actual price below MSRP. Once that has happened, you need to step up and buy the damn back rather than vacillate and be a weenie. Don't screw the salesperson over who's worked hard to get you a good price. If the price of the bike falls to a certain level, the salesperson only makes a $25 or $50 "mini" commission.
New VFRs are popular right now and they're sometimes hard to come by in the dealerships. If there's only one Honda dealer in your area chances are they're going to stick to their guns regarding price.
I hope this helps.
Talk to the salesperson, let them know you're interested in buying a bike soon and then suggest that you're going to check out another dealer to get another quote. Chances are the dealership will work really hard to get the deal closed now. Make sure they knock out all the BS "setup" charges in addition to lowering the actual price below MSRP. Once that has happened, you need to step up and buy the damn back rather than vacillate and be a weenie. Don't screw the salesperson over who's worked hard to get you a good price. If the price of the bike falls to a certain level, the salesperson only makes a $25 or $50 "mini" commission.
New VFRs are popular right now and they're sometimes hard to come by in the dealerships. If there's only one Honda dealer in your area chances are they're going to stick to their guns regarding price.
I hope this helps.
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Alot depnds on if you are good at haggling, just like car purchases (but we can get more info there). If you are good at getting deals you will pay less than those of us that are haggle impared. Do go to different dealers, though in a couple areas in the country the dealers are all on company. Keep pressing for extras, they have more room in the profit in those items.
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how do you find out what a dealer paid for a car?
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I will never pay top dollar for a bike again......I puchased my R1 from my local dealer for list price and it was the biggest mistake I ever made. I did absolutely everything I could to attempt to get a better price, but even being friends with the salesman outside of the store, it was made clear that there was NO room for negotiation. Next time I'm going to Chicago Cycle Center and buying for $2000 less. Who cares if you buy it locally if you get that much off.....I didn't even get a free 1st service for my list price purchase.
www.cyclecost.com
You can find out the invoice cost for nearly any new bike. Remember this will not reflect any dealer incentives. And do push for extras. Helmets, gloves, boots etc. should be had for cost or pretty close if your buying a new bike. Also, none of this applies if the bike is a particularly hot model or newly introduced. Last new bike I bought, I determined invoice price, allowed $250 for dealer profit (not including any hold backs or incentives I didn't know about), allowed dealer cost for set-up and freight (also found on invoice web page), and allowed $100 for a sales commission to my saleseman (never know when I might need him again). Bought a bike that listed for 10,999 for $9,500 and change including all the above mentioned cost. I made my offer to the salesman who took it to the sales manager and was promptly denied. I requested to make my offer directly. After much hemming and hawing by the sales manager he denied my offer again. I thanked him for his time and stood up to leave, thirty seconds later, whe he realized I was going and it was truly my best offer, he said okay and drew up the contract. Hope this helps. BTW: "F" DEALERS!
You can find out the invoice cost for nearly any new bike. Remember this will not reflect any dealer incentives. And do push for extras. Helmets, gloves, boots etc. should be had for cost or pretty close if your buying a new bike. Also, none of this applies if the bike is a particularly hot model or newly introduced. Last new bike I bought, I determined invoice price, allowed $250 for dealer profit (not including any hold backs or incentives I didn't know about), allowed dealer cost for set-up and freight (also found on invoice web page), and allowed $100 for a sales commission to my saleseman (never know when I might need him again). Bought a bike that listed for 10,999 for $9,500 and change including all the above mentioned cost. I made my offer to the salesman who took it to the sales manager and was promptly denied. I requested to make my offer directly. After much hemming and hawing by the sales manager he denied my offer again. I thanked him for his time and stood up to leave, thirty seconds later, whe he realized I was going and it was truly my best offer, he said okay and drew up the contract. Hope this helps. BTW: "F" DEALERS!
I don't think I have ever paid full retail for a new bike -- at a minimum, I have gotten accessories, helmet etc tossed in with the deal.
I think a great deal depends on the bike though. I wouldn't count on getting much of a discount on any Harley (they have been in such short supply for so long that the dealers don't remember concepts like bargaining) or on the new Honda 600RR, because there will only be a few available until late summer.
I have gotten a couple of great deals on leftover models -- I once bought a brand-new, but 1-1/2 year old, Yamaha 650 Seca for exactly 1/2 of suggested retail price, 2-days before the dealer filed for bankuptcy. I bought my 1995 Ducati in the summer of 1996 for $7,000 out the door becasue the new owner of the dealership needed to clear the inventory of old bikes to make room for the new (he also had incentives from Ducati North America). Of course, given how much I have since spent at that dealer for tires, pipes, tuneups, dyno work etc, he could have given me the damn thing and still made a profit!
Maybe someone here with past motorcycle sales experience can give some guidelines as to what markup the dealers have to work with.
