Time To Buy?

[minuslars]

Hey all, I hate to bring this up, but in many parts of the northern hemisphere the warm weather is waning and we are approaching the end of another riding season. I am under the impression that this is the best time to go out in search of deals on bikes. In the dealerships around here, the prices on liter bikes are getting cut by significant amounts. I'm not sure if this same trend applies to 250's and middleweights but I would suspect so.

So I'm looking for opinions. I'm interested in getting a new bike... Is this the time to buy?

[killerkay3]

yea, you usually get great deals during the wintertime

[P1NDLESK1N]

Any time now through the winter and you'll most likely get a good deal.

I myself am hoping to check out a great deal this weekend.

[revstriker]

There are deals even down here where we can ride all year. Another reason they are offering deals is to get ready for the 2010 models.

btw: if anyone is thinking of upgrading to a bigger bike, they should probably check out insurance prices first. May make you re-evaluate your decision (my zx6r insurance is 3x my 250 insurance for the same coverage).

[minuslars]

Is the effect as big in the "Craigslist" market? Or is it mostly limited to dealerships?

I know, there's always Google. I wanted someone's experienced opinion, though.

[Sailariel]

There are three ninjettes for sale in our area---08 and 09. There are two 09, one with 420mi and one with 1200mi. Two of the bikes are at Friend and Friend in Ellsworth Maine. One is Green and one is Black. He also has a couple of new 09 in stock--one red and one SE Green. Seems that as gas prices go down, the cc`s go up. Of course insurance rates on 600 and liter sport bikes are astronomic.

[Greg_E]

Mostly Craig's list people are on crack and think their stuff is made of gold. I've seen used 08 and 09 250's for more than $4000.

[patw]

Originally Posted by Greg_E

Mostly Craig's list people are on crack and think their stuff is made of gold. I've seen used 08 and 09 250's for more than $4000.

AND they claim, it's never been dropped (haha!), never ridden in the rain (not sure why this is important), and never been stunted (again.. haha!). Then they go on to list the $5k worth of mods they've put into the bike which somehow justify the premium price.

I think it's safe to assume no mod was ever installed correctly (unless it was KKIM, he seems to know his stuff and the mods diminish the price of the bike.

[backinthesaddleagain]

I think mods have most value to the person owning the bike at the time of the mod. One man's loud pipe is another's headache, etc. do the mods for your own enjoyment, not resale. Actually a HD sales guy told me that also.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by revstriker

There are deals even down here where we can ride all year. Another reason they are offering deals is to get ready for the 2010 models.

btw: if anyone is thinking of upgrading to a bigger bike, they should probably check out insurance prices first. May make you re-evaluate your decision (my zx6r insurance is 3x my 250 insurance for the same coverage).

I hear that I saw a CBR1000RR 2008 leftover for 8,300 of course my insurance would go from 330 to 1600! They are blowing those things out. In comparison a 2008 green (rumored to be fast) ZX10 leftover is 9,400. Thank God high insurance premiums keep me away!

[patw]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

I hear that I saw a CBR1000RR 2008 leftover for 8,300 of course my insurance would go from 330 to 1600! They are blowing those things out. In comparison a 2008 green (rumored to be fast) ZX10 leftover is 9,400. Thank God high insurance premiums keep me away!

We noticed that deal on one of the local bike forums as well, it seems litre bikes have been selling so badly this year (and possibly last year) that a few manufacturers are dumping them at prices cheaper than the 600cc class. I contacted my local Honda dealer to see what they were pricing at, and in Canada they're still going for over $16k retail, but they'd be willing to go down to $13k on a 2008. Still much more expensive than the deals you guys are getting down south.

There's just no demand for them I guess.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by patw

We noticed that deal on one of the local bike forums as well, it seems litre bikes have been selling so badly this year (and possibly last year) that a few manufacturers are dumping them at prices cheaper than the 600cc class. I contacted my local Honda dealer to see what they were pricing at, and in Canada they're still going for over $16k retail, but they'd be willing to go down to $13k on a 2008. Still much more expensive than the deals you guys are getting down south.

There's just no demand for them I guess.

Exactly all 600's are 1,000 off, so a CBR600 is going around 9K, which is higher than the literbike. Though local dealer is ordering 1 CBR1000 per week and selling it until allotment runs out.

[patw]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

Exactly all 600's are 1,000 off, so a CBR600 is going around 9K, which is higher than the literbike. Though local dealer is ordering 1 CBR1000 per week and selling it until allotment runs out.

That's still quite a few crazy machines going out for not much more than we pay for a low end 600 up here. If the buyer is new to the sport, I think for safety reasons they should ship them out with the ECU tuned to only deliver enough fuel to generate 30-50hp. Then on the 3rd service make some flimsy excuse like "Oh btw, we found a problem with the bike and fixed it. You might notice a bit more power (like 150 horses worth)" Helps make return business

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by patw

That's still quite a few crazy machines going out for not much more than we pay for a low end 600 up here. If the buyer is new to the sport, I think for safety reasons they should ship them out with the ECU tuned to only deliver enough fuel to generate 30-50hp. Then on the 3rd service make some flimsy excuse like "Oh btw, we found a problem with the bike and fixed it. You might notice a bit more power (like 150 horses worth)" Helps make return business

Haha, yeah using the ECU as a throttle stop. When I was in computer accounting software consulting I wrote a sales report that accidentally doubled counted some transactions. My boss found the cause, did an upgrade patch that was unrelated, and told the client that the upgrade patch fixed the report. Cuz consultants are never wrong!!

[AnarchoMoltov]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

There are three ninjettes for sale in our area---08 and 09. There are two 09, one with 420mi and one with 1200mi. Two of the bikes are at Friend and Friend in Ellsworth Maine. One is Green and one is Black. He also has a couple of new 09 in stock--one red and one SE Green. Seems that as gas prices go down, the cc`s go up. Of course insurance rates on 600 and liter sport bikes are astronomic.

gas prices are down???? could of fooled me..

[revstriker]

Originally Posted by Greg_E

Mostly Craig's list people are on crack and think their stuff is made of gold. I've seen used 08 and 09 250's for more than $4000.

It depends on the situation. If the local dealers are getting full MSRP, plus delivery fee, plus assembly fee, a used 09 for $4000 could be a better deal. And if that used bike came with a transferable extended warranty, it could be even better. I also know that different areas have different rules for taxes so there might even be a benefit there as well.