The "set up" for a HD consists of loosening two straps on the metal pallet that they are shipped on and rolled off into the showroom.

My dealer will not charge set up on any bike. They do pay a freight charge and it is legitimate with a qualification. The amount that the dealer pays is less than what HD has on its freight charge. The dealer gets to make a mark up for that the same as the bike.

Set up charges are as bogus as it can get. Decide what you will pay and make a fair offer. If they don't take it walk out.

 

+1

Dealers can "smell" new HD buyers as soon as they walk in the door, I was one once. They consider them "lay downs". That is a term that means you will lay down and take it. Do NOT be a lay down. Do not walk into a dealer unless you have a number that you are willing to spend and do not spend a penny more.

The salesmen are trained to eek every sent out of you. The first thing they will throw at you is the MSRP bullsh!t. It is a tactic to see if you are a laydown. Dont accept that bs.

The day you are ready to buy simply state the price YOU are willing to pay. Also use terms like NOW and TODAY regarding buying the bike. These are very powerful and quite possibly the only words that mean anything to a salesmen. That means they get a commission TODAY and NOW. Makes THEM want to DEAL as well. Terms like THIS WEEK and NEXT WEEK are not as powerful.

If they say ok to your price, then you have a deal, if they say a higher number restate your price and if they don't accept it at this point walk very far away and tell them they lost a REAL sale.

When you get your bike, and if you're feeling in the mood, you might ride it up to the dealership that lost your sale and politely tell them that they lost your business and potential parts and service dollars, not to mention potential repeat bike sales. Might make them change there sales tactics for others.

Remember this:

If the dealer is unwilling to "deal" with you. Consider how they will "deal" with you after the purchase.

Find a dealer that knows how to treat people the way you want to be treated.

When I bought my one and only HD I told the dealer that I was not only looking for a bike, but I was looking for a "one stop shop", for parts, service etc...I also told them I was ready to buy NOW, TODAY. Like I said above those words mean EVERYTHING to a dealer.

I got a pretty good deal, it was actually a few dollars less than the figure I had in my mind prior to entering the dealership (Including the financing dollars). The dealership got all of my parts and 99.99 percent of my service dollars. The dealership got my money because they treated me like a decent fellow and not a "lay down". Too bad they went out of business earlier this year.
A real shame.

Good luck with your purchase.

Cheers,

Tom

 

Look for a dealer that has a few 2011 bikes left. They're more willing to deal with you on those to get rid of them.

I just did that and save a bundle. My bike was only 500.00 more than a 2012 at MSRP, but I got Heritage Classic bars, backrest and luggage rack, 5 year extended warranty, helmet, and GAP insurance for that price. And it already had their high dollar chrome spoke wheels on it. And that was the OTD price. They even delivered it to my house.

 

There was an excellent thread with great advice on buying a new bike about two weeks+- ago. I did a search for it a few days ago and came up empty. Anyone know which one I'm talking about?

 

Dealers all have an annual allotment of bikes. They can't easily get more bikes if sales take off. They also want to keep trying to increase that number year after year without having unsold stock. The OP is in Mexico-that's got to be a whole different world as far as sales volume or bringing a bike in from the US. I stopped in a dealership in Windsor, Ontario a couple of years ago in about July. They were sold out for the model year. Does that sound like a dealership that needs to cave to any kind of discounting? Charging for prep and delivery is kind of like an extra Harley tax you may pay in certain markets.

 

EXACTLY, make a deal or move alone, economy is crap. If they want MSRP (S=Suggested) fine, then tell them no set up fee, no delivery fee, $1-2000 is chrome goodies, leather or extended warranty. Unless you are looking at the most popular models they will deal.