Last HD I bought was in 2000 and I've not really paid attention to the current price structuring, so I'm hoping you guys can give me some help. A couple questions ...

1. I know MSRP is becoming standard (at least in the areas where I live), but do you know of anyone selling below MSRP now? (Note: I'm going to be in Palo Alto, CA, to teach a summer class from now until end of July, so I don't mind going to a CA or Nevada dealer if necessary.)

2. I can't seem to locate anything on the extended warranty pricing, anyone care to share a website or maybe some comments about what to expect for an extended warranty? I also understand you can defer the decision on the extended warranty until the last month of your OEM warranty, by doing so does the price go up significantly?

3. Pre-Paid Service Contract -- this is a brand new thing for me, and the dealer is really pushing me hard on this one. I can't get him to commit to a price, though, so I'm not sure whether what's he's selling is BS or good stuff. He claims that by buying the service contract I'll save "50% or more" on the actual cost. Comments? Anyone care to share the prices they paid for these services?

4. Tire Warranty -- this is another "new" item since my last new purchase, so can some of you tell me what the warranty should cost and what you think of it?

5. Any other goodies or incentivies that folks are getting that I should know about?

Thanks in advance for taking some time to answer my questions.

 

A buddy of mine got some type of tire warranty when he bought his bike. I don't know how long it is good for, but to date he has had 2 flats and they replaced the tire both times at no charge to him. His bike is an '05.

 

the pre-paid service is sold to you and from the dealer perspective it goes like this. You give us X amount of dollars up front and we will do your service for five years. you get a "discount" for paying up front. If you have your dealer do all your maintenance anyways and you plan to keep your bike for a long time, this may be for you. The dealer is betting though that you will trade/sell/ crash etc. and they will not have to fulfill their end, as most contracts specify they are only good for the bike purchased and cannot transfer or refund. really check the fine print some do differ, but this is what they are pushing in my area.

 

1. MSRP. I assume you are on the West Coast. Some South Carolina HD dealers are now offering $1000 cash back trying to clear out the 07 models

2. I opted for 5 yr / unlimited mileage. I do not plan on sellingthis bike. Likely will buy another. Cost was $1500. Tire and Wheel Coverage / Unlimited mileage was included in this price. Don't know the answer for deferring the decision to purchase the extended warranty.

3. Pre Paid Maintenance. Another thing dealers "count on" is the fact that so many folks don't put a lot of miles on their bikes. I know of some who had their 5K maintenance done after they owned the bike two and half years. Needless to say the dealers are making out in this scenario. Afour year PPM contract runs $1995 locally. Includes all oils, filters, spark plugs, air filters, primary fluid, tranny fluid, brake fluid, and labor. Does not include Tires, brake pads, battery, belt, chain, light bulbs, and cables. Nor will it include SYN3 if that is your choice. I love to wrench butproject cars keep me busy enough. I put a lot of miles on my bike so I went ahead with the PPM.

4. Again, my tire / wheel coverage was included with the extended warranty

5. As another incentive (along with $1000 cash back) my dealer sometimes has weekend specials on the bikes in the showroom (i.e. $500 in free goodies/upgrades)

Hope this helps.

 

prices will come down just as the demand vs supply is!

 

I bought my street bob just before the '07's came in, I talked them down 1k$ plus $250 in accessories. Admittedly my timeing wasn't planned, it just worked out that way.

 

I was told that pre paid maintanace plan was only good where you bought it. So if traveling and you need to service the bike it will come out of your pocket.
My extended service plan is for 7 yrs un-limited mileage and includes tires. Cost me 1800.00
Another dealer wanted to charge me 2800.00 for the sameplan. Shop around

 

Thanks to all that have contributed so far, it's a BIG help! A couple comments from my end might help as well, at least for those who might contribute more.

Last HD I owned was 2000, but I've many other metrics in that interim period. The last three were a 2006 Yamaha Roadliner, 2007 Honda GoldWing and 2003 Honda VTX.The Roadliner came with a 5 year warranty from the dealer (it was part of the sale at the time) and I purchased the warranties on the VTX and GoldWing.

I put about 15000 miles on the VTX and 9000 on the GoldWing. Both had extended warranty, though I didn't need it on the GoldWing. It did help my resell price, though.

On the VTX I used it 3 times after the first year, so it paid for itself (only paid $800 for it so it wasn't nearly the price of the HD).

Speaking of the HD price, that is what has me questioning what the dealer is teller me. The GoldWing comes with 3 years from the factory and I added 4 more, but it only cost me $450 for the extra years. That's why the $1500 to $1800 price on the HD has me wondering ... go to 7 years (to match the GoldWing) and I'm spending almost 3.5 times the money. I'm not sure if that's because it's what the HD market will pay or if there is a real reason it has to be that high.

Let me come to the service agreement, I was in the dealer again today and still didn't get a real figure on the final price. I can understand that, to a point, so as I move ahead in my decisions I'm sure I'll get more information. Hopefully I'll also be better armed for prices.

Long and short of it, I don't mind adding bling and doing a few things on the bike (such as oil change) but I'm not anywhere close to being a true mechanic. So I tend to have larger jobs done by a service tech locally or by the dealer. If I can save a significant amount on the service jobs by prepaying then I don't mind ... unless someone makes me an extremely good offer to buy (such as happened on my Roadliner) then I'll probably keep this bike 3 to 5 years, easily.

Anyway, thanks for the comments and I'm certainly interested in hearing from others on what they've paid.

 

There could be various reasons for the different price structures. would have to look over the small print.

paid msrp + t-shirt+1k service (average imo)

I would not get the service plan unless I had 2 left thumbs and absolutely no time. This is a personal thing? (hour for hour I would save a bundle by having them do it but love the bonding and satisfaction)

I got the 7 yr 1,445 and tire 345. I am fairly shure mother ship hd works it out so no price difference except inflation? (just for piece of mind+resale issues..ect) dout its worth it but sleep better.
hope this helps some

 

Thought I'd pop back in with some updates. I'm spending all of July and first of August teaching a class at Stanford so I've had a chance to pop into a couple of the local dealers. WOW! Prices here are MUCH different from back home (southern Utah). A 2007 EG Classic (two-tone blue with security) is down to $18,850, and that's with dealer prep and freight. Another dealer has a nice custom color (red/creme) Fatboy on the floor for $18999 ... that's OUT THE DOOR with all taxes. Kewl!

One dealer has the 7 year warranty at $1859, and if I understood correctly that was with tire warranty. The local 10,000 mile service contract is just under $1k, so not sure how that compares to others.