My mother has told my father to "strongly discourage" me from getting a motorcycle. My dad, however, doesn't seem interested in doing that. "Mom says I should strongly discourage you from getting a motorcycle," he said, "because she's afraid you'll get hurt." Then he said, "So, do you want to go with me to the Suzuki dealer out in Riverhead?" Funny stuff.
So we went out to Riverhead and found a bunch of motorcycle dealers and checked out every brand of motorcycle one could want. Still, nobody has a freakin' SV650 built for me to look at. One guy I asked about it got this surprised look on his face and said to me, "Are you looking for a track bike?" I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, so I just said I'm looking for a standard or a naked bike. Another dealer kept mixing up the SV650 with the SV650S -- the second time that's happened to me. And all the dealers have pooh-poohed the SV650 and pushed me towards something more expensive (like some Kawasakis, which are very nice, but outside my price range).
It's weird, because on the Internet, tons of people post about how much they love their SV650s and Suzukis in general. And a number of magazines have given the SV650 great reviews. But walk into a showroom and the sales guys are all like, "What do you wanna buy that bike for?" I guess they're used to selling to kids who want crotch rockets. Whatever. After looking at a ton of motorcycles, I'm set on the SV650 at this point; I'd just really like to see one and sit on it before buying.
Also, many of the dealers are telling me about how other dealers hit you with all these crazy fees. The dealer out in Riverhead showed me a receipt from a dealer in Port Jeff and there were $3000(!) worth of extra fees added onto the cost of the bike. WTF? According to the receipt, the fees covered everything from opening the crate to assembling the bike and all sorts of odds and ends. I don't know if that's typical, but it would put even the cheapest bike out of my price range. I was also told to expect to pay "a few hundred dollars" every 3000 miles for regular maintenance: oil change, adjust the chain, adjust the rear wheel and the brakes, tighten stuff, etc. I was advised that some of the work I could do myself (like changing the oil), but the rest should be handled by an experienced mechanic. On the one hand, I feel like that's a lot of bull so dealers can make more money. On the other, I don't want to be riding around on a poorly maintained motorcycle and get myself killed.
On the plus side, one of the dealers offered to give me a free lesson before I bought a bike, and he and a second dealer both offered to supply a chase-car and driver when I take my road test. A third dealer has its own insurance office and DMV branch(!) right in the building with them, and they do all the associated paperwork for you for free.
Thus, the overall shopping experience has been bizarre. You start talking to the sales guys and it's like you can see the little devil on one shoulder and the little angel on the other. The devil is the stereotypical car salesman who desperately wants to make a winter commission on a bike. The angel is the genuine motorcycle enthusiast who is eager to bring another rider into the fold. It would be very helpful at this point to have an experienced rider go shopping with me, to help separate the good from the evil.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
"One guy I asked about it got this surprised look on his face and said to me, 'Are you looking for a track bike?' I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, so I just said I'm looking for a standard or a naked bike."
The SV650 is a popular track bike, for learning to race, and for amateur racing. It dominates the "lightweight" and "lightweight twins" classes. In some areas the only people buying them are buying them for track use.
"So we went out to Riverhead and found a bunch of motorcycle dealers and checked out every brand of motorcycle one could want. Still, nobody has a freakin' SV650 built for me to look at. One guy I asked about it got this surprised look on his face and said to me, "Are you looking for a track bike?" I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, so I just said I'm looking for a standard or a naked bike. Another dealer kept mixing up the SV650 with the SV650S -- the second time that's happened to me. And all the dealers have pooh-poohed the SV650 and pushed me towards something more expensive (like some Kawasakis, which are very nice, but outside my price range)."
Because they don't have an SV to sell you? Because even at MSRP it's a bargain, and they make less money off of a relatively inexpensive bike?
"It's weird, because on the Internet, tons of people post about how much they love their SV650s and Suzukis in general. And a number of magazines have given the SV650 great reviews."
The lead article on motorcycle.com (last I checked) was a comparison of the SV650S to the new Ninja 650. It wasn't close, even though they loved the Kawasaki -- the SV is just unbeatable. The editors also pointed out that it would have been an even more lopsided comparison if they'd compared the Ninja to the naked SV, because it's just as comfortable and cheaper.
I wonder what's going on with the dealers in your area. Though I had an interesting experience when I was shopping for a new bike. I would ride to a dealer on my Suzuki VX800, go inside, obviously wearing motorcycle gear, obviously looking at bikes, seeing how they felt, and to my mind, obviously a serious buyer looking to get a new bike. No one would even say hi or ask if I needed help. But if I drove there in my car wearing shorts and a t-shirt, salesmen would be all over me. Go figure.
I think most dealers are run poorly, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they don't get very much repeat business. The median customer a) buys a sportbike, totals it in the first year, and never buys another one or possibly b) buys a japanese cruiser, does his own oil changes, and rides it sporadically for the next ten years, depending on the local demographics. I do most of my own maintenance, you asked about how much the services cost, and the answer is very little if you do it yourself. Doing an oil change on an SV is ridiculously easy. I mean, really, really easy. And that "first service" that dealers say is so important is what I would call a $200 glorified oil change. Yes, they do crap like synch the carbs and maybe check the valves (both are completely unnecessary on the SV before 12k miles -- maybe a carb synch at 6k if the bike were running very roughly). They say they torque-check the chassis bolts, which again, is almost certain to be unnecessary -- and not something that you couldn't do yourself with a torque wrench and a $20 Clymer manual.
Your best ally in all of this, especially in the ownership/maintenance phase, is the SV list. I guarrantee a post on the list asking for advice on dealers in your area and how to avoid stupid fees, etc. is going to get some thoughtful responses. Heck, this time of year they're itching to do some bike-talking. Be open minded. If someone says your best bet is in Trenton, NJ, that may be the truth.
Post a Comment