I think a great deal depends on the bike though. I wouldn't count on getting much of a discount on any Harley (they have been in such short supply for so long that the dealers don't remember concepts like bargaining) or on the new Honda 600RR, because there will only be a few available until late summer.
I have gotten a couple of great deals on leftover models -- I once bought a brand-new, but 1-1/2 year old, Yamaha 650 Seca for exactly 1/2 of suggested retail price, 2-days before the dealer filed for bankuptcy. I bought my 1995 Ducati in the summer of 1996 for $7,000 out the door becasue the new owner of the dealership needed to clear the inventory of old bikes to make room for the new (he also had incentives from Ducati North America). Of course, given how much I have since spent at that dealer for tires, pipes, tuneups, dyno work etc, he could have given me the damn thing and still made a profit!
Maybe someone here with past motorcycle sales experience can give some guidelines as to what markup the dealers have to work with.
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Absolutely DO NOT pay list price unless the bike is some rare find. A VFR does not fall under that catagory. I was forced to pay list price for my '00 R1, and after hearing of all the better deals others got at surrounding dealerships, I realized I got screwed. I didn't get an extended warranty, a free 1st service, or even a discount on a jacket for doing so. I will never purchase another bike from that dealership, and I intend to tell them that the next time I'm in the market.
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162 Posts
kbb.com, or any number of other websites or print books. Do you live in the U.S.?
Another reference to check pricing is www.cycletrader.com. I have never actually bought a bike through the site, but it is a way to see what various dealers are asking. For example, yesterday I checked the prices on V-Rods and found that I could get a low-miles used one for $15-17K and quite a few dealers had new ones listed at around $18K. None of these dealers were anywhere near to me, but if I were in the market for one, I'd print out the list, and if my dealer was askin' $25, I'd show him the list and remind him that I don't mind flying 1000 miles and riding my new bike back home to save $7000, so maybe he needs to rethink his price.
Won't work for really popular bikes, cause you either won't find any listed on cycletrader, or they will all say "call for price."
Won't work for really popular bikes, cause you either won't find any listed on cycletrader, or they will all say "call for price."
NEVER pay retail is a good rule. Last year my buddy bought a 2002 CBR 954, during July, for retail price. By this time, the bike was almost a leftover and dealerships had tons of them in stock. After a little more research, we found that he could of saved $900+ if he had bought it elsewhere.
NEVER pay retail.
NEVER pay retail.
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Abe as a good capitalist I'm going to suggest you weren't "forced" to pay anything. Unless they had you at gunpoint, you paid the price because you really wanted that bike. Good for you. Over your lifetime I'm sure the extra couple hundred dollars will amortize into nothing.
You mean you actually believe that stuff about what dealers pay for new cars? Does Santa still come to your house? 
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Da price of any commodity is determined by da laws of supply and demand. In other words, you can buy anything at all for the price that someone else is willing to sell it for, value has nothing to do with anything. So like the man says, shop around, it is not impossible to get a bike for less than the dealer paid for it, depending on the demand for that model, and how desperate the dealer is. OTH, if the bike you want is in high demand, expect to pay premium, maybe even over list price. Whyn't ya shop for a Vrod? A little birdy tells me that just about any offer will take one home.
.Da price of any commodity is determined by da laws of supply and demand. In other words, you can buy anything at all for the price that someone else is willing to sell it for, value has nothing to do with anything. So like the man says, shop around, it is not impossible to get a bike for less than the dealer paid for it, depending on the demand for that model, and how desperate the dealer is. OTH, if the bike you want is in high demand, expect to pay premium, maybe even over list price. Whyn't ya shop for a Vrod? A little birdy tells me that just about any offer will take one home.
I have been told by a freind that is a salesman that most bikes have between 15%- 18% margin in them. That means invoice on a $10,000 bike is about $8,500 give or take. Then there is usually a 1%-3% holdback which the dealer will get paid from the factory at the end of the year on all bikes sold. So on that same bike he'll make another couple hundred. On a japanese sport bike I would be looking for about $500 over invoice with no bull***** fees plus tax and reg.
Personally I like to haggle for a good deal but I think that means that whatever the price is it should be fair to both me and the dealer. I like to buy local and don't begrudge the dealer some profit cause I want them to be around. If a dealer wants list or close to it I would expect some extras thrown in or at least at cost.
Personally I like to haggle for a good deal but I think that means that whatever the price is it should be fair to both me and the dealer. I like to buy local and don't begrudge the dealer some profit cause I want them to be around. If a dealer wants list or close to it I would expect some extras thrown in or at least at cost.
As someone who is also looking at a VFR, I gotta say the prices are all over the place. In the Bay Area, they're close to retail, i.e. $9500-$9999.00, but I noticed a price of $8190.00 at Los Angeles Cycle Sports for a new 2002. Why such huge differences?
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