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Dealers are adapting now also with internet sales people just like car dealers had to do and the internet is the best thing that ever happened because it made car dealers have to change the way they did business and really clean up their act. But for the most part if your motorcycle dealer has ten sales people and 20 customers in the dealership looking to buy then any phone call customers are pushed aside, they may call you back they may not and if they don't then its their tough luck.
Also with the pandemic the way everyone has to change to sell makes it a learning process, but no one figured the pandemic would put motorsports sales through the roof or car sales or anything sales.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
My brother owns a Kaw/Polaris/TM dealership here that my dad started in 1974 as a Suzuki dealership. They gave up Suzuki a few years ago since he mainly sells dirt bikes, quads and SxS's, and Suzuki didn't have much to offer anymore. Even though our town is only 6000 people, he's one of the biggest Polaris dealers in the state. And very few dealers have lasted that long.
They're continued success is due to the way they treat people. No bullshit fees and the price they quote is what you pay. It's a true family business. His son is the service mgr and my oldest son works in sales. Both have worked there since high school, as did my brother.
He also carries lots of parts and acc.
My point is, good dealers are still out there if you look hard enough. And if you're complaining about high fees, thats on you.
Reward the good dealers!
I had some vacation days to burn and my brother needed some bikes set up so I worked for him for a few days. I set up a 21 KX 250 one day. It took me more than 15 minutes just to uncrate it. In total it probably took me a couple hours to completely get it done..
But that said, $400 is way too much for set up.
That's Fator's KTM/Husqvarna/GasGas/Suzuki in Redding, CA. They're a real Mom-n-Pop shop. I love doing business with Moto-Families. I really do.
Murica
It takes 10-15 minutes just to break the crate down and get all the parts removed from the crate.
5 minutes to throw out all the dunnage.
5-10 minutes to get back on the fork truck to haul the skid away.
So close to 45 minutes in labor before you even start working on the bike.
Then you have to put on the front wheel, mount handlebars, adjust levers and cables, add oil, oil the oil filter, add gas, adjust tire pressure, add coolant, check for loose hardware, test start, fill out the PDI paperwork.
We were always happy if we could do the whole process in 2 hours or less. I would argue if it’s being done faster than that, the tech is probably cutting corners and not being as diligent as they should be.
The shop I worked at, we would never PDI a bike just to have it sit on the showroom floor. We had one new floor model that would stay on the floor the entire model year. When the customer bought a bike, it would always be straight from the crate. I always had the suspicion that the owner did this so that the customer could never argue that the PDI fee added to the sale price wasnt for THEIR bike rather than one that had already been built prior to the sale.
But still, 2 hours labor for PDI should be added to the sale price according to the service department hourly rate. So if they typically charge $80 per hour for service work, a 2 hour PDI should only be $160 in fees on the sale price not a flat $300-400. I think that is what a lot of people are upset about.
NO MATTER WHAT THE DEALER TELLS YOU, THEY CAN NOT KEEP YOUR DEPOSIT. That does not mean they won't be asses about returning it. So, don't be afraid to give a deposit if you are shopping around.
You do not legally own the bike until you cross their property line, so if you have buyer's remorse or got that last minute phone call from another dealer with a better price, return your paperwork to the finance person and get a voided sales copy. In Florida, if the bike was delivered to you, you have a 3 day grace period to return the bike as long as you did not use it.
Another great deal during the "Bikes can't be found for a decent price" era...
Fator's sold me an awesome little RM125 for an epic price...around th same time as my CRF from Donnell's. Fator's also sold me a Stacyc JA21 bike for my nephew...for Christmas...for an extremely good price while other folks I know in were paying "mark up".
There are some really great dealers that take care of their customers.
Pit Row
Most dealers know their main rivals and what ball park they need to be in against them. Dealers pay the same for bikes unless there is promotion by the MFG to move the remaining bikes out of the warehouse.
I wouldn’t have to call multiple dealers and ask how much something costs if they were upfront on pricing. You go on the dealer website, check inventory, and the site says call or email for a quote. Well, what do you think I’m doing?
So I call, ask the price, some are more than willing to give you a number. Others play games, tell you to come down and talk to the sales manager. Uh, I’m 100 miles away, I’m not driving 3.5 hours round trip for you to waste both of our time. Some are selling the bike with no fees, some are throwing everything they can that will stick including additional dealer markup. There is no continuity from dealer to dealer.
This shouldn’t be a hard concept. Item “X” is for sale. What is it’s price?
If you wanna call around and jerk off the sales guys at 10+ dealers to get the best deal possible you might wanna wait until it's a buyers market....
OR, here's an idea...find a good dealer and stick with them instead of dealer hopping on every bike purchase just to save $100.....some of ya'll claim to have "been around forever" and don't have a good dealer or 2 to deal with? How? No loyalty and just always looking for the lowest price?
Show of hands, who would be happy to pay a 25% premium over MSRP on a 250F when they didn’t have to?
Edit: and the local dealers who I went to first were the ones who refused to budge off their full retail bikes with additional markup on top of that.
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
Loyalty has earned me the privilege of not having to spend 3 days on the phone to find the best price like some of ya'll who are always chasing a deal
Pack of Tuna used to cost $.99 6 months ago....$1.24 yesterday.
My kids eat Apple Sauce by the gallon, it's went up $1+ per jar over the last year.
Bacon....that shit has almost doubled the last 12-18 months.
If you don't think the cost of groceries is going up I'm not sure we can have an intelligent conversation about anything because you clearly aren't living in reality.
What is your answer to that? More than likely, is that the best you can do? Me..Come to the store and we will make sure you leave with a bike. You. I live 3 hours away. Me..(in my head) great you will pass 6 other dealers before getting to me, enjoy your shopping trip.
Now, I will handle it professionally for you. Me...I will earn your business Mr. Becker, there is a $700 rebate on this bike that we will apply to it and if I can get another couple hundred dollars off for you, will you give me a deposit to hold this bike until you get here? Also, if you are wanting to pay cash, there is some MFG financing incentives that can let you keep your money in the bank for awhile, no prepayment penalties so you can make extra payments as you please. So, think about that on your way here. Let me put you on hold and I will be right back with our best deal.
Now, the sales manager is either going to tell you that the rebate is the only incentive or here is my best deal, now go close it and get the deposit.
Sales people either can handle phone sales properly or just can't handle objections properly without you being in front of them.
Post a reply to: Additional $1225 in fees over MSRP for new bikes? Really?