Big L.
I live about 20 miles NW of the city on the Kansas side of the Mo. River. Curious which of the dealers you went to; North, South, East or further East? I don't believe in paying over MSRP for any vehicle but that is just me. I found a great deal on a used bike through Ebay. The deal was with a guy from Belton who picked up repos and other nearly new bikes I got to see it ahead of time and work with him one on one. If you insist on new then remember there are two more dealers close. One in Topeka, one in St. Joe. I also stopped at a dealer just off I 29 about 20 miles south of Omaha in a small town in IA. He was marking down new bikes last year around Thanksgiving. Had some good deals going.

 

Bikes at MSRP in Topeka. I was there Thursday of last week. They had all models. Some were 2011s and some were 2012s. Don't pay that much over MSRP.

 

The highest price you will pay will be a new bike due to the destination and dealer prep charges that seem to never be discounted. Know what you want and look for the right deal on a used bike, that's the way to go. Local deals can be found on Craigslist and Ebay, but don't neglect the non-HD dealers.

My son purchased a new 2011 Iron in May at MSRP less $250, but when you add dealer prep, destination fees, sales taxes, forward controls, and a warranty, the price was $12K. In June, I was visiting a Honda dealer looking for a helmet and happened across a very clean 2009 Nightster with only 1200 miles. I purchased it for $7,600 when local ads were asking $9-10K for similar model. Good deals don't last long, and you have to be able to recognize one and be ready to buy. In another few days, the Nightster would have been gone. I don't think I will ever purchase a new bike again.

Good luck with your search and purchase.

 

South, the one in KS.

All of this has been great feedback. All things being equal, I would buy at my closest dealer. But, I won't hesitate to drive 50 or 60 miles within my local metro to get the same bike at a different dealer to save money.

Thank you.

 

Phone first. Do what I did. Take this pricing and lop off the super markup and ask the next guy, "What point do we start negotiating?" Push one off the other. Don't get suckered into the "If you walk, deal's off" thing.

 

I would never pay for anything above sticker price; OK, maybe a house if it was exactly what I was looking for, I was staying still for 30 years and there were other buyers interested. A house appreciates, a Harley does not. DO NOT PAY above MSRP. So much for the Harley "family feel"..........freakin' stealers..........shop around, you will get one for MSRP or below.

 

Not in this economy. A house is NOT a certainty anymore unlike when we were kids. If they other buyers are interested, they can have it. I can always commission another one.

Why? MSRP is hardly a good starting point. I paid below MSRP of a single color for a 2 tone and bargained other things just by pushing one dealer off the other. I go at the end of the month when they are more motivated to make their quota and at the end of the season. "Fawk you azzhole. I don't have to buy. You gotta sell. Either make less profit and I take the thing off your hands, today, here and now or you can keep it, incur interest charges, incur storing charges and MAYBE get what you want next year. I buy at the best price I can get around. Pick one. I have 2 dealers to visit this afternoon and make a decision tomorrow morning. I want to know who is in and who is out and I want a decision NOW.". Sorry, this economy isn't good. Push your luck with me and I push you off the list. You can talk MSRP to the next guy. Another thing car dealers like to do is to juggle between selling price and trade in price. They always ask "What are you trying to get out of it?". To which I reply "I don't care what you give me for it. I want that and I give you this. Tell me how much I have to give you for the bottom line. No other service contracts, lollipop contracts, dog treats, etc, etc. Bottom line ONLY."

Family still screws over family. You can pick your friends but not your family. Family is a very nice word that is meaningless. Even in family, money talks. As they as say "Blood is thicker than water". As I add, Money is thicker than blood.

 

market price is more for used bikes at least around here. The 2012's are out so they 2011's should be less. I would have told the dealer to shove it! Shop around and you will find a deal. I always go by the OTD price and then ask for a break down to see how much everything is costing. I know around here the Doc fees on cars are $250, not sure on bikes and my tax rate is 6.75%. So say a car is $22,500 MSRP and they sell it to me for $22,454 OTD. I then looks at the #'s and it should read

Car $ 20,800
tax $ 1404.00
dac fees $ 250.00
Total $ 22,454.00
But if you have a tade in on a new car you get a tax break so tax might even be less or nothing as it was in my last car deal.

That would be a discount of $1700.00 off MSRP. This is kinda the deal i just worked on my 2012 Kia Koup SX.

 

I called a different dealer on the other side of K.C. this afternoon and asked if they had any 2011 Nightsters. Salesperson without hesitation quoted me $9,999 for OTD on the two-tone red and black. She even sent me a text pic of the price tag right on the bike.

That's a $2,500 difference with a quick phone call.

 

$9999 is a starting point for negotiation. Call the dealers around you within the distance you are willing to drive. Tell them that the starting price is $9499 and see how far you can push over the phone. Often the price can be negotiated further but not without your body being there. I won't negotiate until I see you are here and not just calling from another dealership to check my prices.

"Listen. I have an offer of $9499. Do you think you can do better or are we just wasting my time and yours if I run down there.". Feel free to create some sort of reason why you are inquiring from this new guy like the color is wrong or something.

OTOH, you can simply say you are looking for the best deal possible and be prepared to walk.