Is there a price advantage to buying a bike over winter up here in the snowy north?

Am I correct that you get a better deal on a bike already on the sales floor but would like to special order a bike?

Is my trade-in worth more buying a brand new bike as opposed to another used bike (all things being equal)?

How customizable is HD-1 Customization? I hate the idea of paying for stock tail lights that I just want to swap out for LEDs, for instance. I know the dealer does this kind of work but can't they just ship the bike w/o tail lights?

 

My experience is that in the off season bikes are worth a little less. So gain for you buying, but loss for you selling/trading.

 

Totally depends on many things. Your skills as a negotiator vs theirs, how many bikes they have on the floor, how badly they are motivated to move them, how badly they want your trade, and more. Give it your best shot and see what you can do. You'll be less likely to get a good price on a bike you order vs one sitting on the floor, IMHO. I don't think they will do things like ship the bike from the factory w/o tail lights, etc.

 

What is your trade-in? It is probably worth more in the spring than now, but if it's a desirable model it might not make much difference. Same goes if it's not worth much to begin with. I'm sure you know you can always get more for it by selling it yourself, and might make it worthwhile to wait for riding season to start.
Swapping out light bulbs is very easy, something you should consider doing yourself.

 

There is no strategy. Just give them a price you want and see if they accept it. I was able to buy a 2015 RK in July close to invoice. OTD price is your main objective when buying. They can fiddle all the numbers they want with prep and shipping. As long as you get the price you want. Dont throw a fit if they charge you x amount for prep. I did my homework and figured out how much the total price would be including taxes. I gave them the most ridiculous price and ask if they can give me their promo financing with it. Surprisingly they said yes.

 

same Questions I've asked for 50 yrs.. still I gotten no answer...

 

I bought my bike on Jan 27, 2011. The salesman was desperate to make a sale. I think you will get your best deal at the end of the month of December, January or February. Don't wait until the last couple of days, because you might not have time to arrange financing.

Pretty sure your trade in will be worth less, so I would sell that privately in the spring, if you can buy the bike without a trade in.

 

I bought my Electra Glide in February of 2013. The dealer I eventually bought from offered me a great price right first time through the door. Stopped in at different dealer later in the week, during a snow storm, and the salesman told me MSRP and wouldn't even talk about coming down.
No trade involved.

 

If you can wait and sell your bike privately its worth the wait.. Dealer needs to make money on selling your trade and your new bike after all they are not in business to lose? Takes allot of selling and service work to make a dealership work its not a given they all make money . Why our local dealers change names every other couple years .. Like all things whomever needs the money most will give you best deal IMHO Winter is better time for sure..

 

I have always went by several factors when buying a new bike, or car. Much has to do with the size of the dealer, how many units do they push out the door each month indicates how low they are willing to go. There are currently dealers that would rather sell 100 new bikes a month and make less rather than only sell 40 bikes at higher prices.